Archive for June, 2008
Just Be Cool Like a Little Fanzie
I’ve been Netflixing the TV show Scrubs on DVD. What a great show! My wife and I finished season one and we were watching the bonus material. Donald Faison (Chris Turk) was being interviewed about the show and he said that the set only had one rule…
Don’t be an A**hole.
“When someone says that if you are an a**hole you are not going to be here for very much longer, you’d be surprised how much nicer people will be.”
I think we need to implement this rule at every company.
Anyone who has worked in human resources knows that the people who stay with a company are usually happy, communicate well and are liked by most of their co-workers. They don’t cause trouble, they encourage teamwork.
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Use Failure as Your Slingshot
The greatest business people, actors, politicians, athletes, and scientists all persevere through failure in their careers before they reach a high level of success. When they do reach that point, there comes a great calm. They realize that their disappointments were some of the best moments of their careers because they used them to improve on their next move.
Life is a beautiful struggle, and the great people of our history used each failure as a slingshot to create a better life. One of the greatest of them was Abraham Lincoln. His failures were numerous and would have crushed a weaker willed person.
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Failed in business in 1831
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Defeated for the legislature in 1832
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Failed in business again in 1834
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Ann Rutledge, the love of his life died in 1835
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Nervous breakdown in 1836
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Defeated in an election in 1838
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Defeated for Congress in 1843, 1846, and a third time in 1848
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Defeated for Senate in 1855
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Defeated for Vice President in 1856
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Defeated for Senate in 1858
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1860 he was finally elected President!
Every living thing struggles to live. Famous actors struggle with the paparazzi, I struggle with my career, everyone struggles with their relationships, rich people struggle with illness, and everyone struggles with the possibility of death. Every struggle creates new places for joy. The truly great people understand that failure isn’t the measure of a person, but it is what they do with that failure that decides how successful they become.
It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failures. Precept, study, advice, and example could never have taught them so well as failure has done.
- Samuel Smiles
It’s using that struggle to help improve your life that makes the difference between success and accepting defeat. Use your difficulties to make yourself stronger. Use you failure as a slingshot toward happiness and you’ll succeed.
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Photo courtesy of pingnews
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Design Friendly Atmosphere for Employees and Clients
Here is my first video for the Work Happy Now audience. The video is only five minutes and gives you valuable information on what to do and what not to do with your workspace.
Leave a comment to let me know what you think. I’m trying to give you as much value as I can, and I could use the feedback. Thanks for watching.
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Video on Work Happy Now
No one has time to do it all and I’m no different, but I want to keep improving this site’s value for employees as well as employers. That’s what working happy is all about: developing new ideas and running with them. I had to figure out the best way to create dynamic content that would really help my visitors. What to do? MP3s or video?
There is enough business development audio to make your mind spin. What I don’t find a lot of is… video. There are people who are shooting their seminars and putting small cuts on YouTube, but most of them are commercials for their information.
I wanted to create small videos that people can watch at work or at home without having to filter through an ocean of articles. We live in the age of the iPhone, so I may as well take advantage of all my outlets. If I could create something that people can watch on their phones, I’ve reached a new segment of the population.
I shot two short videos. The first is about workplace design and the second is about relaxing at work. Both are very important topics for working happier.
The first one will be up tomorrow.
It’s a little scary putting myself out there for everyone to judge me, but I figured I would ignore all that and go for it. It’s not perfect, but it is interesting.
Challenging myself to give all of you something new that can help you at work really makes me happy. The video may not be perfect, but it does give good value. When you watch it, don’t be afraid to give me some feedback.
I want to thank my friend KJ and my wife for helping me through this learning process. KJ helped me shoot the video and my wife edited the content. I couldn’t have done this without them. Check back here tomorrow to see my first Work Happy Now video on creating a design friendly workplace for customers and employees.
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Here is a cool shot from a man tricking out his cubicle. The found this photo at Escape From Cubicle Nation and the original photo is at Jared D. Nielsen’s website.
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1st photo courtesy of derekdavis. The 2nd photo courtesy of Jared D. Nielsen.
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25 Lessons on Working Happy From My German Father
My father owns an electrical contracting business. He built a strong company that has lasted for over 40 years. He has never advertised in his life. He went out and proved he was good and his customers referred him to other friends and contractors all over eastern Pennsylvania. Seth Godin would have been proud.
I worked for him in the summers when I was out of school. Working with him was a pleasure and a pain. He was born German and insists on everything to be perfect. He always set the bar higher than I could reach.
I look back on it now and realize how much I’ve learned. I was lucky to have a father who owned his own business and wanted his son to tag along. I was probably more work then a help, especially in the early years.
As you read this list try to picture a German man with a graying black beard, a tool belt on and a pair of dirty jeans as he says each one. It makes it more fun.
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Never worry about the time, all it will do is make work go slow.
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Take time to hang out with co-workers, it makes work interesting.
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Be able to laugh at yourself because people like to be around someone that doesn’t take himself too seriously.
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A good cup of coffee is worth the price it costs.
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Do it right the first time.
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Why take a longer break then you really need?
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If it works then you did well. If it works and looks good then you did great.
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Be able to explain how you made the mistake. No one wants to hear how you’re not sure.
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The earlier you wake up the earlier you can get home.
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Nothing wrong with daydreaming as long as you pick the right spots.
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Don’t worry about how a customer looks, just worry about their ability to pay on time.
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Always lend a hand to another contractor because you are going to need them to help you before the job is done.
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Set the bar higher then you can presently reach because one day you’ll reach it if you keep trying.
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Buy coffee for everyone every once in a while. We all need to spread good will.
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Can’t force a person to care about their work. It’s really up to them to make that decision.
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It’s only money. The real joy is in the accomplishment.
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The customer doesn’t always know what he wants. Sometimes they need to be enticed with good ideas.
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Don’t walk too fast and don’t walk too slow because you’ll either wear yourself out or you’ll look like a slacker.
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Even if you don’t know how to do it, give it a try because you may surprise yourself.
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Eat lightly during the day because you’ll weigh yourself down if you eat too much.
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Always have a system for each task because then you can do it without too much thinking, which frees your mind up for planning the next task.
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Never be afraid to walk away. Not every relationship will work.
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You can enjoy your work or you can think about going out tonight. It’s up to you.
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Don’t do what I do unless you really love it.
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Hard work may make you tired, but it’s a good tired.
Happy Father’s Day!
I love you Baba (German name for Dad). My friends always made fun of me for calling him that and now they ask, “How is Baba?” It’s cool how unique things stick in people’s heads.
What is one lesson you’ve learned from your father?
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Image courtesy of Nikki Staib. It’s an image of my father holding his grandson (My nephew Kris).
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