Thursday, February 2, 2012

The happy secret to better work

Shawn Achor talks about the happy secret to better work in this TED talk video. 15 min very well spent (find video at the end of this post).

This video comes to complement very nicely a book that my sister recommended me: A general theory of love. I haven't finished reading it, but from what I have read and the video I gather that there is a lot of research about how our feelings are related to chemical reactions in different parts of our brain. With such understanding, one thing that we can do is basically train it to think more positively. This, of course, requires the good and constant practice of certain activities. The speaker recommends the following to create a lasting positive change:
  • 3 gratitudes
  • Journaling
  • Exercise
  • Meditation
  • Random Acts of Kindness

Sounds funny/weird/awkward, but since I started practicing yoga more regularly and a bit of meditation a couple of times a week, I feel the change.

That's why I am making this a personal project for February. Starting from yesterday I will email my sister one satisfaction that I had throughout my day (and she will e-mail me hers!); I set up a google spreadsheet with a table where I will record 3 things I am grateful for (you can't repeat!), and I already signed up for yoga twice a week for this semester. Let's see how it goes!



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