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Tag: happiness

  • Workspace “Feng-Shui”

    Workspace “Feng-Shui”

    Ever wonder why you can’t get any work done? It’s possible that your environment is contributing to your lack of productivity. Everyone has different preferences for their ideal study space. If you’ve got a big test or paper coming up, it’s best if you adjust your surroundings to help your brain function at its optimal level.

    Here are some things to consider if you’re looking to “feng-shui” your workspace.

    Space yourself.

    A lot of projects require a large amount of space. Plus, sometimes it helps to have your work laid out all around you (like when you’re doing research). To prepare for this, make sure to keep your desk clear and clutter-free. If you constantly find yourself buried in piles of books and random papers—all of which have nothing to do with your work—you’re going to find it harder to focus. If you live in a small area or can’t spare the space, relocate to the library or a café with large tables when you need to spread out.

    Sound (or silence) it out.

    Some people need absolute silence to focus, while others thrive in the midst of noise. You can save appropriate soundscapes on your computer or phone to help you focus. Create a study playlist of “working songs” (depending on the person, that could feature hard rock, dubstep, classical piano sonatas, etc.). If music isn’t your thing, check out ambient or white noise generators, which create background noise to fit your preferences (like rainfall or “coffeeshop” sounds). And if you really like your silence… A pair of earplugs is your best friend!

    Eliminate distractions.

    Next time you’re finding it hard to concentrate, try and figure out what exactly is stopping you from getting your work done—and get rid of it. If Facebook updates or texts are constantly distracting you, disable those features on your devices (or put them away altogether). If you’re in a spot where people won’t stop talking, pack up your things and grab an individual study room. If you’re working near a window and can’t stop people-watching, close the curtains. It’s for your own good!

    Make it your own.

    The image of a cramped gray cubicle in a dimly lit office strikes panic in many of our hearts. Your workspace doesn’t have to be synonymous with a jail cell. You can actually form positive associations with your work if you personalize your environment a little. This can take on many forms: an inspiring desktop background, a mug of your favourite tea, a scented candle, a cat on your lap, etc. When work gets stressful, having familiar and comforting objects around can help you calm down.

  • How to Feel Good About Yourself

    How to Feel Good About Yourself

    Imagine for a second a world where you truly believe you can do anything; where the words “I can’t” no longer exist as part of your vocabulary. A place where you are as great as you always dreamed you could be. Now imagine that as your reality. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

    Here’s a few tips on how to feel good about yourself every single day!

    –Discover yourself: Get to know you. Listen to what you are thinking and feeling. Know what you want and why you want it. If it helps, keep a journal to help you understand yourself better.

    –Make a list every day: On the list write at least three things you really like about yourself. For instance, “I like how I can make people laugh even in uncomfortable situations” or “I like my eye colour.” It can be absolutely anything you like about yourself. This will help remind you why it’s great being you.

    –Remove the word can’t: Stop saying “I can’t do that” before you even try. Fear of failure is common and sadly it prevents most of us from doing things we’ve always wanted to do. To overcome this, think positively – don’t think of the worst possible scenario. Picture yourself succeeding. Some of the greatest experiences you will have in this life will come from overcoming things you thought you couldn’t do.

    –Treat others the way you want to be treated: It’s karma, baby; the idea you get back what you send out into the world. So send out the good, and always remember to treat others fairly and kindly.

    –Be prepared: One of the best ways to improve your self-confidence is by being prepared. Whether it’s a test you need to study for or a big basketball game coming up, make sure you are ready. Stop putting stuff off and get to it. You will feel more confident if you are ready to face what’s ahead.

    –Be grateful: Don’t dwell on what you don’t have. Be thankful for all you do have.

    –Exercise: It’s a great way to immediately boost your mood. It also helps in the long term to boost self-confidence. You will be healthier, happier and more sure of yourself.

    –Listen to your favorite song: Nothing gives me an instant boost of confidence and energy, especially in the morning, as my favorite song. It really helps me have the right attitude to face the day with.

    The most important thing to remember is to think positively. If you believe you are good enough, the world will see you that way.

