Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Art Decker of New York self storage

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” This occurred to me during a recent move, but I was skeptical. I was moving from Chicago, where all my friends and family lived, where all my work contacts were located, to San Francisco. San Francisco is a beautiful city, but I did not know anyone and my cost of living was about to skyrocket.

All my thoughts were consumed with discouraging statistics: Groceries in San Francisco are 14 percent more than in Chicago, health care was going to cost me 8 percent more, and my housing was slated to increase roughly 108 percent. Not only was I going to have to adjust to a new city and find new friends, but I was confronting the reality of a significant downsize. I was not thrilled and even the lemonade in San Francisco seemed expensive!

Though I wasn’t in the mood for making lemonade out of my lemons, it seemed more refreshing than sipping lemon juice at a pity party.  Here’s what I did to embrace my new adventure.

1. I wrote affirmations to uplift my spirits.

I told myself that this move was going to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I told myself it would be an adventure. I told myself that downsizing meant a simple, uncluttered life, and more time to focus on what really mattered in life. In a way, I was applying advice that is often given to parents of spirited children. Parents are constantly told to change their terminology. Their children are not stubborn, they are persistent. They are not hyper, they are full of energy. They are not finding ways to get into trouble — they are creative, resourceful problem-solvers.

At the same time that I was going through the process of planning my move, a lawyer friend had to leave his office because he could no longer afford the rent. He moved to a different part of town and rented a plain vanilla office from a large corporation. He was heartbroken over leaving his unique office, in a small building in a wealthy part of town. Did he tell his clients that he had just become another victim of the recession? Nope. Instead he told them he was moving up in the world and needed a more central location where people could find him more easily. Being downtown was especially important, he told them, because he so many new clients were from that area. Not only had he come up with a great affirmation to keep his spirits up (“hey, I’m really moving up in the world”), but he had redefined his own terms and come up with something positive he could tell his clients — and now he’s doing fine in the new location.

2. I focused on the benefits.

When I moved, I was focused on the high cost of the housing market. I wondered what kind of home we would be able to afford. When I investigated more closely, though, I found out the situation wasn’t as bad as I had feared. Though housing and grocery costs were higher than in Chicago, utility costs were less – 19 percent less. I also found one of the few cities in the country with a better public transportation than Chicago. San Francisco’s public transportation network, with its BART rail system, cable cars, and ferries, is world famous. I wouldn’t have to do as much driving. I hate sitting in traffic, so that did cheer me up.

Not only that, but I realized that I could commute by bicycle in San Francisco a lot of the time, as long as I didn’t mind going up and down hills. I bicycled in Chicago too, but in Chicago, several months of the year are not terribly pleasant for bicycling. It gets cold and snowy and the roads are icy. San Francisco has a mild, cool climate which is perfect for bicycling. I went back to my affirmation idea and told myself, “I’m going to end up in the best shape of my life because of this move!”

The benefits I focused on may not be the same ones that will matter to you. Think about how your move will affect your daily life and your routine. Will your commute to work be easier? Will you be closer to family? Will you be in an area that puts you far from local issues that used to drive you crazy — either in terms of the weather in your former community, or in terms of office politics? Even if you can’t think of anything, and your new job requires you to get up an hour earlier, try to focus on how this will help you to develop personally. Think, “I’ve always wanted to be an early riser,” or “Now I’ll have plenty of time in the evenings to pursue my own interests.” If you will have many new job duties, think about it in terms of the added responsibility and how it shows off your potential.

3. I researched my industry so I could reposition myself for success.

When I researched the self-storage industry in San Francisco, I realized that my move might be just what my career needed. The self-storage industry is thriving in San Francisco (probably because so many people are having to downsize, like me). I realized that I was moving to an area where there were plenty of job opportunities, whether I wanted to move up within my own company or horizontally, to a different company, or even strike out on my own and become an entrepreneur.

