“As human beings, we're always striving to be better. The most common self-improvement goals people set, particularly this time of year, are things like losing weight, improving our cholesterol numbers or blood pressure, or getting in shape for a marathon. These are body goals. They are concrete and easy to understand. Because we have metrics to measure things like weight loss, for example, it's easy to track our progress and stay motivated.

Making "soul resolutions" is more challenging. These are the deeper aspects of self-growth. These would be things like trying to be less critical, more loving, more patient, or more optimistic. Soul resolutions are not so easy to measure.
And that can be a problem. Too often, when it comes to changing profound aspects of our attitudes, behavior, and character, we can get bored, uninspired, and discouraged after a while. We can't really tell sometimes if our efforts are "paying off."

To avoid the boredom of spirit that sometimes accompanies profound changes you're trying to make on yourself, here are some simple strategies for staying motivated.”

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"Whether you have five minutes to relax or a year to focus on building lasting habits, here are 16 scientifically-backed ways to boost your happiness levels.

Smile. A 2011 study showed that thinking about something positive that makes you smile can actually make you happier (fake smiles don't do the trick), while 2003 Clark University research found that smiling activates positive memories.

Go for a run. Physical activity boosts the brain's release of endorphins, feel-good neurotransmitters that can improve mood and well-being.

Pray. Spirituality and religious involvement is linked with greater well-being and happiness, according to a review of more than 300 studies on the connection between spirituality and health, while prayer is thought to relieve stress.

Laugh. In addition to relieving stress, laughter can boost mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Go for a stroll in the park. There are many health benefits to spending time in nature, including, perhaps, increased well-being. One UK study showed that subjects were significantly happier when in natural environments as compared to when they were in urban environments.

Perform an act of kindness. Do something nice for someone else today -- it could make you happier, according to University of California research."

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Getting and keeping your career on track takes careful planning. Approaching your career proactively and being able to recognize opportunities to move ahead are key to smart career management. This course guides you through the process of taking stock of your present situation and determining the best way ahead. It starts with taking inventory of your values, interests, skills, and needs. Then based on these findings, you can determine your strengths. This course provides examples of roles in which you could use those strengths. It also provides tips on how to deal with any weaknesses that are holding you back.

This is course number: pd_10_a01_bs_enus

Visit the UMBC SkillSoft website for a Quick Start Guide, FAQs, and the link to log in to SkillPort.

For more information about the Business Exploration Series courseware, click here.

To schedule a department presentation about using SkillSoft for professional development, call ext. 5-6262 or hrtraining@umbc.edu.

"Do you experience meaning at work -- or just emptiness?

In the United States people spend on average 35-40 hours working every week. That's some 80,000 hours during a career -- more time than you will spend with your kids, probably.

Beyond the paycheck, what does work give you? Few questions could be more important. It is sad to walk through life and experience work as empty, dreadful, a chore -- sapping energy out of your body and soul. Yet many employees do, as evidenced by one large-scale study showing that only 31 percent of employees felt engaged with their work.

Of course, different people look for different types of meanings -- and, moreover, different workplaces provide different meanings. The phrase "meaning at work" refers to a person's experience of something meaningful -- something of value -- that work provides. That is not the same as "meaningful work," which refers to the task itself. Work is a social arena that provides a variety of meaningful experiences; even if an employee doesn't find her tasks to be especially fulfilling, she might derive meaning from other aspects of her job, such as friendships with colleagues.

So, what are the sources of meaningful experiences at work? We have compiled a list of ways that work can become more meaningful, based on our reading of literature in organization behavior and psychology."

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