Yesterday we celebrated my daughter’s graduation with a party where family, friends and fellow seniors came from her class to wish her congratulations. Our party was “scheduled” from 2:00pm to 6:00pm, so it made sense that it wrapped up at 10:30pm with friends sitting around a fire pit taking in the great day that we all experienced !!
This day just fit in with what I’ve been following lately and telling others about. There is an amazing book out there from Shawn Achor called The Happiness Advantage. I love the book personally and I’ve taken just one of the many nuggets from the book and have put it into practice. One of the chapters talks about writing a journal and listing 3 great things that happened the day before. The study that was conducted said that people who did this for only one week were more positive for up to six months later.
I shared this with the State Council of Ohio SHRM and asked everyone to start a journal because they work with great HR folks in their chapters and their workplaces. There were two great folks from SHRM their as well and I asked them to join in (and they have). Sensing the momentum and the incredible response, I introduced the 3 great things journal to my own HR department that I head as well as the GM’s from our restaurants, the leaders of our Ops group and some of our Executives !!
The results have been amazing (and we’re two weeks into it.) In fact, a group of the OHSHRM presidents and I have been listing one of our “great things” on Twitter every day since the Council meeting – EVERY day !!
There are so many great and positive things around us, and we have the option to choose whether we’ll face each day negatively or positively. It doesn’t mean that things don’t get rough or that challenges aren’t present. However, HOW you approach things is in your control. As humans, and as HR professionals, it’s time to change how we approach the phenomenal people that are all around us.
I know it works !! It’s not some parlor trick or “trend,” it’s a way of life. Try it out and let me know how your journal builds and flows. You’ll start noticing amazing things that have been right in front of you all the time.
By the way – journal entry from yesterday:
1) Scout friends coming over to set up the massive dining fly/tent we had for the party early in the morning !!
2) Sitting around the fire pit and taking in the day’s memories !!
and (most importantly)
3) My daughter with my Mom getting a hand made quilt for graduation. A family tradition of love and creativity that my Mom does for all the grandkids. Here it is . . .
I believe you get back what you put out there…..so if I want to have a day with a positive vibe, I get to be the one to start it!
I find approaching each day with a positive, joyful approach just makes me feel better. It is easy to feel sorry for yourself, but in the whole scope of life there really IS someone who has it worse off than you do. Some people may think I am artifically joyful because I always say I am “living the dream” but I do sincerely mean it. Furthermore, I believe it . . .
Thank you for bringing my research to life! It’s one thing for someone to hear the research about how gratitudes can rewire the brain for optimism, but you have taken the research and helped others transform their lives with action. You are one of those positive outliers I love to study. Keep the positive ripple effect going!