Do you ever feel like you are swimming against the tide?

For the past few months I’ve been in transition. I didn’t know it, but the transition had really begun a while back.

I had been receiving great advice, but from the wrong perspective.

You may be in a similar position. Your best friend, mom or therapist sees the world from their perspective. They try their best to jump into your shoes, but they don’t quite fit.

I’ve decided to stop taking most of my friend’s advice and swim with my internal tide.

Small Changes

You may have noticed some of the small changes that I have been making. These changes will multiply as the months go by.

I’m aligning my energy with my flow. That cryptic mumbo jumbo means that I’m aligning my present needs with my goals (AKA swimming with the tide).

It’s surprising how hard it is to do this. We don’t listen to our hearts. We try to reason our way to success. This is the worst tactic you can take.

You’ve probably had a job that looked good on paper, but in reality you hated it. You either stuck it out (swimming against the tide) or found a better fit.

You can’t fake passion, just like you can’t fake skill. You either have it, practice at it (hopefully you develop it) or you do something else.

My questions to you are:

> Are you swimming against the tide?

> Are you meeting your own needs in your career?

> Are you passionate about your work?

Next week I’ll talk about passion because that’s the foundation of an amazing career. If you can’t master your core then you will always be swimming against the tide. It’s time to take control of which projects you put your sweat, thoughts, and skills into.

* Are you on Twitter? Then join over 3,000 people who get my stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* Mark Silver wrote a brilliant piece about throwing your work out there, so you can start making money and not waiting until it’s perfect – Making a Living, Making Peace with 70 Percent. Not all of us can come right out of the box and do amazing work, we have to build our foundation and improve as we go along.

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

> How to Write a Career List

> Your 3 Careers – Are You Ready?

Image courtesy of -12°C

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

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week. The best way to learn from our experiences is to step back, be honest, and reflect on pain and joy of our work week.

Ahh time. Why do I view time as such a fickle substance?

I’m in one meeting where the time globs by, slowly burning me as each second passes.

There are other days when I look up and it’s 4 pm and I feel like I’ve been gliding on a big fluffy lazy chair made out of clouds that hug my body just right.

I had the extreme of both cases this weekend.

Let me explain…

Hard

Sludge time.

Time is a very important substance to me, except when I’m being tortured by it.

I was lost for what direction to take my business. I want to help people with their careers (motivation, productivity, self knowledge, etc), but I also want to help small businesses and managers. I felt like my articles in the leadership/business culture were getting lost in the shuffle.

I felt lost and time dripped by. I wasn’t able to take action when I felt in limbo.

That’s why I created my How can I help you in 2010 post.

I’ve come to a conclusion that I will share with all of you very soon.

Please feel free to fill out the survey if you have a chance. Click here to help me do a better job of helping you.

Fun

Writing an amazing article that resonated with my soul.

The words were pouring out of me. Time has no meaning.

I have no idea where all the words came from, but it felt like the universe opened up a portal in my brain and just poured all this goodness in. The words poured out from my fingers into my computer.

It’s a magical feeling that doesn’t happen very often, so I enjoy it tremendously when it does.

Beautiful

The heater in my office.

We had a cold bitter day and I had just come in from outside. I felt my fingers and cheeks tingle as they warmed up.

I never really took the time to just sit and feel this sensations for a minute. It was a really cool 1 minute bliss relaxation that I will write down after I’m done with this article.

I could feel the rush of blood going to these cold areas, regulating my body temperature. My body wasn’t able to do this outside. It was too busy trying to keep my core warm.

When I got back inside with the blasting heater, my extremities warmed back up. It was a beautiful reaction that I usually take for granted, but not this time.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

* Want to be able to Kick Butt at Work and Be Happy Too then check out my teleseminar on February 23^rd to help you do amazing work that doesn’t stress you out. Click here to find out more details.

* Alexandra Levit’s blog Water Cooler Wisdom has a great article called Practice Good Karma at Work. You can probably guess how much I resonated with this piece.

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

- Work Happiness Tip – Tag Your Co-Worker
- How to Deal with Goals You Don’t Reach

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

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week. The best way to learn from our experiences is to step back, be honest, and reflect on pain and joy of our work week.

