I’m getting very tired of people not believing in their superpowers. It’s why I hate the word strengths. It’s the most overused word in business today.

We focus on things we are good at instead of doing work that we care about.

You may crunch numbers because you are good at it. You may sell toner because it’s what you know. You manage projects because people keep asking you to do it again and again.

This is so wrong on many levels. You shouldn’t be doing work based on your strengths. Yes, this should be a factor, but not the whole basis of your work. It’s also why I hate strengths test. They don’t make you think about the work that excites you. They force you to fit your work into square holes.

You have powers to change people’s lives.

It’s why we are here – to affect people by making their lives better.

The only way you are going to change people’s lives it to do work that you are good at, you care about and gets you in the zone. It’s why I created the Unlock Your (Marketing) Superpowers manifesto. There are people that are using their superpowers to change the world. It’s this connection that brings them more joy than they ever thought possible.

You need all three factors. If you don’t care and you just want to coast so be it, but it’s the worst way of living. Of course you need down time; you can’t create 24/7 or even 8/7. You need to find your time that gets you in your hot zones. Those zones when you can’t do any wrong. You must feel like your work is just plain fun.

When we are kids we learned by experimenting, failing, then trying again. We didn’t care about perfection. Then there was this point that we got it in our heads that failure is bad. We gain this conscious that holds us back from using our superpowers. We stop believing in the infinite and start limiting our imaginations.

You have to stop letting your arch nemesis hold you back. YOU HAVE SUPERPOWERS. It’s these powers that you need to share with the world.

It’s really not that hard. It takes a little work each day, but it’s the fun type of work.

Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. What type of work gets you in the zone? (List at least 10)
2. What type of work matters to you? (List at least 10)
3. What type of work comes naturally to you? (List at least 10)

By digging deep into where your past successes are you can find work that will help you unleash your superpowers that will change the world.

Now you look at your list. Which actions show up on all 3 lists? It’s these actions that you have to use every single day.

Your fear may hold you back at first, but just ask yourself, are you using your superpowers to make a difference? Does making this difference matter more than your fears? If the answer is yes you know what you need to do.

If you want to learn more about your superpowers check out my free manifesto – Unlock Your (Marketing) Superpowers. Marketing is in the title because it’s what I help people do. I help them connect with people so they can change the world.

You must start using your superpowers right away otherwise you won’t accomplish the great work that will change lives.

Once you are living your superpowers that’s when your career starts becoming fun. People can leverage your superpowers and you can leverage theirs. That’s the key to a happy career. You learn to trust other people’s superpowers and they trust yours, creating life changing stuff together.

So you need to promise me to find one small task each day that you love to do, gets you in the zone, and comes easy for you then email me [karl (AT) partybizconnect (DOT) com] in one week and let me know how your career/life is improving.

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

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 Lisa of Lisa of Getting to Zen

Have you ever driven to work only to not remember how you got there? You know the route you took, however you cannot remember a single detail along the way. It was like your brain shut off and you went on autopilot-you were there, but you were not there. This happens to us when we are not present. Not being present can cause us to miss out on so much of what is going on in the moment. It puts us in a past or future time which either has already existed or not existed yet.

For example, if while you are taking a shower you are thinking about the next thing that you need to do, like making a cup of coffee or selecting what you are going to wear, you are not fully experiencing the shower. And if while you are drinking that cup of coffee, you are thinking about what you would like to accomplish at work, you are not experiencing the joy of each sip.

1. Slow down

Avoid rushing through your morning routine. That means not sleeping until you absolutely have to get up and then rushing around like mad to get ready for work. You could be stressing yourself out before you even get into the office.

Set your alarm clock so that you have enough time to get up and have a relaxing morning routine. If you need 8 or more hours of sleep, this may mean that you go to bed earlier. Trading night activities or entertainment for a relaxing morning routine is worth it.

2. Pack and go

I have heard many times over the years to pack my lunch and lay out my clothes the night before, yet I have only done it a handful of times. In the mornings I often find myself searching for something to wear (and a lot of the time it need to be ironed) or scavenging through the refrigerator for something to make for lunch. And although I always find something in either of these cases, I often don’t feel good about it. Maybe the shirt isn’t as ironed as well I would like, or the lunch is a bit bland.

Getting yourself ready the night before you go into work will make a bigger difference than you to your ability to stay present in the mornings.

