5 Science Backed Ways to Feel Happier

And now, the secret to happiness! A Swiss study  published in Frontiers in Psychology reveals that people with high levels of hope are more likely to score high in life satisfaction. Other traits, including zest, love, and social intelligence, were also linked to life satisfaction.

It makes sense: Hopeful people believe positive things can happen in the future, says study author María Luisa Martínez Martí, Ph.D., so they work harder to achieve their goals. Similarly, she says, zest gives you the energy to work hard and reach your marks. Meanwhile, the capacity to love and be loved, and social intelligence, might be key to maintaining a strong social network—an essential source of support.

But "be more hopeful and socially intelligent" isn't exactly the most actionable piece of advice. So here's what you can do to actually foster those traits — and enjoy your life a little bit more.

Go List-Crazy

Hopeful people are confident they can achieve goals. They also trust others, believe in their ability to overcome difficult situations, and have a spiritual side that gives them empowerment, connection, and reassurance, says Anthony Scioli, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Keene State University. He suggests thinking about your long-term goals and how they can drive your life. “Try to come up with lists of people, places, and things that can empower you and help you reach those ends,” he says. Then, when you encounter obstacles, think: Are these challenges real, or have I created them? “If they are real, confronting them is better than denial,” says Scioli.

Get Spiritual

This doesn’t necessarily have to mean religion. “It’s reasonable to think about what your spiritual needs are,” he says. “Look at pros and cons of different spiritual traditions — they provide different types of hope.” Even simply volunteering or helping others can be a spiritual experience in itself, he says. It can leave you feeling more hopeful about the future. 

Switch Up Your Schedule

Zest is how much energy and excitement you bring to daily life. Mixing up your routine may foster it: In a 2012 paper in the Journal of Happiness Studies, people improved their levels of zest by making a conscious effort to work physical activity and sports, social activities, and challenging tasks into their daily routines. They reinforced the schedule enhancements by writing down a description of the activities they added to each day. 

Learn to Love Meditation

A landmark study published in the Journal of Personal and Social Psychology suggests that you can increase your potential to love yourself and others with "loving-kindness meditation." Like other types of meditation, this involves sitting with your eyes closed and focusing on your breath. However, instead of centering your mind on the moment, you think about a person you love and then extend those good feelings to yourself and others. This may help you experience and pay attention to positive emotions, the researchers say.

Talk to Yourself

Social intelligence is your ability to navigate social situations and relate to other people. Easier said than done, right? You can start by asking yourself: 

"How often do I find myself blaming other people for social situations that didn’t go the way I wish they had?"

Then if you notice that you find yourself saying that, attributing it to other people, ask yourself: 

"What role did I play in the situation, even if I think it’s 90% the other person’s responsibility?” suggests Ilene Wasserman, Ph.D., founder and president of ICW Consulting. You might find that you’re making a consistent mistake that leads to conflicts or bad feelings, and then you can take steps to correct it.

Let me know how you use these 5 strategies to boost your good vibes.

That is all - 

David

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Motivational Monday: 3 Ways To Build Mental Toughness

Whether it is a physical or mental challenge you face the most important training philosophy to remember is: The Mind Is Primary.

If your mind is strong, your body will be strong. You’ll be able to handle stress, cope with pain, deal with adversity, make sacrifices, and push through limitations. This is how you become something greater. This is how you conquer every goal, every workout, every challenge. 

David Brett-Williams running at Fort DeSoto Park

It takes work to build mental toughness, to get your brain to a point where it is willing to push longer and harder than it ever was before. Here are 3 ways I teach people to train their minds so they don’t fatigue and they don’t quit. These strategies will set you up for success.

Green Light Go 


Self-doubt and the associated fear that follows is a powerful saboteur. So you need to change the dialogue. 

Instead of thinking, “My heart is racing, I need to slow down” or “I am so tired” think positive thoughts. They are called them “Green Light Go” thoughts. When you reach a traffic light, what does a green light mean? Go!

Constantly tell yourself things that get you going in the right direction. Like “I’m loving this,” “This is easy and I am feeling great.” And keep repeating. This reinforces your confidence and boosts your energy so you don’t give up when things get hard. 

You can even take this one step further. Sports psychologist, Brian Cain, would have you place green stickers all over your house, car, and work. Every time you pass a green sticker (Green Light GO!), you tell yourself one positive thought.

Visualise the Win

Most great athletes — including Muhammad Ali and Jack Nicklaus — use visualisation to boost mental toughness. Imagining a situation can reinforce the same neural pathways in your mind that performing the actual behaviour can. So when it’s time to do the workout or task, your mind is already prepared.

How To Visualise

Each day, take five minutes and breathe deeply. Visualise every aspect of your challenge, especially the challenging aspects. Picture yourself in the moment, pushing through the exhaustion, finding the strength to finish. Think about how your body and lungs will feel, how your breathing and heart will feel. Think about the emotions you’ll go through, and overcoming doubts. Think about winning. The more detailed your imagery, the stronger your response will be.

Blast Your Tunes


Science has shown that music can boost performance. But the key is finding music that inspires and motivates you. The music will distract you from your effort, allow you to go harder. 

