Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mike Bundrant of iNLP.

“Do it, Mike! Just do it! Stop your whining and get off your butt!”

This is how I used to motivate myself. I carried around an inner high school football coach to bark at me whenever he thought I was slacking. The problem was, I constantly stressed myself out. Worse, half the time I “rebelled” against this inner dictator and became passive aggressive toward my own goals. How’s that for nutty?

Patterns

Actually, this is a common pattern. A “dictator” style of motivation has an undermining effect in the long run. Most people don’t like to be ordered around. In the workplace it leads to low morale and a low productivity, high-turnover workforce. Dictator-style parents tend to divide families and create harsh rivalries in the home. Ordering yourself around leads to the number one killer of personal development goals: self-sabotage.

Think about it. To your mind and body, a harsh, loud voice ordering you around is jarring, regardless of the source. You respond with stress and resistance whether from an outsider imposing his will or you imposing your will upon yourself. In the end, your brain experiences the commands in a similar fashion. Your mind places a lot less emphasis on the origin of an experience than you may think. All of us can make our mouths water just by imagining a delectable dessert. We’ve all reacted with fear to inner thoughts that had no basis in external reality. Ordering yourself around is being ordered around, period. Chances are, you don’t like it and will shut down, refusing to take any action at all.

The stress and resistance of dictatorial self-motivation is an expressway to self-sabotage. “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do!” is the common response to inappropriate commands, even when those commands are self-generated. It’s a perfect set up.

A New Way

Zen Motivation changes all this. The need to bark orders and force yourself to do things doesn’t even arise in a Zen motivation state. Motivating yourself to do things, even unpleasant things, is a normal part of living and comes quite naturally when in a more Zen-like state, connected to the present moment. Do this exercise and see what I mean.

1. Consider one thing that you need to motivate yourself to do, such as exercise, pull weeds, meet with a difficult colleague, and so forth. If you can, write down the name of the task in the middle of a piece of paper (if you have a pen and paper).

2. Become aware how you would typically motivate yourself to do this and write down (if you can) the thoughts and feelings that come next. For example, “Get it done!” or “Let’s move!” or “I just have to get this done!” or “Come on, Mike!” or (feelings, too) “Tension in chest and shoulders.” Write freely for a minute or so and don’t censor yourself.

3. Just clear your mind for a few moments. Shake it off.

4. Forget everything and enter a more present, grounded state by tuning into a mundane sound, such as the sound of distant traffic, the hum of your computer (or the white noise of a fan, refrigerator, running water, etc…). Don’t do anything else or try to relax – just tune into the sound. Keep listening for a minute or more, until you feel settled.

5. When you feel more settled, reconsider the task you need to get done. Write it down on a clean sheet of paper and notice the thoughts and feelings that come to your mind and body. Do you notice the difference? In this more calm state, what words can you choose to gently motivate yourself? How much easier is it to avoid ordering yourself around while you are feeling more settled and connected to the outside world?

For managers, the key to motivating employees rests with the quality of the relationship – how well do they treat their employees? Likewise, the key to motivating yourself is correlated with how well you treat yourself. Zen motivation allows you to motivate yourself from a more grounded, connected state. When you do, your tendency to order yourself around will vanish and your productivity will increase. Best of all, you’ll be respecting yourself more.

Mike Bundrant is an NLP trainer with the iNLP Center. Visit iNLP for a free personal development mini course and learn more about the Zen Motivation Twitter Party.

Image courtesy of phoeric.

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Almost everyone loves the story of the tortoise and the hare. It’s a classic.

I hate it!

It’s too limiting.

If everyone thinks of themselves at the tortoise, nothing would get done. Yes, I understand the story’s concept. If you stick with something you’ll win the marathon in the end.

The rabbit has the superpower of speed and that’s great, but like any great strength he lacks passion and focus. This is where I actually love the book.

Yes, I admit. I love the book too!

Superpowers

The book makes the perfect case for making better use of your superpowers. If you love something it doesn’t mean you should actually make a career out of it because it may not be a strength of yours.

As you know I don’t like people who just center on their strengths. They forget about the passion and the focus that it takes do great work.