3. Listen to the beat

There is nothing like walking into the office after having a good laugh. Everything just seems so much brighter. In fact, many times I have found myself sitting in the parking lot outside of the office, waiting to catch the last bit of a story that I was listening to. It amazing how such a small act like turning on the radio station can transform your attitude over the course of a commute.

Listening to your favorite radio stations or cd’s are good ways to prepare your mind to stay present for the day’s activities.

4. Ease into it

You begin an exercise program by first warming up your mind and body for the challenge ahead. This is also a good way to start your work day. Begin by following a routine that gently allows you ease into your daily tasks.

If that means drinking a hot cup of tea and performing a mini-mediation, then do that. If that means making small talk with a few of your coworkers, then do that. If you don’t have the luxury of warming up for work while in the office, begin to get your mind ready during your commute, or during one of your early breaks.

Practice

Being present isn’t difficult to achieve, however it does take discipline. It can be a challenge to break our habit of living in the past and future. So if you find yourself going backward or forward in time, try to stay present by reminding yourself gently that the only time is now and that the only place is here. The more you do it, the easier it will become and you will find yourself having more moments where you are completely aware of the details.

Your world will come alive and burst with vibrant color.

Your Turn

What do you do to stay more present in your work?

Do you meditate or take a walk break?

Lisa (aka RunningBear) is the founder of Getting to Zen which includes articles on personal development, enlightenment, consciousness and awareness. You can sign up for her RSS feed or follow her on Twitter. In addition to blogging, Lisa enjoys long distance running, cooking, and sewing.

* Need help leveraging your superpowers? Then check out my Superpower Coaching to see how I can help you become more productive and feel less stressed out.

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

• Your Attitude and How it Affects Your Career
• 9 Tips to Boost Your Motivation

Image courtesy of Torley

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

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Lisa of Getting to Zen. I want to add that this post can also be used for small business owners who need to improve their relationships with their clients. A happy client is just like a happy boss.

I always knew that having a good relationship with my managers was important, however, I didn’t realize how important it was until four years into my career. Looking back on my working life, I could have had many more opportunities for advancement had I worked on building strong relationships with those I reported to.

You see, just keeping your head down (like I did), staying out of the way and getting your job done is not a relationship. Yes, ultimately you want to complete your job duties, but it is equally important to be seen, especially if you are interested in taking on additional job responsibilities or advancing in the organization.

Having a good relationship with your manager is also key to being happy at work. So let’s look at some ways that you can improve your relationship with your manager and increase your work happiness.

1. Perform the basics

One of the most basic but important things that you can do is to show up for work on time. This action alone can count for a large part of having a good working relationship with not only your manager, but also with your co-workers. Punctuality and dependability show respect and trust. Your manager and your co-workers need to know whether they can count on you.

2. Know your manager’s communication style

Some bosses passively sit back and listen while others probe you with one question after another; some want lots of information while others only want the essential details; some bosses relate in a casual relaxed style while others are all business. Part of your job is to figure out how your manager operates and relate to him or her accordingly.

2. Make your manager look good

Your job is to make your manager look good. Avoid falling into the trap of not wanting to perform a particular task because it does not fit your job description. If you are unhappy with the tasks you are performing, set up a meeting and discuss your concerns with your manager. If changes in your job duties cannot be made, you may need to accept that or look for another place of employment. As a side note, I don’t know too many people whose job duties haven’t changed over time.

3. Know your manager’s communication methods

Do you know your bosses favorite communication method? Is it via email, mobile phone or an organized meeting? Find out what works best for him or her and mostly do that. Limit impromptu visits to his or her office. Unannounced visits can take the focus away from what your boss is currently working on. It wastes time as your boss has to then regroup and shift his focus back to his prior engagement after you have left. (Karl’s note: Like Lisa said earlier this also depends on your boss’s needs. She may like that you take time to talk to her. just pick the right moments, not when she is all stressed out over a big project.)

4. Avoid making excuses

Not only does your manager not care about your excuses, he or she doesn’t want to hear them. It is your job to get your tasks done and to meet the deadlines set by him or her. Your manager does not have the time to continue to prod you to do your job—a job that you are being paid for. Managers already have enough to deal with without additional work being created for them.

5. Do more than expected

Just doing what is expected of you does not set you apart from other employees. Managers value employees who not only do their jobs, but look for and carry out new and better ways of accomplishing tasks. Be proactive, come up with solutions and schedule time to present them to your manager. This will reflect wonderfully on you. Also, volunteering yourself for projects can be a great way to show your initiative and interest in going above and beyond.

