1,931 words of content including 11 Tips for living and leading a happier life. Approximate reading time: 7.7 minutes. And isn't your Happiness worth it?

Welcome to my e-newsletter, which focuses on defining and applying the Principles of Happiness and Positive Emotion in your life and work.

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1. Eight Ways to Create a Happier World
2. Make Wise Investments
3. In the Workplace: Leaders Create Systems
4. Who? What?

For our 35th Wedding Anniversary, Cheryl and I decided to spend a week at the Happiest Place on Earth. Even though we've been there many times, this was a totally new Disney World experience because we went as Adults Without Kids. For a week we let go of responsibility and duty and let our Inner Kids come out to play. What a treat!

My Inner Kid danced and sang to the music, screamed when the Tower of Terror went into freefall, and laughed when we got soaked on water rides. Through a lens of Awe and Curiosity, I allowed the week to unfold without needing anything specific to happen at a scheduled time or in a particular way.

In that letting go, I (re)learned a lot about creating magic and Happiness. I invite you to consider how you might use these tips in your life to create a Happier space for yourself, your friends, and your family.

1. Arrive Early.
Each day one of the parks has "Magic Hours" during which guests at the Disney resorts can enter an hour or more before the general public. We took maximum advantage of early arrival to ride the most popular rides and do hands-on activities without having to wait in long lines.

In daily life, it often is a huge advantage to show up early. You get the best choices. It's less hassle. Ever notice that, even when stores open early and offer enticements, the majority of shoppers still don't show up until 11AM? Get up and show up early, and you dramatically expand your experience and reduce your stress!

2. Everyone Has a Different Goal.
Disney has a "reservation" system for its rides and shows. After registering your ticket, you return any time during your designated hour and go directly to the entry point for the attraction, bypassing lines to save as much as 90 minutes of wait time. The catch? You can register only 3-4 FastPasses daily. If you want to add one, you must let go of another. I was puzzled how this works. Wouldn't everyone sign up for the most popular attractions? A Cast Member explained, "everyone has a different goal. One family's 'Must See' is another family's 'Let's Skip That.'"

Well, isn't that just like Happiness? We each have a different definition of of what makes us happy, of what we want to do to make our experience complete. In an world of nearly unlimited choices, what's most important is that you choose for yourself, not based on the crowd.

3. It's Possible to Have Too Much Dark Chocolate.
(I almost feel blasphemous writing this, but stay with me...). One night, after a delicious full dinner, we chose a creamy baked chocolate mousse with salted caramel bourbon sauce - I could have died Happy in that moment! Then our server appeared with a complimentary dessert for our anniversary - a flourless chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis and a dark chocolate tiara. OMG, it was so good! After, I experienced serious abdominal pain from having overindulged.

Lesson: Balance is more important than having it all. Sometimes you need to Step Away From The Chocolate, trading immediate pleasure for longer-term comfort.

4. Accept the Gift of Help.
Despite having visited these parks many times in past decades, we ended up one day lost in the middle of Africa. Patrick, a Guest Relations guy, noticed our perplexed looks. In 15 minutes he untangled our path and - bonus! - offered numerous tips on how to enjoy the rest of our day as well as some things to watch for the following day at a different park. I would never have reached out for this help, and it was a gift to us.

In a culture that tells us we must be fiercely independent, we often shrug off offers of help, thinking we will look "weak" if we accept. Yet it is important to remember an offer is a gift of time or attention. You honor the other person when you occasionally say, "Yes. Yes, that would be great. I would love the help. Thank you."

5. When There's Music, Dance!
Music is an important element of atmosphere. It plays everywhere in the parks, always aligned to the theme. In France, the music is French; in Tomorrowland the music is futuristic; in Africa there is drumming and clapping. I watched the faces in the crowd - those just watching usually had smiles, the pleasure of being entertained. But real Joy showed up on the faces of those who stepped into the circle to dance the dance.

Music is humanity's most primal form of entertainment. The purpose of music is to move us - always emotionally, often physically. If you notice your body wants to move to the beat, why not let it? Notice how your energy rises when you give yourself permission to dance.

6. Allow Your Mistakes to Be Opportunities.
Despite our planning, we had mishaps. We forgot to tag our luggage for pickup by the Magical Express transport to our resort, we got off a bus at the wrong place, we lingered too late at dinner and missed our boat (literally!). In each case (after a moment of cursing - I am human after all!) we looked at what WAS working. Because we forgot the tags, our luggage was with us when we checked in versus having to wait 90 minutes for delivery. The Bus Incident led us to learn of back ways into two of the parks via water or walking paths, which led to a new travel experience. And when we missed our boat, we met a monorail engineer who regaled us with stories about how the transportation system worked - and which saved our sanity the next day.

Structure and planning can keep life and work moving smoothly. But if every obstacle causes you to stress out, you are arguing with the reality that life is unpredictable, and stuff WILL go wrong. When you experience breakdowns, instead ask, "What can I learn from this?" or "How can I make the most of this situation?" When you ask a question of possibility, you open yourself to new learning and adventures.

