Happiness Is Courage

Chief Happiness Officer and Radical Positivity Activist with a mission to increase the happiness ratio of the world!

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"Bring your authentic self." That's a huge ask when your authentic self puts you at risk. We know it's important, but it's definitely often not easy. How are you making it possible for your people to bring their whole selves to work? #happiness #pride2021 #chiefhappinessofficer #happinessiscourage #diversityequityinclusion #newweeknewquote https://www.instagram.com/p/CPlItwaDXvY/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Get a doctorate, they said. It will be fun, they said. #prospectus #revision #brainzapping (Ok, it is fun sometimes... Sometimes.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMBoO85DEz6/?igshid=zcueiqbev9gr

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Can we talk about sleep? 💤😴💤 I'm tired, honestly. I'm spending a lot of time in the deep levels of working on my doctorate while trying to maintain the rest of life, too. I knew this was the reality going on, so this isn't a pity party, just a baseline for the convo. This level of tiredness isn't meant to be a lifestyle. It's a temporary phase, like having a baby who gives up naps or isn't sleeping because they're teething, or a temporary crunch because your partner for such and you're pulling extra duty on that project that's due Tuesday l. There are pockets of time where we're probably going to be stretched a little thin. For a little while. Here's the problem. Our culture has glamorized exhaustion. Wanna be successful? Get up at 3am so you can go the the gym before putting in a 16 hour day. Learn how to biohack your body to squeeze a little more performance out of a lot less sleep! And when people ask you how you are, make sure you say, "Man, I'm busy, but it's great!" even though you're actually killing yourself from stress and sleep deprivation. And the rates of insomnia... Holy hell. You know what I'm talking about. It's not good. We used to say "Work smarter, not harder." Now we talk about ways to slice and dice our calendars to get an extra couple hours' worth of work out of the space time continuum, and we idolize people who brag that they do all this on 3 hours of sleep and a power greens smoothie. And our youngest generations are hitting burnout faster than anyone could have imagined. That should freak you out. It certainly has me worried. I've already had my fill of seeing my kid in ICU because they fell asleep driving home... You don't want to go there. We've really got to rethink the entire narrative around success. And to do that, we need to have our brains working well, and they can't do that when we're treating them like prisoners of war. Let's take a better-rested path forward. It's there waiting for us! Our businesses depend on it, our families depend on it, our very life very literally depends on it. How can I help you get started? #happinessiscourage #takeabreak #selfcare #insomniaproblems #sleep #sleepdeprived #stresstriage https://www.instagram.com/p/CLz7MDsDQN7/?igshid=nf4mx009txgf

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I love this. I have a collaborator who said, "Hey, can we move that meeting a little earlier in the week? I'm trying to schedule a tech detox day." Heck yeah we can! That's some solid self-advocating there and I know how frazzled many of us feel these days. I'm happy to accommodate so that when they come back they're recharged, refreshed and ready to dive back in. I am working for the day when people are generally less frazzled as a baseline. Until we get there, I'm committed to being responsive to those I work with and responsible for my own well-being. How are you taking care of yourself and your teams? #leadership #motivation #mentalhealth #success #leadershipdevelopment #inspiration #lessonslearned #moredazzlelessfrazzle #employeeengagement #happinessiscourage https://www.instagram.com/p/CLuCwa1DjbW/?igshid=warsa03417wr

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This quote by bell hooks really resonates with me. I hope you find some value in these words, as well. ❤️ I'm so grateful to have the wisdom of others to build upon. #HappinessIsCourage #leadership #ScienceOfHappiness #practicegratitude #resilience #ResultsandRelationships #Resilience #GratitudeJournal #ChiefHappinessOfficer #LifeCoachesofInstagram #HappinessCoach #protip #livekindandprosper #WorkLifeBalance #kindnessmatters https://www.instagram.com/p/CLireF4j7Jf/?igshid=kh0fhoq9ypbn

