Your life matters. Nurture it.
The world is beautiful, embrace it.
Find meaning in everything you do.
Look at the sky, savor every moment.
Make it a point to smile, especially at those who sever you.
Be thankful, gratitude is a virtue.
Appreciate those who love you, show them (often) that you care.
Don’t be content with drifting – aim to soar.
Strive to make a difference.
Share with others, care about those around you.
Know that you can accomplish more by being kind.
Realize that often a little thing you do can transform another person’s life completely.
Dare to dream. Think big and be inspired by goodness.
Appreciate simplicity.
Know that life is not about how much you amass, but often how much you give away.
Don’t be timid. Live your life to the fullest.
Life is too short and too beautiful to just throw away.
To the skeptics, the doubters, and the naysayers we say, there is a place for art to inspire
…. love to conquer and for ideas to build communities.

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Meet Bridgett Lau, Co-founder of One Good Thing, a business that sells innovative eco-friendly products such as Satellite Bluetooth speakers made from reclaimed wood, Messenger bags made from billboards and organic T-shirts.

Founded in 2017, One Good Thing was the result of an epiphany – a personal tragedy, a memorable trip to Asia, and the inherent belief that people are good people. But let Bridgett tell you her story …

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Tempo: How did you get started?

Bridgett: The idea was simple; to uncover great products all over the world that people would want but that also has a direct positive impact on the planet. It was to give these social enterprises a platform to expand their reach, and ultimately help people make easy, better choices with a halo effect.

Tempo: What you are passionate about?

Bridgett: In business, I am passionate about SMEs and start-ups. I am currently mentoring a number of individuals who are at various stages of growing their businesses.  After exiting my first business venture and three decades in sales, I feel that understanding business roadblocks and having the solutions to fix them is crucial if a business is to grow and achieve its goals. 

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In life helping people be the best version of themselves is my underlying motivation. It’s my “Ikigai” (a Japanese word which means the reason for being).

Tempo: Where you want to go in your life?

Bridgett: Wow that’s a tough question and honestly, I am here, I am doing what I want feels right. Pre COVID 19, we had started gaining more traction and with corporates and not just corporate gifting but corporates who are looking to join the circular economy. We are in a phase of padding out how we can help the local economy grow by giving waste a second life as we build a new way in a COVID world.

Tempo: What have you learned from your experience?

Bridgett: I am going to do the top three as my list is endless and changes weekly:

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1. Do not underestimate GRIT. Prior to this business, I thought I had buckets of it but this business has tested me and it nearly broke me. The hardest part is not the beginning, it’s when you come out of the beginning when you think you should know what you’re doing but instead you might be running a different business than the one you planned.
2. Don’t be afraid to fail. You hear this often but it really does need to be hard-wired into everyday decisions; it’s about the phrase “don’t worry about getting it perfect”. Your logo, the branding, your IG profile, your commercial model… ask questions of experts and try things out. You don’t know what is going to be “perfect” until you try.
3. The power of your network. It is integral that you know how to bargain and how to develop relationships as a startup and also be genuine with who you are. We have grown by doing this every step of the way.

Click to visit her shop – https://www.one-goodthing.com/

 I have been helping a lot of people evaluating their lives and changing some of their priorities to lead a more meaningful and rewarding life.

I signed up with UC, Berkeley to learn more about why and how to create more happiness in life and today I work as happiness expert and blogger for Enritsch.com, a on-line and wellness platform. I also do my free Happiness Pep-talks driven by my vision to create a planet where people lead more flourishing lives. The science on happiness is here already, it just needs to be applied to people’s lives, corporates, and communities.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND HAPPINESS

Our subjective state of mind and our experience of positive emotions is partly heritable – up to 50% is determined by our genes – so if you ask the question “why are some people happier than others?”, about 50 percent of the answer lies in genetics. About 10 percent lies in our life circumstances (some of us are married, some of us are not, some of us have kids, some of us have not, some of us are more or less attractive, more or less healthy etc.) which leaves us with 40 percent that we – according to happiness science – can influence by intentional activity.

Happiness scientists have been studying very happy people to reveal the secrets behind leading happy lives, and here is some of their findings: Happy people are really good at relationships. Happy people are more grateful, philanthropic and helpful, and they tend to savour pleasures in their lives. Happy people are committed to personal significant life goals, whether it’s raising moral children, or building a house, or advancing in their career.

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Many companies and people are struggling at the moment due to downsizing, not only in Abu Dhabi but in the whole UAE, but even though they face extreme difficulties, they seem to hold on to the old way of doing business: the Industrial business paradigm with a constant focus on economic growth. Sadly this paradigm often fails to incorporate real meaning and pleasure in work, and as a result leave people unengaged and stressed in their job.

THE LEVELS OF HAPPINESS

I’m delighted to share four happiness practices that will increase feelings of happiness and well-being.

Three Good Things

Journal and write down things that went well for you during the day, and make a mental investigation as to why they went well. It can be small things or relatively more important things, everything counts. Refocusing your mind on life’s good events and the positive feelings that came with them can make a real difference in how you feel.

Loving Kindness Meditation

This meditation practice is a way of developing and boosting compassion towards others and yourself. Search for “loving kindness meditation” guidance on the internet, get comfortable, relax and gently follow the instructions.

Gratitude letter

Feeling gratitude not only increases your level of positive emotions, it also strengthens your relationships.

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Think about someone who did something you are extremely grateful for, but who you never thanked. Now write the person a letter expressing your deep gratitude and telling how they affected your life and why you’re so grateful. Plan to visit the person to deliver the letter.

AWE walk

AWE is a positive feeling and can be defined as the feeling of being in presence of something vast and greater than the self. We all know this almost divine feeling of experiencing something so beautiful, great or dislike that the only thing we can say is “awe”. Deliberately trying to plan for AWE experiences can increase feelings of happiness. When you are doing your AWE walk, make sure your cell phone is switched off, or even better, leave it at home. Here are some ideas for your AWE experience:

1. Plan for a hike in the mountains
2. Go to see the never-ending sand dunes in the dessert
3. Walk outside in the night and look up at the stars.
4.Watch the sunset from a beach
5. Visit a historic monument

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