We are 1/12 through 2010 and how much happier are you at work?

February marks the two year anniversary of this blog. My main reason for creating this business was to help other people who feel tired and weary of the grind.

I rarely feel stressed out, trapped and alone at this stage in my career. Instead of continuing to be pushed around I took control of my own work happiness. For the past two years I’ve researched stress, relationships (self, co-workers, and boss), and productivity.

The same conclusions keep coming back. If we want to get our desired results, we need to be happy now. The more we delay our happiness, the more depressed and disconnected we become.

Help Me

I want businesses to build a work environment that encourages career and personal growth. The only way to get the most amazing results is to allow people to shake their fears.

We all need to believe in who we are and recognize our unlimited potential. This is a process that every organization needs to help with. The more an organization can help their employees reduce their stress, build better relationships, and expand creativity, the happier they will become.

We are not here to live quiet lives of desperation. We are here to make a difference in people’s lives.

I created a questionnaire that will help me help you.

Please fill it out and let me know what I can do to make your 2010 dreams a reality.

Work Happy Now Questionnaire:

Here is the link to the Work Happy Now Questionnaire. If you have time I will would really appreciate it. If I get over 100 people to fill out the form I will give you my Work Happiness Dance. It’s a little embarrassing because I probably dance worse than your grandmother. You know, the one with the bad leg.

* 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.

* Marelisa over at the Abundance Blog wrote a wonderful article called Toolbox For Would-Be Entrepreneurs: 69 Fantastic Free Resources. I love free resources.

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

- 5 Reasons to Stop Trying to be Perfect

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!

Relationships are built on trust. If I trust you to help me finish a project and you flake out on me, that trust is gone.

If you are a stand up person who sweats, bleeds, and cries by my side and also encourages me to be great than you’ve earned my trust. I’ll love you until the end of time.

This video was shot on my lunch hour because that morning I worked on a project with a group of guys I would go to business war with. They are smart, fun, and we get a lot accomplished. Yes, I’m talking about my day job. Hey, I’m doing this for you, so I can learn first hand how to make people happy at work.

We need to learn to build trust with our co-workers, bosses, and clients. That means being there and supporting them when they need it the most.

Now it’s time to watch the video and find out one more way to build better relationships at work.

* 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.

* One of my favorite books by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is called Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust (Affiliate link to Amazon. If you end up buying a book. I’ll be able to buy a box of tea. A great way to keep me energized for a month.) The reason I like it so much is it’s ability to encourage all of us to earn trust. Without trust we can’t build the type of career that makes our moms proud.

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

- Never Stop Expanding Your Network

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

Every week I like to bring you a work happiness tip that can help improve your mood, relationships, productivity, or reduce your stress. The idea is to put you back in the driver’s seat. This week’s tip: Keep track of your mood.

For a whole month I kept track of my mood and recorded it every morning, afternoon, and night. I added it as a chapter in my soon to be released book.

For a month I rated my mood three times a day to discover how I actually felt. My rating was on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being severely sad and 10 being so amazingly happy that I could barely contain my joy.

I was surprised by the results.

Here is an example of one day:

I averaged a 6.73 over 30 days.

This somewhat low score didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was my conclusion after the month was over. I realized that happiness is nice, but consistent happiness is unattainable. A smarter method is just to be with my emotions.

On August 5^th I woke up feeling awful. I wanted so desperately to go back to sleep. I couldn’t because I had to go to work. At this time my son had only been in the world for about a week. The adjustment was intense.

Upon looking back over the month, I realized that I felt a lot happier than the 6.73 indicated because all of my experiences were interesting. I may not have been dancing on table tops with a big grin on my face, but I was never bored.

I realized that I needed to reframe what being happy meant to me, especially at work.

Do you notice yourself wanting to feel happier at work?

Do you notice that if you take the time to look back on a situation and give it some space, that you were happier than you realized?

Let’s chat in the comments section.

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

* Naomi over at Ittybiz wrote a brilliant piece called The One Thing You Have To Know About Sales Pages. I don’t use brilliant very often, but this is a fantastic piece. If you write copy in any shape or form this is a great article to learn from.

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

- Creating A Project Ritual to Encourage Happiness

Image courtesy of coleypauline

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

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 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 our own perspective and see what other people are doing to be happy at work.

