Ponderings | Searching for Happy

Cupcake Wednesday

May 162013

What the heck is Cupcake Wednesday?

Well, at the heart of it is the simple concept of random acts of kindness. But for a detailed explanation, we need to take a trip into the way-back machine and look a few years back in time.

Several years ago, Cinnabon released a short-lived line of cupcakes. On a whim, I sent a message to their social media person and asked if they would supply free cupcakes if I went around Toronto giving them out to people. There was some discussions on their part, but within a surprisingly quick amount of time, they jumped on board to supply 2 dozen cupcakes. I went around Toronto and had a fantastic time brightening people’s days.

The next year, we did it again and for a charitable cause – The Daily Bread Food Bank. It was one of the most hectic days of my life, but one of the most rewarding. The end results was hundreds of dollars in donations and almost 500 pounds of food.

So, after a year or so off, it was time to get back to the adventure. It started off with my partner in crime, Cheryl Tan of Cheryl Tan Bakes:

We started off at the Toronto Police Headquarters (where everyone was AWESOME):

And proceeded to go all around Toronto, from Liberty Village…

To CSI Bathurst:

To OrangeYYZ:

And all sorts of places in between. We gave cupcakes to random strangers we passed and cupcakes to little kids on the Subway. We met tons of new people and made lots of new friends and ended up back at the Toronto Police Headquarters with a few extra cupcakes – they were happy to see us again:

Why do I do this: I was asked this question a lot over the course of the day.

I do it because I can.

There are a lot of random bad things that happen in this world. I think there need to be random good things to balance them out. On days like this, I get to see everything that is amazing about Toronto. I see the absolute best of people. We travel around in a world filled with surprises, smiles and happiness. It’s like Christmas and a few other holidays combined. I feel privileged to be a part of it all because it’s really a magical experience!

To be honest, it’s so amazing that I feel I should be thanking people for the chance to stop by and visit! I think I might have gotten the most enjoyment of anyone from the day!

So, to all the amazing people who trusted a random person off Twitter, thank you. Thank you as well to Cheryl who came along as a partner on this great adventure – your delicious cupcakes made the day the success that it was.

To everyone else, try doing a random act of kindness. It might feel like we live in a cynical world, but there are a lot of incredible people out there and the reactions you get will really blow you away.

Happy Thought for the Day: Spreading Seeds and Growing Things

Ponderings 3 Responses »

May 082013

I have to say, Spring seems to have arrived at exactly the right time for me. I was in a bit of a gloomy space, and the weather in the recent past hadn’t helped that much. However, spring came right when my life switched into a higher gear. Things are happening, and it kinda blows my mind.

Take, for example, the fact that I put together a Windows 8 app last night. Yes, I’m actually a registered Windows 8 developer now. That says nothing about my skill level, but the fact that I put one together, even with a tool that did most of the work, is rather surprising to me. I never pictured myself as a developer of any sort, but it seems that the world is challenging that view of myself and proving that even in my 30s this old dog can learn new tricks.

So, my happy thought for today is the idea that our ideas of what we are capable of can be proven wrong. The world is more open to us than we think, and while that can be a little bit terrifying, it is also tremendously exciting.

Define your Endgame

Ponderings 1 Response »

May 052013

I had a bit of a realization tonight. It’s not a complicated one, but it’s still a valuable one for me.

I tend to be unhappiest with my free time when I feel that I am wasting my time, and I feel like I am wasting my time when I’m not moving towards any of my personal goals.

This isn’t to say that I can’t enjoy a quiet day of reading or relaxing out in the sun. However, today I had a change in plans that left me with a few free hours that I hadn’t accounted for. For the first hour, I did nothing with the time, and my agitation dramatically increased as a result. Then, I finally clued in as to why I was annoyed, and changed gears and got some stuff done.