6. Ask for feedback

Asking for feedback is a big one for me. Because my boss travels so much, we don’t have too many chances to meet face to face. I will often schedule what I call a “catch-up” meeting to inform him about what I have been working on. I also submit bi-monthly status reports which I am happy to do because I want him to know exactly what I am doing.

Avoid waiting for your six month or annual performance appraisal to get feedback on your performance from your manager, actively solicit it throughout the year. It is through feedback that you will get to know how well of a job your manager thinks you are doing. If your manager thinks you are doing well, there is more of a chance of you keeping your job and getting more job responsibility, raises and promotions.

All relationships take work, including the one that you have with your boss. Communicate often, be respectful, ask questions when you are not clear about what is expected of you and you will be well on your way to working happy.

Your Turn

What do you do on a regular basis to improve your relationship with your boss? How do you make her happy when things aren’t going quite right? What tips can you share that will help us improve our relationships and get that raise we need?

Lisa H. (aka RunningBear) is the founder of Getting to Zen – a personal development blog dedicated to those in pursuit of authentic happiness through purposeful living. You can follow her on Twitter.

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* You should probably check out my post over at Super Power Coach – How to Discover Your Superpowers. It explains how you can create more value at work to earn your boss’s respect.

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

• 7 Ways Your Boss Can Mess Up Your Evaluation
• 4 Techniques to Help You Deal With a Difficult Boss

Image courtesy of baldheretic

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

There are too many iPhone apps to keep track of. There are over 300,000 apps available on iTunes. When you include all the other smart phone apps available it’s head spinning. One of the most popular apps is the game Angry Birds. It’s #1 in many countries.

I recently got a gift of an iTouch (iPod with touch screen) that allows me to mess around with all the apps out there. I’m not cool enough for an iPhone yet. I’ll stick with my Samsung with a keypad thank you very much.

Angry Birds was a big reason I wanted an iTouch. I saw all my co-workers and friends playing the game and I wanted in on the action.

Now I’m hooked. I’ll play it while waiting for my wife to get ready. I’ll play it while waiting for my radiation treatments. I’ll even play it on the toilet.

That’s where the genius behind the game begins.

Simplicity

The game can be played in any language by almost any age group. My 4-year-old nephew loves playing the game. He isn’t very good at it, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it’s so simple to play it doesn’t take a gaming wizard to have fun.

The difficulty does increase as you go along, but the rules are always the same. Sling a bird at some green pigs and try to kill them. The reason why this doesn’t get boring is because you want to see what the next screen looks like. You want to see how creative the developers can get.

There are hidden little tricks on every level. The fewer birds you need to kill the pigs, the more stars you receive. There is something cool about killing the pigs with one bird and receiving 3 stars instead of just one.

Takeaway:

Too often we get caught up in trying to create an intricate marketing plan or we try to solve a problem with 15 people instead of 3, but we end up getting too confused and we miss the mark. You have to remember when you are creating something that you should make it so simple that anyone can use it for their problem.

Low Cost

The game only costs .99 cents. It’s less than a value menu fries. The barrier to buy it is so low that as soon as someone tells you how awesome the game is, you download it. Why even mess with the free version? Even for those frugal people who download the free version get hooked and don’t mind paying .99 cents to continue playing.

I know that many experts will tell you not to compete on price and this goes for many products and services, but something that can be replicated very easily it’s best to compete on price. If it’s meant for a mass audience, don’t try to charge too much. You’ll end up pissing people off who really wanted the product.

I would not have bought this game for $4.99. I just don’t want to pay $4.99 for a game that just numbs my mind. I can buy a cheap lunch with that kind of money.

Takeaway:

Price is always a factor. If you can keep your costs low and charge less to entice more people to buy your product, then go for it.

Emotional Engagement

Many companies want to develop the emotional engagement that Angry Birds has created. When I first started playing on my brother’s iPhone it was all in fun, but then I watched the back story. The stupid pigs stole the sweet birds’ eggs to fry up in a pan. That’s just wrong. Those dumb pigs deserve to die.

Each time I pass a level I want to see how these pigs are protected and how I can destroy them. I’m not a violent person, but come on, you can’t just steal someone’s eggs.

