There were some interesting ‘off the cuff’ comments from some Presenters at the Happiness and its Causes Conference in Brisbane recently.
Let me share some that might be of value to you in your work as Change Leaders.
Dr Jane Goodall
It’s a pity we’ve lost the concept of the elders. Then we used to ask ‘What are the consequences of our actions for our community, our world, our future? Now we ask: what will make me happy now?
Matthieu Ricard (inspiring!)
Compassion without wisdom is blind; compassion without action is sterile
Dr Robert Biswas-Diener
Life is beautiful because it gives us second chances – until we get it right
Dr Anthony Grant, presenter ABC Making Australia Happy
Eight steps to happiness:
1. Write your eulogy (clarifies your goals and values)
2. Do random acts of kindness
3. Practice mindfulness
4. Identify your strengths
5. Practice gratitude
6. Forgive
7. Develop social networks
8. Reflect, review and renew
Roko Belic, filmmaker The Happy Movie
Everything we do in our lives affects someone. And if it doesn’t, it affects you and that eventually affects someone else
Professor Paula Barrett
The brain continuously forms new cells no matter how old you are as long as you are well, get plenty of sleep, eat a good diet and exercise regularly. (i.e. neuroplasticity)
Michael Rosengren
Ideas for building resilience:
* Develop the skill of ‘savouring’
* Spend one hour a week to do something for someone or a cause
* Physically move for one hour a day
* Be present (eg being on your phone when you are supposed to be engaging with someone else or in meetings etc is disrespectful)
* Have someone to love and something to do or to look forward to.
Dr Russ Harris
Self-confidence does not mean no fear or anxiety. Confidence is a cognitive state.
It’s irrational not to be afraid but you can control and manage it.
Genuine confidence is not the absence of fear and anxiety; it is your transformed relationship with it
Sarah Wilson
Negative thoughts are ‘stickier’ than positive thoughts
Dr Paul Eckman
Does being compassionate benefit the giver more than the receiver?
Professor Marco Iacoboni (one of the star presenters in my view)
Our capacity for empathy is hard-wired (mirror neurons)
There are degrees of empathy. We tend to be more empathetic with people or things that are like us
B. Alan Wallace (another fabulous thinker)
Humans can use intelligence to find other ways beyond appearance to find similarities and therefore be empathetic.
We are all creatures of habit but as humans we can choose the habits we want (neuroplasticity).
Professor Pat McGorry
Genuine happiness comes not from what we are getting from the world but rather what we are giving to the world.
Michael J Gelb
How to think like Leonardo da Vinci every day –
* Have an insatiable quest for knowledge and continuous improvement
* Learn from experience, be an independent thinker
* Sharpen your senses – pick up on what is going on around you
* Manage ambiguity and change
* Be a whole brain thinker
* Maintain body as well as mind fitness
* Be a systems thinker.
Should you go to the next one?
I enjoyed the Conference but I did not think it was anywhere near as insightful and illuminating as its sister conference Mind and Its Potential
But as with everything we experience in life, there is always food for thought if you look for it.
So I am confident you found some ideas that resonated with you in the above list.
And if you did, then the next step is: so what will you do with it? What do you need to do more of, less of or keep on doing and how will you hold yourself accountable for that?
Go well.
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