The Happiness Project: Session One with Steph Peltier
A happy workplace is a productive workplace, but we know it isn’t possible to be 100% happy all of the time. That’s why we’ve introduced The Happiness Project. “What does this mean though?” we hear you ask.
The Happiness Project is our way of tracking and benchmarking our happiness in the workplace through our Happiness Index. The team will complete a short questionnaire every month which will lead to a more in-depth quarterly review.
We kicked things off with a session with the hugely inspirational happiness activator, therapist and all round ball of energy and knowledge, Steph Peltier.
Here’s what we got up to:
Connecting through meditation
There’s a common misconception that meditation is simply about emptying your mind of every possible thought. This isn’t the case. Steph helped us identify the importance of our breathing techniques as well as focussing our attention on the heart area.
Using simple techniques, such as balancing our breath work by counting to five, we were able to maintain our concentration which made meditating a much easier process.
We’re social creatures, the need to connect with others and experience compassion and kindness is imprinted in our DNA. But we often don’t have the clarity of thought to do so effectively – which is where meditation comes into the equation. Safe to say the feedback from the team has been positive so far and meditating has been seeping into our daily routines!
Challenging perspectives
Next up, we switched our attention to challenging some pre-existing thoughts that were potentially holding us back. We started by asking ourselves some simple questions:
- 5 year rule (will this truly matter in 5 years time?)
- Is this 100% true?
- Can I find a different perspective with opportunities?
Surprise, surprise – it turns out that a lot of the things we get bogged down by on a daily basis don’t pass any of these questions. So what’s the point in letting them consume us?
Finding the good
Optimism is a skill you can nurture and grow to counterbalance the natural negativity bias of the brain. Steph challenged us to implement a Gratitude Journal into our morning routine:
- Every morning, write down 3 things you are grateful for
- Connect with the emotion (gratitude, love, joy …)
- I am grateful for … because it makes me feel …
While seemingly simple, these frequent affirmations are a great way to put you in the right mindset before the rest of your day.
With the resounding success of Session One already being implemented into daily routine, the team are excited for the next steps in our journey with Steph Peltier. Watch this space!
