TO MAXIMIZE YOUR STRENGTHS, START AN 11-MINUTE HABIT

We want to thank Michelle McQuaid, best-selling author, workplace well-being teacher and playful change activator, for sharing this guest post.

 “Now I’ve discovered my strengths, what am I meant to do with them?” is a question I’m often asked.

Having used the VIA Survey to help thousands of people around the world discover when they’re at their best at work, I find plenty of people left scratching their heads wondering what to do about it.

I mean just how do you use a strength likelove in the workplace without being fired for it?

You can imagine their surprise when they think back on the times they’ve been most engaged and energized at work, only to discover their VIA strengths starring them in the face during these moments.  This is where they’ve been.

You can also imagine their hope when they try to visualize what they might achieve over the next year at work, if they could use their strengths to create more of these high-point moments.  This is where they want to be.

At the end of a training session however I’ve discovered there’s one exercise that makes truly makes the difference to people walking out of the room and putting their strengths into action.

It turns out the creation of a strength based, daily habit is what helps to take them from where they are to where they want to be.

To ensure even the busiest executives can find time in their day to have at least one strength-fueled moment I suggest people try starting with an 11-minute habit.

WHY 11 MINUTES?

Based on the latest scientific research around habits try the following:

30 seconds to activate the habit -  Make it easy to get started.  Anchor it to a habit you already have, embed it in your environment, use a “when/then” statement to prime your brainand maximize your self-regulation by starting early in the day.

10 minutes to practice -  Spend at least ten minutes using your strength to complete a task.

30 seconds to celebrate – The habit will stick faster if you celebrate what you’ve just done by checking it off the list or sharing the good news with someone.

For example, one of my top strengths is curiosity and I know my best days are when I get to learn something new.

MY 11 MINUTE DAILY STRENGTH HABIT LOOKS LIKE THIS:

When I get turn on my computer, then I will spend ten minutes using my strength of curiosity to explore the latest research in positive psychology and share what I’ve learnt with one person.

I started this habit when I found myself stuck in a job I loathed.  Incredibly finding just 11 minutes a day to truly perform at my best – even though it wasn’t technically in my job description – was instrumental in eventually being promoted to the job I dreamed of and later going on to launch my own business.

And I could share story after story of people I’ve taught this simple practice to who have found the small change has created significant shifts in their work and life in general.

So if you were given the gift of 11 minutes a day just to fully engage your strengths and shine, how would you choose to spend it?

Not sure where to start, you can find a host of practical, playful ways to use your strengths at work in this great guide: 340 Ways To Use Your Strengths.

About Michelle McQuaid:

Michelle McQuaid is a best-selling author, workplace well-being teacher and playful change activator.  An honorary fellow at Melbourne University’s Graduate School of Education, her work has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Boss Magazine, The Age, Women’s Agenda, Wellbeing Magazine and more.

She holds a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently completing her PhD in Appreciative Inquiry under the supervision of David Cooperrider.

Are you ruining your career?

Let me ask you a question that'll help you identify what's really stopping you from going after what you truly want; why do you hold yourself back?

Thinking about it?

Let me share some startling research that puts this in perspective .

Although female employees are 8% more likely than men to meet or exceed performance expectations, they tend not to apply for promotions.

Perhaps this is because women generally apply to jobs only where they believe they meet all the requirements in a posting, whereas men will throw their hat in the ring if they think they meet just 60% of the qualifications.

Sound familiar?

Even Ginni Rometty, IBM's chief executive, said she initially rejected a promotion she'd been offered early in her career, for fear she was under-qualified.

But if you're like anything me, the last thing you want to do is stand on the sidelines while someone who is less qualified becomes your new boss, wouldn't you agree?

So why, given the opportunity to grab hold of success, do we still hear that little voice inside our heads telling us we're not good enough.

And better yet, why do we listen? Even when it's evident that we're capable of achieving earth-shaking outcomes.

Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, suggests women should take a mindset of "I want to do that, and I'll learn by doing it."

