Habeeb Habeeb is passionate about helping people and organizations thrive through the power of kindness and positivity. Habeeb's Motivational Minutes deliver 60 second bursts of inspiration to encourage us to take the good of everything in life to a higher power.
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Do you know what makes you happy? Do you know WHY it makes you happy?
A recent study showed that performing certain tasks can absolutely increase happiness, and gratitude appears to be a key ingredient.
People were asked to write and then deliver a letter of gratitude in person to someone who had been especially kind to them but had never been properly thanked. Other participants were asked to write down three things that went well each day and their causes every night for one week. Others were asked to use one of their top strengths in a new and different way every day for one week.
These three exercises increased happiness and decreased depressive symptoms. Showing gratitude and using our strengths in new ways: That sounds like fun to me.
Times are bad, the economy stinks, the nation is hurting, the world is at war… we hear bad news everywhere, and many people are depressed.
So is this new? No, but it may be new to us. Looking back, we find many periods in history when times were tough. In fact, many people in the world have faced harsh times all their life, yet they continue to live and make the best out of their circumstances. How we deal with adversity is important. It isn’t what happens to us. It’s what we do with what happens to us.
But we are human, and we have many fears: fear of the unknown, fear of calamity, of worst case scenarios, fear of impending doom, of violence, and many other fears. In his book “Fearless”, Max Lucado said: “Feed your fears and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will starve.”
Choose to stop feeding your fears and start feeding your faith. Choose to smile and trust in a higher power. Choose to be happy no matter what.
A consultant was hired by a supermarket chain to lead a customer service program to build customer loyalty. She challenged everyone to make a difference and create memories for their customers to bring them back.
Johnny, a nineteen year-old bagger with down syndrome, liked what she said but wondered what he could do. After all, he was just a bagger.
Then he had an idea. Every night after work, he thought of a thought for the day. His dad helped him set it up on the computer and print multiple copies. Johnny cut each quote and signed his name on the back.
The next day, he would put a thought in each customer’s bag and say “Thanks for shopping with us”.
A month passed, and the store manager while walking found that Johnny’s line was three times longer than other lines so he called for help, but the customers only wanted to be in Johnny’s line.
The moral of the story: We can all make a difference, no matter who we are. Choose to put your personal signature on the job.
