Week 2 - Ted Talks and Flying Happy

I love TED talks. Every one I listen to is entertaining, interesting and helps me think in new and different ways. Even OfficeVibe – an application that gamifies happiness at work -- gives points for watching a TED talk, so that's proof enough for me that they add to our happiness. 

When the TED talks themselves are about happiness and positive psychology, I get a double-dose of happiness… not only am I happy by learning and being entertained by the TED talk, but what I’m learning about is a happiness itself!

On top of all this happiness about TED talks, there’s also a free Podcast: The TED Radio Hour available.  As a frequent traveler, one of my favorite things to do when on an airplane or bus is to listen to podcasts. You can easily download them from the cloud, so Internet access isn’t even necessary! (All the amazing apps and free stuff we can do, thanks to technology, is another thing that makes me happy!)

So the other day, while on a flight to Phoenix to teach a class, I listened to a TED Radio Hour podcast called, “Simply Happy.”  The Radio Hour has a theme (in this case, happiness) and Guy Roz interviews speakers from related TED talks, along with some snippets from their talks.  The happiness TED talks and speakers, were, as always, interesting, and I highly recommend the show.

So what about my happiness for Week 2? Still going strong! I’m still being ultra-productive on personal projects that have been on the back burner, which always puts me in a good mood. Part of the reason for my personal productivity is that I haven’t been “working” much, but that changed this week. This week and for the next three, I’ll be traveling and teaching Agile classes.

Now I love the “work” I do…  In fact, I’m putting “work” in quotes because it doesn’t feel like work to me. It feels a lot like getting paid to travel and play and teach a subject that I love: Agile methodologies.  (By the way, there’s also a TED Radio Hour called “The Meaning of Work” that entertained me on my way to Phoenix).  However, despite my love of my work, there are some things about this work that I don’t always like.

Whenever I don’t like something, I like to play a little game with myself to figure out what I can do to change my dislike to something I look forward to.  So, for example, one of the things I don’t like about my work is the amount of time I spend traveling.  I don’t like to drive to and from the airport (especially in winter in Colorado). I don’t like waiting in security lines or feeling nervous about being late. I don’t like crowded planes and all the time that feels wasted while I’m sitting on that plane.

So here are some things I’ve done that have helped me enjoy traveling more:

• As mentioned, listening to the TED Radio show, Podcasts, and audio books
• Take the RTD to the airport (and recently the fare was lowered from $13 to $9!)
• I get to the airport earlier than necessary and just relax with my trusty smartphone to entertain me
• I bought a KTN so that I could take advantage of going through the Pre-TSA lines
• I bring some kind of tasty snack
• I take advantage of frequent flyer miles and these have earned me free drinks on SouthWest and so…
• I enjoy a Baileys and coffee on the plane 
  

Traveling is no longer a hassle, but something I look forward to!

Other happy moments from Week 2: 

Snuggling with granddaughter, Reneya

Making sweet potato quesadillas for a potluck

Happy Hour at a Phoenix Meetup for Snowbirds