Today we have a social media extraordinaire, Nathan Hangen with us. He has recently published an ebook called Beyond Blogging that case studies 15 successful bloggers and how they were able to make their dreams a reality. He is on his way to making his blogging dreams a reality too. He has blown up in the last few weeks and I wanted to catch him before he stopped taking my calls.

Karl: On a scale of 1- 10 (10 being very important) how important is work happiness to you? Why did you pick that number?

Nathan Hangen: Work happiness is a 10…absolutely. When Gary V said that he changed direction because he was only something like 99% happy, that really resonated with me, because I’m always trying to find the path that leads to 100% happiness.

At the same time though, I don’t want to get caught in a pattern of never being happy, so I try to remember that it’s a journey, not a destination.

What is one activity that makes you happy at work?

Music is big for me. I listen to music all day when I’m working. It keeps my spirits up and keeps my energy level high enough to be able to keep working hard. Outside of that, Twitter is really important to me.

People not using it wouldn’t understand, but the community there is really tight, and it’s nice being “where everybody knows your name,” especially for those of us isolated in a home office.

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

This is something I struggle with every single day. Quite honestly, I’m not sure I have maintained harmony. Between my Army job and my blogging/writing job, I’m working nearly 12-16 hours per day…which means that my personal/family life could do with a little extra attention. I try to take breaks, and when my kids come in my office and want attention…I try to remember to be present and completely immerse myself in what they need at that time.

At the same time, I try to create boundaries and work hours so they know when I’m free and when I’m working.

This is an area I’m working hard to improve, but as it stands, I’m at a place where I’m working hard so that I don’t have to (as much) in the future. I’m working hard now so I can hang out with my family whenever and wherever we want to.

What is your favorite stress reliever?

It’s a tie between running and meditation. Two activities that I don’t do often enough, but they work best for me. Running gets me out of my own head and helps me see the big picture. Meditation helps me regain my focus and realize when I’m straining too hard for answers.

How do you work on being happy at work?

I’m hyper-sensitive to my own energy levels and I try to monitor my activities to see what makes me happy and what brings me down. It’s a constant process of evaluation and re-evaluation.

I’m a super analytical guy (to a fault) and I’m always thinking in terms of systems, so I try to create an environment that is efficient and relaxed…one that permits work happiness. Everything from the chair, to the lighting levels comes into play for me.

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

I’ll either listen to some music (usually techno/trance/metal), or take a break and go outside to breathe some fresh air.

When I’m working on post in my Army job, I tend to get overwhelmed a lot…mostly because there is a lot to do and the deadlines are very short. It helps to just change the scene for a minute and gain some perspective. I try to realize that no state, whether happiness or unhappiness, is permanent.

What is your biggest detriment to work happiness?

Probably trying to make everyone else happy. I’m someone that wants to please everyone, and it carries over to my online business too. I’ve had to learn that you can’t please everyone all the time and it’s OK to say no.

What do you do to stay motivated and productive?

I use mental imagery a lot. Sometimes there’s a certain type of music or movie that reminds me of why I’m doing what I’m doing, and I use that to motivate myself to work harder. I’m kind of a workaholic, but it’s because at 31, I’m feeling the heat of turning my dreams into reality. I’m getting close, and things are coming in to place, but those visions of the perfect house, the perfect vacation, the perfect life, etc…they drive me.

It also helps that I really, honestly love this online business. Not just blogging, but writing, creating digital assets, meeting people, running workshops, etc. I just love it.

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

Give no man the power to claim your dreams from you. If you aren’t happy, then start planning how to become happy. Let no one stop you.

* It’s Spread-the-Love Day, when I encourage you to spread the word about Work Happy Now. You might:
- Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
-  Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @workhappynow)
- Sign up for my FREE 10 Week E-Course and join over 450 people who have already improved their happiness at work. You will also receive a bi-monthly newsletter that give you great tips and ideas on how to improve your career.
- Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks! I really appreciate any help. Word of mouth is the BEST.

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

- Career Renegade Interview

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

Lately I’ve been thinking of the pain that I’ve been through at all my jobs. From co-workers to bosses to tedious tasks. Each experience has helped create me.

There are some days where I miss standing for 8 hours a day checking people’s items out at K-mart. It was a job that wasn’t suited to me at all, but I miss the relationship building that I practiced.

There are some days I miss pulling heavy wire or trying to squeeze a wire down a wall to get power to a ceiling light.

