Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Joe Burr.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals. 

Meeting Schedule
We will NOT have meetings on December 23rd or December 30th due to everyone's busy holiday schedule. 

Board Update
There will be a board meeting on Friday, December 16th at 8:30am after the regular meeting. 

Joe Burr has decided to step down from the board due to his busy work schedule.  We will be looking to fill that position.

Guest Speaker
Mark Menasci would like to bring in a guest speaker.  This gentleman is 110-years old and has many entertaining stories to share.

Social Event
If you have not already done so, please RSVP for the holiday party.  We will have a white elephant gift exchange.  Do not spend any money.  Find something in your garage.

Guest Speaker - Dr. Tracy
Dr. Sarah J. Tracy (Ph.D., University of Colorado, 2000) is associate professor or organizational communication at Arizona State University. Her scholarly work examines emotion, communication and identity in the workplace with particular focus on emotional labor, workplace bullying, burnout and work-life wellness. She has recently turned her attention to compassion, generosity and engagement.

Dr. Sarah Tracy is the Director of The Project for Wellness and Work-Life (PWWL), a consortium of faculty, graduate students and organizational members who work together to better understand, study and improve work-life well-being. PWWL serves as an incubator for new ideas, support for ongoing research projects, a nexus for sharing research with multiple audiences and a place of mentoring for tomorrow's organizational researchers and practitioners.

Dr. Tracy's award-winning research has resulted in two books and over 40 monographs. In recognition of her exemplary research, teaching and service she received one of six ASU Presidential Faculty Exemplar Awards in 2006.

Dr. Tracy presented on the concept of personal happiness and how to better understand its affect on our lives. Her presentation format was a combination of lecture and exercises.

Research has been conducted to see where our happiness comes from.  Surprisingly, it is not from external sources such as the amount of money we have in our bank account.  50% of our happiness comes from genetics.  A very small percentage, 10%, comes from external circumstances that we strive so hard for.  The reason is because of Hedonic adaptation.  We have the ability to bounce back from whatever happens to us.  This means that 40% is in our control due to our purposeful behavior, perception and (inter)action.

Why become happier?  It feels good.  Also for health and well-being.  Happier people tend to be more successful in both their business and personal lives.

How to become happier...

• The more times you count your blessing the happier you are. 

• Showing appreciation helps.

• Optimism - Looking at the glass half full.  This can be practiced.

• Emotions are contagious.  Change your own energy and it will affect others.

• Smiles trump frowns every time!

• Avoid social comparison.  If you stop doing this, you will be happier.  Even if you deem yourself to be "better" by comparison, this will not make your happier.

• Acts of kindness.  This is a HUGE happiness maker.  They can be random or not.  Mix it up.  Buy someone behind you a drink at Starbucks.  It is not about the acknowledgement, it is about the act.

• Volunteering time.  Even spending time on the phone with a relative that needs to talk.

• The happiest people are those that surround themselves with relationships. 

• Giving affection.  Hug somebody!

Coping strategies that curb negativity...

• Writing about problems helps us deal with them.  It is because language creates structure.

• Mindful ruminating - If you need to worry about something, make time for it, schedule the time to think about it.  This way the emotions don't overtake you throughout the day.

• Be aware of your mood contagion.  Consider putting mirrors in places where you can see yours expression.

• Be mindful of complaining.  This is a habit we get into.  It rarely is used to change something.  We do it to self handicap or one-up somebody.  It is not functional.

• Holding  grudge is like holding on to a hot coal thinking you will throw it on to something else but you are really only burning yourself.

Flow is a concept that was termed by a psychologist that was interested in finding out why people are happy.  He found that people were most alive when they hit this sweet spot between being challenged (using their skills) but not being overwhelmed.    Time just seems to pass you by during these flow experiences. 

Committing to goals is another important factor in happiness.  This is for attraction-related goals as opposed to avoidance-type goals.

People that practice a spiritual life tend to be happier because they have hope.

Doing a down-dog (as demonstrated by Ryan) when you are feeling down can have the same affect as a cup of copy.  It has to do with sending blood to the brain.

Meditation can have a very positive impact on your mood.  It helps you to gain inner peace and less negative with others.

How can this translate into the workplace?  We are most happy when we can put ourselves into a calling - something that connects us to our identity and creates that flow. 

Focus on the things you are good at and make them great. 

The key thing is to find activities that fit you.  It could be gratitude or exercise.  You will know intuitively yourself what will work.

The best holiday gift you can give yourself is to set some goals to become happier.