Using my blog to meet amazing people has been a huge perk. I’ve interviewed Steve Pavlina (Personal Development Master), Jonathan Field (Career Renegade), Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) and many others.

I’m saying this because I’m interviewing someone else that I’ve admired for a long time. She is an amazing writer and business woman. You’ll find out very soon. I can’t give it away yet. A little suspense is good for the soul.

Without all my hard work this never would have happened. None of these interactions would have happened.

We create our own luck. The harder we work, the more opportunities arise.

Let’s begin…

Hard

Getting things just right.

I love the idea of being a perfectionist. I read all the stories of artist who pour hours over one small detail to make sure everything looks…well, perfect.

I’m not that person. I’m an idea guy. I love coming up with new ways to tackle a problem. I love writing from fresh angles. I’m not good at refining my posts until they come out perfect. I know that I need to do it and I do the best that I can, but I don’t enjoy it.

I do what is needed and a little more, but then get back to being creative.

Fun

Preparing for my interview.

I picture myself on the phone with this person, talking about all kinds of ideas. I have my questions planned out, but hope to go off track and really let her lead the way.

Beautiful

My afternoon cup of green tea.

There is something magical about tea that I haven’t put my finger on quite yet. Besides the small caffeine energy boost. There is something calming about sipping hot tea that keeps me relaxed and balanced.

With coffee I get anxious and grumpy after the caffeine wears off. I never have that feeling with tea. Maybe because there isn’t as much caffeine, but whatever it is, it’s a gift from the heavens.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

* Join over 500 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning. When you need it the most. (Sign up is in the top left corner)

* Evita over at Evolving Beings has a wonderful post highlighting another favorite blogger of mine. It’s called Evolving Being In Action: Megan Bord. There are some great takeaways that you can use to improve your happiness.

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

- The Target in the Bull(y)’s Eye

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

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.

This week was a lot of fun because I’ve been building on my strengths. I’ve been doing the soft sell on my teleseminar How to Kick Butt at Work and Be Happy Too. It’s hard to find the balance between encouraging people to buy a good product and begging.

I want 10,000 people to sign up for this amazing teleseminar, but I know that won’t happen. It’s all about baby steps.

Each day is exciting, especially when someone new signs up. I know my marketing is working.

I do have to work on letting my upset feelings go on the days when nobody signs up

Let’s begin…

Hard

Finding the marketing balance.

I don’t want people to drop from my newsletter or to stop following this blog because I keep talking about my teleseminar.

The best way to find this balance is to go with my gut, throw it out there and test. One person dropped off my newsletter list because they believed that I was sending out too many notices. I’m sending out a notice every few weeks, not every day. Jeez.

No one told me that creating a work happiness business would be easy. I think that if it was easy I would probably have given up. What’s the point without a challenge?

Fun

Relaxing with editing my book.

I’ve been guilty of rushing to get my work done. This week I’ve been applying my “Theme of the Week” for January. I’ve put on some good music and chipped away at each section.

The editing process has actually been enjoyable. A big step forward in my career/personal development.

Beautiful

After a cold snap my wife and I took our little boy and dog for a walk. I was in shorts and t-shirt. Texas has crazy January weather.

We mozied, walked, strolled, and ran throughout the two hours that we were outside. I didn’t want to go back home. It was just one of those “so lucky to be alive” type of days.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

* Don’t miss out on any more great articles. Sign up for my RSS feed or email feed and you’ll stay updated on the latest tips and ideas to bring more happiness to your working life.

* Lance of the Jungle of Life has a really cool interview with Katie West called Powered By Laughter. Very much worth your time.

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

- How Your Company Can Bring the Fun Back

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

* Quick note: I’ve decided not to do a video this week. I want to create more value with my videos and that means figuring out how to make the videos more dynamic and interesting.

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.

My desk is a mess. I’ve been putting off my organization until tomorrow too many times. I’m not proud of this, but there always seems to be something else better to do.

My systems are breaking down.

Instead of doing what I know is right I’ve been choosing the easier route. This route is easy in the present moment, but harder in the long term.

I have to be more diligent about putting away that piece of paper instead of just throwing it on my desk. The hard part is figuring out how to stay motivated to do the little things.

You probably struggle with this too in some area of your life. Maybe you have trouble with exercising on a regular basis or getting up on time to get to work. Whatever your struggle with, it all comes down to connecting with what is right.