It’s always useful to research how a move will affect your career and your future. If you have a choice about where you will move, find out which cities present the best opportunities in your industry, or within your company. Could moving provide an opportunity to work toward a promotion? If you own your own business, what are the best new markets? Try doing a Google search on “best cities” and your industry or market area. You’ll find many magazines periodically feature lists of the best cities in which to relocate. Try Money, Forbes, Kiplinger’s, Business Week, and even U.S. News & World Report. Find those lists, and think about how they relate to your own career. You may even find a list that caters to your situation. Forbes, for example, puts out an annual list of the best cities for working mothers. So do several major newspapers. Then make your own short list of the cities you’d like to go to, talk it over with your family, and make the best choice you can to reposition yourself for success.

Make Lemonade

I didn’t want to make lemonade out of my lemons in the beginning. I mostly wanted to hand those lemons to anyone I could blame for my move! But I like to keep a positive attitude, so I gave it a try — and now I love San Francisco, I am in the best shape of my life, and I couldn’t imagine a better place to drink my lemonade!

Art Decker is a division manager with Self Storage Company, which operates a group of websites, including a New York self storage locator. Art leads a busy life and often travels between sites, like from Texas to the Virginia self storage site. As a result, Art has had the opportunity to witness many people amidst relocation and has paid attention to how and why some people have an easier time adjusting to a relocation than others do.

* Are you on Twitter? Then join over 3,400 people who get my stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* One of my favorites posts in the past week was by Marc of Marc and Angel Hack Life. He writes about the 18 most influential pieces of writing in his life. Very well thought out.

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

There are important things and then there are really important things.

Know the difference.

Stop getting caught up in trying to schedule every thirty minutes of your day. You know what needs to get done. The other stuff can wait.

Amazing results will not happen because you have an amazingly organized schedule. Amazing results are what happens when you focus on doing the really important stuff.

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

* I talk about working on your foundation at work and Colleen does a great job of explaining why it is so important in her post – A ridiculously earnest reflection on psychotherapy.

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Every now and again, I like to bring you short interviews to give you a new perspective on work happiness. During my study of work happiness I have found that there are many paths to the same goal. Some people believe that loving what you do is a must, while other people believe that relationships are vital to enjoying the work that we do. Interviews are a great way to get out of your own perspective and see what other people are doing to develop their strengths and live their passions.

If you have never visited I Can Has CheezBurger you are missing out. It is simply one of the funniest websites around. People add comments to pictures of cats doing something weird. I borrowed one from the site. It’s in the upper left hand corner of this post. It’s a wonderful break from a tedious task. Ben Huh is the brilliant mind behind this website. I was lucky to have met him at SXSW this past month and he agreed to do an interview.

Karl: Do you believe that you must love what you do to be successful? Why?

Ben Huh: The world is filled with accidents and chance events. It’s possible to be successful doing something you don’t love, but why would you want to take that risk of being successful in unhappiness?

How do you cultivate work happiness in your company?

The most important thing we cultivate is a culture of listening. If you can’t hear what your employees are telling you, then you’ve become deaf to the world.

What do you do to help your people stay motivated and productive?

We focus on goals, not hours worked. We set team goals and measure our ability to get there. People can’t be forced into productivity for long, the only way to sustain motivation and productivity is have it come from within.

How do you maintain harmony between your working and non-working life?

I don’t. I love what I do, and I don’t see working long hours as much of a sacrifice.

If you are feeling down, what do you do to lift your spirits?

I have a guilty pleasure and cheat a little… I visit our sites like http://icanhascheezburger.com or http://failblog.org

What is your biggest detriment to work happiness? How do you deal with this issue?

I sometimes deal with unhappy users, for one reason or another. It sucks to know that we’ve disappointed them in one way shape or form. I dealt with this by delegating the everyday task to customer service people who enjoy solving their problems and I get to work on helping the team learn about customer service, which makes me happy.

