Tweet

Girls just want to have fun...

Guest post by: Kool Results

Article Overview: There is documented evidence that illustrates a positive and optimistic outlook on life can really improve your chance of success, both at work and personally. It’s our reaction to life’s hard knocks which is important too. And there is no better feeling when we do something to make another person happy. It affects our psyche in a wonderful way. So can the right attitude have a positive impact in your workplace?

Girls just want to have fun...

Girls just want to have fun... But then so do guys too. And companies are waking up to the fact that a happy workplace, where you might even have fun, promotes creativity and productivity.

Happy and optimistic people are more likely:

• to be fulfilled

• have a healthier life

• have a better memory

• to be resilient

• to explore new opportunities and different ways of doing things

• to see the bigger picture

• to be better negotiators

• to be more creative

Isn't this a great prescription for being positive? And think of the ramifications for your organisation if you have people working for you who are like that.

We acknowledge that there will be times when we face challenges and periods of negativity, but it's how we address these setbacks which is important. It's what we learn about ourselves when confronted with adversity that makes us more resilient. Remember too that a successful and positive outcome is usually the result of hard work and meticulous preparation.

There were many speakers at the conference who addressed the issue of how to be happy and how to work towards positive outcomes. Barbara Fredrickson used the analogy of a yacht and a keel. The sail is visible on the surface, responding to winds, racing along effortlessly. Underneath, all the hard work is being done by the keel, as it steers, taking advantage of the currents and tides, to maintain the equilibrium above.

Hugh McKay , a social researcher, actually challenged the whole concept of happiness. His address was entitled "Is Happiness Beyond our Control?" He argued that "thinking positively is all very well - better than thinking negatively, no doubt. But thinking realistically has even more to commend it: to be realistic is to acknowledge that the richness of life lies in its contrasts, its light and shade, and in our capacity to experience and deal with the full spectrum of human emotions and responses."

And Barry Schwartz continued with this theme. His book, "The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less" highlights how the multitude of choices we have in the developed world can exacerbate unhappiness. We go to the supermarket and have to choose between different teas, cereals, biscuits...the list goes on. We have to choose between a beach side holiday; a walking trek; a cultural tour of European cities. High class problems, but still a tyranny of choices.

So how do you relate this to your workplace, to ensure the best outcome? As the leader of your organisation you need to be a good role model. Your staff look to you for direction and will emulate positive behaviour. You don't need to walk around with an inane grin on your face all day, but do react constructively when your staff bring you a problem. Set realistic goals for you and for your staff. Make sure that you have done the necessary preparation before you tackle a complex project.

There are many ways to define happiness. But most people agree that living a full and whole life goes a long way to achieving some sort of satisfaction. Be realistic. And try to make someone happy today - you'll be amazed by the positive vibe which it generates.

Related Articles
  Lesson #4: Put Yourself in Your Consumers’ Shoes
  Doing It Alone
  Do not Lie On the TV, Especially On The Apprentice
  Up In Smoke
  Teenage Sports Team Participation
  Poverty and Human Resources
  From Spice to Soccer: Fuller Charts New Territory
  Lessons on Friendship
  Addicted To The Apprentice Already And What A Mess!
  The Man Behind the Music: The Early Years of Simon Fuller
  My Daughters Are So Pissed
  Dress Up Jennifer Lopez
  Silicon Valley is Like High School
  Who\'s Running Your Business?
  If Your Salespeople Can Spell They Can Sell
  Lesson #3: If Your Job Does Not Excite You, Find a New One
  People With Self Confidence Get Noticed
  Insights from a Former Homeschooling Mom - Part One of Four Part Series
  Unraveling Your Life's Blueprint - And Finding Your Ultimate Calling
  Permission Based Marketing: The Holy Grail Of Marketing That Ensures You Capture Your Customers Attentions Guaranteed!