Too often we think that because we love something that we can turn it into a strength. This is possible, but usually very painful.

You wouldn’t tell a 10^th grader with weak math skills to stick with it and try to become an engineer. The same thing goes for a 10^th grader who hates math, but is good at. You would tell a 10^th grader who has great math skills and is interested in the concepts to try to become an engineer because they have strength and passion to make it happen.

Aesop should have focused on the rabbit’s lack of focus and passion. I know it wouldn’t have made such an inspiring story. Even though it would have been more true to life.

Your perspective

When you look at yourself as the tortoise you are conceding that you don’t have the speed to keep up, but you hope that everyone around you falters. This negative perspective will hold you back. There are plenty of rabbits out there who are passionate and focused. You can’t rely on other people to falter to win the race.

You have to look at yourself as a rabbit. Look at what core superpowers you possess and how you can do work that you are passionate about and gets you in the zone. It’s these powers that will help you create a career that brings happiness and success.

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

You may notice that it’s easier to enjoy a certain situation when in a good mood. You aren’t affected by problems as easily. This occurs because your focus is on something that keeps you happy.

Standing in line behind two young women, probably in their early twenties, at the grocery store and they were complaining about their boyfriends. Their groceries were on the conveyer belt waiting to be wrung up. They had bananas, a mango, strawberries, two types of cheeses and crackers. It looked like they were going to eat an amazing snack. They weren’t excited about this wonderful meal they were soon to make, but only worried about their awful boyfriends.

I was so focused on their conversation that I forgot about myself. I was judging them. I felt like they were whining too much. I was doing the same thing they were. I was judging them for only looking for the negative. I had glorious food about to be purchased too. This made me think about my focus at work. Some days my focus is about knocking the work out, so I can get home. This defeats the purpose of work. We aren’t meant to be robots. We were created to feel and be aware of our experiences.

Losing Focus

Last Sunday… I was so caught up in finishing my drawing of a flower with a human face on it talking to a dog about proper mouth hygiene that I missed the point of the exercise – fun, stress relief, and relaxation. Drawing is an enjoyable hobby, but sometimes I lose focus. I need to remind myself why I’m doing it.

As I was finishing my drawing I slowed down and let the moment sink in, the pure joy of creating a white sheet into a story. That’s when I had a mini revelation. I needed to relax my drive and use my focus to experience the moment and the feeling of being productive.

Relationships, Tasks and Emotions

When we’re mad at a co-worker or family member it’s all we can feel. We are so caught up in the hurricane of emotions that we forget that there are other emotions to be felt. By acknowledging the main emotion that is dominating at the moment we can learn to allow it to only suck so much of our energy. Moving the focus toward other parts of the experience we can process through the emotions faster.

Working on tasks is similar to relationships. A certain task may frustrate us, but it’s because we get too caught up in accomplishing instead of experiencing.

When we push ourselves to finish our task we are losing sight of the larger picture. We make more mistakes because we just want to be done with it. The people who allow themselves to experience the fun in the moment as well as knocking the job out will have an easier time being productive. They understand that they choose how to process the task.

Your Perspective

Most of us have seen two opposite types of people working side by side in a retail store. One is smiling and willing to go the extra mile while the other one wonders why she is tortured by life. They are really not that different, but one learned how to divide her time between finding the joy in the work, while the other one sees and endless sea of people who need, need, need.

Your career happiness will depend on your focus. You can choose to find ways to make the experience enhance your career or you can keep complaining that whatever you try only blows up in your face. Your career is all yours, keep your focus on enjoying the moment for what is, nothing more and nothing less, as well as the joy of being productive. You’ll take your work happiness to a level that will astound you and your co-workers.

Your Turn

When working on an email or finishing a report where is your focus? (i.e. finishing the email or getting to the next project)

How do you make time to enjoy the moment?

* Karl Staib is addicted to throwing Twitter Parties. If you want to learn how Twitter Parties can help your business grow click here. You can also follow Karl on Twitter and learn how to build your business by standing on other people’s shoulders.

* I loved this post, A Dick Tracy lunchbox gave me some decent advice, from Havi Brooks of the Fluent Self. The bonus part is it fits nicely with the theme of my post.

