Often thing that contribute to having a great day might fall into one of four broad categories
However it’s fair to say, that if you’re like most people, not every single work day is great. We could slump our shoulders, and be resigned to fate. However research now proves that positive emotions lead to success. Yes. You can re-read that sentence. Positive emotions lead to success. This is slightly counter-intuitive for most of us. We tend to think “I’ll be happy when ” however research from the field of positive psychology shows that often success follows happiness.
There are a number of factors at play that contribute to this slightly counter intuitive result, I'll just mention two for now. Positive emotions build your resilience – the ability to continue through tough times. Postive emotions increase your ability to make mental connections, and thus see new, and innovative opportunities – which are not available when you're stressed.
So, whilst you can certainly thrive when things are going well at work or in your business, one skill is to be able to enjoy life even when things aren’t going well. This ensures that you don't get into a downward spiral, and can see those new opportunities. You probably have some tried and tested methods for keeping yourself positive and happy – from taking a long walk, reading a book or listening to some up-beat music.
In addition to your tried and tested ways, there are some other tools that you can use from the field of positive psychology.
For more tips and techniques around using positive emotions to build your success, here’s a free chapter: The Secret Life of Positive Emotions, from my first book, Raise Your Game (Amazon, £14.99)
