There’s a hidden power in celebrating our own and others’ accomplishments and successes — even the small ones.  Our productivity is boosted by finding humor in the day-to-day craziness of our work environment and taking time to rest, replenish, and renew.  When we’re looking for enjoyment as we work with our teammates, we find it, and that uplifts the whole team.

Here’s an experiment that may make you more effective and happy in your work.

1. Make a list of the experiences you enjoy the most in your work.
   
2. Now, make another list — the experiences you’d most like to be different in your work.
   (Which list did you make first? If you made list #2 first, go back to the beginning of the exercise and start over.)
   
3. For each experience in list #2, consider how that’s a gift that could enable you to experience more of what’s on list #1. What’s the challenge for you in that? If you were to give up 100% of your resistance to having the unpleasant experience, if you were 100% willing to have that experience again in order to learn something from it that makes you stronger, more comfortable with what-is, more adaptable to all people and circumstances, how would that change your experience? (Hint: It’s an experiment in courage, not a mental exercise.)
   
   
   
   
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   Geek Wisdom by Technology Entrepreneur Paul Graham