If you found this post insightful, you will probably like these too:

• Coworker Trust – Sometimes It’s Better to Give AND Receive
• What Elephants Have in Common with Gratitude

Image courtesy of Blue Square Thing

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Michelle of Wicked Whimsy.

At any give time, there are a great amount of people who are working their current job as a “day” job or a “right now” job, while they work on their dream job or passion projects on the side. I know I’ve done my share of this, and sometimes, it’s not easy! If you feel forced into your work arrangement, it can make you resentful, angry, and unproductive at work – which doesn’t do anyone any favors, since you’re spending most of your waking hours there! If this happens to you, try using the following tips to improve your attitude & productivity at your day job.

Set goals

Instead of doing the bare minimum to get by, set aside a few minutes each week to think of ways you can go above and beyond, putting emotional labor into your work and not just “showing up”. If you’re motivated by something intrinsic (like a feeling of accomplishment) instead of extrinsic (money), your satisfaction when you complete your goals is likely to skyrocket. A great book on this topic is Linchpin, by Seth Godin.

Make a list of things your day job provides for you

Karl has written before about the power of gratitude, and this is another great example of it. Instead of thinking “My day job makes me get up early five days a week and spend 40 hours slogging away”, think of the things you couldn’t have without your day job. Try to get creative with your list – instead of saying “my apartment”, say “my two bedroom home in the heart of the art district”, or instead of saying “cat food”, say “the ability to feed my beloved pets”. Make the list as long as you can, and keep it on hand for when you start getting frustrated with work.

Make it a game

This doesn’t mean, don’t take your day job seriously – just maybe not quite as seriously. If you’re finding it impossible to have fun at your day job, make an effort to make it fun. Give yourself points for handling a customer or coworker successfully & professionally, subtract points if you don’t. At the end of the day, add up your total. If your points are above a certain number, treat yourself to your favorite meal.

Work to improve your environment

If you have control over a small amount of space, improve it. Add pictures of things that make you happy or your list of things your job provides for you. Any time you start feeling frustrated, take a deep breath and look at these things to remind yourself of the positive things your work brings into your life. Make an effort to improve your work environment in other ways as well – try instituting a no gossip rule for yourself when talking to coworkers. Gretchen Rubin recounts a tale in the Happiness Project of a friend who worked under a notoriously difficult boss. Gretchen’s friend made a rule for herself that she wasn’t going to say anything negative about her boss or his habits, and that if others were saying negative things, she’d walk away. Not surprisingly, the friend turned out much happier with her job than her coworkers, and even found herself liking her boss.

Watch your labels

This can be one of the toughest tips to follow. If you’re constantly referring to yourself – out loud or in your head – as a “wage slave”, that’s going to be reflected in your attitude and the way you act at work. Remind yourself that the place you work for is renting your time, and that your time is valuable. If you feel like the title your place of employment gives you isn’t very empowering – say, secretary, or sales associate – think of a spin on it that does make you feel good (instead of secretary, try administrative assistant).

There’s five ways to start improving your attitude & productivity at your job right away. What are your favorite ways to flip a negative work attitude around?

Michelle is a rainbow haired freelance writer & blogger located in Austin, TX. She writes about life creation for thoughtful renegades at Wicked Whimsy. You can sign up for her free e-course, Finding Yourself 101, here.

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* You may want to check out How to Discover Your Superpowers over at my marketing blog Super Power Coach. It’s a lot easier to have a great attitude and stay productive when you are doing work you enjoy, gets you in the zone, and plays to your strengths.

If you found this post insightful, you will probably like these too:

• Your Attitude and How it Affects Your Career
• How Transitions Can Dramatically Improve Your Productivity

Image courtesy of Dunechaser

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Editor’s Note: Lisa H. (aka RunningBear) is the founder of Getting to Zen

I can’t count the number of times that I have heard someone say “I hate my job”– Day after day, begrudgingly going to work repeating this mantra. But, if this thing called a “job” was taken away from them they wouldn’t have the means to pay for the things that they needed on a day-to-day basis (food, shelter, clothing). So isn’t it ironic that something like a “job” would be hated by so many people when it can bring them so many benefits.

