HSOL 204: ACT HAPPY WEEK 2022

Published: Mon, 03/21/22

Edition 204: ACT HAPPY WEEK 2022

MARCH 2022

The focus of Act Happy Week is to educate the public about purposeful actions you can take to create chemical shifts in your body that drive Positive Emotions. This is Day 1 (381 words of content, Reading time ~1.5 minutes)

Act Happy Week has been a thing since 2004, embracing The United Nations’ International Day of Happiness on March 20. Every day this week I will offer a new tool or coaching perspective to support you on your journey of Happiness and Leadership.

Today is about Balance. In sequence we’ll address Strength, Flexibility, Agility, and Stillness.

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I. DAY 1: BALANCE

black and white yin yang symbol of balance day one act happy week

At times, the world can feel like a dangerous place. The COVID Pandemic played into our darkest places of isolation and fear, and when we layer on that a war between the two largest (and nuclear-armed) countries in Europe, it can get hard to breathe.

The ancient symbol Yin-Yang reminds us that Order AND Chaos have always been there, flowing into and out of each other. While at times we feel more immersed in one versus the other, they co-exist.

Duality is part of the human condition. Masculine AND Feminine. Night AND Day. Sun AND Moon. Known AND Unknown. Grief AND Joy. Breathing In AND Out.

Almost nothing in the world is fully either/or, yet what gets our attention (our fear response) is the screaming of the extremes. It’s important to notice the white and black dots in the yin-yang – they remind us there is always the kernel of the opposite within every state. Evidence of darkness does not mean the absence of light.

Exercise:

I invite you to reflect the presence of UNCERTAINTY in your life right now. How you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. That emotion can feel heavy and large.
Now turn (literally or in your mind’s eye) around and notice what you can be CERTAIN you’ll have tomorrow – the people who surround you, the skills/knowledge/experience you own, the groceries in your pantry, your capacity to walk, talk, sit, stand, breathe as you do today.

Even if the world feels unstable, most of you reading this can probably expect 95% of your tomorrow to unfold like today. Hang onto that and appreciate the boring foundations of your life that gives you the capacity to handle the unpredictable stuff.

Remember, Leadership is not about a title: Anyone can be a leader who fiercely holds a space for all perspectives in balance. True leaders live not in fringes of extremism but in the conversation of And.

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II. The Executive Happiness Coach®

If you ever feel like you could use some support for getting where you're going, give me a shout. Same applies if someone walks into your office and says, "hey, do you know a good coach?"

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Jim Smith, PCC, is The Executive Happiness Coach®, a global player in the space of Executive Presence, Vitality, Team Coaching, Keynote speaking, and mentor coaching.

For more tips on Leadership, Coaching, and Happiness, visit JimSmith.Coach and download my report on "The Ten Terrible Habits That Undermine Leadership...and what to do about them before time runs out."
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