My 8 year old son came home from school the other day and he asked me ‘Dad, how full is your bucket?”. I stepped back and asked him ” What do you mean?”. He replied back “everyone has an invisible bucket, Dad”. “Like when you picked me up at the Bus stop and you smiled at me …..you filled my bucket.”

It seems his 2nd grade class read the book “Have you filled a Bucket today? “A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids” by Carol McCloud.
The whole school was involved and it actually had a sign in the front of the building that said “Have you filled a Bucket today?”. What a great concept to teach our kids.

I wanted to know more, so I looked it up online. I found out not only are their children books about filling peoples buckets but a more advanced book for adults how they can apply this to their everyday life at home and at work for positive results.

The book I bought that day was “How Full is Your Bucket?”
by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton.

I was excited to order it and I received it in the mail a few days later.

I started reading this book and could not put it down.

Basically people have been using these techniques for years to fill and empty a persons bucket for different reasons and results.

Each of us has an invisible bucket. It is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful. When we fill other people’s buckets by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions, we also fill our own buckets in return.

Each of us also has an invisible dipper.  When we use that dipper to dip from others’ buckets, by saying or doing things that decrease their positive emotions, we diminish ourselves.

Like when we were in school and that “bully” picked on other kids. He was a “bucket dipper”. He was looking for satisfaction but only depleted his own bucket.

Basically it can be applied to your everyday life.

Some of the great results you could possibly see are as follows:

•Your workplace will be a lot more productive and fun.
• You’ll have more friends.
• Your colleagues and customers will be more satisfied and engaged.
• Your marriage will be stronger.
• You’ll enjoy closer relationships with your family and friends.
• You’ll be healthier, happier, and well on your way to a longer life.

A full bucket gives us a positive outlook and renewed energy.
Every drop in that bucket makes us stronger and more optimistic.

But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, zaps our energy, and undermines our will. That’s why every time someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us.

So we face a choice every moment of every day: We can fill one another’s buckets, or we can dip from them. It’s an important choice ,one that profoundly influences our relationships, productivity, health, and happiness”

Fast Facts From How Full Is Your Bucket?

* The number-one reason people leave their jobs: They don’t feel appreciated.
* 65% of Americans received no recognition in the workplace last year.
* Bad bosses could increase the risk of stroke by 33%.
* A study found that negative employees could scare off every customer they         speak with–for good.
* 9 out of 10 people say they are more productive when they’re around positive people.
* Relentless negativity resulted in a 38% POW death rate — the highest in U.S. military history.
* We experience approximately 20,000 individual moments every day.
* The magic ratio: 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction.
* Extending longevity: Increasing positive emotions could lengthen your life span by 10    years.

In a nutshell, this can be used everyday in your everyday life, whether it be at home, work or online. You can fill someone’s “bucket” with a friendly email or a phone call to say “Hello”.

“Don’t waste another moment. A bucket, somewhere, is waiting for you to fill it!”