You have a choice

I have never been much for staying in a job that I didn’t like. I have a low tolerance for unhappiness and unhappiness at work is no exception. How you feel about your job is up to you. You have choices. You can choose to be miserable and stay in your current job or you can leave for one that you enjoy. A third option would be to stay in your current job and change how you feel about it. If your goal is to be a happy worker, then avoid making excuses for why your situation sucks and begin to create the kind of work environment that brings you joy.

People stay in jobs that are not satisfying for these common reasons:

> I have children (wouldn’t you be a good role model by showing your children how to enjoy work)

> I don’t know how to do anything else

> I don’t the education to do differently

> I won’t find something that pays as well as this (You may find something that pays better)

> I am scared

> This is my family’s company

> My father, mother, etc… worked here

> They have a good benefits plan

While these may seem like good reasons, and in some cases, they may temporarily be, they don’t have to keep you stuck in a situation that has the potential to give you stress induced ulcers. You can be happy at work.

Get a different perspective

If you choose to stay in your current job, then change how you feel about it. Begin by speaking positively about your work to others and most importantly to yourself. If you hate your job, that means that it is something that you are doing against your will—and there is no way that you can be happy while you are acting against your grain; And to add to that, anything that you resist becomes increasingly difficult. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to swim upstream? It is even difficult for salmon, and swimming upstream is part of their nature. The longer you go against the flow, the more energy you will use and the more tired you will become. Similarly, if you were to swim downstream, you would use very little energy. You could practically float while the waters carried you along.

Equate this to your job. If you use positive terminology while speaking about your job, you will be going with the flow and it will become easier for you to carry out your duties. However, if you speak negatively about your job, the opposite will be true. Hating or loving your job has a lot to do with your perspective on it.

Tip for managers

If you are a manager, you can make positive changes around your workplace that will benefit your employees. Employees like to feel appreciated and like they are a part of a team. In the end, you will be the biggest beneficiary of this change. A happy worker is a productive worker.

For a team building activity, you may consider putting positive slogans up around the walls of the office. This small action can have a big effect. There is a lot of power in words. When I go to the local YMCA, there are slogans and banners everywhere with words such “honesty”, “respect” and “caring.” And every single time I read one these banners or slogans, I feel my attitude shift. They make me want to be an honest, respectful, and caring person.

Putting positive slogans up will also impress visitors to your company. So make them as meaningful as possible.

Next steps

One big thing to remember here is that no one is forcing you to go to work. It is something that you are choosing to do and you are not doing it for free. So when you think or speak about your job, take all of the benefits it is providing you into consideration. Either keep your job and enjoy it or move on. Tell yourself that hating it is not an option.

For more information on how to feel good about your job, read Reposition Your New Career and Your Attitude and How it Affects Your Career.

Lisa H. (aka RunningBear) is the founder of Getting to Zen, a personal development blog featuring articles on productivity, motivation, inspiration and organization. You can sign up for her RSS feed or follow her on Twitter.

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* Follow me on Twitter. Join over 3,600 people who get happiness tips, productivity tips, and thought provoking quotes each day.

* Charlie over at productive flourishing has a post about prioritizing your core activities. Too often we worry and focus on stuff that doesn’t matter.

If you enjoyed this post then you will probably like these too:

> How to Discover Your Career Bliss

> What do I do if I’m unhappy at Work?

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Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

I truly feel blessed to be me.

I know many people curse the Gods because they have cancer. Click here to read my story if you want to get updated. I some how don’t feel that way. In less than two weeks I’ve learned so many valuable lessons that I would have taken me 30 years to learn. I definitely would still be rushing to get to point B faster instead of enjoying the moment that I am in.

I also learned that love matters more than anything else. It doesn’t matter how much money a person has because love is the most important part of my life. I knew this before, but it never really sunk in until my diagnosis.

My fellow blogging friends made this beautiful video for me:

Stacey, thank you for putting this together and thank you Lance, Evita, Lori, Dyana, Katie, Chrissy, Angela, Tim, Megan, and Sue for  joining in. You have a place in my heart forever.

