Surrounding yourself with happy people will distract you from negative thoughts, like that annoying co-worker.  Happiness is contagious - scientifically speaking.  

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and we’re talking about who you surround yourself with.

I was reading this article in Psychology King that was fascinating and I’m going to give you the cliff notes here. 

There are apparently a number of reasons why being around happy people makes us happier. For one, it distracts us from the negative thoughts, the annoyance at work, the email you just received.  You literally cannot be happy and mad at the same time. 

But what was interesting is this concept called behavioral contagion. This is the tendency of behaviors exhibited by one individual to be copied by others nearby. In other words: monkey see, monkey do. This is why it’s so difficult not to yawn when you see somebody else yawning. 

Now, you’re yawning… I get it. Me too.  

Now, let’s be real, we can’t always choose who we have to interact with.  But what about the people we can choose?  Perhaps we limit the time with the negative nellie and increase the time with the friend that’s supportive and happy.  That happiness will wear off on you.  It’s scientifically proven that when we are around happy people, we will be happier.   

I invite you to choose an interaction today, just for happiness.  Perhaps you limit one or you intentionally seek out someone that you know brings you happiness.  Either way you’re winning.   

Let me know how it went, DM me on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram. 

And, do you want Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox?  Well, you’re in luck, you can subscribe over on www.katiejefcoat.com while you are there to check out the kindness cards in our brand new shop.  There is also a link in the show notes.   

Until next time, remember, kindness is contagious.

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

Misery loves company, but so does happiness! By making the active choice to surround yourself with "glass-half-full" people, you can improve your own happiness!

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and what I know for sure, is that the people you surround yourself with matter.    

So, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “misery loves company”, but research shows that being around miserable and unhappy people also creates more misery and unhappiness within ourselves.  You could see this in 2020 as we entered a global pandemic. I mean, how many people were doom scrolling social media and obsessed with watching the news.  It was addictive.    

The good news is that it also works the other way—being around happy people makes us happy.  So, how do we make sure the people we interact with every day are happy? It’s actually easier than you think. 

I mean, we’ve also all heard “laughter is the best medicine” right?  It’s contagious.  Happiness, like kindness, is contagious and that’s pretty cool.  

There is a study out of the University of California that pretty much proves this. 

I went down a psychology rabbit hole on this topic.  I wanted to understand why we were happier when we surround ourselves with happy people and what tweeks we could do to enhance this effect for ourselves.  So tomorrow we’ll dig deeper into contagious happiness.  

But for now, make a mental note of who you surround yourself with?  Who would you like to spend more time with and how can you make that happen? 

And, do you want Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox?  Well, you’re in luck, you can subscribe over on www.katiejefcoat.com while you are there to check out the kindness cards in our brand new shop.  There is also a link in the show notes.   

Until next time, remember, kindness is contagious.

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

Have you ever had that moment where you had great, fantastic, amazing news to share but then felt guilty because the person listening to your happiness was having a bad day? Maybe you tried to downplay your joy to balance the scales? In this episode, we are talking about happiness guilt.  

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I was wondering, have you ever been so happy you’ve felt guilty for it?  I mean, there are starving children.  Millions of people are suffering, there is job loss, poor health, so much suffering.  Yet, you seem pretty happy on this hypothetical happiness scale.  You almost don't want to tell people how good you are feeling.

As crazy as this sounds, going down the rabbit hole of anger and despair, even for the most righteous causes, only puts you in a doom and gloom and that is not helpful or productive for yourself and the people around you. 

Happiness is often something we work toward everyday.  We choose happiness.  Through an Arthur Brook’s article, I was introduced to the work of one of the first great Hindu monks to come to the West, Paramhansa Yogananda.  He said “Learn to be secretly happy within your heart in spite of all circumstances, and say to yourself: Happiness is the greatest Divine birthright—the buried treasure of my Soul.”

Arthur Brooks would take it even further and say “share your buried treasure with those around you.”

Whether you believe in thought leaders from a century ago or the relevant research today, or you just have a gut feeling that happiness is the key that unlocks so much fulfillment, then you already know that there is no need to keep your happiness secret, suppress it, or bury it under complaints and outrage.

The research is overwhelmingly clear, sharing happiness with others improves both your life and the lives around you.    

So share what you are happy about and use the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram so we can cheer you on.

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

Do you ever feel out of control with your time? Are you checking all the "boxes" but still feel unfulfilled? Life isn't about boxes; it's about moments. Learn more in this episode!

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I was talking with a friend the other day about just how busy her schedule was and how she didn’t think she had a free moment to savor an experience, identify her North star, or just take a deep breath. She was time famished and it was affecting her happiness and daily satisfaction.  You see, she was checking all the todo boxes, but she wasn’t feeling fulfilled.  Has that ever happened to you?  What we find is that checking off the todo list does not bring us the fulfillment we’re after.  

