DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #43- Appreciate People

“The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” -William James

Regardless of stature, gender, age, culture, religion, etc. people respond positively when appreciated. This is a key to good and lasting interpersonal relationships, and therefore important for your own happiness.

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Have you ever seen a child’s face light up when his/her work is appreciated or when his/her presence is acknowledged? This is a genuine expression of delight from a young person who has not learned to hide true feelings. And no matter what a person say or show that may tell you otherwise, s/he really wants appreciation more than anything else.

Because of this desire for positive feedback especially coming from someone admired or held in high-esteem, people can do wonders in their performance in school, workplace, church and community. Therefore, appreciation is critical in maintaining good performance in students, employees or volunteers. Recognition of their contribution to the organization’s success is worth more than any perks. This helps explain why some good employees leave despite good pay and benefits, as well as the reason why some of them stay despite offers of better packages somewhere else. It is often reflected under “poor relationship with the boss” as why one leaves a company, but a lot of it is plain lack of appreciation.

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #22- Be Generous with Praise

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #42- Spread Holiday Cheers: Express Gratitude

The holiday season is not only a time for revelry but also of gratitude. Celebrated at the end of the year, it is a good time to reflect on the year that was and to look forward to the new one as well.

Counting our blessings, remembering those that have been there for us and expressing our gratitude to them is the best way to spread more happiness this holiday season. There are many ways to do this, here are some of them:

1. dropping by and personally say thank you
2. sending out a letter of thanks or a greeting card
3. emailing photos and reconnect
4. calling to express appreciation
5. texting a cheerful message and letting the person know s/he is thought about
6. giving a hug to show that your loved one is appreciated
7. expressing gratefulness to God through prayers

C’mon, do yourself a favor and express gratefulness. It’ll not only make another person happy, but amazingly it’s also a sure way to lift your spirits…and the joy it brings will last longer than the good feeling one gets from eating delicious treats and sumptuous dishes or drinking expensive wines!

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

-William Arthur Ward

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #13- Start a Gratitude Ritual

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #41- Set a Lighter Tone to Meetings

Some workers are just intimidated by meetings, while others see it as a waste of time. While there are valid reasons for their feelings, perhaps based on previous experiences, meetings are still valuable tools to accomplishing certain tasks, particularly bigger projects involving more than one unit.

Instead of avoiding this necessary task, how about initiating light conversations and exchanging anecdotes to lighten the tone of meetings?  Suggesting a "humor minute or two" to share jokes before starting, or a break in long sessions to stretch and toss a funny story can make a lot of difference if everyone joins in the spirit of fun. These take out the drudgery out of meetings and make them what they’re supposed to be…avenues for exchange of ideas and to boost camaraderie, which would improve creativity and productivity.

Yes, laughter and play offer physical, psychological and physiological benefits to anyone. Appropriate humor can make hard tasks easier, collaborations fun and certainly make workdays go faster. So laugh, and laugh out loud to your heart’s content…take it as part of your job to improve performance and morale in the workplace.

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” ~Jean Houston

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Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #18- Don't Set Your Expectations Too High

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #40- Find a Humor Partner

The workplace can be a depressing place. What with so much negativity that may abound…backstabbing, jockeying for favors, bullying, favoritism, low compensation, boring repetitive task, unhealthy competition, gossiping, or camaraderie just isn’t there… all adding up to a low morale environment.

Having a friend in the workplace can make life tolerable even in harshest of conditions. You have someone you can trust and talk office matters with. Although griping is a natural reaction to vent out frustrations, conversations must also go beyond it. How about requiring each other to bring a joke or anything humorous every day to share? Both of you can benefit in the positivity that this practice brings. It may resonate well with other co-workers who may join in the fun. Let it be non-exclusive, even your manager may like the idea and join in, too. Eventually organize it into a LOL Club. Who knows, it might create ripples…the beginning of a positive work environment where everyone benefits, including the management and the company.