When a person has so many amazing friends, family, and positive thoughts in his corner there is healing that one can’t describe. This illness has healed my heart in many ways.

I really do feel lucky.

Thank you for being in my life. Even the people that quietly read this blog. Know that I love you. Your happiness matters.

If you aren’t using your superpowers every single day then you are missing out. We only have a limited amount of time on earth, so don’t let anyone hold you back.

If I can ever help you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

I was told by my urologist that there is a 98% chance that I have cancer. Even writing that sentence makes me feel sick to my stomach. The shock shakes me from my inside out.

I don’t know whether to go and cry or to be strong. I want to do both and I have tried both.

The hardest part of it all is not knowing how to handle my life. I feel like I’m in limbo.

My Quick Cancer Story

I found a lump on my right testicle last year and went to the general practitioner to get it checked out. She said it was just a cyst. Being the trusting guy that I am, I believed her. I really wanted to believe her because no one wants to believe it could be something worse.

The days passed, the blog continued, and life went on.

A month ago I felt some minor discomfort every few days after sitting too long in my chair. I was hoping it was just my crappy chair which I really needed to replace, but I knew that I couldn’t push off getting my testicles checked out.

I went straight to a specialist. My general practitioner asked me to come back in, but I declined the invite and went straight to the urologist.

His staff told me to get on ultrasound on my balls, so I did. I got them scanned and went to the doctor the next day. Yes, it was fun to include my balls in this post.

He told me that there was a 98% chance that my lump was cancer.

I was stunned. I couldn’t ask any questions. I sat there while he explained my condition.

The C word hung around the room like a mosquito trying to draw blood from me.

My doctor’s words finally sunk in. I had to tell my wife that I most likely had cancer. How does a husband tell someone that he loves that he could be dying?

Well, I did it as straight forward as possible. She asked me if I was joking. She didn’t want to believe it either. I was already schedules to have my ball extracted the following day.

Right Now

As the days passed after my surgery and I watched movies, reruns of my favorite TV shows, YouTube, and whatever else could get my mind off of my problems, I saw what I was really doing.

I was running away from the fear. The fear of putting all this hard work into things I loved only to have it snatched away by cancer. All the great memories with my wife and son felt like they were going to be for nothing.

I know this isn’t true. I know that creating a wonderful relationship with my wife and kid was worth every moment. I also know that every moment I have put into this blog has helped me become happier, smarter, and wiser.

I don’t regret many things.

I do regret not enjoying more of each moment.

Our time is fragile. It can be pulled away from us at any second. That’s why we have to appreciate where we are and what we are able to do. We even need to find the beauty in stuffing marketing bags, answering phones, or doing something that we know we aren’t put on earth to do.

We don’t have a lot of time on this earth to use our superpowers. I realize this now.

This eye opening experience can’t be brushed aside. I can’t go back to being the old me, trying so hard all the time to grow my business.

I’ve set some new rules:

1. Sundays are for family.

2. I will meditate every single day.

3. I promise to take more time to transition between tasks and appreciate the present moment.

When switching tasks, I still don’t take the time to appreciate what I’m able to do. I know that I can find a few extra seconds to appreciate my present situation in that moment between emails.

It will be hard to measure my success on the last rule. How often am I staying in the present moment and enjoying every moment that I have on this earth?

So I’m going to keep track of my progress with my 1 Sentence Journal. I’m also going to use this to make sure that I’m appreciating my efforts to make a difference in people’s lives.

I’ve preached the importance of following these new rules, but I haven’t lived them enough. Now I have every reason to.

Follow Up

I have stage 1b cancer, so it’s still very early, but it means that I will probably need radiation treatment to make sure it doesn’t come back. There are side effects to the procedure, but they are minimal to make sure that I stay cancer free for a long time.

I’m still angry that my general doctor didn’t recommend that I go to a specialist, but that’s for another post.

This is still sinking in for me and I know it will change the direction of my attitude, goals, and what brings me happiness. It will be an interesting time no matter what the results.

Best Nickname

Yes, I only have one ball. There will be plenty of nicknames to come, but I have to tell you the best one from a friend. “Obi One Cojone”. It helped me laugh.

