Create a Happiness Toolbox

As a manager, I find the happier I am, the happier my team is. As we’re a client facing team, it is my best interests to be as happy as I can, as often as I can, for as long as I can. So I’m always on the lookout for new tricks, new tips, new tools I can use to keep my spirits and my energy at a high level.

One of my favorite bloggers is Gretchen Rubin, who writes the blog (and next year the book) The Happiness Project.

Gretchen has an awesome Happiness Manifesto that I refer to frequently when I fall out of focus. Here are some of my favorite parts:

• To be happy, you need to consider feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.
• One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy; One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.
• The days are long, but the years are short.
• Happiness is other people.
• What’s fun for other people may not be fun for you, and vice versa.
• Best is good, better is best.
• Happiness comes not from having more, not from having less, but from wanting what you have.
• You can choose what you do, but you can’t choose what you like to do.
• You manage what you measure.

Simple stuff we can all use to keep things in perspective and be a better manager and a better person for your team.

Recently, Gretchen put together a Happiness Project Toolbox, and I am signed up!

Cool things inside the toolbox include:

• Resolutions
• Personal Commandments
• Inspiration Board
• Happiness Hacks

And so much more!

I encourage you to create your own Happiness Project Toolbox and see what happiness inside and out can do for your management and  your team!

Happiness photo courtesy of jaja1985