soulati.com

Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

Soulati-'TUDE!

What Is A Heartful Business?

By

ALT="Soulati, heartfulness in business"What the heck is a heartful business? I’ve been using it consistently ever since we launched our podcast, The Heart of Marketing. We = John Gregory Olson and moi, in case you didn’t know.

What I love about this word is that it’s always indicated as misspelled on Microsoft Word and the blog posts I write everywhere. This means it’s not a mainstream word and thus isn’t trendy…so let’s create a new trend in the way of thinking, OK?

Let’s be strategic about your business, and let’s have a discussion about what being heartful is all about.

Here goes…

We’ve been running a series on the workplace on The Heart of Marketing podcast. I’m providing the links to our very popular three so far right here. When you click, you’ll get to our website, GetHeartMarketing.com, and you can listen from there. These discussions between John and I are very popular, and I like talking about workplace culture, too. [Read more…]

The Happy Friday Series: 5 Always Reasons To Be Happy

By

Kitties.jpgNew Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday. I like the edge of things, the precipice. I like the feeling of a shared global experience. I like that you can say Happy New Year! to anybody you like. It’s happiness you can spread.

The secret to enjoying the new year is not to make resolutions. My family either focuses on a theme, or else I think about life changes in February – when the gym is less crowded.

5 Factors Contributing To My Happiness Right Now

1. Snow. It snowed last night. I love snow when it’s not inconveniencing me. It’s pretty, and I throw a mean snowball.
2. Prevent guest blog crime! I hate the camera, so I was surprised when I had a blast filming this video for the Communications Network (the association for communicators in philanthropy & nonprofit). In their Zero to Ninety Series, you have to give one takeaway for your viewer in fewer than ninety seconds. Watch my video and you’ll find out how to steer clear of guest blog crime. Plus I think the video is really funny and I’m proud of it.
3. Math. My stepson actually enjoys having me grill him on his multiplication tables. What!
4. Kitties. Two new kitties came to my house for Christmas. Their names are Johnny Shutup and Ernie Shutup. They are extremely affectionate. I’m working from home today, and they still want their lap time. Here’s a picture of them snuggling together when we weren’t looking.
5. Seattle. I’m going to Seattle in June for my sister’s graduation. Seattle is my favorite place in the US, hands down. I can’t drink coffee anymore and I still love Seattle. St. Ignatius Chapel, known as “The Gathering of Different Lights,” is my favorite place, hands down. You really should look at the pictures here even if they don’t do it justice.

I’m still thinking about a theme for this year for me & my family. What do you think it should be? I’m sincerely stuck. Maybe the year of no regrets? The year of new experiences? The year of kitties (that’s my stepson’s suggestion). I’ll be even happier if we can figure this out.

Jenn-Whinnem.jpgAbout The Author

Jenn Whinnem has been more than a loyal member of this community, she has been a stalwart (is that a noun?). She is a communications guru, maven, and #RockHot mastermind (there, I used them all) at the Connecticut Health Foundation by day. In other moments, she’s waxing jargon on Facebook and contributing to this blog while working behind the scenes to keep Jayme in top form. Connect with her on Twitter @TheJenn. Love this girl.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

The Happy Friday Series: How Is Happiness?

By

jayme-soulati.jpgFor practically a year, just a few weeks shy, we’ve read all semblances of happiness interpretation in this series. My heart is brimming with thank yous to each of you for your contribution; do you know what an accomplishment it’s been to bring in single authors once weekly to share a personal happiness story? It’s huge, especially in this era of blogging when folks have little time and engagement is minimal.
There were personal stories so revealing and shocking to some; there were stories about loved ones gone with happy memories that remain; there were other stories about family and friendships, and hobbies that brought smiles.

Based on all these wonderful stories, is happiness elusive? The 40 or so authors who have graced these pages in the last year, have had many obstacles facing them; yet, they found happiness.

I’m going to try and add another perspective to happiness with this story:

Are You Happy?

Used to be when someone asked me, “Jayme, are you happy?” I’d scoff and say, happiness is relative, it’s elusive and fleeting. I didn’t have an answer; I had a poor taste because I didn’t know HOW to answer.