There are some days I miss my cubicle. Sharing such a close space forces a person to interact and share funny stories.

We all have our painful days, but this just comes with every job. Even working for yourself brings just as much pain in a whole new way.

What pain are you enduring right now?

Try to step back and imagine the person you will be in 5 years floating over your body right now.

What does “future you” think about this pain? Can your “future you” look at this situation as a emotional building experience?

This little imagination technique always helps me.

* Are you on Twitter? Then join over 2,800 people who get my stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* Gretchen Rubin over at the Happiness Project wrote a cool piece on reading. It’s called Twelve Tips for Reading More. If you are a big reader like me, you’ll find this post very helpful.

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

- How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

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!

I was having a rough day at work. I couldn’t seem to get any words strung together to teach you about work happiness.

How could I teach you when I wasn’t feeling it?

I couldn’t give up that easily!

Then I realized what I did when I first sat down. I got a cup of water, was about to sip it, then I looked over at my bamboo plant. It needed water more than I did.

I leaned over and slowly poured the water into the small pot.

The world felt right again. I’m not going to blow smoke up your butt and tell you that I went on to write three blog posts, book a keynote, and sell a Work Happy Now package to a company. This would feel great, but it would also undermine everything I stand for. Working happy is not just about feeling great. Working happy is also about finding ways to stay emotionally balanced so we don’t fall into a depression and wreck any chance of achieving good results over the next few weeks.

We have to find ways to appreciate the little things.

I recently posted a quote on Twitter that is still jumping around my brain:

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”
- unknown

I may not be dancing in my seat and knocking out great work, but I can still relax and enjoy the small things.

That means having a plant on my desk that I can baby when I feel like being babied. By taking the focus away from myself and putting it on to someone (or in this case something) else, I am able to feel much happier.

Do you have a plant at work?

Do you think it helps your happiness?

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

* Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership wrote a stunning piece called Conan O’Brien’s ‘Tonight Show’ Farewell Speech: A Class Act

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

- Work Happy Tip – Lucky Pen

Image courtesy of TKCS

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

You may have heard about the 24 employees at France Telecom who committed suicide because work was too stressful. I’ve been thinking a lot about this problem.

Many employees are afraid to speak up for fear of being fired or looked down upon by their peers.

France Telecom is going through a restructuring in order to stand out competitive communication industry. They are trying to trim the fat and fix the problems. This isn’t easy in France where demand for employee rights is very strong.

I was thinking about the times in the past when I was depressed and worn down by work. That’s why I quit that old job.

I really think people should quit instead of putting their lives at risk.

Too Late

The problem is that people don’t realize that something is seriously wrong until it’s too late. They feel like their life is out of their control.

It’s easy for me to say, “Just quit,” nothing is worth putting your health at risk, but that’s not fair.

I endured a lot of crap while working for some pretty awful bosses. I’ve talked about my depression at work and bullying that I endured.

On 14 July, another 52-year-old employee killed himself in Marseille, leaving behind a note blaming “overwork” and “management by terror”. He wrote: “I am committing suicide because of my work at France Telecom. That’s the only reason.”
- Angelique Chrisafis of The Guardian UK

We don’t think that a man would stab himself in the stomach to show his company that he is in pain. This is what happened at France Telecom. A 52 year old man stabbed himself while in a meeting to send a message.

He was not happy!

Communicate Our Feelings

We don’t communicate our feelings with each other often enough. We don’t want to get labeled as a complainer.

I don’t have the answer to this problem. A company needs to stay nimble and that may mean restructuring every few years, but how far should they go?

It’s tough to see that invisible line.

France Telecom did hire counselors, help people with moving transitions, and even helped subsidize new businesses in order to assist people in creating new careers. It still wasn’t enough.

All I know is that the leaders in companies must learn to do a better job of listening to their employees. They need to take the time to hang out and understand their concerns.

Should leaders be trained to help their employees become happy?

What do you think?

* Join over 450 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)

* Mark Silver over at the Heart of Business wrote a wonderful post called Stopping the Cycle of Violence in Business. I couldn’t agree more.

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

-

Image courtesy of Yves Le Bail

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!

You don’t literally need to hug a tree, but…I mean if you really want to, go right ahead.

I just want you to get in tune with your senses. When was the last time you smelled a flower?

Been a while?