  • The Importance of Finding Peace Within

    The Importance of Finding Peace Within

    In a world filled with obligations and seemingly never ending stress, finding inner peace can seem like the stuff of fairytales. The reality is that the majority of us are feeling the pressure of our daily lives in a big way. Poor quality food (yes chips, I am talking about you), poor sleeping habits (five hours a day truly isn’t enough) and mismanaged time can leave a person feeling perpetually like a ping pong ball darting back and forth on the table of life.

    As busy as our lives might be, it is important to find the time to look inwards to find a sense of peace in order to have some semblance of balance. Not only does finding inner peace feel good, it is essential. Inner peace means different things to different people, but the core of the definition remains the same; feeling internal harmony with an absence of internal strife. As previously mentioned, inner peace is essential; our three states of being (physical, spiritual and mental) rely upon it. Without it, anxiety, stress, depression, fear and restlessness – all bi-products of an absence of inner peace – are given leeway to take over our lives.

    As cliché as this may sound, inner peace helps to make the world go round. Let’s take that statement and apply it to a hypothetical situation. If there was a doctor who was manic depressive and due to his depression was unable to focus for long periods of time, developed chronic memory loss or became unreliable in his or her attendance at the office, said doctor could wind up causing some serious damage to or even killing one or more of his or her patients. The wrong medication could be prescribed, a client could be misdiagnosed or a hopeful patient would have traveled to the doctor’s office in vain looking for an absent doctor. Medical and legal chaos would ensue. As extreme as this example may seem, the absence of inner peace can cause such a large amount of discord in our lives through blindsided snowball effects that it can alter it and those around us.

    In an effort to find inner peace many of us turn to spirituality or religion. As the Dalai Lama so wisely stated, “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” His words mirror the teachings of so many religions today. In some way, shape or form, every religion functions on the act of mastering internal peace and then applying it externally. This transference of peace dictates the way that we live and communicate. Aside from religion, other methods of obtaining inner peace are through meditation, listening or creating music or engaging in a relaxing activity. Regardless of what you choose to do, remember that a peaceful person is a happy person and so are the people around them.

  • You Are Your Best Cheerleader

    You Are Your Best Cheerleader

    Being your own cheerleader is probably the most important thing you can do as you face new and repeated challenges. If you are entering secondary school for the first time, you are undoubtedly going to be faced with challenges and meet many new people. Due to diversity of opinions, and the fact that all people are different and see things differently, there is always risk of being hurt by others, or of questioning your own intentions or your own self-worth. If you are on your side, and you are your own cheerleader, you put yourself ahead of the game in terms of ensuring that you will not lose self-esteem because of other people’s misunderstandings. When you are well aware that what you are doing is the best that you can do, and you are happy within yourself about this, you are being your own cheerleader. When you know that you are taking actions and trying to do what is right for you, and you acknowledge this by demonstrating positive qualities like good self-esteem and confidence, you are being your own cheerleader.

    Although other people can tell you that you are doing a great job, no one can ever really replace you in terms of being the keystone to your confidence. If you rely on other people telling you that you are doing a good job, you may be fooling yourself as to your genuine happiness. Being your own cheerleader really means knowing yourself,  doing what is best for you and rewarding yourself for your positive thoughts, actions and behaviors. When you are on your own side, you are less reliant on other people to tell you of your worth.

    Everyone needs a social network and to feel loved and appreciated by their peers; this is necessary for good self-esteem. However, loving yourself is the most important thing. If you are always dependent on other people to tell you of your worth, you are not being your own cheerleader. By being dependent on yourself to know your worth and to know your own strengths and weaknesses, you are freeing yourself from the imprisoning perspective of others who do not know you as well as you know yourself.

    When you can pick yourself back up after you fall, you are demonstrating that you love and respect yourself and want what is best for you. When you are being your own cheerleader, you are being your best friend – and this is your key to success.