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” ~Victor Borge

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Another tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #33- Reduce Holiday Stress

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #39- Bring Humor to your Workplace

We spend about a quarter to a third of our lifetime as productive adults in our workplaces where negative stress may abound. From unsupportive bosses to crabby co-workers, from boring repetitive tasks to high-pressure highly competitive sales environment, you name it. Because we do not live to work but we work to make a living, let us choose to improve workplace environment instead of merely griping about it. After all, because a major chunk of our time is spent in the workplace, happiness, anger, frustration and other lingering emotions affect other aspects of our lives, particularly our health and wellbeing that we’re supposed to share with our loved ones.

Humor and fun can make any negative work environment less stressful. It can start with you posting tasteful jokes, cartoons, funny photos, or anything fun (but harmless) in your cubicle such as this. Your closest friend in the office can do the same and then perhaps the others as well. Everyone can have his/her own brand of humor that can be appreciated by everyone else. Then there is something to talk about and to look forward to during visits to other people’s cubicles. It may not immediately turn the most negative of workplace to a haven of positive energy. But it’s a good start.

“Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche

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Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #26- Do What You Love, Love What You Do

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #38- Be Patient and Forgiving to One Another

“We are told that people stay in love because of chemistry, or because they remain intrigued with each other, because of many kindnesses, because of luck . . . But part of it has got to be forgiveness and gratefulness.” -Ellen Goodman

 It’s natural for couples to get into each other’s nerves.  Remember that each is a unique person with unique preferences and perspective.  One cannot expect the other to be always in the best state of mind and body.  And being always together increases the likelihood of conflict.  Therefore without patience and forgiveness, marriage or partnership can never last.

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How can we go beyond the irritation we feel when our spouses or partners still do little annoying things that we’ve repeatedly and specifically asked them not to, such as not replacing the toothpaste cap on or walking into the house with dirty shoes on?  

Focus on the things that he/she does that makes you happy and be grateful for it.  Moreover, let go of the tiny details that annoys you that would not matter much in the long term anyway, because both of you are in it for the long haul and there’s so much happiness in the relationship to merely narrow your vision on wasted toothpaste or dirty floor.  Let it go and be happy.   

“Forgiveness is the final form of love.”

-Reinhold Niebuhr

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #11- Brush in No Rush

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #37- Spread Your Arms and Hug Someone

“A hug a day keeps the demons at bay” -Proverb

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Do you know that oxytocin, which is another feel good hormone, can even be more powerful than serotonin? Oxytocin, often called the “cuddle hormone", is released when we feel love, trust and comfort. If you need a lift, remember the power of simply spending time with your significant other or family members and friends. Better yet, instead of just being with them, hug them. Feel the love with a nice big group hug!

“I will not play tug o' war. I'd rather play hug o' war. Where everyone hugs instead of tugs, Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug, Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins, and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins.” -Shel Silverstein

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #30- Go Bananas With Bananas and Eat Your Way to Happiness

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #36- Enjoy a Good Quote Regularly

“We read to know we are not alone.” -C.S. Lewis

Good quotations (or more informally, quotes) are nuggets of wisdom handed down from generations of great books, brilliant thinkers, prolific authors, respected leaders and other famous personalities. Because of their brevity, they are easily remembered and often used.

But no matter how often we encounter them, good quotations do not lose their impact to remind us of the messages, ideas or wisdom they carry. During trying times, they remind us that someone else has gone through our difficult situation and the experiences are important enough to warrant writing about, kept and transferred through generations.

Regularly reading and digesting a good quote, therefore, is a healthy practice that not only exercises the brain, but also promotes a sense of community, a connection with those who came before us…ancestors that guide us toward time-tested solutions to age-old problems.

Quotes should also be regarded as teasers, excerpts that would lead us to their original source, such as books, speeches, ancient cultures, etc. that are just waiting to be explored through reading. So tickle your imagination, feel a sense of belonging or even come up with answers to present day challenges, and be happy, motivated or inspired by human being's collective gems of wisdom.