We can hack this feeling of busyness by prioritizing something calm and fulfilling for you.  This could be a cup of coffee in the morning before anyone else wakes up, perhaps with a book or just time with your own thoughts.  Even meditation.  Now, I’ll admit, for me, waking up early during the summer is harder - but I know how good it is for my day.  But, because sleep is my number one priority, I need to back out what time I want to wake up with what time I want to fall asleep.   It’s all connected. 

The point is that we have some choice.  Whether we think we do right now or not.  When we take agency for ourselves, our happiness grows.  Take a deep breath friend, where are your 5 minutes of time confetti today?  Maybe it’s even longer? 

Share with me over on Instagram DMs @everydayhappinesswithkatie  And remember, kindness is contagious. And if you haven’t yet, check out our Kindness Cards over in the shop at www.katiejefcoat.com 

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

Do you have a list of priorities in life? If so, how do you take action to make them happen every single day? Tune in to learn how to do it! 

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and yesterday I mentioned my 5 North Star priorities.  The things that are top of mind as I go through my day, but also as I think about my free time.  This is going to be different for everyone, but my hope in giving you a glimpse into my life will inspire you to look inward and think about your own life.   What I’ve found is that living a fulfilling life is so multifaceted and this is just one way I keep myself in check. 

So my top 5 priorities are: 

1. Sleep 

This shows up in usually going to bed early.  My kids tease me.  I’ll admit, it’s harder in the summertime.  

Next, I’ve decided, I’ve literally put a steak in the ground that my marriage always takes priority.  Unless I’m not getting enough sleep, because we all know, I need sleep.  So that looks like 15-minutes to sit and have coffee when my husband is working from home (I tell him it’s a shorter commute) or it’s a long walk or an evening out. It could be a quarterly weekend away.  

Next my kids.  And this shows up to be available for their interests. 

Connection is pretty self explanatory, when we have human connection with people that lift us up, we’re happier.  This can be in person, on the phone, even a video chat.  I make sure that I have a connection built into every day in my calendar.   

And finally on this list of 5 is my business.  This doesn’t mean that the business is last, it just means that when everything else is aligned, the business will thrive.  

I’m curious, what would be your North Star? How would you accomplish it? DM me on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and let me know.  Share your north star priority on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram. 

And remember, kindness is contagious. And if you haven’t yet, check out our Kindness Cards over in the shop at www.katiejefcoat.com 

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

What is your north star? What is that one thing or list of things that make you want to get out of bed in the morning? I challenge you to create a north star list in this episode! 

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and today we’re chatting about identifying your north star as an exercise to help us think about what our priorities are so that we can use our Intentional Margins® in our day to live in fulfillment of those priorities.  

No one needs all-the-things, just the things that are fulfilling to them.  But if you don’t know what that is, you feel stuck on the hamster wheel of todos.  

Today, I invite you to make a list of the things, the people, the relationships that matter most to you.  

Ask yourself, why are those things important to you? 

Then, ask yourself, is there time on my calendar to engage in these priorities? Can I carve out some time?  What would that look like? 

What you’ll come up with is your North Star list of priorities and your Intentional Margins®.  When you create harmony between your todos - all those things we know we have to get done - and your priorities, you start living in your Intentional Margins®.

For me, these North Star priorities are written in my paper planner so that I can refer to my list often. I get a new planner every quarter and I re-evaluate (or add something in).  They are in the following order:

1. Sleep 

I’m curious, what would be on your North Star list? DM me on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and let me know. 

And remember, kindness is contagious. And if you haven’t yet, check out our Kindness Cards over in the shop at www.katiejefcoat.com 

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

Why we should treat ourselves with compassion, loving kindness, and how to do it.

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I came across this meditation concept “compassion loving kindness” where the idea is that you give compassion to yourself, it’s tied to self-love, empathy and understanding.  I just found this idea fascinating. I think the idea is that if you can give compassion to yourself, you can freely give compassion to others. 

“Loving-kindness meditation soothes the mind and reduces subjective feelings of suffering. Traditional Buddhist practices in different parts of the world consider this practice as a pathway for cultivating happiness, appreciation, satisfaction, and ultimate acceptance (Bodhi, 2005; Shen-Yen 2001).”

In an article published in Positive Psychology, it says that “repeating kind words to ourselves such as “May you be well,” “May you be happy,” “May you be healthy,” etc., infuse a deep sense of self-worth instantaneously. During loving-kindness meditation, all we need to do is commit to some dedicated moments of appreciation, gratitude, and encouragement, first to ourselves and then to others.” 

The benefits are enormous which include not being so hard on yourself and less destructive thoughts, positive emotions, resilience and reduction in physical pain.  

Whether you practice a formal meditation or you sit with your thoughts or you just have 5 quick minutes, a loving-kindness thought pattern can be incredibly beneficial when we focus our attention to self-compassion.  

I invite you to spend 2 minutes in gratitude and compassion for exactly who you are in this moment.  There will never be a moment exactly like this one again and we get to experience this one moment in time.

Until next time, remember, kindness is contagious. Go out there and spread some kindness in the world.   

Inspired by https://positivepsychology.com/loving-kindness-meditation/#research

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

What I’ve learned from doing a daily podcast for a whole year.  Today we go behind the scenes.   