  • The Benefits of Volunteering in High School

    The Benefits of Volunteering in High School

    High school students, it’s time to get motivated! Volunteering while still in high school provides you with the framework for your future career path, as well as instills in you the importance of giving back to others. It may seem difficult to fit in volunteer hours with such a busy schedule of classes, studying and extracurricular activities, but with a little planning you can achieve your volunteer goals. Many not-for-profit organizations only require a few hours a week of your time. For example, the Ottawa Humane Society has a dog walking program that requires a commitment of 2 hours per week. If you love dogs, that is a very easy commitment to make! Even though you may not be reimbursed financially for your time, volunteering is something that can be put on your resume that will help impress future employers and university admissions officials alike. Below, a list of just some of the benefits that volunteerism can provide you:

    Impress Admissions Officials
    You’ve got the great GPA and amazing standardized test scores. But what makes you stand out from students with similar grades? The answer is what you do in your spare time. Volunteer hours and part-time jobs listed on your application will really make you shine. Volunteerism is a great way to show admissions officials that you not only care about the community, but are able to manage your time well enough to balance a volunteer job with your other commitments. By all means, don’t spend every spare minute working on your volunteer hours – you need to balance volunteerism with your personal life, too. But a sustained commitment to one particular cause over a year or two shows that you are willing to stick to something that you care about. This will be very impressive to admissions officials and work in your favour.

    Get Involved Outside of School
    Volunteering allows you to meet people you may not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise, especially if you are volunteering outside of school. If you have heard the term “networking”, that is essentially what you will be doing! You are forming a network of contacts that can help you get to where you want to be. If you already have a good idea of what you want to study in college or university, you can volunteer your time in that field. For example, if you want to study psychology, why not volunteer your time with the Canadian Mental Health Association? You can find volunteer opportunities for almost anything that interests you, so spread your wings outside of your school and gain immeasurable benefits!

    Earn Academic Credit and Scholarships
    Some high schools require you to put in volunteer hours in order to graduate. Others offer extra credits or scholarship opportunities if you do volunteer your time. Check with your high school’s administration office to see if any of these opportunities are available to you. If they are, take advantage of them! A scholarship will help you to cut down on your student loans when you reach university, and extra credits will look great on your transcript to help you land the university placement of your dreams. Check out studentawards.ca to find all of the different community service scholarships that are available – your volunteerism won’t only impress your university of choice, but also the officials who will be deciding whether or not you obtain your scholarship!

    Above are the curricular advantages to volunteerism. But let’s not forget the personal advantages that come from it, too. Giving back to your community and contributing positive energy to the world will do wonders for your self-esteem and self-worth. Volunteering is the way to go!

  • Let’s Resolve To Make It A Real Happy New Year

    Let’s Resolve To Make It A Real Happy New Year

    Wouldn’t it be wonderful if world leaders resolved to look at life in a different light this New Year? They could follow the example of Bhutan. In 1971, the small country, nestled in the Himalayas between China and India, rejected the idea of gross domestic product as the measure of progress. Instead, leaders focused on gross national happiness.

    The idea is finally gaining traction around the world, and I’m humbled and pleased to be involved with a global initiative to promote it. World leaders took the concept seriously enough to hold a United Nations Conference on Happiness in April 2012, and Bhutan was recognized for its environmental leadership at the recent UN climate summit in Doha, Qatar.

    Life isn’t perfect in Bhutan. It’s a poor country where most homes don’t have electricity. Crime is increasing and climate change is making life difficult for the farmers who provide much of the landlocked country’s food. Still, according to the Guardian, life expectancy in Bhutan has doubled over the past 20 years, almost all children now go to primary school and the country has been improving its infrastructure.

    Bhutan has also enshrined environmental protection and intergenerational equity in its constitution. The Right to a Healthy Environment is another initiative I’m excited about. The David Suzuki Foundation and I have been working with environmental lawyer and professor David R. Boyd and Ecojustice to promote the idea in Canada. Boyd’s book, The Right to a Healthy Environment: Revitalizing Canada’s Constitution, offers a wonderful analysis of where the world’s nations now stand on the concept, as well as strong arguments for why Canada should join the more than 140 nations that have put environmental protection in their constitutions.

    Caring for the environment can help achieve gross national happiness in many ways — by giving our children a more secure future, improving human health, ensuring resources are available to meet the needs of citizens, offering recreational and spiritual connections with nature and giving people a sense of pride and respect for the natural systems that keep us alive and healthy.