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Raise your hand if life's got some unpleasant or just downright difficult challenges right now. ✋🏻✋🏼✋🏽 Literally everyone I know or meet is juggling some heavy stuff. It starts to feel like an emotional black hole sometimes, and while I truly do my best to maintain a robust level of hope, optimism, gratitude and yes, happiness, sometimes that's easier said than done. I'm lucky to have built both a brand based on happiness, and, more crucially, a support network of family, friends and colleagues who are amazing humans, too. I have spaces where I feel safe trusting these folks with the realness of my life. It makes such a difference, y'all. I spent decades behind walls I built out of fear, and I don't judge anyone who's doing the same thing right now. Sometimes that IS your best option in the moment. If you want to move out into the light, though, know that there are people who care. Probably more than you know about, especially if you're in "distressed armadillo" mode (by which I mean rolled up tight just hoping to survive). My aunt sent this little gem which arrived today.💖 It symbolizes my whole paradigm. For me, Happiness truly is Courage, and living a life dedicated to helping others find their happiness is sweeter than any honey. #happinessiscourage #Gratitude #ChiefHappinessOfficer https://www.instagram.com/p/CLhgRj5DonC/?igshid=7k8pstz3cwh1

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I'm a fan of living intentionally. I'm also a fan of ~living~. Embrace the "being" part of "human being"! #happinessiscourage #chiefhappinessofficer #leadership https://www.instagram.com/p/CLBMXGIDAQM/?igshid=46e568m22yaz

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There are so many "small things" for which I am grateful, and this gives me almost limitless opportunities to engage with gratitude on an ongoing basis, each time building a little more "emotional muscle fibre". It's pretty awesome, actually. #Happinessiscourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer #Gratitude https://www.instagram.com/p/CK-nMlKDrYD/?igshid=11ph3mlfr4c4f

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“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” – Leonardo da Vinci What are you doing this week? Mondays are such a great opportunity for new beginnings! #HappinessIsCourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer #Leadership #motivationmondays #mondayvibes #businessmotivation #businessbuilders #successstory https://www.instagram.com/p/CKvK95uD7n_/?igshid=1hi9ki9qi0igx

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Our vision of courage is often stern-faced, rugged, even angry. If we see courage, however, not as the lack of fear, but rather as a result of deciding that some things are more important than our fears, then truly, that *is* happiness. Happiness flourishes when we live a life aligned with our deepest values, when we are connected in meaningful ways to others, other people, other beliefs, other missions that transcend ourselves. Happiness is not eternal, it is a fleeting response to a specific collection of stimuli. And yet, we can draw from current, remembered, and anticipated moments of happiness as a deep wellspring of courage. We can use it to fuel the work that goes into thriving while human Are you brave enough to allow happiness into your life? Tag someone who brings happiness into your life! #HappinessIsCourage #inspirationnotdesperation #ChiefHappinessOfficer #LifeCoachesofInstagram #GratitudeAttitude #practicegratitude #BoldNewAttitude #RandomActsofKindness #HappinessCoach #GratitudeJournal #kindnessmatters #livekindandprosper #liveyourbestlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CKmUX7oHri9/?igshid=1q5p0vkpoh9av

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It feels like we've all been holding our breath for so, so long. Take a moment, close your eyes, and just breathe deeply. Let your lungs empty... completely. Give yourself that gift.💖 #happinessiscourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer #LifeCoachesofInstagram #GratitudeAttitude #practicegratitude #BoldNewAttitude #RandomActsofKindness #HappinessCoach #breathe #exhale #pause #refresh #culturematters https://www.instagram.com/p/CKSjM9PLRJf/?igshid=7f6xx5ku5t8d

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I believe it's important to share knowledge that is inspiring AND practical. My mission is to guide people to go out into the world able to work better, healthier, more productively, and happier! I'm grateful to have the opportunity to do this for organizations seeking to serve their employees and their attendees in meaningful ways If you're planning an event and looking for someone to inspire your audiences I'd love to connect! #HappinessIsCourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer #keynotespeaker #motivationmondays #eventplanner #virtualconference https://www.instagram.com/p/CKMotMrjhAN/?igshid=hk1gisghlg17