When you step outside of your comfort zone and do something like hug a tree, you’ll be surprised by the reactions you feel.

I literally went and hugged a tree. I pressed my cheek to the tree, wrapped my arms around it and squeezed. I felt this warm feeling come over me, like somehow the tree understood my appreciation for all the good that it does filtering the air for us.

I know this idea will feel weird, maybe a little too uncomfortable, so it’s time to use your imagination. Take two minutes to imagine yourself hugging a tree.

Feel the bark on your skin.

The smell of the bark.

What feelings rise up?

The strength of the tree.

The strengths within you.

I guarantee your stress will lower and you’ll feel more appreciation for the next tree you touch.

*Join over 400 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)

*Jonathan Fields wrote a really cool post called Is Your Happiness Bound By Those You Serve? Love the comments.

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

- Work Happy Tip – Just Ask

Image courtesy of Paulo Brandão

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

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Adrienne Carlson.

If life could be split into two general parts, work would take up one compartment and personal life the other. While we tend to put our personal relationships on a higher rung, work too is significant in the larger scheme of things because it puts food on our table and provides us with the money we need to lead a comfortable life.

So when your work life is not satisfactory, your personal life suffers too, because as much as we may try to keep the two like parallel lines that never meet, the fact is that they are like train tracks that tend to cross over and merge once in a while. So if you have the misfortune of working with a boss who is difficult, your work tensions may spill over into and ruin your personal life, which is why you must know how to deal with superiors who make your work life a heavy cross to bear.

A few ways to deal with a difficult boss are to:

1. Keep a low profile

If you feel your boss is picking on you for no reason at all, the best thing to do is keep a low profile and stay out of his/her hair. Give them fewer chances to take off on you by keeping to yourself and letting their ire subside before you run into them again. Most bosses go through phases where they tend to pick on employees for a certain period of time. A friend of mine ran into some trouble with his boss even though he was not at fault. The problem arose because a few people who were against him at the office bad-mouthed him and their boss was biased enough to believe them without giving my friend the benefit of the doubt. Instead of arguing his case (which was a pointless exercise as his boss was a jerk), my friend chose to avoid getting in his way, and in a few weeks, this issue was forgotten. So if enough time goes by and you deliberately avoid adding to their irritation, something else invariably crops up and you find that you’re off the hook.

2. Don’t neglect your work

If you’ve been doing your job effectively and continue to prove yourself, you don’t give your boss additional reasons to be difficult towards you. There was a problem at work recently that arose because of payment issues – my boss felt I was taking too much time off and also demanding a higher salary. I felt that I was entitled to raise because my work proved it, and my time off was due to mitigating circumstances. Instead if arguing my point, I dedicated myself to proving my worth through my work so that my boss would not grudge having to pay me more. Some superiors tend to pile work on those who they know are capable of getting it done (even when it is beyond the call of duty) and who they know cannot refuse to comply to an order. Instead of stressing yourself out because you’re not able to complete all this extra work, explain to your boss firmly but politely why it is not possible to take on more work than you have at the moment.

3. Know when to stay silent

Very often, superiors hate being proved wrong, especially if it is in the company of people who work under them. So in situations where you know you’re right and your boss is wrong, it’s ok to be magnanimous and stay silent instead of risking your boss’s ire and fire. Even if you’re being taken to task for no fault of your own, sometimes it’s better to just apologize and get on with your work. You save yourself further harassment from your boss if you restrain yourself from arguing with him/her. None of us like to be proved wrong, especially if we’re in a position of considerable power. So putting yourself in your boss’s shoes (no matter how distasteful that must be), could help you understand and accept this situation.

4. Leave the office at work

No matter how difficult your boss is, you must learn to leave the office behind after your work day is done. If you carry all the tensions and stress associated with the job back home, your personal life is going to suffer too, so if things are really bad, it’s better to ask to be transferred or search for a new job and quit once you’ve found one. Your health is important and if your relationship with your boss is affecting it adversely, you must not hesitate to quit.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accelerated online degrees . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com.

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

* Evita over at Evolve Beings has a really amazing guest post called Redefining Success: Why I Quit My Job.

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

- Day 1of 30 – No complaining

* Image courtesy of Symic

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 – Creative Pen Edition)

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

Ahhhh, my cold has subsided and I can function again. What a relief to be healthy again. It’s funny how quickly we adapt to situations and forget the beauty in being healthy.