The game is also very entertaining. The colors are well put together. You feel like you are in a loony tunes episode. The back drop is varied with cacti and a desert scene(that’s just the first level). Each main level has a different look.

I have a friend who has played countless hours on the game, trying to unlock 3 stars on every level. He refuses to quit.

People quickly get addicted to the game because it challenges them on different levels. When you can anchor into a wide range of emotions – anger, joy, frustration, and love – you keep people wanting more.

Takeaway:

Whether you have clients, customers or a boss to make happy, you have to find a way to engage them on many levels. If all you do is work really hard and you don’t use these other emotional anchors, you’ll lose out on business and friendships.

Many Rewards

The next most compelling part of this game is the constant wins. Some levels are easy and it seems a waste of time. Then you get stuck on a level and you fail a few times and then bingo – you find the pig’s weak spot. You kill the pig and feel totally awesome.

Zappos does this too. Instead of promoting people on an 18 month scale, they took the same promotion track and broke it into 3 parts. So the person on the track to become call center manager gets 3 promotions along the way. Zappos understands that they need to show their people that they are doing well every step of the way.

Takeaway:

You can create small wins for your clients, employees, and readers (if you are a blogger). You may not be able to give them more money, but recognizing their hard work must become a regular habit.

Your Turn

Have you played Angry Birds?

What is your favorite part of the game?

* Join over 1,200 people who have already subscribed to the FREE 10 part E-Course on Leveraging Your Superpowers. Learn how to discover and leverage your superpowers so you can do amazing work. (Sign up is in the top left corner)

* Learning how and when to say “no” is not easy, but a most in any career. Click here to learn from Chris Garrett and how he deals with a push person who is begging for his time.

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

> 3 Must Know Rules to Earn Respect

> The Ultimate Guide to Releasing Your Career Frustrations

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

Did you know that elephants travel the same long journey every year?

They do. They do it because they know when the fruit will falls from the trees, so they can eat them when they are perfectly fermented and able to get a little tipsy. I forget the name of the kind of African elephant that does this, but believe me it’s true.

They only do this once a year because they have the discipline to appreciate the moment then move on.

Getting Unstuck

So many of us get stuck back in our habits and forget the power of gratitude. We forget that every moment there is a chance to appreciate where we are, what we are doing, and who we are with.

No career is perfect. No life is perfect. I’m prime example of that after discovering I have testicular cancer. I refuse to capitalize cancer because it doesn’t deserve it.

Every day there is a chance for me to see the “lousy” that is in my life, but I refuse to do this. I practice being the captain of my attitude.

Riding a Elephant

Your attitude can be like an unruly elephant, tossing you 10 feet in the air. It’s up to you to get back on, grab those reigns, and ride that beautiful beast until it gives in.

You have to practice gratitude at every chance you can remember.

> When you are stuck on an airplane that won’t take off due to weather.

> When the baby next to you is screaming its little red face off.

> When your Uncle is telling the worst Thanksgiving joke ever.

> When your back won’t stop aching.

> During the night when you can’t fall asleep and you have a huge day ahead of you.

> After your boss yells at you for messing up an account.

> When a client won’t call you back and you have no idea what you did wrong.

You have to practice when it’s the hardest because the more you practice the easier it gets. When you appreciate the moment you are making it easier to improve your situation.

No situation is perfect, but there is beauty always hidden within it if you try to find it.

When you are feelings down and there are hidden things to be grateful for. Remember that the elephant moves on and so should you. Focus back on those things that you enjoy.

Just like the elephant travels it’s journey so do you. Know that with every season is a new chance to improve your attitude and make it easier to be happier in your career and personal life.

The Takeaway

The best way to improve your attitude is to make gratitude a daily habit. At the end of each day think of all the great people, actions, and feelings you’ve had. It’s there somewhere. I promise.

Your Turn

I would love if you had 1 minute to share what you are grateful for today in the comment section. Remember it can be anything. We aren’t here to judge, just support.

Happy Thanksgiving!

* Need a boost to your work happiness? Then check out the Happy at Work Project and start one yourself.

* An amazing post on Gratitude over at Jeff Walker’s blog – The discipline of gratitude. Quality stuff. It encouraged me to post this piece.

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

> One Sentence Work Journal

> What Hidden Emotional Anchors are Holding You Back?