If you could give work happiness advice to someone just starting their own business in 140 characters or less (Twitter style) what would it be?

Do wht U luv & luv yr customers. Spend less than U earn. nevr, evr, compromise quality & hire & keep the best ppl. Win slowly, fail quickly.

* Join over 700 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)

* Nadia of the Happy Lotus wrote a piece called Passion…It’s A Way of Life. It’s what I am all about.

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Image courtesy of http://icanhascheezburger.com.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Sara Lopez

You never quite realize how much your job affects your happiness until you have had a truly terrible job, or a truly phenomenal job. Just think about it, you spend 2/3 of your awake time at a place, surrounded by certain people, working for a specific cause­– this is called your career.

My name is Sara Lopez and I am the Brand Ambassador and Social Media Strategist for 8^th Continent Soymilk. I quite possibly have the best job in the world, however it was not always this way.

At one point I worked for a consulting firm in San Francisco that was so unappreciative I would trudge home considering where I went wrong on my career path and how I would ever fix it. I dreaded going in to work in the morning because I knew my skills were not utilized, nor did my employer notice them.

Utilize Social Media

The consulting firm was paying massive amounts to maintain communication and promotions with their clients. From email blasts to buying address lists they were scurrying to discover a way to inform the public of updates, send messages and create a virtual community. The one thing they were not doing was utilizing social media to reach new potential clients and to develop persistent two-way communication to promote loyalty.

The weekend before I was let go I went through raw data and cross-referenced it with all of the clients that were either on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter accounts. Keep in mind; this was nearly two and a half years ago. I had brought up the importance of social media in countless meetings prior to this only to be dismissed as a young Gen-Y’er who was addicted to surfing the net for fun. I attempted to explain that with the curve of technology fast approaching­­– marketing and advertising was quickly slipping into a conversation and participation realm. The “Naïve Public” television and print had once targeted was shrinking at an alarming rate and would soon be miniscule or nonexistent.

Untapped Passion

As you have probably gathered by now, I have always been very passionate about social media, so I spent hours working on this report during the weekend– during my “free” time. After presenting this report to my boss, he quickly smirked and said: “Thanks Lopez, I’ll take a look at this some time.” Within three hours I was let go.

The next several months were one of the most challenging times of my life. What went wrong at my last job? Will I ever find a position where I can finally experience that feeling of accomplishment? Am I just not cut out to be a businesswoman even though that is what I had been striving for my entire life?

Questions were crowding my mind and fogging up my once clear vision of my future. The only thing I could do was try to focus and stay motivated; to sculpt myself into what I wanted to be. I stopped hiding and exaggerating attributes to fit into a mold of what I thought would lead to success.

Be You No Matter What

When I was a senior in college I interned at an amazing marketing firm in Toledo, Ohio. The CEO of that marketing firm found out I was moving back from California, he dialed my cell phone number and said he had the perfect opportunity for me.

8^th Continent Soymilk was looking for a Social Media Strategist and Brand Ambassador! I am lactose intolerant so I have always been a huge fan of 8^th Continent Soymilk, so I decided to create an audition video and send it in. The video featured me dancing on desks, mentioning all eight of my tattoos, speaking Spanish, all while sporting my bright red faux-hawk haircut. Several other people had sent in videos, but they chose me!

Turning Point

From this point on, everything turned around. The people at 8^th Continent Soymilk listened to my ideas about social media and encouraged contribution. They recognized my accomplishments and praised my creative outside-the-box thinking. 8^th Continent Soymilk agreed with the fact that open communication between customers and a company was not only good for business, but would also help form and shape the future of 8^th Continent. They wanted a person that people could go to and talk to that could be a direct voice from the company. I created a Twitter, Facebook, Brightkite account along with a blog and profiles on several different message boards and forums. From those accounts I would provide people with coupons, recipes, and tips on how to live a happy healthy lifestyle.