“A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.” – Abraham Lincoln

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Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #10- Move those Muscles

DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #35- Take a Nap

There are two distinct times of a day when we easily fall asleep, in the evening and early to mid-afternoon, which are around twelve hours apart. This is a natural cycle in humans, just as other mammals also have theirs. While the afternoon nap is more easily skipped than the longer nighttime sleep, the benefits of allowing one's body to follow its natural rhythm cannot be ignored.

Afternoon naps or siestas energize you and enhance your performance and well-being by improving mood, alertness, memory and creativity that usually drop after the morning peak. People whose jobs entail much decision-making or attention to details would definitely profit from power napping. But everyone else should also heed this advice as mistakes and accidents increase in the mid-afternoon, presumably because our mind and body simply needs a break to recharge at this time.

A 20 to 30-minute power nap is all it takes to get the benefits (but longer than 90 minutes for those deprived of sleep the night before so they can recover).  So don’t feel guilty about it. The seeming loss in time can easily be compensated by improved performance. Actually, a company or office that prohibits power napping potentially wastes time and money because of reduced effectiveness, increased likelihood of rework due to mistakes, and crappy mood of employees.

“No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap.” -Carrie P. Snow

To read about rules on how to take a nap, click here.

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Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #21- Tired? Listen to Relaxing and Uplifting Music

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #34- Cut Down on Wants

Every human being requires the same basic stuff to live successfully.  These are food, water, shelter, clothing, security, social interactions, family, love, appreciation, meaning and other emotional needs that enhance our well-being.  The rest can be summed up as extras…our wants. 

However, the modern man has expanded the list of wants to include items meant to make life more comfortable and beyond.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with this except when their relative importance somehow shifts to the detriment of securing the basic needs, particularly the intangibles.  Often, the solution is to buy substitutes in an attempt to satisfy the emotional needs not met because of the unrelenting pursuit of the wants, in the general form of money, fame and power.

Now the backlash is felt.  Many have recognized that happiness and successful living do not depend on many of the wants being satisfied, but on the fulfillment of our needs and the needs of others.  Happy people are those who have the basics covered and limited wants satisfied; and this can be summed up in a word -- contentment.

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!  I say let your affairs be as one, two, three and to a hundred or a thousand… We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without.” - Henry David Thoreau

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #16- Always Love What You Got and Remember What You Had

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #33- Reduce Holiday Stress

It’s amazing how supposedly pleasurable periods like the Christmas season can be more stressful than any other time of the year. Mostly it got to do with wanting to do more than what realistically can be done, like canvassing every store for the lowest price for those nice pair of jeans, wanting to get each of the eighty two members of the club a customized gift, or trying to cook a family Christmas dinner that rivals a Buckingham Palace banquet.

When you begin to notice that things are getting off hand, sit down and think for a moment the reason behind the holiday or the activity and connect it to what you want to happen. When you have thought through it and got down to the basics, you will see that there’s a realistic minimum that you can aim for to celebrate the season and still have a happy, meaningful yet relaxed time doing it. Friends and family would appreciate more a happy, healthy person in you who has the time and energy to chitchat than all the great food and awesome presents you prepared but made you a tired, angry and possibly sick zombie.

So get the stress out of the holidays by recognizing what are most important, then do them cheerfully, and take everything else lightly.

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." -Sydney J. Harris

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #18- Don't Set Your Expectations Too High

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #32- Keep Your Desk Empty

Now this seems to be next to impossible for most types of work and for a good majority of workers. However, what this tip is simply saying is to get organized! A clear workspace brings clear thinking and a feeling of lightness, which are needed to be happy and successful in the workplace. In contrast, a desk full of stacks of papers and hodgepodge of materials can weigh anybody down, consciously or unconsciously, and it’ll be more difficult to tackle projects as they seem to be bigger than life and endless.