I’m creating next week’s theme from this week’s challenges. I want to simplify how I handle the information in my life, so that it’s easier to make the right choice. When I have a piece of paper in my hand, instead of just placing it on my desk, I will connect with the pain that lies ahead (what happens if I don’t do the simple task of organizing now), so it motivates me to be more organized.

You should also think about how you can adjust to a daily challenge in your life. How can you find a way to connect with what is right instead of choosing the easy way out?

Alright let’s begin…

Hard

Knowing when to relax and when to try a little harder.

I’m still working with my work rhythm. There are some weeks when I’m a go getter and I knock out a bunch of work, and then there are other weeks when I struggle to get a few things done.

I’m trying to write more guest posts, but with a full-time family, full-time job, and trying to leave room for a social life, I’m having trouble finding my rhythm. I need to find my rhythm earlier in the day so I can knock the work out and do whatever I feel like doing later in the day.

I guess I’ve always felt like this. Working with these emotions isn’t easy.

Fun

Working with some friends on a project.

We laugh and share stories. This time together helps me realize that relationships are so very important to enjoying what we do.

I could have been scooping up little dog poops all day long with these people and it would still be fun.

Beautiful

My wrist guard.

I’m on the computer a lot. I’m at the computer at my day job and then I come home to help all of you to become happier at work at my computer.

On the weekends I’m on the computer again. That’s a lot of keystrokes and mouse clicks that can cause pain even in the strongest of wrists.

I wear a wrist guard whenever I’m at the computer. It helps reduce my strain and I’m able to relax my wrist and arm while working on the computer. I linked to this wrist guard on Amazon.

Rector Proformer Wrist Guards

I don’t use it, but it looks exactly like the one I do use, so it should help. If you do buy it, yes I get a couple bucks.

We are lucky to live in a society where we can get support for any part of our aching body.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

* Are you on Twitter? Then join over 2,700 people who get my stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* Tess over at The Bold Life has a great guest post called How to Build a Winning Work Ethic. It’s not the advice we always want to hear, but we should really listen.

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

- Your Personality Should Explode Throughout Your Work Space

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

(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now – Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Little Trooper Edition)

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.

The week of cold, colds, and arriving back home.

I got so sick this past week and at times it was hard to deal with, but the more work I put into my own happiness (work or personal life), the more I just roll with whatever the universe throws at me. It has become beautiful to watch my own growth.

The pain doesn’t reach as deep as it once did. It’s because the core me has become happier and even the most painful things can be spun into a positive.

I’m a positive weaver and I’m not turning back.

That’s why I started this work happiness journey: to improve my happiness as well as the happiness of the people in my life. Yes, I’m talking about you. Hopefully you are a little happier, armed with fresh ideas about making your work happiness a reality. And when you improve your work happiness, you improve your whole life.

Alright enough of me patting my own back.

Let’s begin…

Hard

Trying to implement good ideas very quickly.

I get caught up in trying to make my ideas perfect and then I don’t get the good ideas out there quickly enough. I don’t procrastinate as much as I used to, but I still take too much time to get it done.

For example, I’ve been wanting to create a resource page for a while now. I want to have a page that people can go to that has posters, ebooks, and other items that can help them with their work happiness. It is totally free and helpful.

It’s a good idea, but it has taken me months to actually do it. I mean it only actually took me a day to put it all together and launch it. I finally got a kick in the butt from a friend and it spurred me into action.

Aren’t “kick butt” friends the best?

Fun

Jumping from one party to the next. There has been something always going on for the past few days. Who am I kidding, it’s more like weeks.

It’s tough saying no to friends because I know how much fun I’ll have when we hang out. I love the food, laughter and showing everyone how I can make my son smile. He just gets this wonderful gleam in his eyes when I lift him in the air and tell him how big he is.

Then I look out into the crowd watching me do this little scene and they light up too. I hear them laughing and it just fills me with happiness.

Beautiful

My son dealing with being sick.

This little trooper barely complains. He has a runny nose, a bad cough and trouble breathing but it doesn’t stop him from enjoying life.

He still loves to laugh, chew on his plastic turtle head, and eat pureed sweet potatoes. He just rolls with life and keeps on enjoying.