After laying the groundwork, I ventured out on my 8^th Continent Soymilk Taste of Life Tour. This was a road trip all throughout the US to the coolest places that you would not typically find in an itinerary. The entire adventure was documented online with blog posts, tweets and Youtube videos. I thrived off of the connections and interactions that occurred online whether I was behind my steering wheel, or at my desk.

Enjoy What You Do

Not only do I enjoy my job immensely but also my self-confidence, self-image and sense of self-worth have grown exponentially. Everyone around me has noticed my change in attitude. My smiles are now wider and more generous than ever. I truly understand the meaning of a successful and happy career. Not only am I in a field that I adore, I also truly believe in the product I am promoting.

If I had to give a tip in these times of economic uncertainty and devastating unemployment I would say this: Concentrate on your skills and develop your passion, stay confident, and eventually an employer will appreciate you for exactly who you are and what you offer.

Sara Lopez is a social media superstar at 8^th Continent Soymilk. You can learn more about her on Twitter and Facebook.  Check out her blog and find out how to get a $2 coupon for 8^th Continent Soymilk.

* Are you on Twitter? Then join over 2,900 people who get my stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* The Change Blog has an excellent post called How to Build the Confidence Habit. Confidence at work is very important. Check it out.

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

(Click here to view video at Work Happy Now)

We all have itches we can’t scratch. The question is…How do you deal with it? This video post discusses how to deal with your itch and figure out a way to indirectly scratch it, so you feel satisfied and ready to scratch that itch when the time is right.

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I love the blog Marc and Angel Hack Life. One of my more recent favorites is How To Choose Happiness With Words.

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Are you looking to expand your Twitter universe? Then check out my tweets @workhappynow. Your happiness will never be the same.

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If you enjoyed this video post then check these out:

• Where is Your Focus
• Your Emotional Boxes
• The Work Buzz

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

“One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But… I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.”
- Thomas A. Edison

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When I need to slow down and read a few good ideas on simplifying my life. I stop by Sara’s blog On Simplicity.

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Some days we need a little encouragement. If you are having one of those days just send me an email karl AT workhappynow dot com and I’ll send you a really good quote or thought that will knock your socks off.

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

Success is difficult to define because it changes on a regular basis. One day I’m happy with the growth of this website then the next I’m scrambling because I saw another blogger’s visitor stats and they were way higher than mine.

I shouldn’t be comparing myself to anyone, let alone someone who is already an expert in my field. We’ve all heard that advice, but it doesn’t work. We can’t stop comparing ourselves to people who are more successful. The important thing is that we find a way to measure success that encourages great work, but doesn’t discourage us.

Measuring Success

Let’s say I’m looking at my career as a whole. I see a few missed opportunities and my savings account or investments aren’t that impressive. I know I can do better. So many of us look back on our careers in this way. We see the lack instead of the abundance.

We might be comparing our accomplishments against our past self, but we need to take it a step further. We need to compare our actions with our personal growth, our accomplishments, and any other factor we can think of. When we limit ourselves to just one or two measuring sticks, we forget to see how much more patient, smarter, and happier we have become.

We need to add extra measuring sticks so we don’t get caught up in black and white thinking. That means looking not just at how much money you’ve made, but personal and spiritual growth that you’ve earned too.

A List of Measuring Sticks

-        Personal and Intellectual Development
-        Professional and Career
-        Financial Health
-        Relationship and Family
-        Emotional Wellbeing
-        Spiritual Growth
-        Living Environment
-        Physical Health

Every time I read about a celebrity who crashed their car or was pulled over for a DUI, I think about how they struggle just like you and me. Charles Barkley was busted for a DUI. He drank too much and got pulled over within a few blocks of the club where he was boozing it up. We usually see how lucky he is to have money, fame, and career, but his life isn’t all peaches and crème.