Now, your question is… where would I put the materials I am supposed to be working on? Would this not give the impression that I am just bumming around and not doing anything? Unfortunately, if you are concerned with the second question, you might have a bigger problem at work…either you don’t really have much to do or your apprehension reflects a reputation of idleness (or even laziness) at work that you need to put on an appearance of busyness. Unfortunately, a disorganized desk can’t help that. It’ll merely reinforce your negative image.

Only materials that you are working on should remain on your desk. All the rest would be organized on a cabinet, shelf or another table for you to get when their turn comes. Only the most used tools such as pens, post-its, telephone, computer, calendar and the like would either be on your desk or in drawers of that desk. At the end of the day, the desk must be cleared, even those that you haven’t finished needs to be parked someplace for you to get the next day. It’s wonderful to start the day fresh and end it with a feeling of accomplishment. So take courage, clear that desk!

“Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence.” -Thomas S. Szasz

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #6- Get the Job Done

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #31- Simplify, Learn to Say NO

“There’s so much out there, but so little time!...”, “if only I can double myself…” are common cries of those among us who are either driven to succeed or simply eager to please. In our desire to get ahead in life, so many are stretched too thinly in so many directions that stress and ailments associated with it become impediments to the much sought after good life and personal well-being. If it’s not working, why not try a different approach.

By learning to be more discerning on what is most important and feasible, we can take back control of our own time. Recognizing the Pareto Principle that a small proportion of what we do contributes to a large proportion of our output, to be quite ruthless on deciding what we take on is the key to simplifying schedules and one’s life. By doing this, we can emphasize on quality instead of merely quantity, on excellence instead of just-so performance. So if it’s happiness and well-being you are seeking, be realistic about limits in time and capacity, prioritize commitments and say No to the rest without feeling guilty.

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” -Hans Hofmann

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #28- Strive for Excellence

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #30- Go Bananas with Bananas and Eat Your Way to Happiness

A banana a day keeps the stress away…

On top of the many health benefits of eating bananas, this fruit is claimed to have a positive effect on human emotions. Lots of people have linked their happiness with their banana consumption. Bananas contain tryptophan, an essential amino acid, which is the precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. Happy people have high serotonin level in their brain while people suffering from depression have low.

Moreover, in stressful situations when metabolism is accelerated and potassium level decreases, bananas being rich in potassium help normalize this element. Dr. Caroline Longmore, author of The Serotonin Secret recommends eating at least four bananas a week together with other tryptophan-rich foods to boost your body’s serotonin level and improve your mood.

“On a traffic light green means go and yellow means yield, but on a banana it's just the opposite. Green means hold on, yellow means go ahead, and red means where the hell did you get that banana...” - Mitch Hedberg

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #7- Reward Yourself with a Bar of Chocolate

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #29- Stop and Smell the Flowers

In the rush of the day…in the middle of your busiest period, there is wisdom in taking a breather for a few minutes.  It can be in a form of a walk towards the water dispenser for a cold glass of water, or to the snack counter for a quick bite; a peek at a friends cubicle for a quick hello, or a short call to someone special; glance at the window to admire the view, or better yet, a brief trip outside to greet the sun, inhale the fresh air and enjoy the scent of freshly cut grass. 

Often, only a short time out is what it takes to clear one’s head, replenish the creative juice and/or solve that pesky problem.  If a computer sometimes bogs down and needs to be restarted, how much more the human brain that processes data many magnitudes more than the smartest computer on earth. 

Remember that happiness is the key to success.  Taking pleasure on such scheduled or unscheduled breaks can be a source of happiness that can take you through the toughest parts of the day.  Without it, there’s no telling what may come out at day’s end.

So hey c’mon, stop and smell those flowers!

