They Stole My Joy

These were the words someone shared with me two days before working out her notice in her organization, “they stole my joy.”  Hmmmmm….makes you think on two levels: What could she have done to maintain her joy?  How did she let other people take the joy from her?  In a TEDx video, Shawn Achor an award winning Harvard professor talks about how to create lasting positive change.

**Here are the five things he said to do over a 21 day period of time: **

1. Write down 3 things you are grateful for every day

2)Journal one good thing that happened in a 24 hour period

3. Exercise

4. Meditate

5. Perform a random act of kindness.

These simple steps can transform your brain to think more positively.  Don’t worry…..Be happy…..ooohhhhooohhhooohhhooo…

Have you ever been a patient in a hospital or one of your family members?

For the most part people in hospitals are sick, stressed out and not filled with joy.  Look how positivity could impact patient care.

The article **The benefits of positive emotions **states,

“Even thirty years ago, psychologists were finding that stress exacerbates illness, but doctors were hesitant to buy into that,” says Shane Lopez, Ph.D., professor of business at the University of Kansas and author of Making Hope Happen. “Now we know how physically debilitating stress and depression are. Only recently have we learned how important joy, contentment, and happiness are. Positive emotions have a positive physical effect. Yet physicians are very slow to accept that positive emotions affect health in a big way.”

Action Item: For 21 Days, Follow Achor’s strategies to find your Happiness – Set a Date, Make it Happen, Elevate Your Joy Factor!

Expert from an article by John Reimnitz, Robin William, and Kirti Kanitkar