Article Tags: happiness, life coaching



Related Forum Posts
Book: Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead But Gutsy Girls Do - Book: Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead But Gutsy Girls Do: Nine Secrets every career woman must know Kate White 1995 Foy years Kate White lived as a good girl - a rule follower, a people pleaser, a busy beaver - until she was passed over for the job of editor-in-chief of a magazine she had been running for months. She finally realized that being gutsy, not good, was the only way to succeed. A gutsy girl : 1. Breaks the rules 2. Has one clear goal for the future 3. Does only what's essential 4. Doesn't worry whether people like her 5. Walks and talks like a winner 6. Asks for what she wants 7. Faces trouble head on 8. Trusts her instincts 9. Takes smart risks This book has NO table of contents, but above are the chapter headings. A good book, although I really wish they'd stop talking about "girls" and start talking about women.
Girls vs women - This is part and parcel of a post I made earlier in this folder, about men (and other women) referring to grown women as girls instead of women. Girls have to be "taken care of" by the man in their life, and aren't capable of making their own decisions. Someone wrote a column about this several months ago which appeared in my daily paper - and put it much better than I've been able to say it - unfortunately I can't remember the name of the person.... perhaps I should go do a google search and see if I can't find it...
Women's goals - >>>IF YOU HAD ASKED A GLASS full of children 20 or 30 years ago what they wanted to be when they grew up, boys would probably have yelled "President!" while girls might have quietly said "A teacher." That's because 20 years any girl who said she wanted to be President, or a pilot or a scientist, etc., would have been laughed at by boys who would've said, "Girls cant be __________!" Even today that stereotype exists. My own view is that even though women have more opportunities than ever, they are also bombarded by the media that reinforces that more than anything else they are sex objects...showing up they're husbands or boyfriends is bad, etc.
Books for Women Entrepreneurs - There's a thread for good books in the Resources folder, but it doesn't target books for businesswomen particularly, so I figured I'd start such a thread here. It doesn't matter how successful you are in your business - it's always possible to learn something new. In subsequent posts I give Table of Contents and brief descriptions for various titles - most of them devoted to the businesswoman - and sometimes a review. If anyone else has read a review, or has read the book and found it useful, please comment! 1. The Old Girl's Network 2. Mother's Work 3. The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Women 4. Pitch Like A Girl 5. Workplace Warrior 6. Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the Modern Consumer 7. Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery 8. She Wins, You Win 9. Napoleon On Project Management 10. Why Good Girls Dont' Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do 11. Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years 12. The One Minute Millionaire 13. Talking From 9 to 5 14. Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambitions 15. 101 Best Home Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road To Success 16. Work With Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living. Revised and Expanded 17. Fail-Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful 18. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End 19. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide 20. Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen 21. Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start - and Run - Your Own Successful Business 22. Rewired, Rehired or Retired: A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker 23. The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build or manage a business 24. The Essentials of Entrepreneurship: What it takes to create Successful Enterprises 25. Net Ready: Strategies for Success in the E-conomy 26. The Promotable Woman 27. Leave The Office Earlier: The Productivity Pro shows you how to do more in less time and feel great about it 28. The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource guide for managing yourself, your work, and your family at home 29. Secrets of Six-Figure Women
The importance of a name - [quote="Takuya":3fcem7it]Thank you everyone. She will be a daddy's girl. Girls are so fun! Kevin, Names... I need to ALWAYS name my children by the way it can also be spelled in Japanese. All of my kids are dual citizens and Japanese don't carry letters like, V, TH, L, and most words tend to end with A, I, U, E, O or so I choose REINA, which is a Japanese name, yet can be said in English or even in Spanish (means Queen I found out) in order to have passports issued with the same spelling. My first boy is Kai - so once again, it sounds Japanese yet can be said in English. His middle name is Ichiro after the famous baseball player and I figured it should be his middle name instead of first because if you don't follow baseball, that's a hard name to remember. So even if my wife (Chinese American) wants English names like Jack, Sam, Kevin, Andy .... I'd have to spell out Jakku, Samu, Kebin, Andii -- you know, bit different. This way, REINA instead of more common RAYNA.[/quote:3fcem7it] Hi Takuya, I love the logic behind the naming of your children because it's like branding in business. Your kids have names that are easy to say and remember, yet they are spelled in a way that has cultural significance. On a side note, I've found that many Asian people (i.e. former co-workers and even my own family members from Hong Kong) spell and pronounce my name as Kelvin, Calvin or Keven.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Log On

Purchasing Real Estate using the SBA 504 Loan

Top 7 Tips to Real Estate Agents’ Success

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.