As I challenged people to write for this series, some jumped at the chance; others struggled for just the right topic. I was in the latter category knowing I really didn’t have anything to write until this post right here.
What that experience, earning my white belt in taekwondo, taught me was the opportunity to truly feel a variety of emotions that burgled up into pure happiness. Although another mom attempted to publicly minimize my accomplishment, it didn’t matter; I knew how much I had struggled to achieve and stuck with the challenge in spite of my limitations. I got out of my adult comfort zone and pushed the barrier envelope. How often do you do that? When I arrived home that evening, I immediately sat down to write knowing I had to capture my feelings.

Today, as drama in life continues to unfold, I hold that experience in highest regard. It may sound funny, but do you know how you survive turmoil? Do you know how you remove obstacles from the path often littered with negativity and people who attempt to belittle?

You focus and recall the happiest moment you can, when you were on top. When you face the obstruction, squeeze your hand and let all the empowerment from that happy place and time rush back to overwhelm the negativity and fuel you your own powerful strength. When you take charge of that moment using these tools, you will continue to grow from within to the next level. Your happy feelings will consume the negativity, and the people facing you will be disarmed. It works, I know this from doing it; and, I will continue to practice it the rest of my life.

I thank Sharon Gilmour-Glover of Jump-Point for that tip; she is one helluva woman with incredible teachings from her 13 years as a management consultant and change agent.

I do believe happiness comes in levels. When my 12-year-old squeals like only little girls can do, I giggle inside and register that sound as happiness and excitement. When I earn a new client, I’m happy the fruits of my labor worked. When I belly laugh with genuine sincerity, it washes through me from the tips of my toes to the ends of my curls.

Today, right now, if someone were to ask, “Jayme, are you happy?”

I would say, “No, I am at peace.”

The Happy Friday Series: The Happiness Crusade

By

Arminda_Lindsay.jpgOn the AllArminda blog, Arminda Lindsay wrote a post Oct. 23, 2013 sharing this story below about launching her happiness crusade. I extrapolate that blog post right her and make Arminda the subject of this Happy Friday Series. P.S. You can also find her writings at YumVeg.com where vegan food and cooking are her delight.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Arminda IRL at ConvergeSouth where I had the opportunity to keynote the content marketing track of that conference. During that time, she permitted me the opportunity to corral her into doing a Soulati Media On The Street (below).

(What I love about this post is that I get to combine my two faves into one — The Happy Friday Series and Soulati Media On The Street!)

Since our face-to-face, we’ve had a session during which we spoke about the journey from personal to professional blogger, and she’s received some homework to rocket launch her goals. I love this woman’s heart and spirit, watch and listen:

Arminda Lindsay Says:

On February 13, 2012, I started a 21-day “dopamine challenge” titled Creating Positive. Many of you joined me in that initiative (and it’s not too late to get started) because happiness is year-round and a lifetime journey. While there have been many changes in my life since I first penned that post, one thing is for sure: my heart is still full of gratitude. It’s so full that I keep writing out more and more.

My list is growing and I’m filling up notebooks. Pages and pages of things for which I’m grateful and/or that make me smile and bring me happiness. My list is very personal and unique to my life, as is your list. This is the reason I can pick up one of my notebooks and open to any page and start reading through my list and immediately begin to smile as I am instantly transported to another day, place, and moment in time that ignited a spark of joy in my heart.

Shawn Achor (whose TED Talk inspired me to start my own challenge) writes in his book The Happiness Advantage that

“. . . our attitudes and behaviors don’t only infect the people we interact with directly — like our colleagues, friends, and families — but that each individual’s influence actually appears to extend to people within three degrees. So when you. . . make positive changes in your own life, you are unconsciously shaping the behavior of an incredible number of people. . . . [T]here are nearly 1,000 people within three degrees of most of us. This is a true ripple effect — by trying to make ourselves happier and more successful, we actually have the ability to improve the lives of 1,000 people around us” (p201).

That’s empowering. To me, at least. And I love that by embracing the life I live I have the potential within me to positively impact the lives of thousands of other people. Thousands.

I can’t wait for happiness to find me like some elusive carrot forever dangling at the end of its proverbial stick. You will never reach it if that’s your aim. Your “I’ll be happy when _________ ” will forever evade you.

