NFDA Workshop: 15 Tips For Building A Better You

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When’s the last time you wrote down one of your goals and actually accomplished it? Can you remember the last time you took inventory of your own happiness and well being? At the National Funeral Director’s Association International Convention and Expo this year, author and inspirational speaker Brian Dodge shows us how to do exactly that.

During the workshop, we laughed, we cried, and we dug deep and asked ourselves how we can reach our maximum potential and well… be happy!

Brian’s keynote presentation was packed with tons of wonderful insight, and we want to share it with you! So whether you’re in a slump or just looking for ways to encourage happiness at work and home, check out these 15 tips for building a better you:

1. There are 3 enemies of happiness in life: interruptions, distractions (SQUIRREL!) and procrastination.

2. Don’t ever lose sight of your own life goals. If you do, you’ll be living on someone else’s agenda.

3. Always ask “why”. Those who focus on the how will always end up working for the people who focus on the “why”.

4. Don’t be average. Instead, be good. Average people don’t appreciate something until they lose it. Good people appreciate what they have when they have it.

5. Inspiration comes from education. The more you learn, the more opportunities you have to be inspired.

6. Always pause before you make a big decision. The inability to pause causes people to make bad decisions. More time to think usually leads to you making better choices.

7. READ! The average American read zero books last year. Yet, the average CEO reads four books a week. Do the math.

8. After you read a book, give it to someone. The only thing more important than a book is who you receive it from. So, if you’ve read a book that moved you, give it to someone and write a message in it. As Brian says, “a book can change a life”.

9. If you’re going to do something, do it for the right reasons. If you don’t, it won’t be rewarding.

10. Protect yourself. When you’re unhappy, 80% of the people you tell will be happy that you’re unhappy. The other 20% simply don’t’ care. It is your responsibility to be happy, and no one else’s. America would be a stronger country if everyone chose to be more personally responsible.

11. Sometimes, you need to tick someone off for the right reasons. Discipline isn’t what you do to someone, it’s what you do for someone.

12. Don’t become victim of the Law of Diminishing Intent. When a fresh idea pops into your mind or you get a sudden “feeling” that there is something you should do, you then have a 48 hour window of opportunity to act. When you understand The Law of Diminishing Intent, it empowers you to act promptly on your best instincts.

13. It’s easy to be critical from the sidelines of life. Remember that the next time you criticize someone.

14. “Bring energy home.” All too often, people use up all their energy on work and come home too tired to expend their energy on the people who matter most. Save your energy for those people, they deserve it most.

15. Asking for help is never, ever a sign of weakness.

16. The most important thing you can do is write down your goals. They should be a responsibility, not an option.

 

What ways have you been able to find true happiness? Were you able to attend Brian’s workshop at NFDA this year? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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  1. Funeral Blog. The official blog for the funeral & cemetery professions. » Blog Archive A Look Back On NFDA 2013 [With Pictures] » Funeral Blog. The official blog for the funeral & cemetery professions.

    […] so what better way to do that then attend NFDA’s Keynote Presentation with Brian Dodge called “Building a Better You”. We laughed, we cried, and we even asked “Whyyyyyy?” (sort of an inside joke if you were […]