I think I need to connect more frequently with what I want my endgame to be – what I want to be the end results of my actions. I recall when I used to do orienteering as part of scouting. It was a good idea to take your bearings occasionally and make sure you were on the right heading. I think continuing to define (and evolve) my endgame will be a key to keeping on the right heading and getting to where I want to go.

Let’s face it, we live in a world with constant distractions. It’s would be incredibly easy to spend every night doing nothing (often in the form of keeping a couch warm while watching television). There’s nothing wrong with enjoying TV, but if it’s not helping you towards your goal, maybe you and I should be turning our televisions off, checking our bearings, and getting back on the right heading.

What tools do you use to keep your focus on your goals? Is it a vision board, a rigid to-do list, or something else entirely?

Thought of the Day for Work: Getting out and Learning

Career Plan, Ponderings 2 Responses »

Apr 302013

As part of my ongoing exploration of career growth and learning more about myself, I’ve decided to try and get out and learn more after work.

Frankly, it amazes me all of the talks and learning opportunities that are offered after 5pm in Toronto. Yesterday, I had the chance to attend DevTO, an organization for Toronto developers and people working with (or interested in) technology.

It was a free event, and they gave out food, so I didn’t even need to buy dinner. The net cost was only a few hours of my time, but the benefits were incredible. I got to listen to two talks from interesting people in the field of technology trends and open information, and I had the opportunity to meet a number of other fascinating people and enjoy some great conversations.

DevTO puts presentations up online as well, so you can learn even if you can’t make it to an event.

So, my first time time to DevTO was a success. I’ll definitely be going again. Do you attend any events after work where you live?

Happy Thoughts List: Great Weekends

Experiments, Ponderings 1 Response »

Apr 292013

One of the experiments that has worked the best, even after all the ones that followed it, was my experiment in writing a happy thoughts list. So, I try to write one on a fairly regular basis, even if I don’t publish it here. It helps remind me of all the good things that happen, and keeps my focus off the bad ones. Basically, it’s an exercise reminding me to be grateful for the good things in my life.

So, after a really great weekend, I have a quite a lot of things to be grateful for. So, here is my happy thoughts list for late Sunday night.

Getting Things Done: Despite the fact that I got out and about a fair bit this weekend, I still feel like I got a lot done AND I had time to relax. Lately, I’ve been ending weekends thinking of how much extra I could have done, so this is a much better mindset in my opinion.
Seeing Friends: We went to a house closing party for friends of ours who are moving this week. It was a great chance to reconnect with friends who I haven’t seen in a long time, and to meet a few new ones. I stayed out far later than I had intended, but I had a fantastic time.
Naps:It’s funny how life comes full circle. We start off napping as a kid, then we grow to hate naps when we’re growing, then we grow to adore them later as we grow older. A great afternoon nap on the weekend just feels spectacular!

Thought of the Day: What makes us feel good at work

Ponderings 2 Responses »

Apr 262013

I’ll be honest, I thought about calling this the happy thought of the day. It doesn’t seem like an idea that is just 100% happy, but I believe that all self-discovery is good in one way or another, so I’ll call it positive.

As with many of my deep thoughts, this one started with a TED Talk. This particular one was by Dan Ariely, and he talks about the things that make us feel good at work.

As part of his talk, Dan mentions an experiment involving origami birds, and how people who make the birds when they don’t have clear instructions are more attached to the birds they have created.

While I’m sure this wasn’t his intention, this sparked off an interesting realization in my mind. Could this be why people often stay in bad jobs? If someone builds something at a company out of nothing, such as developing a sales training manual where one didn’t exist, does that make them attached to their work even if the job is bad? It seems that many people I know who are given little guidance or help (ie. have their origami instructions hidden) seem attached to their jobs for what they create even if the situation is bad.

That realization aside, the rest of the talk was pretty educational as well. It really gets you thinking about what you like about your job and digs into the heart of what motivates you to go to work every day.

Take a look at it if you’re interested!