“Waiting to be happy limits our brain’s potential for success, whereas cultivating positive brains makes us more motivated, efficient, resilient, creative, and productive, which drives performance upward” (Achor 4).

Motivation? Efficiency? Resilience? Creativity? Productivity? Yes, please!

Happiness is now. Happiness is your choice. Happiness is within you.

Come on my happiness crusade and create positive in your life today, tomorrow and always! Will you join me?

The Happy Friday Series: Recipe For Happiness

By

San-Francisco.jpgDo you know that feeling you get when a realization hits you? When the solution to a question that’s haunted you for days, weeks – maybe even years – bubbles up from the deep and floats right in front of you, ripe for the picking? Well, the other day I finally got a moment like that, and it was around the issue of what truly makes me happy. The realization was a relief, too, because Jayme Soulati invited me quite a long time ago to write about happiness for her Happy Friday Series … and I didn’t know what to say until now.

But, it happened! I think I figured out my recipe for happiness.

I was talking on the phone with a friend about my summer. It was a lovely evening outside, but I was in my room on my bed and staring at the ceiling while chatting. I could have been talking on the phone while enjoying the weather from a park or the beach, but I wasn’t.
And all of a sudden I realized I was hiding inside, just waiting for tomorrow to start. I wasn’t really living.

I had recently started a phenomenal full-time internship (which I’m still enjoying) after transitioning from working a part time job as a concierge in a residential building on weekends and going to school full-time during the week. My new schedule blasted me into seventh heaven – I had weekends free again after two years! Hurrah! I expected feelings of freedom and a burgeoning new social life and boundless joy!

But I began to notice that I didn’t feel very different.

Now, I’m the kind of guy who likes to be active and do things out-and-about. I love hiking, biking, beaching, seeing shows, going to museums, and more. That’s one of the reasons I moved to San Francisco 10 years ago.

Introvert & Shy

But at my center, I am also an introvert – and yes, even shy. Extensive and prolonged interaction with people, especially new people, requires me to expend a lot of energy, and I have to recharge afterward.

So you can imagine that three eight-hour shifts of contractual obligation to smile, greet and be bubbly at my part-time job every weekend really wore me out. I left work every Saturday, Sunday and Monday and came directly home, made dinner and stared at some sort of mindless entertainment before passing out way too early so I could wake up equally as early to smile and be present for people all the next day.

Rinse and repeat, then school all week. Weekdays were spent attending lectures and doing homework. It was very much a routine, and there wasn’t really any time for doing the things I loved like getting out and enjoying the city I pay so much to live in. I was blessed with great opportunities to make it through school, but I wasn’t very happy.

I began to notice that even with evenings and weekends free on my new internship schedule, I was still operating as if I was
overextended – hoarding quiet time like it was the scarcest resource in the universe. I was hiding from the world to recharge. And the flip side of introverted self-care for me is that too much time alone leaves me feeling bored — and maybe even a little lonely.

So I found myself under-stimulated, bored and still unhappy.

Happiness Is A Balance

And that’s when it hit me – I realized that my happiness arises out of a balance of routine and adventure.

Doing the same old thing day in and day out makes me long for freedom or unstructured down-time. But then again, after too much time being totally free, I find myself mired in decision paralysis and unable to figure out anything to do other than vegetate in bed staring at the ceiling. And mind you I live in San Francisco – there is never a shortage of things to do here.

So this is what I think — happiness comes from a balance of the old and the new. The ratio of adventure-to-routine differs for everyone, but I definitely think that too much of either is a recipe for unhappiness.

I have made a pact with myself to do something new at least once a week, and it’s working out nicely! I’ve gone to the beach, the movies, and networking events. I know that I can embrDwayne-Alicie.jpgace routine, and as an introvert part of that routine must include hiding and recharging sometimes, but if I want to be truly happy, I have to come out of my shell and explore the world, too.

How do you find a balance between routine and adventure? Do you find they might be factors in your happiness?

About The Author

Dwayne Alicie lives in San Francisco and is wrapping up his undergraduate degree in marketing from San Francisco State University at the end of 2013. He tweets and blogs when he’s not studying, interning at Concur Technologies or hiding in his room imagining he is a pop star.

 

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta