1. Be patient and positive in your tone of voice. Sounds simple, but a reassuring and patient tone in your voice will do wonders for teamwork and for helping reduce stress. You will rarely see a stressed, impatient person having fun. Watch people stand in line at the airport. The guy in the suit with three carry on bags and a phone hooked into the Matrix is not having fun. The guy in the Hawaiian shirt and hat made from palm reeds is relaxed and having fun. Same standing in line. Different attitude.
   
   

2. Take a break. Again, a simple idea but something that has very real results. Ever try and assemble something from the store? Ever get frustrated? Ever throw the directions across the room in frustration? Stop, take a break, and then reassess. Just a few moments away will give you the energy to move forward.

3. Think about what makes a great day at work. The next time you have fun at work, take a moment to reflect. Write down what happened that made the day so great. What did you do? What did you say? You now have your "great day" list. You know what you need. Work toward it. Fun is different for everyone. Remember the kid in your high school algebra class who got really excited when he solved a complex math problem? That is fun for him. For me, math is the equivalent of jury duty, going to the dentist, and cleaning the garage all in the same day.

4. Sometimes you have to ask. If something is bothering you and causing stress, then speak up and say something. Most people will just stew or whine in the break room rather than speak up. They don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Guess what? Someone's feelings are being hurt - your feelings. If you ask nicely, most people would be happy to oblige and help. They probably don't even know their words or actions are bothering you.

5. Be in the moment with your co-workers. Working in the moment means being focused and connected. Listen to each other. Make eye contact. Engage in the communication process. Try something new: put your e-mail enabled phone down and communicate with the living, breathing person sitting in your office.

6. Tell your co-workers you appreciate them. We all want positive support at work. When we don't receive appreciation and thanks, we are not very happy. You know how you feel when someone says, "You made a difference," or "Great job," or "I really appreciate your help." You get an incredible feeling right in the middle of your chest. Giving that feeling is a gift. And it does not take a budget, plan, or approval. It just takes a few seconds from your day.

7. Create opportunity. We all want the same things from our jobs: opportunity and positive support. We may want the opportunity to be creative; to be a leader; to help people; or to make more money. When we don't receive opportunity and positive support, we are not very happy. Figure out what kind of opportunity you want from your job. Make sure your employer understands what you need to be happy. Again, stand up and say something.

8. Be a better listener. Everyone thinks they are good listeners. In reality, we get into bad habits that prevent us from being good, active listeners. We multi-task. We wait to talk. We play solitaire on our computer during a conference call. Pay attention to your listening skills. When we listen, we are more effective as a team; we are better communicators; we are more productive; and we have more fun.

9. Be flexible to change. When change happens, ask yourself two important questions: Does this change affect my ability to be happy and successful in my job? Does this change affect the ability of those around me - my family, colleagues, clients, and vendors - to be happy and successful in their jobs? If both answers are no, then you know the change is not worth creating stress.

10. If you really want to reduce your stress, make a list of everything that caused you stress and frustration in the last week. Take a really hard look at what you wrote. You will giggle. Why? Because most of the things on that list don't matter. Sure, there are some very important items on the list. Most of the items, though, we will forget about in a short time. Why do we forget? Because they really were not that important. When you are in the middle of a stressful and frustrating situation, take a moment and ask, "Am I going to giggle about this in a week?"

11. Help your teammates (stressed or otherwise) take ownership of their happiness and passion. Too many times, employees let other people's actions or words determine their happiness. Happiness is a choice. Unfortunately, when we give control to other employees, managers, customers, partners, or vendors, we are never very happy. We have to take back that ownership. We have no control over many things at work. We always can have control of our reaction and our attitude.

12. Don't be afraid to make a mistake. During my presentations, I use improvisation as a tool to communicate my messages. The audience participants engage in the process with passion and energy. They have fun. They are relaxed. Because they are enjoying the process, they are more creative and productive. Why? They are not afraid of making a mistake. They understand they are working in a positive and supportive environment. We are all going to make mistakes. We want to minimize our mistakes and learn from them. If we take some of the pressure off, and support each other, we will figure out that we will make fewer mistakes. We will also have more fun.

I hope these twelve ideas will help you reduce your stress. Fun helps create the energy and passion that fuels our productivity, creativity and effectiveness. Without fun, we don't have any fuel. Just like everything, fun is a choice. We each have to take responsibility and ownership of our fun and our goal to reduce stress. Remember, it is always your choice.

For more information about the author, please visit www.joelzeff.com or www.maketherightchoicethebook.com.

Thanks to Tools for Success, I have jumped into the world of podcasts. My first podcast is now available here.

The interview is fun, informative, interesting, fast-paced and probably the feel good podcast of the summer. People will be talking about three things this summer: Iron Man, the Democratic primary race that will never end, and my first podcast.

In full disclosure, I do not own an iPod. Yes, I realize my hipness quotient is low. Yes, I realize I may be the last person in America without an iPod. Yes, now that I have a podcast, I may look into purchasing an iPod.

Enjoy. Listen. Comment. Share. Until next time, don't forget to give a few Ta-Da's this week.

Humor and Fun at Work

Everyone says we are in a recession. I am sure "fun at work" or "humor at work" are not the topics of choice right now. Remember the key lesson in improvisation: you have to stay in the game. Yes, there will be challenges and obstacles. The easy answer is to quit. If you stay in the game, you might have to work harder, learn something new, or get out of your comfort zone. If we stay in the game, we are guaranteed success.

There are many things we cannot control. We can always control our attitude and how we react to a situation. Too many times we give this control to others. The result is frustration, stress and working without passion. Doesn't sound fun, huh?

Finally, one more link. I was recently interviewed on the Fox Network. I am sorry to say I was not on Bill O'Reilly's show. I appeared on Fox and Friends Weekend about "recession-proofing your job". I had a great time.

A few points of interest as you view the link:

1. Watch me dart my eyes back and forth at the beginning of the interview. Yes, it is quite scary, but at this point I am thinking, "I am going to have to do this interview with this dude holding a puppy."
2. Count the number of times I say, "you know." Shameful. But all I am thinking about is the puppy. And then when I hold the puppy I am thinking, "Please don't let the puppy do anything on my new suit."
3. Try to answer the question, "Why is Joel holding a puppy?"