Happy Happiness Day!

If you’re happy and you know it…….….....you know the rest of the song.

Today, March 20, is the first ever International Happiness Day – various government figures are talking about Gross National Happiness (GNH); the promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, the preservation and promotion of cultural values, the conservation of the natural environment, and the establishment of good governance. 

Now that’s all very well and I do heartily agree with the need for an equitable and sustainable way of moving forward as a race.

However, I wonder if, as with many things,  it also starts small and local, maybe even at your breakfast table this morning. Ask kids about happiness and they’ll often talk about wonder, sweeties, fun or as my eldest daughter commented, quite unprompted when hearing the news ‘I feel happy when I’ve helped make some-one else feel happy’. That brought a tear to my eye and made me feel happy I can tell you…..

To feel happy with self-esteem and confidence about oneself is a wonderful thing (though sadly not a given).  It is life-enhancing and enables us to gets through the rough times as well as the good. 

I heard Dr.Charles Eugster, the 93 year old, former dentist turned bodybuilder talking on the radio earlier and if he can’t teach us all a lesson about the right attitude to life, I don’t know who can.  His mission was to turn the heads of the 70 year olds on the beach  (way to go!) when at 87 he thought he was getting overweight, this led him to hire a former Mr Universe to build his body and he’s done just that. 

The exuberance, passion and general joie de vivre that exuded from him was extraordinary.  His message on life in a few seconds –

·          *   Be passionate about something

·          *  Have a reason or relevance in your life

·          *  And exercise

He said of his recent experience ‘ It changes your appearance, it changes your energy and it changes the way you think’. Now that's a fabulous reason to be happy. 

If this all sounds slightly kooky to you, it’s also the Spring Equinox today so longer days are on the way and that’s definitely something to be happy about. 

As a friend said recently, the day comes when we only regret the chances we didn’t take……and invariably it’s the taking chances that leads to happiness.  

Have a very happy Happiness day, whatever you’re up to….

Kate 

And the winner is Optimism!

Tis’ the season for awards after all. 

Okay, before you reach for the bucket this isn’t just happy, jolly January, ‘go for it’ speak, so bear with me for a moment.

There is compelling research out there that states;

-       Optimists typically make 30% more sales

-       Optimists generally bounce back faster after adversity

-       Optimists use a different, more positive explanatory style

-       Optimists try harder

-       Optimists succeed

And because of all this they are generally healthier, wealthier, have greater life expectancy, better relationships and success.   

Well, if that’s not a reason to find one’s inner optimist I don’t know what is?

As many of you know, I’m an inner biker (the outer one falls off a lot) and fan of Charley Boorman. He must be one of the most optimistic people out there.  Charley Boorman’s South African Adventure is currently showing on Channel 5 and in last week's episode he successfully navigated the Sani Pass in appalling weather. Unsurprisingly, this journey, leading a path through the mountains in Lesotho commenced on two wheels but sheet ice forced the intrepid biker to jump into a 4X4 when progress came to a halt. When the mechanical mountain goat started to slide uncontrollably toward the edge, the film crew leapt to safety, Charley didn’t, and was rewarded with one of the most stunning views on the planet, amongst other things. It made fabulous viewing for us all at home too; http://bit.ly/VlQNjy

The point is optimism takes us further. It widens our repertoire and resources to deal with whatever it is that life has put along our path and therefore we generally benefit along the way.  Be it in business or personally.

The simplest way to start that shift towards an optimistic outlook and way of life is to be grateful and express gratitude for what we have ,rather than what we don’t.   

Think of three things that you’re grateful for, truly grateful for, otherwise it won’t work!

It might be a relationship, a friend, kids, your job, your boss, a holiday, a book, chocolate, the snow  - doesn’t matter what it is, so long as it is yours and you mean it.  

How did that make you feel?

Then repeat it, daily if possible.

For the cynics out there and I know you’re there, a healthy dose of defensive pessimism isn’t a bad place to start, the end goal being strategic optimism. I.e. instead of the very optimistic ‘’I can do this’’ the toned down, more tactical and strategic optimism of  “what will it take to achieve this’. 

If you’re having a struggle finding your inner optimist, you know where we are and we’d be delighted to help.

Wishing you an optimistic and successful 2013. 

Further reading: Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness and Positive Psychology.  http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/

2013 begins at the end of your comfort zone

As Walt Disney magically said’ If you can dream it, you can do it”. 

I’ve recently been fortunate to meet three very inspiring people, Rob Jonas, Business Leader (and extreme sports competitor), Liz Dimmock who is cycling around the world next year not only to beat a record but also to raise a £1m for charity (Worldride2013.com), and Leah Dunthorne, an Olympic coach.  All inspiring in very different ways, though with the utter, unshakeable belief in what they CAN do.

Many of us however, might feel that the self-belief required to achieve whatever others do or even more importantly what we want to do for ourselves, is unpredictable at best. Self-belief, with-out wishing to ‘personalise’ it, sometimes appears to have the power to depart at the critical moment.

All is not lost, the message from these individuals is also that you can always find some-one to help you out and get you started.  Pick whatever it is and find a willing helper to assist  you and your self-belief along the way. There are passionate people everywhere. 

What are you dreaming about that actually, you can do and who will help you get started?

Might 2013 be the year that you turned the dream to reality, there’s a movie there somewhere…….

Have a fabulous New Year, look forward to hearing about your plans for this year, sometime soon.

Flat over brow

Last week I was most fortunate to meet many extraordinary people and a few of the conversations stood out:

Speaking with legendary racing driver Barrie “Whizzo” Williams who rallied at the highest level in the 60s and is now known for his expertise at the wheel of historic and classic racing cars.

Discussing Cyber Security Challenge UK with Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Harrison, MBE, decorated for his part in the liberation of Kuwait during the first Gulf War. 

Also a lively discussion with Tanya Rennick, the energetic force behind The Oyster Club, London’s Premier Networking Club.  

Watch this space….

So, flat over brow, not a term I was familiar with.  Those of you who know a little (or a lot) about rallying will be aware that it means flat out, over the blind brow of a hill, requiring complete trust in your navigator or co-driver.  What transpired in discussion with Whizzo was not so much the "flat over brow" but the "right hand turn 50ft" immediately afterwards, in thick fog!  

"Flat over brow" seems to me to epitomize trust, that well-worn word that is talked about such a lot, but maybe not as truly practiced as it might be.  Not so in my discussions above, these truly inspiring individuals expressed candidly that if it hadn’t been for the trust in team or indeed trust in self, they wouldn’t be where they are today. 

As Ernest Hemingway eruditely put it "the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them”. 

Will you?