Inspiring Workplaces: Clearing the Path for an Amazing Year

Published: Wed, 01/07/15

Humor at Work

ISSUE 566 - Jan. 7, 2015


			Clearing the Path for an Amazing Year

	Happy 2015 everyone! Thanks for returning for what I'm certain will be another fun and fabulous year. This is the time of year when people think about what they want to accomplish in the year ahead, but what if one of the keys to achieving those positive goals is to focus on the negative? Sounds a bit counterintuitive, but some goal-setting experts believe the best way to achieve changes in your life is to focus on what's blocking you from making those changes, rather than merely focusing in a positive way on the desired outcome. Identifying the roadblocks, understanding the obstacles in your path, and working to eliminate them is the key to reaching your goals. So as you think about the goals you want to accomplish and the changes you want to make in your personal and professional life, don't just plaster on a happy face and rely on willpower - spend some time thinking about the blocks in your path and ask what you need to stop doing to in order start doing something different. ************************************************************************************************************************************ Speaking of new goals, I'm excited to tell you about a few things on the Humor at Work horizon for 2015: Our 30-day Humor Advantage Program** is up and running. This is the perfect time of the year to think about what you can do to ramp up the fun and inspiration in your workplace. Great cultures don't happen by accident! On January 20th I'm leading a webinar called Teaching Company Culture to New Employees. It'll be packed with fun and fabulous ideas! The long-waited book, The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank, is garnering rave reviews. We're hoping to officially launch the book by early March, and we'll of course let you know how you can get copies at a discounted rate for bulk orders... and when the movie comes out. We're redesigning the entire Humor at Work website, so if you have suggestions for what you'd love to see on our new site, drop me a line at info@mikekerr.com. We'll be back with more videos, contests and other great stuff, so watch for those! As always we love hearing from you, so let us know what's new, what you're excited about or what you need help with, and we'll do our best to get back to you right away, if not sooner. All the best for an inspiring and fun 2015!

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

Don't overlook the importance of trumpeting last year's successes! Create a designated wall where people can post photos, newspaper headlines, quotes, or just the words that would capture your top memories and highlights of 2014. Or create a photo album, yearbook or scrapbook that archives the milestones and accomplishments from each year. Create a Top-10 list of the Top-10 greatest achievements of you or your team (toss in a few fun ones). Do a team video counting down the top highlights. Create a fun awards ceremony and dole out awards that remind people of the year's highlights, including offbeat highlights such as The Person Who Made Us Laugh the Loudest During a Meeting Award, The Person Who Almost Never Made it to Work Award, or the Person Who Nearly OD'd on Caffeine Award... Turn this into an annual tradition and encourage people to record their milestones and accomplishments as 2015 unfolds so you're ready for 2016. Even if you work alone, don't discount the importance of doing this. Reflecting on and celebrating the positive, and being grateful for the positive accomplishments in your life, is one of the key ways to boost your level of happiness.
		Quote of the Week

"Most New Year's resolutions go in one year, and out the other." Unknown
		It's a Wacky World

2015 is the Year of the Goat/Sheep/Ram on the Chinese calendar, while January is official Get Organized Month, Get a Balanced Life Month (who wants that?), Creativity Month, Be On Purpose Month, International New Years Resolutions for Businesses Month and, of course...Polka Month! There's also a slew of wacky theme days, including: January 8: Show and Tell at Work Day January 11: Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day January 13: Poetry at Work Day January 14: Dress Up Your Pet Day January 22: Answer Your Cat's Question Day January 24: Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day January 28: Kazoo Day January 30: Inane Answering Machine Message Day For the complete list, saunter on over to January theme days.

Inspiring Workplaces 30-Day Program: The perfect way to kick off a new year!

Lower stress, spark innovation, boost morale and create a more fun, passionate workplace that drives outrageous results! The Humor Advantage 30-Day Program

Inspiring Workplaces Culture Webinar

January 20, Mike leads a 60-minute webinar called "Teaching Company Culture to New Employees." For more information and to register, go to: Teaching Company Culture to New Employees

Cost-Savings to Bring Mike in to Energize Your Workplace

Halifax, March 22-23

London, Ontario: May 25-27

September 24-28, Georgia

Inspiring Reading

No one likes working with a soul-destroying fun-sucker. Here's a few tips on dealing with negative people at work, and how to Turn Complainers Into Explainers.

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