S TRATEGIC A DVANTAGES OF
O PTIMISM AT W ORK
Finding Happiness. Keeping it.
FCCC New Clerk Academy
March 11, 2014
Presented by Tippy Amick, Ph.D.

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A Road Map for Talking
About Optimism
Stats
Wireless Communication
The Myth
Why Bother
Feeding High Morale
Strategies to increase happiness
Retraining our brain: the tetris effect
Stress and the dueling brain: the two paths
Ph.D. in happiness – the short course – things to do and some don’t’s

Startling Statistics
 Depression rising
 Age of onset 14.5
 4 of 7 job hunting
 Huge numbers reporting unhappiness

Wirelessly Connections: Happiness Advantage
 The Airport Study
 Mirror Neurons
 Body Language

Big Myth: PPTTHHHH!
Do you suffer from “If could just…
then I’d be happy” syndrome?

Why Bother?
 Health
 Intelligence
 Productivity
 Creativity
 Memory

What Feeds High Morale?
 Don’t throw your hands up
 Make some buddies
 Stress management

Choosing Stress Reaction
 Life’s Greatest Hits
 Your Dueling “Brains”
 Post-Traumatic Stress
 Post-Traumatic Growth

But My Brain Is Stuck
Thinking about what we are thinking

Brain Re-training 101
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Find your fun mojo
Commit conscious acts of kindness
Create positive in your surroundings
Gratitude attitude
Journaling
Exercise
Stress adaptation

Things to Give Up
 Become Less Controlling
 Eliminate rat race mentality
 Avoid bragging about how hard you work
 Stop anticipating tiredness

Conclusion
“There is a direct correlation between the level of happiness in one’s life and the amount of silliness they allow into it” she said.
“I know, I’ve done studies”.
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