Happy May.

To support you in being F.I.R.S.T. (Future-Ready. Innovative. Relevant. Strategic. Trusted.), here's 1 tip, 1 question and 1 quote.

1. The F.I.R.S.T. Tip

Did you know that we often stick to small talk with strangers because we believe that deeper conversations will be more awkward and less enjoyable?

In experiments conducted by the American Psychological Association, volunteers were asked to start conversations with strangers with weightier questions such as ‘What are you most grateful in your life?’; Can you describe a time you cried in front of another person?” or “If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself or anything else, what would you want to know?”

Participants found the conversations less awkward than they had predicted and reported feeling happier and closer to the person they were talking to. These results were consistent for both women and men, introverts and extroverts as well as for both, in-person and online conversations.

Tip: Deepen your conversations to enjoy more rewarding interactions

2. The F.I.R.S.T. Question

The pressure of making good decisions is something that none of us can escape – personally and professionally. And when it comes to decision-making, broadly, there are two categories: Satisficers: People who make a decision once their minimum criteria (for that situation or decision) are met. Maximisers: Those who like making optimal decisions, hence often delay making a decision till they know they are making the best possible choice.

You must be wondering which of the two categories tend to be happier? One is tempted to run a poll here..:) Anyway, the answer is that numerous studies found that maximisers are often less effective in a decision making environment. And, in his book, The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz also shares that satisficers tend to be happier than maximisers.

Do check out what you normally tend to do… and whether you get better decisions (and a better feeling) when you try the second approach.

Also, setting yourself a time limit for every decision is a good idea. Make the best possible decision in the set time and release yourself from the outcome.

3.The F.I.R.S.T. Quote

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