Happy Thought for the Day: The Universe Has a Sense of Humour

Ponderings 3 Responses »

Apr 232013

Well, the craziness that has kept me on my toes lately hasn’t lightened up much, but I’m taking comfort in one fact – the universe has a sense of humour.

Today had moments of such bizarre activity around me that I couldn’t help but to laugh. Laughter is healing and incredibly stress relieving, so as weird as life still is, I feel a lot better.

I think it’s too easy for some people to get wrapped up in the seriousness of situations. I don’t mean to make light of problems or stressful situations, but the universe is an incredibly bizarre place. Sometimes, if you can take a different viewpoint for a moment, you realize how incredibly funny it can be. That momentary alignment with the humour of the universe can do a world of good for your mind and your soul.

This might just be back-seat philosophizing by a former stand-up comedian, but I rather think that being in touch with the humour of the universe is why some of the incredibly wise people like the Dalai Lama are always smiling. It’s something I aspire to in a way.

Well, even if the world is still weird, at least it’s weird in a funny way for me. What’s keeping you smiling or laughing lately?

Third Star on the Right…

Ponderings 4 Responses »

Apr 222013

It’s been a quiet week on the blog front, but one filled with a lot of thinking. I have half-a-dozen half-finished ideas for blog posts, and about a dozen more ideas that have been working through my head.

Casey, Christine, and a number of other bloggers have been asking some inspiring and challenging questions lately.

I’ve come out of the past week both intimidated and inspired about future possibilities and potentials. In a weird way, I think I’ve gone around a corner and made a great leap forward in self-discovery.

Inspiration is a fickle friend in the modern era though. I’ve heard great swaths of the modern internet referred to as “inspiration-porn” – meaning that it’s empty substance meant to make you feel better. I don’t necessarily agree, but I understand where that writer was coming from. How does pinning a picture with an inspirational slogan help you become a better person? Does anyone actually fundamentally change who they are based on passing inspirations, or are they simply momentary changes of actions – as if we had caught some sort of inspirational flu that gets quickly dealt with by our immune system of apathy.

Perhaps it’s my optimistic nature, but I choose to believe that it’s just a question of finding the right inspiration. If inspiration were easy, we’d just need one person to succeed and we’d all be perfect. The first person to do anything amazing would be hailed almost as if they were a deity. Human beings are more complicated than that though. We have a tough skin to get through, and sometimes we wear apathy and excuses as armour on top of that skin. As I’ve mentioned in the past, you need to find someone who speaks your language.

What does this mean for me?

Well, the funny part is, while I’m inspired as heck, I still don’t have an absolute plan. I think I just have a vague direction to walk in.

Third star to the right, straight on ’till morning.

The Magic of Enjoying Your Work

Career Plan, Ponderings 8 Responses »

Apr 122013

I had to fly to Washington DC for a conference this week. Aside from the fantastic weather and the amazing cherry blossoms, there was something else that made my trip.

I met a gate unit manager named Quinn, who worked for US Airways at DC International airport.

There was a crazy storm front going from the US to Canada, delaying flights all over and leading to a lot of tired and frustrated passengers. So, with our flight facing a potential delay from a need for a crew shift, we could have easily joined the delay situation if not for the quick work of Quinn.

He took the initiative to check luggage that wouldn’t easily fit on the plane, and did it while cracking jokes and keeping everyone entertained. His jokes led to everyone giving up their luggage without a fight, and saved us time in loading and kept everyone moving on time.

Quinn obviously enjoyed his work. Either as a result of this enjoyment, or as a byproduct of it, he was VERY good at it. And, as a result of him enjoying his work, the rest of us really enjoyed our flight experience. He was able to make an entire plane load of people happy, and I’m certain that those people went and did nicer things with the rest of their days as a result of it. His actions created a ripple effect.

So, the magic of enjoying your work let him have an amazing impact for just doing his job. He could have done his job without being pro-active or entertaining. It would have cost him nothing to not overperform, but by doing so he made magic happen.

What could you do if you really loved the work you did?