Happiness isn't merely a state that lightens your day... though that would be enough in my mind. It additionally opens the door to so much more. Good things happen when you're happy.
ThriveWithNancy Podcast addresses the tricky points you run into daily as a woman executive. Nancy Fredericks shares all the secrets she's acquired as an experienced thought-leader. She's passionate about sharing practical, insider solutions with women executives to tap into on your way to achieving all of your career hopes and dreams.
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Speaker 1:
Happy, happy, happy. I love being happy, don't you. Wouldn't you like to experience more of it? That's exactly what we'll be talking about today on Thrive with Nancy. Welcome and thanks so much for tuning in. Ready for Happiness Amplifies Unleashing Your Inner Joy. This podcast came about one morning when I woke up stretching as I greeted the new day. Happy. A more usual emotion than not for me, and because I'm a coach, I realized that I'm blessed. Not everyone, perhaps not even very many people wake up happily looking forward to their workday. Click went my head. I thought, Hey, this is gonna be a great topic for the next podcast . Podcast . So are you ready to wrap your arms around being happy? I hope you are. <laugh> . Happiness isn't merely a state that lightens your day though. Honestly, that would be enough. In my mind, it opens the door to so much more. You see, good things happen when you're happy, such as first research reveals that happiness is a stress reducer In today's marketplace, multiple studies confirm and show that excess stress causes higher levels of cortisol. You probably already know that, and that's the stress hormone. Happy people consistently have lower cortisol levels in their bloodstream. That outcome alone should be ample enough reward to excite you and spur you on to explore the journey of happiness. Second, when we're happy, we're paying attention to what is good in our world, boosting our ability to be more creative and make better decisions. On the other hand, anxious, unhappy people tend to focus almost exclusively on the negatives they're experiencing, which more often than not, keeps them stuck. Look around you and see if that isn't true. Third, there is evidence that happiness leads to a higher level of life satisfaction. <laugh> , that doesn't sound bad either. By the way. There is some evidence that this might lead to an increase in your salary. Fourth, people really like being around happy people. So happiness improves relationships and it expands your network. Fifth and certainly not least, it predicts longevity. Yes, I just love this one. Finally, there is something I and you can do that's fun, that adds years to your lifespan. So take on this happiness thing, but to me, waking up happy is a gift beyond measure. With this in mind and all the benefits noted, why is the American happiness factor decreasing? You heard me decreasing with just 14% saying they're very happy in a recent poll compared to 31% in 2018. That's only a , just a short time ago that the statistic went down so low. So let's explore two factors that get in the way of happiness . The first, and I have to tell you, this was a surprising one to me. So the first surprising factor, does your mind wander? Yes. It turns out this has a direct correlation on your happiness. Two Harvard psychologists, Matthew a Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert found that a wandering mind is generally the cause. Hear that the cause, not the consequences of your unhappiness. It turns out that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind, and that's troublesome to me, and it should be troublesome to you. When this duo uncovered that people spend about 47% of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they're doing. My gosh, that's sad to think about that. That's a heck of a lot of not being present and this mind wandering typically remember proceeds , unhappiness. Think about the times you've been working in your area of strength and passion. Doesn't it often feel like 15 minutes has passed when in fact it's been hours ? Weren't you satisfied? I could even say happy with how much you accomplished through being engaged and focused. Didn't you feel proud of the results you achieved? It's called being in the zone, or as some say in the flow, the more time you spend in the space of now, the more satisfied you'll find yourself. That's a pretty interesting equation to keep in mind. The second factor, do you believe you need to accomplish or achieve something before you allow yourself to experience that wonderful feeling of fulfillment and happiness? You know, the perfect job or having a boss who supports you or hoping to be married or having children or, well, the list is as individual as unique as we are, humans aren't intended to be passive observers. No, no. We're at our best when fully engaged, creative, and positively contributing and making inroads in our slice of the world, no matter how big or how small you believe it is. On the other hand, waiting for something to happen is de-energized. Here's an exercise to test. If you're accidentally postponing unconsciously your happiness without knowing it, ready to do this, I'll feel happy when fill in the blank regarding what immediately like instantaneously comes to mind. There is no wrong answer. Pause and ask yourself this question four more times. That's a total of five. Oh yes, you can count. Sorry about that. What came up for you through this exercise is actually going to reveal what is limiting your ability to experience happiness. Are you ready to check that out ? How about changing your mind right now? Instead of defining happiness only or primarily on your achievements, choose to find joy in every circumstances, even the most challenging because it is there. That is what happy people do Consciously and consistently, you deserve to feel happy. We all do. Human beings are created to be happy. So are you prepared to overcome the two barriers we discussed by being present and looking for happiness right now, right where you are, you see, you get to determine if happiness is an important quality to nurture or not. I love what Richard Branson said. His insight is so wise on this topic. Ready for this. Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are, quote unquote . Thank you , Richard Branson. Hey, a quick question. Are you a woman keen for more insights to aid you in being happy and thriving right now where you are? You'll wanna check out all the free resources on my website. Thrive with Nancy. There are so many career concepts to assist you in being the happy all you wanna be . Executive, if you're excited to create new opportunities in your career, is it now the time to experience the Your Strategic Edge program as a pathway to your success? It's where you and I create a full on partnership. Sign up for a free strategic call at www thrive with nancy.com/executive. You should know by now, no successful executive reaches the top or even arrives at their next destination alone. I'd love to be there with you.