Sounds simple enough, but this can be difficult to pull off when you're plagued by fears and doubts about your own abilities.

For me personally, the shift only came when I was taught the emerging science of strengths. You know those things you like doing and that you're good at because your brain has become hard-wired to think, feel and act in these ways.

When I stopped focusing on all my perceived weaknesses and failures, and started investing in more moments when I was really engaged, energised and enjoying what I was doing at work I finally shined in a way that felt authentic and enduring.

Letting go of all the fears about my weaknesses and not being good enough, and investing more in the moments where I was really engaged, energised and enjoying what I was doing at work, started as a way to preserve my sanity and just get some joy back into my days. But along the way something surprising occurred.

My performance skyrocketed, in a way that made people, stand up, take notice, and offer me thing I never would have dreamed were possible.

Suddenly I was able to create new roles that better suited my interests. I was given opportunities to travel the world. I was promoted to the top of my field. I was paid more money than my peers. I was given every Friday off to play with my children. And my dreams of further study were fully supported.

When I'd had eventually achieved all that I longed for I was even allowed to write the terms for my own exit.

Frighteningly, it's estimated two-thirds of employees don't even know what their strengths are. If you find yourself in this category a great place to start is the free strengths survey at Viame.org.

From there it's simply a matter of finding out how you're already using these in your work -- I guarantee they're hidden under your best moments. Then choosing to show up – at least once a day – and put your strengths to work so you can start having more of the career you dream of.

If you'd like a series of free training videos on how to do just this click here.

Are You Ruining Your Relationships?

When it comes to doing well at work, there’s no doubt a growing body of scientific evidence suggests: “other people matter”.  In fact, positive social connections – in others words good relationships – have been found to predict our ability to learn, to motivate us more than money or power and to improve our effectiveness and performance at work.

Research suggests having a best friend at work makes it seven times more likely you’re engaged in your job and is likely to help you produce higher quality work, improve your well-being and make it less likely you’ll be injured on the job.

Of course if you want to turn a colleague into a best friend it’s important you’re there to support them through the natural lows and highs we all have at work.  But is it paying particular attention to the good times or the bad times your friend encounters, that will most shape the quality of your relationship?

How To Enhance Your Relationships

A study by Professor Shelly Gable and her colleagues have found when someone shares news of a victory or just a good thing that’s happened to them, how you respond can either build the relationship or undermine it.

I know took me by surprise as well!

Turns out when we take delight in other people’s windfalls or successes by asking questions that appreciate and validate their good fortune, it’s a positivity boost for you and them.

Gable calls this “active-constructive responding”.

The researchers found it’s in these moments we feel understood, validated and cared for and as a result our feelings of commitment and satisfaction in the relationship are enhanced.

In today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV I’ll show you how to authentically pull this off and improve your relationships at the office.

How Does Active Constructive Responding Improve Relationships?

Think back to the last time your closest friend at work shared some good news with you.  Perhaps they’d just been promoted, landed a great project or had some extra holiday leave approved.  How did you respond?

Chances are you tried one of these four approaches.

• You may have been passive and destructive saying something like: Great, but have you finished that report I gave you?  You’ve really not engaged with their good  news at all and in fact changed the subject to something that’s likely to kill off any positivity they’re feeling and damage your relationship.
• You may have been active and destructive saying something like: “But how are you going to pull that off and meet all your other commitments?”  You’ve engaged in their news, but you’ve also probably completely ruined their good mood and not done your relationship any favors.
• You may have been passive and constructive saying something like: “That’s great.”  You’ve acknowledged something good has happened, but you haven’t really engaged in what it means for them or used it as an opportunity to deepen your relationship.
• Or hopefully you may have been active and constructive saying something like: “How wonderful?  When did you find out?  What does this mean for you?”  You’ve acknowledged their good news and you’re giving them a chance to share and savor why they’re excited about what’s happened and create a good memory in your relationship.