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Sometimes, hope feels like a tiny, almost invisible spark in a very dark world. Sometimes, especially when we gather together to share our common human experiences, it feels like a transformational wave of positive emotion than can help us restore the strength we need to keep going. Nobody said being human was going to be easy - but it sure can be EASIER when we have others with us on our journey. I had the deep, humbling privilege of participating in this incredible event, with over 200 voices sharing eight HOURS of messages of hope, woven together into this amazing expression of the very #resilience that humanity relies on during the good times but especially during the challenging ones, to keep us going. I encourage you to bookmark the link (in my bio ⏩ @sarahratekin ⏪) and when you're in need of a refill, spend a few minutes listening. I'm sure there's something here for you, too. ❤️ @360nationow #HappinessIsCourage #hopefest #bizcatalyst360 #gratitudeattitude #Gratitude #humansfirst https://www.instagram.com/p/CJkFe9RDyf_/?igshid=41828sbuazx0

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We all know it's not always WHAT you know but WHO you know that makes a difference, right? Well, I'm excited to know these folks! As you know, I'm a coffee-drinker extraordinaire, so you can imagine how excited I was when my former colleague shared that her husband had opened a coffee company, @rawbeanltd, and she was joining the business! And because we're friends, they created a discount code for me to share with YOU! Use discount code HAPPINESS2021 and get 20% off your orders. You can use it as often as you like this year, and best of all, there's no minimum spend! I've already used it for MY order, and I will be using it again, for sure! They're based in the UK, AND they're a small business, so I encourage you to be kind AND patient when you order - but I know these folks, and they're good AND kind people. I love supporting small businesses, and it's even better when they're run by amazing humans who are trying to make the world a better place. ♥ Cups up, y'all! ♥ https://rawbean.co.uk/ #HappinessIsCourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer #Caffeinated #smallbusiness https://www.instagram.com/p/CJjx_sIDVPI/?igshid=1jims37z619t6

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It's ok not to have everything figured out. All you really need is a general direction. Plans change all the time, for zillions of reasons, and that's OK. Let your hope be the guiding light, and take the steps you need, one at a time, to create the plan to realize your possibilities. #HappinessIsCourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer https://www.instagram.com/p/CJiAbFjDK6Y/?igshid=ilvcnk0i4psd

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Do you have #professionaldevelopment budget dollars you still need to spend for this year? (I know how those Finance pride can get!) 💵💲 Maybe you'd like to get your teams ready to kick of #2021 with a positive attitude, more resilient team dynamics and better #StressManagement strategies in place ☺️, and certainly we could all use a good #workplaceculture check in and reset as we look forward to the #NewYear. #Holiday pricing available on workshops booked by the end of the year, with scheduled dates 📖 available through the end of March 2021 at these great rates! Get up to 20% off as we get ready to say #byebye2020 👋👋👋 Link in bio. Message me before they're gone! #happyholidays from #HappinessIsCourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer #workplacewellbeing #WorkplaceStress #corporateculture #leadershipskills #hrconsultant #indybusiness #noblesvilleindiana #smallbusiness #veteranowned #indianabusiness #hamiltoncountyindiana #wintersale #virtualworkshop https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6k39VDP47/?igshid=1230seqpmxke0

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I get it. I so do. I'm THE ULTIMATE extrovert, and I really am struggling to manage in this weirdness that we call 2020. I'm also committed to scraping EVERY bit of joy I can out of this year, including this December. I'm not wasting a SINGLE opportunity to gather a #silverthread. So, if that means sacrificing to keep Santa safe, then, well... let the SHENANIGANS ensue!! #BeNaughty #SaveSantaTheTrip #HappinessIsCourage #ChiefHappinessOfficer #sociallydistanced #covidchristmas #happinessontheroad #HappinessCoach #liveyourbestlife #SilverThreads #shenanigans #bettersafethansorry #havesomefun #Gratitude #gratitudeattitude #motivationalmoments https://www.instagram.com/p/CIhk-zlD5EV/?igshid=pw6socvnyj3g