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

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Sean Conrad of the Halogen blog

A lot of employees and managers experience performance appraisals as a negative process. This is true even for employees who are generally good performers. At the core, the reason why we experience performance appraisals negatively is because we are being judged and rated by another.

But you could change the whole experience and improve the business value of performance appraisals simply by changing their focus. What if the goal of your performance appraisal process was to find way to encourage and inspire people to be happy at work and to be their best, rather than to critique, rate and rank them?

There are several things an individual manager or better yet an entire organization can do to make performance appraisals a positive experience that encourages and inspires:

Start by Getting Their Perspective

It’s important to begin your performance appraisal process with your employee’s perspective. Invite them to tell you about their accomplishments, performance, successes and challenges. You can do this by getting them to complete a self-appraisal before you write their appraisal.

You can also do this by having them to keep a performance journal year round or by providing you with short weekly or monthly reports. The important thing is to get them to reflect on what they’ve done, how they’ve done, what makes them happy, what inspires their best performance and to share this information with you. This gives them an active and important role in the performance appraisal process and gives you both information for a meaningful dialogue.

Focus on the Positives

Whoever said that performance appraisals had to be about providing negative feedback on areas of low or poor performance? Why not focus on the positive? Use the opportunity to give your employee feedback on all the great things they’ve done. Give them specific examples, touch on the “how” as well as the “what” they did well, and let them know how that impacted the team, department or organization in a positive way. Positive feedback about our successes is a great motivator, and tends to encourage more great performance. This doesn’t mean you don’t take time to discuss areas where performance is lacking; it just means you broaden your focus and give your employee a more balanced perspective.

Of course, you shouldn’t limit your positive feedback to performance appraisal time. Make sure you give your employees positive feedback on good performance on a weekly basis.

Identify the Root Causes of Happiness and High Performance

Invite your employees to reflect on why they excelled in a particular area or at a particular task, as well as the times they were truly happy at work. What were the “conditions” that supported their success or happiness? Did the work ignite their passion? Did it open up new avenues for creativity? Was it the mix of people on a project or team that brought out their best? Did it invite them to learn new skills or apply old ones in a new way?

By identifying and understanding the root causes of happiness and high performance, we can then try to recreate these conditions as much as is possible or practical. You can’t guarantee that you’ll always be able to provide your employee with work that is fun and engaging, but if you don’t know what makes them “sing” how can you ever hope to encourage that?

Take the Focus Off the Ratings

Ever thought of conducting performance appraisals without ratings? When we assign numbers to performance, we judge others. While it might be helpful to ask the employee to rate their performance, if we want the performance appraisal to be a positive experience and help them be happy in their work, the focus should be on helping them improve, succeed and be happy in their work, not on the ratings. Instead of numbers, the focus should be on:

> What successes they had

> What contributed to their success

> Their career interests

> Skills or areas they would like to further develop

> Things they need to support their performance and success

> Things at work that contribute to their happiness

> Things at work that contribute to their unhappiness

The manager’s role should be to coach and support, not judge. To encourage this, you can do away with numerical ratings all together, or move to a simplified 2 or 3 point scale that serves as an indicator.

Foster Personal Development

You can also make performance appraisals a happier, more pleasant experience by making development planning an integral part of your performance appraisal process. Every employee should be encouraged and supported in their development, helping improve their performance and preparing them for career advancement. Development plans shouldn’t just be assigned to address “performance gaps”. They should focus on enhancing or broadening an employee’s skills, experience and expertise. Here again, you should look at the kinds of work that make the employee happiest and where they perform best. How can you help them expand and develop further in these areas?

You should also invite your employee to reflect on and identify their preferred learning style, and look for development activities that suit that style. Think beyond traditional training courses to include a variety of learning activities like job shadowing, reading, podcasts, volunteer activities, mentoring, on the job training given by another employee, webinars, etc. For example, if an employee hates reading, and learns best by doing, don’t assign them books to read; look for on the job training experiences or hands-on learning activities for them. That way you set them up for success.

Conclusion

Employee performance appraisals don’t have to be a dreaded task that creates anxiety and animosity between managers and staff. With the right positive focus and approach, they can be a powerful tool for nurturing happiness and high performance.

Your Turn

Have you ever had or given a performance review that left you more motivated?

Sean Conrad is a happy employee at Halogen Software, a market leading vendor of performance appraisal software. His passion is helping managers adopt talent management best practices. You can read more of his posts on the Halogen blog.

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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.

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* 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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