So when you’re training to pass a challenging physical test or to break a personal record, listen to one specific song. Do this on your “hard training” days only. Then, come test day, blast the song. You’ll feel it throughout your body, invigorating you to go harder and longer just like you practiced.

I hope this helps you build mental toughness and be outstanding.

That is all –

David

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The 2 Strategies Every Leader Should Use

Unsurprisingly, it turns out that an outstanding mix of skills and knowledge isn’t enough to be a great leader in the workplace. According to author and executive coach Judith Sherven, Ph.D., a few psychological strategies are essential, too.

Sherven explains in a recent LinkedIn post that while there are “numerous books, courses, and online trainings for improving your managerial skills, seldom do they address the psychological underbelly of wise and wonderful management.” 

She says that understanding and incorporating the following psychological truths have enabled good managers to become great ones:

1.  Your team wants you to lead, not rely on their opinions. 

Collaboration and team input are important in the workplace. But managers shouldn’t consult with their team members before making every big decision. Managers who do this aren’t seen as true leaders.

Managers who are uncomfortable with their senior status tend to believe that becoming friends with their team members will empower those who report to them, Sherven says. “Actually, nothing is further from the truth. Role confusion makes for team members’ job confusion, which creates organisational confusion.”

2.   Trying too hard to save an employee endangers your whole team. 

Well-intentioned managers often get caught up in trying to save a team member whose behaviour or output is “insufficient, incorrect, or injurious to the wellbeing of the team,” she explains. Maybe it’s because this manager hired the individual. Perhaps it’s because they have high hopes for this person’s career. Either way, it can feel like a blow to their sense of competence when they’re forced to admit that the person needs to be let go, Sherven says. “But letting go must become a must-do in order to protect the wellbeing of the other team members and the team’s output.”

While there are many other psychological truths about excellent management these two can get you started in thinking about what’s most wanted and expected of you from your employees.

Be Brilliant.

That is all –

David

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Business Tips: Customer Service

The level of service you provide to your customers is crucial to the success of your business. For many customers, after-sales service is what makes one supplier stand out from another, often more than product or price. Good customer service can attract new business and can create a loyal customer base.

What is customer service? There are many simple things you can do to improve the service you provide. The starting point is to deliver what you promise, every time. To make sure you keep customers satisfied, you must keep your word. If you do more, you will impress your customers and ideally they recommend you to their friends. Finally, you must listen and respond when they have complaints.

Exceptional Customer Service

Customer service is all about expectation. A business that promises a reply within 2 hours or a personal service is setting an expectation. If that company does not fulfill its promise, its customers will be disappointed.

Make sure your members of staff are delivering the level of customer service you expect. Lead by example and show your team exactly how you want them to deal with customers. Encourage them to come to you with feedback and suggestions.

What are you promising your customers? Go through all the aspects of your sales and marketing and identify your selling points. Are your customers' expectations being met?

The best way to wow your customers is to under-promise and over-deliver. If you think you can deliver in two days, promise four and when you deliver it in your three – due to the unexpected hiccup – your customer will be pleasantly surprised.

Remember to advertise your strengths. Whether they are fast delivery times, friendly service or top quality products. But if you make promises realise that you are setting an expectation. If the reality does not match your claims, then you will have unhappy customers and lose business. However, if your service is first class and your customers agree, they may become advocates and tell the world. And there is no stronger marketing message.

Go the Extra Mile

But what is customer care really about? First class customer service gets people talking. If you go the extra mile for your customers, they will tell the people they know and you will get word-of-mouth recommendations.

For instance, after you have made a sale, call your customer to check that everything is OK. If it is, they'll be pleased you rang. If there is a problem, it gives you an opportunity to address it immediately and then they will be delighted.

You have to pay attention to details. Follow up calls or emails quickly. If the customer has a problem, try and solve it for them. Keep records of customer service, especially if you have new members of staff that need to get up to speed on your customers.

Handling Customer Complaints

Inevitably, things go wrong. However, it is how you handle problems that can determine whether you lose business or improve customer loyalty.

More and more people are prepared to complain. Those that complain to you are doing you a favour. They are giving you valuable feedback for nothing and helping you to improve your service. Many others complain but not to you – making resolving their problem impossible and the negative word-of-mouth is detrimental. And many more customers quietly take their business elsewhere. But, if you impress that customer with the way you handle their problem, they can become the greatest advocates for your business.

When a customer complains, you must be respectful and sympathetic, even if you think they are wrong. You should thank them for complaining and apologise for the inconvenience. You must also act quickly. A prompt response shows that you take the problem seriously and reduces the time the customer spends feeling disgruntled.

When someone complains, always ask him or her what they want. Many firms assume that consumers are seeking a financial solution, such as a refund or compensation when many people want a simple apology. Allow the customer to give you all the facts so that they can get it off their chest (vent) and then you can provide the most suitable solution.

Set up a customer complaints procedure and ensure that members of staff know what they can offer. Follow up the complaint with a phone call or a letter of apology. Finally, ensure that you permanently fix the problem – after all you would prefer not to handle the same complaint repeatedly - and let the customer know what you have done.

I hope this helps your business be outstanding. 

Just one more thing before you go ... I would like you to do one important thing for me - spread the word about this article.

That is all - 

David

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