I can exercise again. I miss it so much. All my stress builds up without some good cardio, strength training, and stretching (AKA Yoga).

When we don’t have something that we once had (and enjoyed), it’s so easy to see the beauty that we don’t hold any longer. We need to remind ourselves of what life was like when we were feeling bad. Help us put our working lives into perspective every now and again.

Alright. It’s time.

Hard

A good opportunity missed.

I cold called a local organization to see if they need a speaker. They are fairly large and have two conferences each year.

The man on the other end of the phone had a monthly meeting coming up where he would propose new speakers. He was interested in me coming to talk to his group. This could lead to bigger opportunities.

I waited.

No call.

I called back.

Voice mail.

Arrrrgh!

Fun

Putting the finishing touches on my teleseminar.

I’m getting excited because I have so many good things happening in 2010. A book, crazy good teleseminar, and another project that I’m looking to launch in the Fall, but I’m not quite ready to talk about it.

The teleseminar is fun because I’m tweaking and adding to my material to create a great experience. I’ve never had this much fun editing. If you want to learn more then check out the page – How to Kick Butt at Work and Be Happy Too.

Beautiful

I wrote a post about having a favorite pen and it’s funny how it keeps coming back to me. I’ve discovered another favorite pen, that makes four.

I love using these pens because I know that some cool thought will be put down on to paper with these pens that will change the course of my business. By putting my faith in these objects I’m creating great creative Karma.

It’s a win, win, win. What is more beautiful than that?

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.

* Web Worker Daily has a cool post called 3 Ingredients for Business Success. You know what you are getting, so if you are a business owner check it out.

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

- Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It, Book Review

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

I posted on Twitter about the importance of rewarding your co-workers. I love Twitter, by the way. The ability to connect with fun, smart and quirky people is brilliant.

A friend on Twitter told me that she likes to create tags for her co-workers.

I asked her what she meant and she explained that she likes to give out random acts of kindness to the people she works with. She draws beautiful pictures on pricing tags. She sent me these photos so I could share them with you.

This is what she said about this work happiness technique:

I give them to the “benefits team” I make 15 every month and everyone gets one ( this includes 2 managers and one supervisor and 2 contract” men” and other counselors like me!), sometimes they are all the same and sometimes they vary a little depending on what supplies I have.  They started out as a RAK -random act of kindness- in February and now have evolved into a coveted work happiness. It really is the little things in life that ease the way.  So silly as it may seem they are not silly at all.

Just the other day the boss asked if we will continue this tradition into the New Year? And of course I said why not. She was thinking of ways to display them  right now they reside on each office’s door we have little 3M message boards with sticky stuff on top (they stick great) and white board on the bottom.

By refusing to wait for our boss and/or co-workers to make us happy, we can take control of our own happiness. And when we have the control, we start creating happiness for others.

It’s all about feeling good. We may as well spread the joy.

Thank you Tamara for supplying the images. This post wouldn’t have had the impact without them.

* Want to build better relationships at work? Then sign up for the 10 Week Work Happy Now eCourse. (Sign up is in the top left corner). You’ll receive a new lesson in your inbox every Monday.

* Naomi of Ittybiz has a brilliant series about goals. My favorite so far is Batshit Crazy: Creative Ways To Meet Your Goals. It’s a must read, especially if you made a resolution to start off the New Year.

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

- How to Deal with Goals You Don’t Reach

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

Everyone on my newsletter list is already privy to this information because I’m trying not to do the hard sell on this blog. I want this blog to be creative, relaxed and no pressure. The problem is that I do need to make money. I can’t live off of love.

Wish that I could.

I can live off of your support. That’s why I’m letting you know about the How to Kick Butt at Work and Be Happy Too teleseminar now before the price goes up. I’ve done group teleseminars before with other bloggers, but this will be my first solo teleseminar. Meaning that I could charge more, but I want you to feel happy about the price too. My favorite group seminar was with Naomi of Ittybiz. She has such a wicked smart brain that together we knocked the listeners’ socks off. At least that’s what Naomi told me.

I’ve been studying work happiness techniques from Zappos (check out CEO interview), Google (my Google ebook), Southwest airlines (my post), and many other great minds for over two years. Yes this blog has been up and running for two years.

I know. I can’t believe it myself.