    There’s more to happiness than just having a clean environment — and Bhutan has yet to get there. According to research for the UN Conference on Happiness, “The happiest countries in the world are all in Northern Europe (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Netherlands).” Although these countries are wealthy, the study points out that money isn’t the only factor, as happiness is decreasing in countries like the U.S. “Political freedom, strong social networks and an absence of corruption are together more important than income in explaining well-being differences between the top and bottom countries,” the researchers write. “At the individual level, good mental and physical health, someone to count on, job security and stable families are crucial.” Note that the happiest countries all have healthy economies and robust social programs.

    We can also look at how various countries responded to the recent economic crisis. Those that bailed out banks and reduced social spending are facing the same kinds of problems as before. Iceland approached its massive financial meltdown in a way that was pretty much the opposite of that taken by the U.S. and Europe, refusing to rescue its banks and increasing social spending, among other measures.

    Iceland still has problems, but it has recovered faster than other nations, and its social safety net remains strong. Inequality has been reduced, and the crisis spurred citizens to propose and develop a new constitution, which is being considered by parliament.

    There’s an old saw that says the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. In the case of leaders who focus almost entirely on economic growth and corporate interests, it’s a recipe for disaster. As George Monbiot recently wrote in the U.K.’s Guardian, “In return for 150 years of explosive consumption, much of which does nothing to advance human welfare, we are atomising the natural world and the human systems that depend on it.”

    As light gradually returns to the north and we celebrate a season of sharing, our leaders could brighten all our lives by considering what really makes our societies strong, healthy and happy.

  • Love What You Do – Follow Your Natural Instincts!

    Love What You Do – Follow Your Natural Instincts!

    If you’re unsure of where you want to end up career-wise, try sitting down with a pen and paper to brainstorm. Write down all of the things that make you happy and all of the things that you’re passionate about. Think about what inspires you and write down what your hobbies and interests are. If writing doesn’t work for you, take out some magazines and cut out images or words that make you feel good or grab your attention. Doing this will help you to see what you like and what you’re naturally attracted to. By knowing what you like, it will make it easy for you to determine what you don’t like. Seems pretty straight forward, but you would be surprised by the amount of people that don’t take the time to figure out what interests them!

    If you’re someone like this, you may end up going into a work placement knowing you don’t like it and you’ll end up switching jobs a week or a month down the road. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because trying one job and not liking it may actually lead you to the one you really want to be doing. However, you want to avoid bouncing around from job to job because it doesn’t help you build up your credentials and ultimately takes time away from you growing at what you’d actually love to be doing.

    There can be negativity surrounding the idea of pursuing what you love. Have you ever heard the expression, “love doesn’t pay the bills?” Some people don’t feel it’s possible to actually do what they love, or that if they did the money wouldn’t be worthwhile. In reality it can be quite the opposite. A mentor once told me, “If you love what you’re doing, the money will come. But you need to really love what you’re doing and you need to really believe in it.”

    If you don’t believe you can make a living doing what you love, then you won’t. Attitude is important when it comes to pursuing a passion. Having the right attitude and the right support group can make doing what you love a lot easier. There are many people that earn an income from their passions, but understand that none of them got to where they were just by thinking about it or by staying at a job they hated. They put in a lot of time, blood, sweat and tears. They put themselves out there, learned what they needed, practiced their craft and took risks. Photographers, writers, graphic artists, designers – the list goes on! Find these people that are doing what they love and surround yourself with them. It will help to inspire you to do what YOU love.

    Choosing a career based around things that you enjoy will not only motivate you to continue with it, but will also give you a reason to wake up in the morning. You’ll have something to be excited about and to look forward to. There is nothing worse than waking up dreading your work day and being unhappy and resentful because you aren’t enjoying what you’re doing. In order to love what you do, you need to know what you love first. So write it down, cut out magazine images, try different things and talk to the people who are doing what you want to be doing. The best part about finding a career that makes you love what you do is the fact that you’ll feel like you’ve never worked a day in your life.