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #26- Do What You Love, Love What You Do

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #28- Strive for Excellence

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." -Vince Lombardi 

Have you ever heard of the word eudaimonia? This means striving toward excellence based on one’s unique talent and potential. In ancient times, achieving the highest possible expression of your nature (what you were born with) is likened to cracking an outer layer of cheap pottery to reveal a golden figurine, which could be coined as ‘finding your golden self’. In present times, it is simply ‘personal growth’; however, it has also come to include continually taking on new challenges and fulfilling one's sense of purpose in life, making it more meaningful.

In contrast to hedonic contentment or passive, pleasure-oriented component of happiness, eudaimonic well-being is said to have a stronger influence on your overall happiness and is more satisfying.

Please note that you don’t need to become excellent in everything to be happy. It is simply knowing yourself and becoming what you are. Eudaimonic happiness is achieved through the continual improvement in areas of your life that has the potential to get better until you reach your best.

"Be satisfied with nothing but your best." -Edward Rowland Sill

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #26- Do What You Love, Love What You Do

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #27- Let the Sunshine In

It’s no wonder people worship the sun. It brings energy, it brings light, it brings cleansing… it brings good cheers to a weary soul. So never underestimate its power to affect your emotions, your mood. Whether feeling lousy or just okay, open up the curtains and let the sun shine through.

Did you ever wonder why rooms with large windows (and a nice view) go to the top brass in the office? The sunlight’s positive energy clears one’s head and allows better perspective for those making tough decisions. So if you have a choice, get that room with window. Even patients in hospital rooms with windows tend to recuperate sooner than those without.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.” -Walt Whitman

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #26- Do What You Love, Love What You Do

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” -Herman Cain

Isn’t it amazing how so many of us had it backwards, when we thought we would be happy when we become successful? When it fact being happy with what one is doing is the key to success! 

Fortunate are those who have “found their calling”, where their talents and energy are spent doing what they love to do (i.e. they get into a flow) that they also believe to be worthwhile (i.e. meaningful). 

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” –Confucius

However, for those of us whose circumstances do not allow the above ideal, love your job anyway. Remember that being happy is a personal decision and is not dependent on externals. So start it right…decide to love your job and be happy at what you do and success is not far. This would create a positive upward spiral that would attract more of the things you love and less of what you like least.

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #1- Decide to be Happy

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #25- Do Not Postpone Happiness

How many times have we caught ourselves saying: “I’d be happy when…I have my own house”, “…the loan is paid off”, “…I get a new job”, or “…I’ve lost weight.” There is nothing wrong with setting a goal for oneself, but to make happiness contingent upon its attainment is a recipe for disaster. Surely one would be happy, even ecstatic once a goal is achieved, but this should not mean withholding happiness while making one’s way to success.

Indeed true happiness is not about getting ahead, arriving somewhere, receiving a prize or finding someone. It is deciding to be happy regardless of circumstances. Therefore, happiness is within us and no one can give or take it away from us without our permission. So, decide to be happy now!  It's all up to you.

Related tip: DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #1- Decide to be Happy

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #24- Laugh as Often as You Can

“Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of your heart.” -Mort Walker

It has often been said that laughter is the best medicine. With so many issues at hand and concerns of the heart, it is no wonder that so many of us gets overwhelmed, angry and depressed. How about trying a good dose of laughter as often as you like? There’s no overdose, perhaps just a lot of gas to pass…but that, too, can be simply shrugged off and laughed away. It’ll remind you that you’re human, not perfect and that’s great! Learn to laugh at yourself and you’ll be fine…and happy all the more.

“So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter.” -Gordon W. Allport

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DAILY HAPPINESS TIP #23- Say 'Thank You'

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

- William Arthur Ward

Saying thanks is recognizing the benefits derived from an act of kindness, generosity or good behavior. By acknowledging these acts no matter how seemingly insignificant, you are rewarding the doer and thus encouraging him/her to do more of the same; but by ignoring them, you’re asking more of the opposite. Because every human being desires appreciation, saying thank you is the easiest way to show it.

“Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.” ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

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