Not only does an active constructive response make the person you’re asking feel good, by sharing in their positive emotions you’ll also feel great as well.  So next time someone at work shares some good news with you try to respond actively and constructively by asking questions that lets them draw out the story of what’s unfolded so they can savor the good things that are happening for them and build a closer relationship.

Want more help on active-constructive responding? Click here for a great workshop to guide your responses or watch this short video by Professor Martin Seligman explaining this approach to relationships.

What happens to you relationships when you respond actively and constructively to others?  If you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to asking appreciative questions or improving your relationships with others at the office just ask below.

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/

Fix a weakness or build a strength?

It’s a pretty straightforward question: to improve your performance at work should you fix your weaknesses or build on your strengths? But where would you place your bets?

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Yet a growing body of research suggestsfocusing on our strengths can boost our engagement in tasks by up to six times, making it easier to achieve our goals, lower our levels of stress and improve our feelings of well-being.It seems eighty-seven percent of us believe we should take dead aim at our weaknesses and work diligently to improve them.

So which should you be doing?

I believe you should do both – which might sound surprising come from someone who’s trained thousands of people around the world to use their strengths.

Let me be clear.  I believe you should be as capable at identifying and fixing your weaknesses, as you are at identifying and building on your strengths. 

I also believe you should be able to make an informed choice so in different situations, for different outcomes, you know which approach will serve you best.

Why do you need both?

Researchers have found your greatest successes and greatest growth comes from regularly using your strengths in your work.  This is because your brain is hardwired to perform at it’s best by drawing on the thoughts, feelings and behaviours you’ve practiced over and over and over again, because they’re things you like doing and you’re good at.

No matter what situation I’m faced with, I always start by seeing if there’s a strength I can build on.  The reality is using my strengths makes things easier, more engaging and more enjoyable, meaning it takes less effort and time to see the results I want.

For example, one of my strengths is curiosity.  I love learning new things.  When I need to master something I haven’t done before my strength of curiosity is a great way to get me to dive into figuring things out.

But what if you don’t have a strength that would help?

Scientists now know our brains continue learning right throughout our lives, so it’s absolutely possible to take a weakness and turn it into a strength.  But, it’s important to be realistic about the amount of effort this requires.

Current estimates are that it takes between 8,000 and 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to take a weakness and master it.  Put that into context and we’re talking about a couple of hours a day, every day a year for about 8 – 10 years.

Are you being realistic about your weaknesses?

If I don't have a strength to draw upon and fixing the area of weakness is important enough that I’m willing to invest the 8 – 10 years of effort, then I set realistic expectations and start showing up.

For example, when I discovered the field of positive psychology, my strengths were purely in the domain of marketing.  Not a huge amount of help.  I knew my strength of curiosity could help me stick at what I needed to learn, but I was also realistic about the time and effort it would take to close my knowledge gap.  And then I put in the hours of practice.

Had I walked away simply because I didn’t have a psychology strength to build on, I would have missed out on the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.

So what’s the right question to be asking?

When it comes to improving my performance I’ve learnt to always ask: in this particular situation, for this particular outcome, am I better to build on my strengths or fix my weaknesses? 

Now where would you place your next bet?

Michelle is a Premium member of Business Chicks, request her online business card and connect with her here. 

Michelle McQuaid is a best-selling author, workplace well-being teacher and playful change activator.  She is passionate about translating cutting-edge research from positive psychology and neuroscience, into practical strategies for health, happiness, and business success.

She holds a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania  and her work has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and more.

Michelle lives to help women discover their strengths, move beyond their fears, and finally discover what it truly takes to flourish with confidence.

Can You Spot Others’ Strengths?

When was the last time you walked into a meeting with a colleague with the deliberate intention of spotting their strengths?  If the answer doesn’t roll off the tip of your tongue, don’t feel bad.

The truth is while it’s relatively easy to spot the worst in others, finding the best in people and ways you can bring more of this out in their work isn’t something most of us naturally excel at.

