While the language and the stories in the book are uniquely hers, Emmerich’s strategies draw on key tools from within positive psychology.  She directly refers to Martin Seligman’s “profound research” documented in Learned Optimism as having a significant role in changing the tenor of a workplace.  In fact, there are a number of positive psychology tools, some available on happier.com, to help put the “TGIM” strategy to work.

Enthusiasm: Light That Fire in Your Belly

Enthusiasm is a “moment-by-moment choices” explains Emmerich.  And for plenty of workers, it can be a hard choice to make.  How do you get out of a rut and become contagiously enthusiastic?  Here’s an easy way to start:

Discover, and use, your strengths. Getting started is easy — every single person has a set of top strengths.  There’s no heavy-lifting here.  Just take the free VIA Strengths Survey and get instant results on your top strengths.  Then, put them to work.  Focus, each day, on using one of your top strengths in a new way during work. Doing this is fun — these are things you’re already good at — and it can be pretty easy.  And if, at first blush, the strength doesn’t seem like it’s relevant to work, then find a way to make it so.  Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence doesn’t have to be a walk in the park —  take a moment to recognize a colleague’s achievements.  And Self Regulation can mean checking your email every 2 hours instead of every 2 minutes.  Find a way to use one of your strengths in a new way during work. Within no time, you will be more enthusiastic.  It’s fun, lasting and authentic.

Want more guidance?  The Discover Your Strengths plan on happier.com provides tests, tools and assistance to make it easier.

Giving: Ignited Spirits Through Profound Service

Emmerich points out that “customer satisfaction” isn’t good enough, especially if they are weighing “satisfaction” against a lower price elsewhere, when deciding where to do business.  “Customer success is what matters: making a lasting difference, transforming your interactions from a simple business transaction to a profound exchange between two human beings that creates a transformation of more success for the customer.”

As you begin giving, put a number to your progress.  Track and measure your results.  In addition to asking “Have I made a difference?” try taking the free Positivity Test, developed by Barbara Fredrickson, at the University of North Carolina.  Better yet, take the test before you start giving.  Try and establish a baseline.  Then, once you start giving, take the test every day, for a week.  Then take it every few days.  Surely, your results will bounce up and down a bit.  But if you’re really giving, and if you’re achieving customer success, your positivity ratio will increase.  And you’ll be increasing the positivity of others.

happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.

happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.