Well, I have all this wonderful knowledge that I want to share with you. It focuses on the three R’s:

- Reflection (Learn how to really listen to your needs so you can use your strengths at work)

- Relationships (Learn how to build great relationships to help you personally and professionally)

- Results (Learn how to reduce work stress and be productive)

In this seminar I will teach you intrapersonal skills (reflection) that will help you build great relationships.

These great relationships that will lead you to amazing results.

You are probably thinking, Karl, this sounds great, but I know everything that you are going to say. I read you blog religiously.

If you do read every word that I write then this teleseminar might not be for you, but if you are like most readers then you probably don’t have time to read each and every post. With over 300 posts, that’s a lot of information to filter through.

Well, it’s your lucky day. I’m going to teach you techniques that will help you understand your strengths, build better relationships, and create results that will wow the right people.

Right now it’s only $17. It will go up to $27 very soon. If you want updates on pricing, seminars, and other work happy happenings, then you should join my newsletter. I may not be as round and cute as Santa, but I can sure teach you How to Kick Butt at Work and Be Happy Too.

Check out the How to Kick Butt at Work and Be Happy Too Sales Page and learn a little more about how this seminar can help you survive the corporate jungle.

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

In a perfect work environment we give 100% and our company gives 100%. Of course this never happens because we make choices based on how well we think we are treated. If your company didn’t give you a promotion, that you thought you deserved, would you still work as hard the next day?

No?

Wow, big shock.

When your manager/boss sees that you just don’t have the pep that you once had, they also pull back their desire to help you. This creates a divide that leaves everyone searching for answers

You may pull back and only give 75% of your energy, maybe taking slightly longer breaks or surfing Amazon for a new book. Your company wants you to work harder, but they’ve seen this reaction 700 times before and they don’t try to open a conversation to improve the disconnect.

Now that you’ve pulled back to 75% and no one cares, you realize that you can pull back to 50%.

You’re now working at 50% of your capacity because you can. You avoid work on some days and accomplish a lot on others, but on average you are giving 50% of your energy.

Your employer is troubled, but thinks it’s probably just a phase and before they do anything about it they realize that they’ve just created your expectations about what kind of work you need to do to get by.

Only 50%

You are caught in the 50% working cycle and you’ve become complacent. You don’t want to go above and beyond because it doesn’t get you anywhere. Your employer has accepted your average work and you’ve found that you can get by without giving all of your effort.

There is no reason to change because everyone is comfortable right where they are at. Wrong!

Are you happy with your job? Do you look forward to coming in every morning? Is your boss satisfied with your production? Does s/he praise you for a job well done?

The answers to these questions are most likely no.

So now what?

Would you be satisfied with your personal relationships if you only gave 50% of your love? Probably not. You give your spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, children and friends 100% of the love that is within you because it feels good.

It’s time to increase your effort for your own health and the company’s. The Japanese consider work a privilege that should be used to its maximum potential. To waste one’s resources is to waste an opportunity.

Motivation from within

You can have someone give you more money or be a cheerleader, but none of it will work unless you’ve become emotionally invested in the company. You have to care about the outcome of the project as if it was a part of you.

You can do this by finding the right angle.

Companies understand that when they hire a person with children that he is going to work hard to support his children. He can’t fail.

A person with a trust fund and no attachments may not feel the same amount of pressure to get the job done well, unless he has become emotionally attached in a different way. Maybe he has something to prove to his parents, that he can do it on his own.

Whatever it is that motivates a person, it must connect from within them.

Your job plays an important role in getting your emotions in line. If you have a passion for money then working as a social worker won’t fit your needs. You have to understand what job will fulfill your needs.

For most people the job is not the problem. You may have a job that fulfills some of your needs, but not all of them. That’s okay.

I don’t know anyone who gives 100% all day long.

There needs to be down-time or me-time. If you can get your emotions to become 85% to 95% invested then you have a chance to improve your work day and the value that you provide the company. This is not easy to do when you’ve started at a job at a high energy level, like most people do, then dropped off because your expectations weren’t met.

The Switch

Making the switch from “what are they doing for me” to “what can I do for them” is the hardest part in a wealthy society. We expect to be given everything. Google provides a free t-shirt if an employee doesn’t have time to do laundry.

They also have on-site health care, dental care, laundry service, gym, and so much more. They do this because they understand that if they give, the employee will give back even more. Most companies don’t do this, so you need to find another angle to get yourself motivated.