I know that I have a lot of learning about happiness when I’m learning from my 5 month old son.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

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

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

(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now – Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Backyard Sledding Edition)

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.

If life was just about dealing with our own pain, then life wouldn’t really be that hard. When we open up to other people’s pain then it can get tricky.

A good manager is able to open up to his/her staff’s problems because they affect work. By listening and empathizing, a manager can make better judgments. A manager might want to encourage an employee to go home and be with his/her family during tough times.

Which brings me to my situation…

Hard

My son has been dealing with a runny nose, bronchitis, and an ear infection.

It’s hard to see him suffer. I want to rush him to the emergency room and demand all the doctor’s fix him.

Yeah, I know it doesn’t work like that. I’ll be sitting in the waiting room for two hours before I see anyone. Even then they probably couldn’t do anything. The illness will have to ride out its course.

I just want him to be happy. When I really break his situation down…he is dealing with his own work happiness. He is trying to figure out how to get all his motor skills down. That’s hard work. Then throw in a cold and it sets him back.

My friend Tess likes to remind me to just be with the pain. That’s all I can do.

Fun

Visiting family and friends.

I’ve been doing too much celebrating. I won’t say that very often, but it’s true. I’m trying to see and be with everyone and it’s a ton of fun, but my body needs a rest.

The best part of hanging out with my wonderful friends is the laughter. We just joke, jolly and eat into the night.

It feels so good to be loved by people unconditionally. I made some pretty lousy jokes and everyone still laughed.

Beautiful

Playing in the snow. Visiting my family in Pennsylvania was some much needed interjection. I get a little too used to my routines.

Since I haven’t seen snow in so long, it made me feel like a kid again. I even took my 5 month old son sledding. I was transported back to my childhood. (FYI – we took my son sledding before he developed a bad cough.)

My son didn’t really know what was going on, but he smiled and laughed through it all.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

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

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

(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now – Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Dancing Delight Edition)

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.

As the year begins to wrap up (no pun intended), I’m noticing a lot of shifts within myself.

The fear isn’t as overwhelming as it once was with a lot of the projects that I’ve been working on. It goes to show that putting in the time with you has really helped me grow. I’m getting better in front of the camera as well as doing interviews over the phone.

I look forward to my first TV interview. That will be a blast. Nothing booked yet, but I know it’s coming soon.

I’m also noticing that my ability to love has grown so much. I care more about you (the people who read this blog) and how I can make your working life more enjoyable.

Before I start. I hope you are spending this day with loved ones. If you are away on business then try putting a prayer in and you’ll feel closer to your loved ones. I promise.

OK, let’s begin…

Hard

Low energy level.

My energy level has been very low this week. I don’t think it’s the food or lack of sleep. I just think it’s a mental thing.

When Friday comes around my enthusiasm and energy wane. Now that the end of the year is coming, it’s hard to stay focused. I want to just relax and be with my family.

Earlier in the week I was chatting on Twitter and I hit a wall. I couldn’t stay focused. I knew it was time for bed. This was an hour before my usual bed time. I just went with it and still felt tired the next day. Go figure.

Fun

I started creating a theme of the week.

What I like about having a theme of the week is that it keeps me focused.

I’m focused on staying relaxed, finding fun, or staying creative.

I realize that I do better when I can micro-focus on an important part of my working growth. I was creating a workbook for an upcoming product and I couldn’t figure out which direction to take. I looked at my Twitter stream and remembered that I’m supposed to be enjoying my frustration.

I should just be with the emotions and not want life to be different.

It worked. I giggled at myself and switched to a new project for an hour. When I came back to my workbook, the answers came right out of me.

Beautiful

The first thing that pops in my head when I think of beautiful is my son, but I’m not going to talk about him every time.

So the most beautiful thing this past week was watching a woman drink her Starbucks coffee.

She had delight dancing in her eyes. She was going to enjoy that drink because she was so focused on all the goodness she was about to experience. There was no way she couldn’t enjoy its deliciousness.

Now that’s focusing on the beauty in her world.

I was going to wrap up my theme of the week in this post, but since I’m already wrapping up the week I’ll wait until next week. A little suspense is good for the soul.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

* Are you on Twitter? Then check me out at @workhappynow. I give stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes.

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

(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now – The Hard, The Fun and The Beautiful – God Hugging Butterflies Edition)

Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.