Scientists have long understood that while we all share a deep psychological need to be respected, valued and appreciated, the negativity bias hardwired into our brain makes us much better at spotting what we don’t like about people, rather than their strengths.

So is there a way you can retrain your brain to help you see the best in others? 

Why is it worth spotting strengths in others?

Well to be honest here the science is still catching up.

There is a growing evidence base that when leaders focus on spotting and appreciating the strengths – rather than the weaknesses – of their employees, people perform better.

But how does it impact people whom we’re not leading?

I saw the power of this spotting strengths in others first hand, when I was lucky enough to spend more than a decade working alongside a man named Jim Stynes.  Jim was an Irishman who came to Australia to play professional football and along the way donated his time to help thousands of teenagers find the confidence to achieve.

He was a master and looking for the strengths in others and then telling them what he saw and in today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV I’ll share his secret.

How can you start spotting strengths in other people at work?

If like me you’re not as proficient as Jim was at seeing people’s strengths, try these three simple steps to spotting strengths in others.

Firstly, before you head into your next meeting or conversation at work remind yourself to look for the best in the people you’ll be seeing.

As things get underway look for the moments where they’re more engaged, energized and enjoying what they’re talking about or doing.  Often their bodies will literally start to lean in to the conversation, the body language might become more animated and the tone of voice and pace of speech tend to be uplifted.  You’ll find more tips on spotting strengths here from Dr. Alex Linley.

Secondly, as you leave the meeting or conversation use the cheat sheet below of VIA Character Strengths to help you spot which strengths they may have been using.  Again think back to those moments when they lit up, which strengths might have been in action.

Finally, follow up your interaction with a call or a note of thanks for their time and include a little appreciation for the strengths you saw in play.

For example if you think their strength might be curiosity you might say: “Thanks for taking the time to meet today, I really valued the questions you were asking to help us get a better outcome on this project.”

As I’ve experimented with this in my own relationships at work I’ve discovered more important than actually getting the strength right every time, is showing up with the willingness to look and offer appreciative feedback.  It takes only a moment of my time and it’s been instrumental in improving even my most difficult relationships.

Want more help on spotting strengths in others? Read more here from Dr. Alex Linley on strength spotting or watch this short video with with Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener.

What happens when you spot strengths in others?  If you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to spotting strengths and how to appreciate people for them just ask below!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/

Want To Improve Your Relationships?

The one consistent finding to date from all that science has discovered on improving our wellbeing is that: “other people matter“. In fact, more than what we’re doing in our jobs, research suggests it’s who we’re doing it with that ultimately determines our level of engagement and well-being.

As someone who leans more towards the side of introversion, building relationships at work hasn’t always been my sweet spot. I can do it, but it takes a lot of effort, it often leaves me feeling worn out and I generally don’t feel like it’s me at my best.

Even for the most extroverted among us – and I’m married to one of them – building good relationships with people can be hard work. Especially when the only reason we might have ever been thrown together … is our jobs.

So is there any easier way to authentically connect with people at the office?

Could A Mirco-Moment Improve Your Relationships?

Professor Barbara Fredrickson at the University of North Carolina and her colleagues have discovered that it takes just a micro-moment of genuine connection to spark an upward spiral of mutual care between people.

The research suggests all it takes are three simple steps:

• the sharing of a positive emotion like interest, joy, amusement or pride for example;
• a synchronization of your biochemistry and behaviors through shared eye contact, body gestures or vocal tone that literally causes your two brains to start dancing as one and;
• a reflected motive to invest in each other’s well-being that brings mutual care.

Barb describes this process of connection between people as “positivity resonance”.

She suggests we think of it like a mirror. You and the other person mirror the positivity in each other’s emotional state; you mirror each other’s body and brain activity; and you mirror each other’s impulse to care for one another. In this moment to some extent you each become the reflection and extension of the other. Truly making two heads better than one.

Not only this but when we experience warm and trusting feelings towards each other it improve our vagal tone – which is the very subtle airithemia that occurs with each breath we take – to calm down our naturally high human heart rates helping us to regulate gluscose and cardiovascular health, to regulate our attention and emotion at work and have better social skills.