That’s a huge part of my healing. Laughing at what God/Universe has put before me. If I couldn’t laugh then I don’t deserve to teach people how to be happier in their careers.

Hey, I’m not afraid of only have one ball. My one ball is equivalent to two balls in most men.

I’m much more afraid of the cancer coming back.

Your Turn

What have you done to bring more balance to your career?

Have you had to deal with a serious illness or other life change while navigating your career?

* Nathan Hangen and I created an e-course called Fear to Fuel to help people face their arch nemesis and do creative work that they love. If you are interested in taking your passion to the next level, click here to check out the free bonuses we put together for you.

* Success is such a fickle feeling, but J.D. over at Sources of Insight has a wonderful guest post breaking down the basics of a long successful career.

If you enjoyed this post then you will probably like these too:

> My Arch Nemesis Dr. Oatzel Almost Stole My Superpowers

> 5 Ways to Conquer Your Fears

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Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Do you pray before work?

I’m not sure how many of you believe in a higher power, but for those of you who do, you may want to make praying a daily habit.

I’m a very spiritual person, but not a religious person. I was raised Lutheran, self-taught Buddhist, Yogi, and mix in a few others and I’ve kind of developed my own spiritual practice. Lately I’ve been getting up a half hour earlier and practicing Yoga by candle light. It’s a totally awesome wake up experience when I can find the energy to do it.

After I’m done my Yoga practice I take two minutes to pray. It’s been a huge boost to my happiness and my productivity. My interactions with friends, family and strangers has been much more pleasant.

Connections

I believe everything is tied together and that string is God. The energy is transferred back and forth with all things. It’s why I believe in the Law of Attraction. The thoughts, feelings and actions that we put out there come back to us. It’s like the whole Karma concept, but on a spiritual level.

Lately I’ve been seeing the Law of Attraction in full force.

Each morning I’ve been putting in my morning prayer. I’m asking the Universe for the things that I want to see in my world.

It’s working.

More Laughter

Lately I’ve been wanting to see more laughter in my day. I feel like I’ve been too serious. By sending out this prayer, I’m directing myself to seek out this feeling.

The first morning I prayed for more laughter, so I got on a call with a client that morning and we started off our usual talk and my client told me a story of how she owned up to a mistake by making a song out of it. She actually sang me a little piece of it and I couldn’t stop laughing. It was awesome.

I’m not sure I would have laughed so hard if I hadn’t prayed for more laughter. Prayer really is very similar to the LoA. We attract what we want out of life.

Why Prayer Works

Meditative states and contemplation bring on healing influences to the body. It lowers blood pressure, which helps the heart pump easier. This alone is worth your effort.

Add on top of that the mental focus that occurs from prayer and you have a double scoop of positivity. When you send out a desire (prayer) you are asking the universe (which includes you) to find a way to make it a reality. Sometimes it takes hours or years, but if the desire is strong enough eventually the prayer becomes a reality in some form.

The desire turns into action because you can’t resist acting on this passion. I have a friend who so desperately wanted to become a great singer. He practiced, watched, and listened to everything that had to with learning how to sing. He now has his own band and sings every weekend. When I first heard him sing he was terrible, but his desire to be great overrode any fear of failure.

You have the same tools at your disposal. If you want a better career, how are you developing that desire? If you want to learn how to improve your writing how are you developing this desire?

This is where prayer comes in. You can use prayer to increase that desire, so you take action.

I wrote down some of the prayers that have been effective for me.

12 prayers you can use before work:

Some of the things you can pray for before you start my day:

1. I hope to connect with some amazing people who are willing to laugh and smile freely.

2. I would like a small business owner to call me up, begging for my help.

3. The universe will help me keep my stress level low.

4. I will reach out to someone new, someone who needs my superpowers.

5. I pray that when I give a presentation that people connect with my content. So much so that they want to come up after the talk and shake my hand.

6. I imagine that everyone who sees me smiles at me and I smile back.

7. I will take time to appreciate 5 beautiful things in the office before I start my workday.

8. I hope that you will connect with people on a very deep level and we take the time to appreciate each other’s passions, hopes and fears.

9. I think about all the love from friends and family that is in my life. I know that without them I wouldn’t have half the strength without them.