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and today, we’re going behind the scenes.  First, even though these episodes are 2-ish minutes long, man do they take a long time to create and produce.  Reading and researching and thinking about what would be impactful and how to distill that in 2 minutes. It was a much bigger project than I thought when I started this a year ago.  I’m not sure I have much advice for a new podcasts, except, it takes longer than you think to get these out the door and loaded into the internet. 

With that, I’ve leaned that a cost effective lapel mic in my closet filled with clothes really does make great sound.  So I spend a lot of time in my closet, which is so weird.  I thought I would be recording in my home office, but that just did not work.  So, off the tiny closet I go to record episodes with hopefully a good sound quality.  

I have a team, and I really couldn’t imagine doing it without them.  Jeff, Jeimy, Chelsey, Richelle and Jen all make the world go round.  It takes a village and everyone has their part.  365 episodes later, we run like a well-oiled machine and it feels so aligned. 

Even though it’s a well-oiled machine, there are so many times I’m sending podcasts at the very last minute, either I’m looking for inspiration to strike or it’s been a busy few days and man, is that stressful. So in year two, I’m looking to be more than 12 hours ahead in my recording schedule, for everyone’s sake.  

As we look toward year two, we have some exciting changes coming our way.  Most importantly, we want to hear from you, our amazing listeners. If you have something that makes you happy that you are willing to share, or if you have an idea what happiness means to you, please sign up to chat with me as a podcast guest.  Send me a DM for the link or go to the show notes to find it, at https://calendly.com/katiejefcoat.   

This year, to commemorate this milestone we launched Kindness Cards.  A postcard that sends a smile. We’d be so honored if you checked them out over at www.katiejefcoat.com 

Until next time, remember, kindness is contagious.  

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

We’re celebrating and there is a scientific reason why celebrating boosts happiness.   

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and today is a big day for the Everyday Happiness team!  We’re turning ONE.  That’s 365 episodes of daily happiness.    

Today we celebrate and there is a big happiness reason why we should all be celebrating our milestones and accomplishments, big or small.  Celebrations cause you to linger on the positive, feeling the sort of gratitude that increases happiness and even extends your life.

We talk about this in the context of savoring.  Celebrating is a type of savoring. When we stop and notice and appreciate our accomplishment.  In doing this, we’re enhancing positive experiences and that is proven to increase well-being and boost our happiness.  

So today, we pause and take it all in.  And of course, it’s more fun to celebrate with those that helped you along the way.  First, our dedicated listeners - you are simply incredible. You feed our souls and give us purpose and we could not be more grateful for you.  Sharing this little heartbeat of a podcast has made all the difference as we grow organically through your support.  Thank you for sharing with friends.  Downloads matter and it’s the only way we can reach more people and spread our mission of happiness and kindness.    

The Everyday Happiness team has evolved this year and I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out Jeff, Blessy, Jeimy, Chelsey, Richelle and Jen.  They make the magic in post production and get every episode out into the world through podcast platforms and social media.  

My husband thought I was crazy to commit to a daily podcast, and I still might be - but he’s been so stinkin supportive of my dream to spread happiness and kindness and it makes researching, writing and recording shows so much easier when your partner has your back.  

So, pop the confetti and cheers to 365 more!  

If you haven’t yet - share this podcast with 3 friends.  And check out our kindness cards in our shop at www.katiejefcoat.com where you can spread kindness to those you love.  Until next time, remember, kindness is contagious.  

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/

Happiness can't be categorized into specific life blocks; it permeates every factor of life. Just because you are happy at work doesn't mean you are happy at home. Finding true happiness means finding balance in life and happiness across the board. Learn more in this episode! 

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat. So many of us go all-in on our careers, thinking that when we “make it”, we’ll finally be happy.  That elusive quest for happiness is such a big word.  I know so many people who have put everything into their professional career at the expense of their personal lives.  Were there times they were happy, of course.  But lately, those friends are looking back and wondering why they’re successful and still unhappy.  It’s like they’re on the treadmill and can’t reach this destination they think exists. 

It’s also so common for people to have all the things you “want” - the car, the house, the fancy jewelry and be really unsatisfied with life. 

What the research tells us is that there has to be balance.  Or as I like to call it, Harmony.   It’s clear, money is important, a good job is part of the equation for most people, the threshold seems to be that anything over $75,000 a year won’t have a more positive affect on your happiness. More money won't actually make you happier. 

We must look at other factors that promote happiness including your health, your connection with others, your level of an optimistic outlook on life, and even your purpose. 

What seems to be universal in the happiness science is that it is completely opposite to goal setting and productivity, is that you shouldn’t focus on one aspect of happiness (work) at the exclusion of other parts (connection).  It’s harmony.  One aspect might be more critical at a certain time, it’s not equal devotion to each part of the happiness spectrum, it’s recognizing that happiness is much bigger than one achievement and when we are in harmony, we can uncover lasting happiness. 

Join the discussion on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram.

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/