Happy New Year!
To make it a great year for you and those around you, do any or all of the following:
- Make their day. Do one thing every day (why not?) to make someone feel better, brighter, lighter. People lead complex lives filled with worry, fear, and the stress of the everyday grind. You can make a difference by doing simple things like offering to take on a task for a colleague, telling coworkers how much you enjoy working with them, writing a compliment to their supervisor, or thanking them publicly for a contribution they might take for granted. Bring a coffee or pay for theirs. Making someone’s day will have an especially positive impact if you do something that has the elements of surprise and delight.
- Question your thoughts. When you find your mind roaming into judgmental or negative thinking (“he should be more helpful,” “the company doesn’t care about us”), meditate on this question: is it true? Can you absolutely know that it’s true? Train yourself to arrive at a simple “yes” or “no.” Landing on a yes or no will be exceedingly challenging because your mind will be frenetically offering justifications — “buts” and “depends” and other tricks that prevent you from seeing things differently. Your mind will want to keep you locked in the self-righteous or victim position. Meditate on the question. Ponder it with candour.
Having just returned from yet another transformative event with Byron Katie in California, I unequivocally recommend using these deceptively simple questions to set you free this year.
- Be a shining light of respect and civility. When you are grumpy, those who interact with you suffer. Or they become reactive. Or their mental health issues are exacerbated. Civility and respect have been identified as key components to mental health in the workplace in the new National Standard of Canada on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. So why not be the one who contributes to improving the mental health of others (and yourself) rather than damaging it?
If your team or organization needs help or you want to otherwise stay in touch, contact us anytime.