How to Feel Happy No Matter What–Even in Uncertainty
You’ve got to keep hope alive.
In their famous song… ”Don’t Stop Believin’” the rock band, Journey, sings a line you have probably heard a hundred times that probably hasn’t registered with you. Here are the lyrics:
Strangers waitin’
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searchin
Streetlight people
Livin’ just to find emotion
Hidin’ somewhere in the nigh
The line is “Livin’ just to find emotion.” We are all “livin’ to find emotion.” We want to feel good and everyday we are searching to find positive feelings.
That is the end game for all employees, they want to feel good, particularly during uncertainty. Positive emotions lead to positive results. With so many things out of our control, how can you help employees to live in such a way that they experience more happiness?
Simply put, demonstrate how to live in gratitude. No matter what is happening, we can choose to find something to be grateful for. Viktor Frankl, in the WWII death camps, demonstrated that against all odds-you can be grateful no matter what!. Happiness then is a byproduct of how we live and we can choose to live in gratitude..
Here are two ideas that you can implement right now to increase positive emotions through gratitude. It is called 2 Pronged Gratitude:
Prong 1: When something goes bad remind yourself that, “It could have been worse.” For example, your car gets a flat on the way to your daughter’s championship soccer game, but you don’t have to have a compete blow out over it. Remind yourself, “It could have been worse. I could have gotten into an accident and been hurt.”
Prong 2: Build on the first prong by identifying, in real time, what you are now grateful for. An example of this is saying to yourself, “I am grateful I am safe, that I have a daughter who is healthy, and I get to watch her play soccer.
Invitation:
- Set your intention to walk in gratitude today–no matter what!
- When something doesn’t go as planned, remind yourself that it could have been worse and name specifically what could have gone worse;
- Next, name specifically what you are grateful for.
Read this article to your team and make a game of reframing things when they go wrong. Watch the transformation of your team’s culture as you practice 2 Pronged Gratitude.
Don’t stop believin’ that gratitude will help you develop the positive emotions you want to experience every day.
Stay safe and healthy,
Doug Nielsen