In today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV , I’ll show you how you can create more micro-moments of authentic connection at the office.

How To Create More Micro-moments In Your Relationships?

You’ll quickly find opportunities for micro-moments of connection abound in your day.

Each time you interact with someone else take a moment to truly make eye contact with them or if you’re on the phone synchornize your tone of voice to theirs.

You might want to ask them: “What’s going well today?” Or “What’s been the highlight of your week?” Or even: “What are looking forward to this month?” As an easy way to spark off their positive emotions as they savor the good things happening to them.

Of course other effective ways you can create shared positive emotions is to perform an act of kindness, express your appreciation or give them a reason to laugh.

Just try to make eye contact as you do it. Then as positivity resonates between you let that feeling of mutual care rise up knowing you’ve made a connection with the person.

You might also like to try spending 15 minutes a day practicing loving kindness meditation as Barb’s research has found this works wonders on our vagal tone.  You can download a free guided meditation from Barb here.

If you want more on how these micro-moments impact our relationships, health and performance check out Barb’s book Love 2.0 and watch her speak about the research here.

What can you do to create more micro-moments of connection in your day?  If you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to play with just ask below!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/improve-relationships/

Turn The Job You Have Into A Job You Love

Job Crafting

Ever been asked to do something at work you didn’t really want to do?

Perhaps you’re weren’t sure if you could really pull it off.  Or you just didn’t want to spend your days wrapped up in this particular work.  Or maybe you thought your boss had gone completely mad!

A few years ago I found myself in exactly this situation.  I was asked to take on what most people in my organization considered an impossible task to reposition our brand with a tiny budget, a small team and a tight deadline.   And I really wasn’t that keen on spending the next year of my life on this particular project.

Unfortunately my career progression depended on me not just doing it – but doing it well.

So what can you do when the job you have, isn’t the job you want?

Using Your Strengths To Craft Your Job

Of course one of the best ways to make a job easier, more engaging and more enjoyable is to try and find ways to use your strengths – the things you like doing and that you’re good at – in your work each d

ay.

But if your job description wasn’t written with your strengths in mind and the day -to-day demands of your job have you running around like a headless chicken, just how are you meant to find time to play to your strengths?

Personally I was saved by the research of Professors Jane Dutton and Amy Wrezneuski who have discovered crafting your job by changing where you choose to spend your time and energy and how you think about it, can help you reclaim your power, motivation and relationships no matter what your job is.

In today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV , I’ll show you exactly how to use the  job crafting toolkit created by Dutton and her colleagues to reshape the work you dread, into work you’ll actually love because it draws on your strengths.

Not only did the approaches I discovered mean my team and I were actually able to deliver the project on time, on budget and exceed every measure set for us, but it made the work I dreaded far more engaging and enjoyable and wound up getting me promoted the job I dreamed of.

How Can You Craft A Job You Love

Take a few minutes to note done all the tasks required in your job.  Now divide them into those you enjoy and those you feel drained by.  The ones you enjoy are usually are good indication of where your strengths lie.

Think about what you could do to grow those things you enjoy doing just a little more in your day.  Remember for me even 11 minutes a day shifted the way I felt and performed.  This might involve changing the type and number of tasks you undertake.  It might mean thinking about who you spend your time with.  It might mean thinking about how you think about some elements of your work.

Then experiment with what’s possible.  Move past your own expectations of how you “should’ spend your time and find small moments – even if it’s at lunch time or just before your day starts – to use your strengths and shine.  It’s likely everything else in your day will go better because you did.

If you want more help to develop your strengths grab my free video training series.  I also recommend the step-by-step video on job crafting,

What would you change to craft the job you have into  a job you love?  If you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to play with just ask below!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/job-crafting/

What’s The Secret To Flourishing?

What’s The Secret To Flourishing?

What does it take to make your well-being last?  Day in, day out, through the natural highs and lows of life?

