Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Science of your Smile

If you like TED talks, then this post will be right up your alley.

I just got back from Nashville, Tennessee for my skincare business.  Rodan+Fields offered an amazing weekend of training workshops, information sharing, and encouraged connections with other consultants from all over the country.  To say that the experience was empowering as a business owner would be an understatement.

But the most amazing presentation had nothing to do with the fine details of being in business.  It had to do with each of us, as a person.  How to manage the journey to achieve something without "success" attached to it, or looking for it on the other side of that achievement.

Happiness.

To be honest, I was {pleasantly} surprised that the topic was on how to develop ourselves as an individual, and {maybe because I had never attended an event like this before} I didn't expect it.

Shawn Achor is a former researcher from Harvard who studied happiness.  You can find his website HERE.  He spoke to us for quite awhile about his fascinating research, conducted all over the world, about what it really means, deep down, to be happy.  If you're already a fan of TED talks, you might already know a little about him, but if you'd like a peek into what we were a part of, watch the video for a smidge of what we heard.


Since my teacher/perpetual student background has me trained quite well, I sat with my laptop on my lap, taking notes.  Here is a little of what I want to scream from the rooftops and share with whomever reads this blog post...kind of how I felt after reading this.

Remember that common sense ideas aren't commonly practiced ones....these points might seem like common knowledge, but let them sink in and do them.  Practice them.  That's what I'm committing to.

Here is the part that directly related to our business...when our top leaders were asked about what makes them successful in the business, three main points emerged.  

GREATEST PREDICTORS OF SUCCESS 
1. Optimism-the belief that our behavior matters 
2. Strong social connection-meaningful connections to others
3. Perceive stress as a challenge-take stress and work through it 

So what's the ACTION PLAN he recommends for true joy and happiness, based on his countless hours of research?  From the minute I sat down for my first family dinner at home, we were already practicing them...

Three gratitudes
Share, out loud, three things you are grateful for.  No, it can't be "my family" or "my job".  Be specific.  "I'm grateful for how you girls helped Daddy so much while I was away by cleaning your rooms, and being kind to each other".  You might be surprised at how those words take on an emotional meaning when you say them out loud.  Go around the table, and yes, it must be three things.  It takes approximately 45 seconds to say those three things, but after 6 months, research has proven that those 45 seconds, practiced daily, can reverse YEARS of a negative mindset, and also increase your attractiveness to your mate {we cracked up at this one, but his research proved it...}.  Our "mirror neurons" will kick into high gear when we model this for our children. BE the people we are teaching them to be.

The Doubler
Journal for 2 minutes about an excellent experience, every single detail.  When you record it, you deepen your memory of the experience and subconsciously you will seek to duplicate that experience again from it being ingrained in your mind.
Think of your hand, and close your eyes.  You can still picture your hand, right? But sit and write about your hand, the lines on your palm, the rings on your finger...now close your eyes.  The picture in your minds eye is much stronger now.  Same goes for our experiences.  It's only 2 minutes.  Give it a go.

The Fun 15
Take 15 minutes each day and engage in some physical activity.  Either run, walk the dog, or in my case yesterday, go sledding with your kids and husband...that 15 minutes will give your brain the same dosage of an antidepressant.  Do it for yourself, and reap the rewards.

Meditation
I was happy this was on the list.  Take just a few minutes each day, take your hands off an electronic device, and close your eyes, only focusing on your breath.  That's it.  Sean spoke of how he works with GOOGLE employees by having them physically take their hands off of their keyboards to focus on their breath during their work time.  It matters.  Our poor brains are inundated with so much information, kind of because of GOOGLE, so we deserve to give ourselves a break too.

Conscious Acts of Kindness
Whether it's in person, or in an email, fb message, or letter in the mail, tell someone how and why you appreciate them, directly praising someone.  It takes about 2 minutes to do this, yet the effects for both people are long lasting, from giving and receiving praise.

Overall...amazing people, amazing weekend, and I'm eternally grateful I have this business as part of my life.  It has changed me for the better, and I can't wait for what's to come.

And if all else fails?  Smile.  Nana said so.  
And she was always right.

Have a great day!

{Jenn}











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