You need to create an attitude of generosity within yourself. Give until you’ve reached that subjective 90% threshold and see what happens.

You’ll notice that people will treat you better and your manager will trust you with more work. Yes, you will get more responsibility, but this will most likely create more emotional involvement, which will create more happiness.

When you are given too much work, you must be ready to say “no” only when necessary. You don’t want to overwork and exhaust yourself.

An individual must use their own discretion to determine when to give more and when to learn to say “no.” There is no black and white answer that will solve your work woes. I wish that I could give you a pill and you would love your job. Well, not really, because I would be taking away half of the fun.

The solution to the work happiness puzzle is within you. You just need to take the time to mess with the pieces until you find the right fit.

This will not be an easy adjustment, especially if you leave your co-workers behind at that 50% threshold. If you do, you may create jealousy within yourself and them.

I’ve seen this backfire at other companies. The employee picks up his work energy and the people around him mock his new attitude. Then he gives up and rejoins the pack. Or he picks up his work energy and misses the lower stress work-style.

He sustains his energy for a couple of weeks then falls back to the pack. It’s hard to sustain the motivation that is required to improve your work environment.

New Mentality

Managers are vital to a good company because they can set the rules for the department and make hard work fun while encouraging everyone to join the new mentality of their co-workers.

If you want to stay at your job, you must have a plan to increase your motivation slowly.

Talk to your boss and ask for a little more responsibility, or try encouraging the group to try something new. You can become more engaged and happier at your job if you apply a little pressure in the right emotional places.

If one plan doesn’t work then try again until you’ve found the right combination. If nothing else, you’ll take some valuable information with you to your next job.

Your work is constantly changing and you’ll have to adapt. If you do increase your work involvement I won’t guarantee that you’ll get paid more (although it will probably happen). But I will guarantee that you will get more job satisfaction than ever before.

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

* Pamela Slim of Escape Cubicle Nation wrote a really cool post celebrating all the hard work  people have done to break out of the corporate world. It’s called Come see the wonderful things my people accomplished this year! We have to celebrate our hard work and that means bragging about how hard other’s worked to reach their goals.

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

- How do I make my people happy?

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!

There will be days when there seems like nothing is going well. The back pain is flairing, the co-worker next to you finds it funny when he is a little extra annoying, and you can’t seem to get anything done (constantly interrupted).

A few weeks ago I felt like this and I remembered a great technique that always helps.

Remember 3 Good Things

I learned this trick from my friend Alex.

At the end of your day on your commute home (or if you work from home before you leave your home office) – remember 3 good things that happened to you that day.

They can be the tiniest things ever.

They could be:

- The cup of coffee you had this morning.

- The bird chirping outside your window.

- The smile of the new hire, so wet behind the ears that it’s fun to watch.

Whatever you can find, just focus on those three things and watch what happens. You’ll notice your mood change in a positive way.

This is a natural reaction. When you focus on the good stuff in your day, it’s a little reminder that there are good things in your life.

What are 3 good things that have happened in your day so far? Let’s talk in the comments section.

* Don’t miss 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.

* Chris Brogan wrote a wonderful piece that made me want to work for him. He wants to help businesses develop their soul. It was beautiful. Go check it out – Soul of a New Business.

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

- Work Happy Tip – Lucky Pen

Image courtesy of wOOkie

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

Tess is a dear friend who has taught me a lot about blogging and building community. I’m always amazed by how many comments she gets on her posts.

I love how she starts each blog post:

Warning! My blog will challenge you to be more, give more, live fearlessly, take more chances and show up in the world unstoppable, daring and bold.

Her about page is also interesting. She chronicles her struggles to show you that she has chosen a bold life for a reason.

Here is a little excerpt from this page.

Our continuous bold action to make good things happen is why we have been so successful. Currently I work as an affordable coach. I started The Bold Life because I wanted to share the knowledge and power of bold living. We all make choices in our lives that either hold us back or keep us growing forward. We all have the opportunity to take bold action and make our dreams happen.

I would recommend her services to anyone and everyone.

I’m guest posting on her blog right now, so go over and check it out and join in on the conversation. I know Tess would appreciate it. The post is called – Local Grocery Store’s Happiest Employee.

Comments are turned off, so you can join us over at The Bold Life.

See you there.

