Do you know your Positivity Ratio?

3:1 is a healthy positivity ratio. That's 3 positive emotions to every 1 negative emotion.
But don't stop there. 3:1 merely meets the "Meh"or "I'm OK" or "Fine" standard.  Positivity ratios can soar as high as 11:1 before they start to appear manic and delusional.

In the workplace, a ratio of 6:1 is ideal.  This ratio of positivity to negativity allows teams to thrive and flourish and get stuff done.

When stressed, I sometimes take 1 minute to savor the beauty of these exquisite roses.
They are from the garden of Marty Seligman. Just looking at them puts me in a state of awe and wonder. Beauty in nature is soothing and calming.

Here are some ways to raise your positivity ratio at work. All of them require only 3-10 minutes.

• Listen to your favorite music with your eyes closed and fully experiencing it.
• Tell a clever joke or story.
• Share a funny Youtube video. 
• Take time to have a little bit of fun. Play is fuel for rebooting the brain. Recreation = RE CREATE.
• Savor the beauty of nature. Take a 10 minute walk outside. Even looking at photos of nature can be effective.
• Take a micro-spa break: For three minutes. Watch your breath come in and out. Visualize fresh mountain or beach air in and exhale the toxic air in your lungs out.

Raising positivity requires slowing down.Try inserting little gaps of goodness, savoring, laughter into your work day.

Research findings about employees who exercise

The healing power of exercise...


This is a photo of me and my friend Pam. Pam and I have been walking buddies for over 5 years. The best thing about Pam is that she is super reliable. I am not. Pam shows-up. That makes me want to show up. Understand, showing up for Pam doesn't make me want to exercise. But since I'm there and in my already dressed and in my running shoes...we walk for 4 or 5 miles. This is one activity I do religiously because I love Pam and I believe that exercise is key to a healthy mind and body. 


According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in May 2012, job burnout and depression was strongest among employees who did not engage in physical activity and weakest among those engaging in high physical activity.  So find a walking buddy, someone like super-reliable Pam and start moving!


Here's the study I mentioned.  http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/apl/97/3/699/

Marry your decisions

Marry decisions, don't date them.  

First, do your homework, conduct a thorough cost analysis or simply list the pro and cons. Then discuss your decision with someone trustworthy and objective.

Then commit.  A good marriage requires commitment.

When we "marry" our decisions, we commit to the process. We move forward with our vision for the future.  Happily married people do not "look around" for better partners. They are committed. When doubts or problems inevitably arise, they tweak the problem areas and adapt accordingly.

Here's another way to see it. Ideally, when driving a car, our eyes dedicated to the road ahead, not the rear view mirror. When we second guess our thoughtfully made decisions; it's like navigating a car through the limited perspective of the rear-view mirror. We end up spending time, attention, and energy looking at the road behind us.

Keep your eyes and ideas on the road ahead. It's the best way to move forward.

How to get your resume out of the cyberspace hole known as "Resume Purgatory"

How to get your resume out of the big black cyberspace hole I  

call "Resume Purgatory"

  

You've gone to the painstaking, detail-oriented, labor-intensive task of completing an electronic profile on an Internet job board or corporate website and you after many tries, you've finally successfully downloaded your resume. Whew! You sit back and wait  to hear from employers.  

A week, two weeks, and still no replies.  Nada! 

Yes, completing an on-line profile is a critical step in the application process. But be aware, pressing the "apply" button merely allows internal recruiters and hiring managers to download your application at their discretion.  Nothing more. 

All that work - your detailed application, well-crafted cover letter, and flawless resume mysteriously travel to a place in cyberspace I call “Resume Purgatory.” And, those precious documents remain there, floating in limbo until someone has a reason to hunt them down.

So how do you get a hiring manager or internal recruiter to pull your application out of Resume Purgatory?  Get a hard copy hand-delivered. Here’s a strategy that will greatly improve your odds.

Every day, apply for 3-5 position openings. 

Once you’ve pressed the apply button or downloaded your resume for a specific position, the real work begins.  Contact your friends, acquaintances, and family, even your distant cousins and your barber. Ask each person if he/she happens to know someone who works at that company.  If he says no, ask him if he happens to know someone, who knows someone who works at that company.  When you get the name of a real person, contact him/her and ask him to personally hand your resume to the hiring manager or HR.  Graciously thank  this sweet angel from heaven and assure him that you will remember his kindness and by paying the the favor back or forward.