Ever had one of those moments where you feel like you’re truly flourishing?  When everything seems to magically come together – what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with, how you’re feeling about it and where it’s taking you in life.

There’s no doubt I’ve had moments of flourishing like this in my career.  The problem was it always seemed more serendipity than strategy, meaning I never knew when these moments were going to land, or how how long they were going to last!

Until I discovered there was a formula for flourishing. Want to know what it suggests?

What scientists discovered about flourishing

Professor Martin Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania, and one of the founders of the field of positive psychology, has proposed a new theory of well-being based on a growing body of evidence of what it takes for people to flourish.  The science suggests we perform at our best when we have a presence of:

• Healthy levels of positive emotions
• Regular opportunities for engagement
• The support of good relationships
• A general sense of meaning
• Genuine feelings of accomplishment

Otherwise known as PERMA.

It’s a simple theory of well-being, but there is evidence to suggest that each of these elements can help us feel happier leading us to feel more motivated, efficient, resilient, creative, collaborative and productive.  I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a bit more of that!

In today’s new episode of Chelle McQuaid TV, I’ll share with you just how you can go about improving each of these elements to help you to flourish.

How can you consistently flourish?

If you haven’t yet figured out how your well-being is faring, then take the free survey on my website and see how you’re doing.

Then put at least one of the tested, practical approaches to improve your level of flourishing into action today. Try to start this as a small, everyday habit – even for just ten minutes a day if you’re very busy – and see how it begins to impact your ability to flourish.

Want more on how to flourish?  You can read more about it here in Seligman’s book “Flourish”and watch him talk more about how this new theory to well-being differs from the simple pursuit of happiness with Jeremy Paxman on the BBC .

And if you want a little help on your flourishing exercises just ask below!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/secret-to-flourishing/#sthash.uZBho4Js.dpuf

Can You Live Happily Ever After?

Will Your Happiness Last?

Have you ever gotten something you’ve longed for, or even dreamed of, only to find a strange twist often follows “…happily ever after”?

It’s that moment where you realize despite having exactly what you want, the shine has somehow worn off and instead of feeling like you’re flourishing you feel completely flat – maybe even weighed down – by what you’ve so hard to get.

I experienced this first hand when I was about 33 years old and landed the job of my dreams in New York.  My role let me travel around the world.  I had wonderful family and friends.  I was in great health.  And had more money than one girl needed to spend.

Instead of flourishing however, it was all I could do each day just to get out of bed.  I was exhausted, stressed out and miserable.

At first I thought I just needed a kick up the you-know-where to appreciate all I had.  When that didn’t work I started to wonder if perhaps I was going a little mad.  Until I uncovered a scientific discovery that put lasting happiness and well-being more practically within my grasp.  Want to know what it was?

How scientists discovered we adapt

Back in the 1970′s psychologists monitored Illinois State Lottery winners who’d won between $50,000 and $1 million.  A fairly positive life changing event that most people expected would let them live happily ever after.

It turns out however, just 12 months later, these winners were no happier than people who’d won nothing at all. So what’s going on?

The truth is human beings have a tremendous capacity to adapt to new relationships, jobs, and wealth, with the result that even such positive life changes yield fewer and fewer rewards with time.  Scientists call this phenomenon “hedonic adaptation.”

Hedonic adaptation explains why both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat abate with time.

What’s particularly fascinating about this phenomenon, however, is that it’s most pronounced with respect to our happiest experiences. Indeed, it turns out that we’re prone to take for granted pretty much everything positive that happens to us. It’s why happiness never seems to last.

How does this happen?  Professor Sonja Lyubomirksy in her new book, “The Myths Of Happiness“, suggests adaptation is caused by the toll of creeping normalcy and the constant ramping up of expectations that causes us to seek out more, more and more.

While the rate at which we adapt to happiness seems to vary between people and situations, there can be no doubt that our brains thrive on novelty which is why happiness and well-being should never be the destination but the journey.