7. Be Open to Magic.
Cheryl and I spent one morning in a behind-the-scenes tour of the Magic Kingdom. We learned much about the engineering and logistics that went into creating and running the parks, from the tunnel system underneath to how they manage 80,000 pounds of garbage daily. I was worried that going behind the curtain might spoil the experience - like the old saying, "people who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either one being made."

Turned out that knowing HOW it all happened actually enhanced our appreciation of the magic once we returned above ground. The illusion is the point! One secret to a Happier Life is indulge in a little Awe and Wonder and enjoy what shows up for you.

8. Be Prepared for Rain.
Disney World is in Central Florida. In a swamp. So it rains often. Oh, not for long, and when it's 90°F, who cares, right? Yet sustained rain can dampen one's enthusiasm. We put on rain gear and were able to keep going on a day of intermittent thunderstorms.

In the real world, there are sunny days and rainy days, hot and cold, cheery and gloomy. It's important to enjoy the days that bring you joy, yet always hold some energy for the more challenging times. Actually, part of the secret to enjoy the more challenging days is to take maximum advantage of the good ones. Resilience comes from constantly filling your own oxygen tank when you've got access, so there's enough to sustain you on the rainy days.

Every day can't be a Disney Day, yet you have the power to live a life filled with magic, awe, curiosity, balance, resilience, and Happiness no matter where you live. Notice you always have the power to choose a different path. When you consistently take the more positive fork in the road, you eventually end up living your life from a more positive point of view.

Remember, you can't change other people, but you have the magical power to change you!

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The 13 Principles of Happiness offers many other ideas for making more positive choices in your life. Download a copy today to inspire new thinking and open new choices for you.

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I recently received a glossy mailer from my bank telling me how excited they are to offer an AMAZING 1.1% return on a long-term CD. Woo hoo. The downside of low rates on loans is that the rates for savings accounts is terrible.

When your organization is looking for a great return on investment, do you jump on the 1% option? I'm guessing not.

Several recent global studies on the value of executive coaching show the rates of return range from a low of 4:1 (400%) to as high as 25:1, with the mean around 7:1, or 700% value for your investment. The impact of coaching leaders begins with personal change and flows through their entire downstream.

I would love to work with you to strengthen your leadership bench - and I'll bet your CFO would love to get a 7:1 return on your next investment! To explore coaching as a value-producing strategy, visit my website or contact me for a Strategy Session.

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As a veteran of many Disney Institute programs, I am well aware that the "Magic" of the Disney experience is the result of superior systems and processes executed well and consistently. As you probably know, Disney calls their customers and employees Guests and Cast Members, openly acknowledging that it is all a huge, interactive theatre.

Three of their systems were particularly visible to me on this trip - living from values, communication protocols, and behavior.

1. Keep Your Values and Priorities Relentlessly Clear.
The Disney Parks live a set of four core values: Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency. The order is important. All cast members receive regular training in these values, which are posted all over (backstage, that is) and reflected in every onstage interaction with guests. I believe a huge part of the magic of Disney is that every person you meet is working toward the same goals and holding the same priorities.

Your organization can create a lot more "magic" for employees and customers when you declare, talk about, and consistently live from clearly defined core values and a shared vision.

2. Meet Others Where They Are.
From having visited Disney in the past with wheel chairs and strollers, I am aware that cast members are trained to always go to the level of the person with whom they interact, e.g. they drop to one knee to make level eye contact with children or people who are seated. We experienced this several times in our trip, always with a part of me marveling at the consistency of the execution.

Sometimes it's the small details that make the biggest difference in building relationships, and this is one of those details. I teach this technique to others as a powerful tool for establishing trust and improving the quality of communication. Start with the language of those to whom you are speaking AND establish a physical connection by coming to their level - literally.

3. Keep Smiling.
Everyone smiles. The guests smile, the cast members smile, even the decorations on the parade floats smile. It's impossible to not feel good while you're at one of the Disney Parks.

I'm not so naive as to think that Disney only hires Happy People. Disney hires normal people, then invites them to play a role on stage, with the instruction: "When you are on stage, smile." And the truly powerful thing is, the action of smiling triggers positive emotional affect, which causes you to feel better, which makes it easier to smile even more. Plus others mirror that smile back to you, which creates a loop of positivity.

P.S. You can create that in your own organization, even without Mickey or Donald. And smiling isn't even a budget item!

Great outcomes flow from great leadership, both on stage and back stage. Pay attention to these details, and whatever you do as a leader is more likely to be received in a positive light.

Create Connections. Lead Well. Be Happy.

Remember, Leadership is not about a title: Anyone can be a leader who lives from core values, pays attention to others, and builds positive connections.

http://www.theexecutivehappinesscoach.com/coaching/executive-coaching/

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Hi, I'm Jim Smith, PCC, The Executive Happiness Coach^®. I work with smart, successful people like you, who secretly struggle with what it truly means to lead well in a crazy busy world. I help you dramatically improve your effectiveness as a leader, balance your life, and build a more positive workplace culture.

Contact me to explore how you can actually be effective AND Happy in your role. Really!

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Copyright © 2013, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: "From HAPPINESS@THESPEEDOFLIFE, by Jim Smith, PCC, The Executive Happiness Coach®. For more tips on Leading with Less Stress, visit www.TheExecutiveHappinessCoach.com."

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