10. I visualize helping 10 people improve their lives. It can be through a kind comment or a small prayer that I silently give them as they are in my presence.

11. When I’m feeling stressed out I will laugh at how serious I’m taking life. I know that I can get overwhelmed if I don’t find some levity in my work.

12. I pray that when I hit a creative wall that I will relax with the obstacle instead of being a big bully to myself. I will encourage myself to find 3 solutions then meditate on them for 10 minutes until the best one bubbles to the surface.

Notice all of the prayers are in a very positive and reassuring pattern. You can’t pray for less hate. You have to pray for the type of life that you want your existence to be.

Setting Your Intention

Yoga teachers talk about setting an intention before you start your routine. If your intention is to relax during the hour of stretching, you’ll be more focused on relaxing. If your intention is to become more flexible then you’ll be looking to bring this into each pose.

You are creating the experience that you want to happen.

Prayer is another way of setting your intention for the day. When you ask for certain things to come in to your life you’ll find that subconsciously you’ll be finding ways to make this happen.

It really is a beautiful process if you believe in it.

How to Pray

I don’t believe that a person has to pray in a church or in a certain fashion for prayer to work. Prayer can be done is an infinite amount of ways.

I usually pray by bowing my head. That’s it. I do this because it makes me feel humble before the universe. This isn’t me feeling small. It’s a way for me to let the universe be as it is.

You can pray by clasping your hands or in a religious building or a quick bow of the head before you leave for work. The idea is to slow down and send out a positive thought into the universe.

I find that my prayers help guide my actions. The more that I open up to the possibility of creating the type of interactions that I want from other people the more likely they are to happen.

Your Turn

What is one prayer that you could create for yourself before you start your day?

How could you try saying your prayer every morning for 30 days?

Then come back here and tell me all about it.

* Follow Work Happy Now on Twitter. Join over 3,600 people who get happiness tips, productivity tips, and thought provoking quotes each day.

* Sarah Robinson of Escape Mediocrity wrote a post about using the whole body to take action. We might be able to mentally understand that we need to act on a solution, but we physically need to be in the right emotional spot too.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Tim Handorf of Best Colleges Online.

Have you ever found yourself facing an unfamiliar situation that seems impossible to resolve?

Have you ever felt as though your previous experiences and current skills haven’t sufficiently prepared you for this newest task?

I ask because I recently faced my toughest challenge yet, and I want to share with you what I did to persevere.

Last May, I lost my job. I was teaching literature at a university when I learned that they could not renew my contract due to budget restrictions. I had earned a PhD in Literature, had devoted myself to sharing my passion with others, and suddenly I could no longer pursue my dream.

I worried about my teaching prospects. I had moved to a city to be near my family, and I didn’t want to leave them again, so the chances of relocating were unlikely. The economic downturn had hit education hard, and nearby universities and high schools had no openings. I realized that my specialized skill-set, which made me a great candidate for a teaching job, hurt me as I looked for a new career. So here’s what I did to overcome my lack of confidence. Hopefully my process can help you too.

Find Support

I turned to my support network: my family, my friends, and my colleagues. If I wanted to find a job, I would have ask for help. I relied on a friend’s human resources knowledge for resume and cover letter tips. I asked my teaching colleagues to be references. I vented to them on my bad days.

In stressful times, you must lean on those closest to you for support, whether you’re getting ready for a big presentation or setting out on your own business venture.

Apply your Skill-Set

I had to make potential employers see me as a valuable asset to their organization.  I made a list of my skills and experiences and brainstormed possible applications. For example, I taught many college students, so this translated into an ability to communicate well and collaborate with others. Because I graded papers, I had a strong understanding of the writing process and could apply it to different contexts. I soon created a skill set that made me an ideal writer for a communications company. I only lacked professional experience.

Try to list some ways your own skills and experiences apply to new situations. You might have to think creatively in order to match them up, but you might surprise yourself with how capable you really are!

Set Reasonable Goals

I came up with a list of goals I had to accomplish in order to find a job.  I tutored part-time, in order to maintain my employment status. I decided to start blogging in order to create some writing samples that I could show to employers. I sought freelance work, which gave me practice at writing projects on a deadline.