The good news is Lyubomirsky and her colleagues have found it’s possible to train our brains to overcome, forestall or at least slow down hedonic adaptation and in today’s new episode of Chelle McQuaid TV, I’ll share with you how you can use these approaches to help you consistently flourish.

How can you manage adaptation?

Personally I think over the years adaptation has probably been the thing that most undid my happiness and well-being.  Things that once made me flourish would stop working and I’d give up in a fit of despair.

Turns out all I really needed to be doing was practicing gratitude consistently, sprinkling a good dose of novelty across my well-being approaches and being clear on why some activities were important to me even when they became a little boring.  Most importantly I needed to stop comparing myself to others to put and end to always wanting more, more and more to head off adaptation.

Which of these approaches can you use to reclaim your sense of happiness and well-being from the creeping shadows of adaptation?

You can read more about it here in Lyubomirksy’s book “The Myths of Happiness”and watch her talk more about adaptation here .

And if you want a little help managing adaptation just ask!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/making-happiness-last/

Need An Energy Boost?

Ever have one of those mornings where your energy is so low you’re struggling to get out of bed?  The thought of all the things you’ve got to pull off is enough to make you want to put that duvet right back over your head?

Even after all these years and all I’ve learnt about well-being, I still have days when all I want to do is crawl back under the covers.  Despite all my good intentions about the life I want to be living, sometimes the fears and the failures leave my energy levels running on empty.

Sick of sleep walking my way through life, lately I revisited one of my favorite positive psychology tools to help me tune in more closely to what boosts my energy and what depletes it.  Want to see how I found the energy to show up for the life I want to be living?

How Your Emotions Impact Your Energy

Professor Barbara Fredrickson‘s research suggests when we strike the right balance between the amount of positive and negative emotions we’re experiencing, we reach a tipping point that gives us the intellectual, psychological, physical and social energy to flourish.

Fredrickson‘s studies have found negative emotions like fear, anxiety and stress spark a downward spiral of negativity that cause us to feel helplessness, despair and left unchecked leave us to languish with very little energy.

On the other hand positive emotions like joy, hope, love, interest, pride, amusement, serenity, pride, gratitude, inspiration and awe spark an upward spiral of positivity that improves our sense of confidence, self-belief and ultimately move us towards flourishing so we have the energy to live a life we love.

The goal is not to get rid of all negativity.  Although it can sap up our energy, negativity that we can learn and grow from is a healthy part of human development. Rather, Fredrickson suggests the goal is find the right balance between the amount of negative emotions and positive emotions we’re experiencing.

While there’s hot debate in the scientific community about what this level might be, it’s important – like any piece of research – you put it to the test to find what’s best for you.  In today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV, I’ll show you how you can do just this to boost your energy levels.

How To Boost Your Energy

To see what you can do to boost your energy levels start by taking Fredrickson’s free positivity ratio test.  It takes about two minutes and she recommends you do it for two weeks to get an accurate gauge on how you’re doing rather than let one day skew your results.

As you track your positivity try to pay attention to what’s creating positive emotions in life and what’s creating negative emotions.  Notice how this impacts your energy levels each day.

Finally, experiment with what you can do to dial up your positive emotions or dial down your negative emotions to improve your ratio.

In her book “Positivity”, Fredrickson suggests dialing up your positivity by getting close to nature, performing acts of kindness, ritualizing gratitude, connecting with others and meditate regularly.  Try dialing down negativity by avoiding sarcasm and gossip, monitoring your media consumption and breaking the grip of rumination.  You can watch Fredrickson talking more about these strategies here.

By tracking my positivity ratio I became much more aware of how my energy ebbed and flowed over the course of a day based on the experiences I was having.  It helped to remind me that when the negativity is piling up, I don’t need to just crawl back into bed.  Instead by injecting some positive emotions back into my day, I can balance out what I’m experiencing and find the energy to continue showing up.

What are your favorite approaches to recharge your energy?  How do you slay the energy zappers in your life? And if you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to play with just ask below!

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