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

Two weeks ago I did a theme of the week: “More Listening, Less Talking.” It forced me to really listen to what people are saying to me instead of interrupting people before they are done.

My main weakness during that week was that I really wanted to help people finish their sentences because I knew the word that they were trying to use, but couldn’t quite get out.

It was actually a little painful.

I decided to let people have their say and I was amazed by the experience. I tried to open up to each word. It became a meditation. There were a couple of times when I was talking to my Uncle and a friend that I zoned out and I was doing a little too much feeling and not enough listening, but I quickly snapped back so they didn’t even notice.

I realize that the theme of the week is nice, but a couple of readers suggested that I do a monthly theme and break it into focused weeks. So that’s what I’m doing.

Here’s the outline that I’m using…

This month’s theme is relaxing with my work. I notice that I push and pull instead of finding harmony with the present moment.

Let me give you example. Picture me working in front of my computer. I’m writing an email that will hopefully land me a new client. I try to write quickly, but the thoughts aren’t coming fast enough. I just want it to come out smooth and easy.

This isn’t happening.

So I end up writing out weak thoughts. Instead of slowing down, I speed up and it makes me more and more frustrated.

I stop. I growl and go use the bathroom. In the bathroom I’m trying to think of a fresh angle that will wow the future recipient of the email.

This ain’t happening either.

So now I’ve tried pushing myself faster, which didn’t work. I tried pulling myself into a more creative mindset and all I got was even more frustration.

The flow isn’t flowing; it’s blocked up.

That’s why it is so important to deal with our emotions while we work. By learning from our emotions, we can use them as a compass to a happier life.

Too many people want to feel happy, and they think that when they reach a happy state, they’ve done their job. I’m going to argue that they have taken the easy way out.

It’s easy to eat a cookie and feel good, but it’s hard to use our feelings to keep our emotional development moving forward.

Working with Your Emotions

This January’s theme is “Relaxing with My Work.”

I’m going to break down what I need to focus on each week.

Week 1 – Notice My Breathing

The quickest way for a person to gauge his happiness is to watch his breath. If it’s quick, shallow, or labored then my guess is the person is stressed out.

A person who breathes relaxed while working is someone who has plenty of energy, fun, and calmness.

I’m going to keep track of when my breath is labored or relaxed and remind myself to find the sweet harmonious spot that allows my creativity and enjoyment to flourish.

Week 2 – Relax Muscles

My reaction to a lot of my work is to tense my muscles. I’ll tense my neck, jaw, legs, back, and shoulders. I guess that’s most of my muscle parts.

While working, I’m going to try to notice if a certain muscle is tense, and then I’m going to relax it. Sounds easy, but it’s not. I’ve made the mistake of just relaxing it and then going right back to work. 30 seconds later I’m tense again.

This week, I’m going to focus on relaxing my muscles for 30 seconds after I notice the tension. I really need to focus on retraining how I deal with my frustration.

Week 3 – Be Playful

During this week I’m going to be playful with my tense mind and muscles. Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to be relaxed that it tenses me. I know. It’s the opposite of what I’m trying to accomplish.

This time I’m going to make a joke every time I tense my muscles. My habits won’t go away in a couple of weeks, so learning to laugh at my habits will help me have an easier time encouraging change.

Week 4 – Watch the Changes (AKA celebrate)

The final week I’m going to watch what progress I’ve made or didn’t make. For me this is fun because there is always progress.

This is how I celebrate. I look over the good and bad and find a way to enjoy both.

Why this matters to you

I hope that you will join me on this month long emotional trial. 70% of doctor visits are due to stress. My guess is that you have some stress related symptoms that you are aware or unaware of. We all need to practice relaxing with our work so that we can enjoy more of what we do and improve our results.

By following along, you can hopefully discover what triggers your stress, tension, and frustration and you can have fun with changing these habits.

The more you work with your emotional development, the easier it is to be happier at work.

Do you work with your emotions?

Do you try to set emotional goals to ease frustration, sadness, or whatever emotion seems to bring you down?

Just curious to how you deal with your emotional development.

*Want to build better relationships and enjoy what you do? Then sign up for the 10 Week Work Happy Now eCourse. (Sign up is in the top left corner). You’ll receive a new lesson in your inbox every Monday.

* Marc and Angel wrote a wonderful post called Why We Are Weird. I love the story telling. He forces you to read the whole thing.

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

-

Image courtesy of sokole oko

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