5 Ways to be Happier :)

My dear mother forwarded this email to me yesterday after she had received it from a co-worker. I found it so uplifting that I wanted to share it with YOU.

A tip for each day of the week

 

Monday

Focus on "Get to" instead of "Have to" - While driving to work focus on what you "get to" do instead of what you "have to" do. With gratitude realize that you don't have to do anything. Youget to go to a job while so many are unemployed. Gratitude floods your body and brain with emotions that uplift you and energize you rather than stress hormones that drain you.

 

Tuesday

Don’t Expect your Boss, Co-workers and Customers to Make you Happy - Realize that happiness is an inside job. Our happiness has less to do with forces outside of us and more to do with what's inside of us. The way we think about work, feel about work and approach our work influences our happiness at work. For instance, just by making yourself smile you produce more serotonin in the brain-which makes you feel happier. You'll also be happier when you focus on what you are giving instead of what you are getting.

 

Wednesday

Don’t Seek Happiness - Ironically if you want to be happier don't seek happiness. Instead share your strengths and decide to work with passion and purpose and happiness will find you. The research shows that people are most energized when they are using their strengths for a bigger purpose beyond themselves. Whatever your job, decide to bring passion to it and find purpose in it. I've met bus drivers, mortgage brokers, janitors and fast-food employees who are more passionate about their jobs and happier than some professional athletes making millions of dollars. Every job will get mundane and "old" if you let it but purpose and passion keep it fresh and make you happier.

 

Thursday

Focus on Excellence instead of Success - When you focus on success you can easily fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others, looking over your shoulder, feeling envious, playing office politics, and competing against coworkers instead of collaborating. However, when you focus on excellence you measure yourself against your own growth and potential. You strive to be the best you can be. You simply focus on getting better every day and this makes work more meaningful and rewarding.

 

Friday

Celebrate Together - While we shouldn't depend on others to make us happy, by building a positive team or support group at work we will be happier. So instead of expecting others to make you happy, you proactively create the positive relationships that enhance your engagement, productivity and happiness. One great way to do this to huddle with your team/group at the end of the week and have each person share their accomplishments, victories, and great moments of the week. This will produce great feelings on Friday that inspire you and your team to come back to work and make a difference on Monday.

 

I am blessed with a job and co-workers that I love dearly so work stress is pretty much irrelevant to me. However, while reading this I found myself applying it to school. I hope you can take these 5 Monday-Friday tips and apply them in the areas of your life you see fit!

 

Have a great day!

Avoiding the Freshman 15

So this was the first week back to school and holy cow is there a LOT of freshman on campus. I couldn't help but reminisce on my freshman year. I remember how excited I was: Freedom. New faces. Food everywhere. Awesome Rec Center. With that said, I think we've all heard about the "Freshman 15". Between the new schedule and late nights in the library, snacking on the wrong things become a habit- a very bad habit. Believe me freshies, it's easy to gain but so much HARDER to get it off. Here's a couple tips so that the "Freshman 15" won't apply to you!

1. WORK IT OUT.

http://www.marshallcampusrec.com/

I know how hard it can be adjusting to a new schedule but it's so important not to forget the most important part of your day. Between eating late and the stress of school, it only makes sense to MAKE this a part of your day. Plus, this Rec center is pretty awesome. They have everything between rock climbing, swimming, yoga, spinning, etc so there's really NO reason why you shouldn't take full advantage!

2. AVOID CAFETERIA FOOD

This use to be a struggle for me but I believe I've finally mastered saying NO to the food on campus. Most of it is expensive, fattening, and.. did I say EXPENSIVE? It's almost $3.00 for a cup of grapes. Holy Cow. This leads to my next tip...

3. PACK YOUR LUNCH

Some of my friends giggle at the fact that not only do I pack my lunch, but I have a lunch box that matches my bag. (Nerd Alert!) But seriously, it's cheaper and healthier. I often hear, "I don't have time". Welllllll guess what!? Yes you do. Wake up just a tad bit earlier each morning or just pack it at night. Takes a whole bit of 5 minutes!

4. COFFEE

Coffee will be your BEST FRIEND. Never in a million years did I think I would drink it,  let alone become an ADDICT. Studies have shown that coffee does have its perks when it comes to health factors. Here's where the specialty coffees come in. The sugar. The whip cream. The chocolate. Bad news is.. well these are just BAD news all together. Good news? There are ways around it!  You can ask for sugar free and no whip and this cuts the calories in half! Anything from Starbucks with the word "Skinny" in front of it, is always a better choice. One of my favorite drinks they serve is a skinny vanilla latte. They use steamed nonfat milk and sugar free syrup. 0 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and ONLY 60 calories! Yeeeeeeeehaw to that!

Hope these small tips help you avoid the extra 15! Enjoy your first year of college and remember: 

WORK.... IT.... OUT!