Encouraging myself has been the theme of the week. I was raised to be a butt kicker and I know this isn’t a good approach. If I’m not accomplishing as much as I should, I get very angry at myself.

Just last week I was upset that I hadn’t yet earned any money from selling products. I know I don’t have any products to sell, but that’s been a weakness I’m looking to improve on.

I’ve been working so hard on building content, connections, and an audience, yet I’ve done a poor job of creating product revenue from this online venture. I’m guessing most bloggers feel this way.

We have all read about other bloggers making $12,000 from an ebook or $100,000 + from a membership site. We look at ourselves and think we can do that, but then we wonder why it hasn’t happened yet.

I’m making plans to change this. 2010 is the year of Work Happy Now products. I want to create more value for you and I know I can do that if I’m generating money from selling products that I create.

Enough about my business woes.

Let’s get started…

Hard

Creating a business out of Work Happy Now.

It’s not an easy thing to do.

Many American companies still don’t equate happy employees with a better business. It’s a shame. My cold calling to organizations around Austin has been a tougher sell than I thought.

I know creating a business isn’t easy, let alone a business that isn’t normal.

That’s where the fun comes in. I’m ahead of the curve. You’ll see. When companies realize their employees emotional well-being is connected to their bottom line, I will have my choice of which businesses I choose to help.

Fun

Chance for snow.

Last Friday there was a chance for snow. Living in Texas this doesn’t happen very often, so when it does there is an energy in the air that puts a bounce in people’s conversations.

Everyone wants to talk about it. So small talk is easy.

When I can have a cool conversation with the grocery check out lady about how she will take her kids out sledding (if it does snow), that’s good stuff. Because that twinkle in the grocery lady’s eye doesn’t come very often.

Beautiful

No mosquitoes.

Many of you can’t fathom mosquitoes in the winter, but here in Texas they have come out in full force. With all the rain we’ve been having they’ve been eating us up.

Addition by subtraction. The less mosquitoes there are in the air, the happier I am.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

*Are you on Twitter? Then check me out at @workhappynow. I give stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes.

* Lance always has a thought provoking post over at his blog Jungle of Life. One of my recent favorites is Frank and Me: A Legacy of Mentoring. He is giving away a book to one lucky commenter, so leave a comment and put in a prayer. Hopefully you win.

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

• How to Write a Career List

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

(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now – The Hard, The Fun and The Beautiful – Holiday Hangover Edition)

Last week Thanksgiving came and went. There was family, almost half a work week and now I’m back to a grueling full week.

It’s not easy to transition from so much fun back to full steam ahead.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy challenging myself. It’s fun to reflect on my accomplishments, but it’s also fun to do nothing for a whole day except for eating, napping and hanging out with family.

Let’s begin:

Hard

Midway through last week I hit a wall. On Wednesday I felt like I was carrying a sack of potatoes all day long.

I know it’s all mental, but it felt like a Friday. I wanted to go home and go to bed.

At the end of the week, it was interesting to watch my struggle. I found it hard to transition into going on vacation.

It sounds weird, but going away causes me a lot of anxiety. However, that’s for a whole new week of reflection.

Fun

I’m really diving into my drawing. Oh how I missed it so.

Yes, I’ve been dabbling, but lately I’ve really let the creative side of me come out. I think there is a lot of potential to help people work happier.

One of my drawings made my wife blurt out a laugh. She wasn’t expecting the image to stimulate her funny bone and that’s what made it so cool.

If there was a pie graph comparing my ability to learn visually vs. auditorily, There would be only a tiny sliver reserved for “auditorily” out of that pie.

How do you prefer to learn?

Beautiful

I love reflecting about the beauty that I see and hear. Since I talked so much about the visual side of how I process information, now I’ll focus a little on the audio.

I want to talk about my favorite classical artist.

Johann Sebastian Bach is my favorite. His mental limberness is amazing to have on my iPod. It’s like a little whisper from God to my ears.

What about you?

What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.

Join over 300 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning. When you need it the most. (Sign up is also in the top left corner)

***

Darren Rowse of Problogger wrote a really cool post on his personal site. It’s called Ping. I’ll give you a hint. It involves birds and laptops.

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

• How to Enjoy Staying Late at Work

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