Go on, be positive!

The state of your mental health says a lot about your life. Experts say that people who focus more on positive thinking and have positive attitudes not only enjoy life more but also lead healthier lives. Optimists are said to deal with pain and hardship better than their pessimistic counterparts. Remember your body reacts to your thoughts, feelings and actions. So if you're in a bad mood, your body will respond in a similar manner. While keeping yourself fit by eating right and managing stress is alright, positive thinking goes a long way in ensuring good health. 

If you're feeling unwell and tell yourself that you're coming down with a bug, chances are that it will come true. Your mind is more powerful than you think. Stop thinking that you are going to fall sick or will take time to recover from a sickness. Experts call this the placebo effect - a placebo is treatment that provides whatsoever no medical gain except making the patient believe that it is helping them get better. Several patients report relief from their problems although they haven't actually received any medicine. 


Thinking positive may not come naturally to everyone. To make that change you need to make a conscious effort. Whenever you find yourself getting negative thoughts, stop them. Start thinking of a happy event or memory that will cheer you. 


Make positive statements. Instead of thinking or saying, "I can't do this or this is impossible", state positive affirmations - I will give this my best shot or I have so many things to be grateful about," sends out positive vibes. 


Down in the dumps or feeling out of sorts with an illness? Visualisation is a great technique that will actually help you feel better. Imagine yourself healthy and happy. When you visualise your thoughts, they send out positive signals to your brain making you feel better. 


Positive emotions like humour, friendship and love are known to supercharge your health. Experts have long since asserted that laughter is great for you. Life is full of humour if you stop and experience it. Watch funny movies or TV shows, read books and jokes that make you smile, meet people who make you laugh. Laughter increases creativity, reduces pain, and even accelerates healing. 


Catch up with friends. With the hectic lives we lead, we often forget how relaxing and calming meeting a friend can be. Good friendships are important so make sure you surround yourself with genuine ones. Having close buddies help you recuperate faster from sickness. 


Social service and volunteering boosts feelings of compassion, which in turn make you a better person. When you help someone, you also help yourself. There are several orphanages, old age homes, mentally and physically challenged centres and animal shelters that need you to spend time with people and animals living there. You don't need to go there every week. Go once in a while and notice the difference. 


When you spend a certain amount of time in prayer, and spiritual beliefs, you send positive vibrations your side. Have faith and it will go a long way in being a faithful companion. Prayer and meditation are good ways to connect to your spiritual side. 

5 tips to help you lead your team to success

Managing a team is rarely an easy task. Coordinating workflows, setting expectations, dealing with personality conflicts ... a manager’s work is never done. A company’s well-being relies on its manager’s ability to handle a multitude of challenges; your success as a manager will rest almost entirely on your ability to keep your team motivated while producing quality results.

While every team and department (and manager) is different, there are some management best practices that can help ensure that work teams run smoothly and employees stay happy and productive.

Here are five you may want to consider:

1. Put the right people in the right places
Make sure you know your employees’ specific strengths and skills, and match them to tasks appropriately. For example, there is no sense in asking Employee A to manage the monthly reporting charts if Employee B has more experience with Microsoft(R) Excel(R). And if you ask Employee C to deliver the customer presentation when they have a fear of public speaking, you could just be setting them up for failure.

When people’s skills are properly aligned with their responsibilities, both productivity and job satisfaction will be much higher. Be sure to actually ask your employees what they feel their strengths and weaknesses are, rather than just relying on your own judgement.

2. Results and productivity are what matters 
Unless you work in an environment where mandatory coverage during certain times is required, for example in customer service or IT help desk environments, enforcing or encouraging specific “clock in” and “clock out” times can demotivate and demean your employees. If you have hired employees that you trust, and the expectations of them are clear, there should be no reason to closely monitor when they come and go from the office as long as productivity is high and goals are being met. 

3. Don’t blame or shame
Projects don’t always go as planned. And when things go wrong, it’s tempting to look around for someone to pin the blame on. However, there’s a better way to find out what happened – and how to address problems in the future. Don’t jump to conclusions, accuse anyone or publicly criticise – instead, conduct an evaluation to determine what went awry. If specific individuals are at fault, talk to them privately to get their side of the story, and to set clear expectations for the future. 

4. Be consistent in your actions and your communication
You might be surprised how observant your employees are. They notice lots of things – and they will most likely talk amongst themselves, too. For example, if you allow one employee to leave the office early, but deny another employee the same request, it will be noticed and discussed. Likewise, the team will notice if you repeatedly praise one employee more than the others, which can cause tension and mistrust within the team. You need to ensure that you deal with each of your staff members equally and fairly.

5. Encourage teamwork and collaborative outcomes
Environments where everyone pitches in and individuals are encouraged to help each other out are usually very successful – and fun, too! So encourage your team to share ideas, talk openly, and exchange feedback. You can do that by establishing regular team meetings, holding “team building” exercises and activities, and rewarding the whole group for shared successes.

Read it in HP.com