When you have a large goal for yourself, you can sometimes ease the stress by breaking your process into steps. Each step has a goal that is easier to attain.

Develop a Routine

In the mornings, I searched for jobs, writing down anything that looked good. Mid-mornings, I tutored for a couple hours, came home, ate lunch, and then began writing my applications and working on freelance projects. By the end of each week, I had sent out five applications. Even though I didn’t have a job, I felt like I was working hard.

You can use a routine to help keep your mind busy, to make yourself feel productive, and to get useful practice for when crunch time finally rolls around.

Never Stop Dreaming

My hard work paid off. Four months later, I was offered a position as a content writer for an internet company, and my freelance business is increasing. Despite my new career, I will always dream of being a tenured professor. While I am committed to my new job, I consider it another step along the way to realizing my dream.

In my opinion, this is the most important step: never stop believing that you will one day achieve your goals, regardless of what those goals are or how difficult the process becomes.

Bio: This guest post is contributed by Tim Handorf, who writes on the topics of online colleges.

* Follow Work Happy Now on Twitter. Join over 3,600 people who get happiness tips, productivity tips, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* The Dumb Little Man blog posted a thoughtful piece on timeless happiness techniques. It’s a must read for personal development beginners.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Eileen Habelow of Randstad

Labor Day has come and gone and so has summer vacation. If you’re like most full-time employees you won’t have another break until Thanksgiving or perhaps even Christmas, and the thought of that three month stretch could be just short of terrifying.

But I have good news. The beginning of fall can feel like just that – a new beginning. Randstad’s latest Work Monitor survey shows that 73 percent of employees believe they perform noticeably better at work after they’ve had a few days off. That means even a short break such as long fall weekend could give you the jump start you need to stay motivated until the holidays, as long as you start it off right.

For generations people of all ages have struggled with the “back-to-school” grind that comes with fall, so why not adopt a few best practices that have worked for hundreds of people (regardless of age) around this time every year? Dive into a new “school” year armed with a few old-school habits.

Take on your workday like you would the first day of school.

Make a good night’s sleep your top priority. Starting the day off well-rested will give you a good attitude and help you stay alert and clear headed later in the day. But a good night’s sleep isn’t the only variable in starting your day off right. Embrace the routine of the school year and set a new morning schedule for yourself. Give yourself enough time in the morning to keep from feeling rushed and disorganized. Allowing yourself just a few extra minutes in the morning will help you feel less stressed and more prepared to face the day.

Get your school supplies in order.

What do you need to do your job well? Make a list of all the supplies you use on a regular basis and make sure your office is fully stocked. Get a new calendar out, reassess your filing system and even consider your style of note-taking. Being organized and prepared will ensure that you have everything you need at a moment’s notice and will save you the added stress of hunting for things later.

Arrange a “parent-teacher” conference.

Communication is key to success and revisiting priorities at work keeps them fresh in our mind and keeps us on target. Schedule a time to meet with your boss to set end-of-year goals and to gain feedback on your performance. Even a short, casual discussion could open up an unforeseen opportunity or at the very least, impress her/him with your desire to hit the ground running.

Don’t forget extracurricular.

Unemployment isn’t just sending people back to school but is also placing a heavier burden on those still with jobs. According to Randstad’s recent Work Monitor survey, 55 percent of employees say their workloads have increased since the beginning of 2010.  In order to keep up with the rising workload and the increased pressure for productivity and results, it’s important to allow yourself regular breaks. Step out for coffee, take a lap around the office or simply engage in friendly conversation with a co-worker. Joining a recreation league or a book club after work can also help pull your mind away from the office.

How do you deal with the daily grind between now and the upcoming holiday season?

Eileen Habelow, Ph.D., is the senior vice president of Organizational Development with Randstad, the world’s second largest provider of HR solutions and staffing.

* Follow Work Happy Now on Twitter. Join over 3,500 people who get happiness ideas, productivity tips, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* Barbara Swafford of Blogging Without a Blog is an inspiration to me. She introduced me to many friends who have helped me grow my blog. Thank you Barbara for being a great friend.

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