You need to look at your life as a whole. Maybe you’re not that happy in your current career, but don’t forget how you struggled in the past. I can say that because we all struggle. We tend to forget how far we’ve come in so many areas of our lives, and that skews our ability to honestly judge how successful we really are.

Expand your ability to see abundance in many areas of your life. If you aren’t working at your dream job then browse around this site and find some ideas to assist you in making a change, but in the mean time don’t let this one area of your life destroy your happiness. You must also notice all the great work you’ve done in other areas.

I discovered a fantastic site called Prevential.com. It has a series running about success and how to make it a reality in your career and business. My favorite post so far is titled How to Improve Your Business With the Kaizen System.

How do you measure your success? Do you compare yourself to others or past accomplishments? What is the best tool to stay happy when you feel a part of your life isn’t meeting your expectations?

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

You may do your job well, even so well that no one can complain, but you never get ahead. This career trap can cause many problems. The cause of the problem may be that you are one dimensional. You are so good at what you do and you’ve become so comfortable that you’ve stopped sharing thoughts, ideas, and helpful hints.

I’ve seen friends fall into this trap. When they need to expand their network they ignore the signs.

• Co-workers stop coming to them for help.
• They don’t reach out to people below and above them.
• They don’t take advantage of programs that might help them expand their skills.

Your Corporate Network

Many of you may be imagining some old man on the verge of retirement that has trouble adapting to the latest computer programs at work. This happens at every age. I’m relatively young, 32, but a few months ago I felt like I had become complacent at my job and I wasn’t keeping my co-worker network strong.

I decided to start calling people within the organization to just say hi. I always make it short and sweet and keep the conversation on them. They love it. They have been more willing to help me out with a problem instead of pushing me on to someone else.

Customer Network

This same problem happens with your customer base. When we get too comfortable and we stop reaching out to old contacts, we hinder the circular flow of love from our networks that helps us succeed.

You have to communicate to all levels within the organization to stay on the pulse of your company or your business, but you don’t have to push from just one angle. If you sell refrigerators and all you do is talk about how good they are, all day every day, people will tune you out.

Talk to people about what they enjoy most – themselves. Let them remember you for your graciousness and they will return the favor.

What do you do to expand your network?

Related Career Tips and Advice:

• Give It Your All, Not for Your Boss, But for Your Own Work Happiness
• Losing Heart In My Company – Reader’s Question
• Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time

* Buzzoodle Marketing wrote about being one dimensional, which spurred this article.

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Image courtesy of luc legay

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

The greatest business people, actors, politicians, athletes, and scientists all persevere through failure in their careers before they reach a high level of success. When they do reach that point, there comes a great calm. They realize that their disappointments were some of the best moments of their careers because they used them to improve on their next move.

Life is a beautiful struggle, and the great people of our history used each failure as a slingshot to create a better life. One of the greatest of them was Abraham Lincoln. His failures were numerous and would have crushed a weaker willed person.

• Failed in business in 1831

• Defeated for the legislature in 1832

• Failed in business again in 1834

• Ann Rutledge, the love of his life died in 1835

• Nervous breakdown in 1836

• Defeated in an election in 1838

• Defeated for Congress in 1843, 1846, and a third time in 1848

• Defeated for Senate in 1855

• Defeated for Vice President in 1856

• Defeated for Senate in 1858

• 1860 he was finally elected President!

Every living thing struggles to live. Famous actors struggle with the paparazzi, I struggle with my career, everyone struggles with their relationships, rich people struggle with illness, and everyone struggles with the possibility of death. Every struggle creates new places for joy. The truly great people understand that failure isn’t the measure of a person, but it is what they do with that failure that decides how successful they become.

It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failures. Precept, study, advice, and example could never have taught them so well as failure has done.
- Samuel Smiles

It’s using that struggle to help improve your life that makes the difference between success and accepting defeat. Use your difficulties to make yourself stronger. Use you failure as a slingshot toward happiness and you’ll succeed.

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Photo courtesy of pingnews

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