Happiness Interview:
Susan Iida-Pederson

Tuesday, November 25, 2008, by Leigh Anne & Sherra

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We will be interviewing women who inspire us, encourage us and renew our spirits. Women from diverse backgrounds…women just like you…women very different from you…women who share and teach so we can all learn something new. Their words may be just what you need to read today…

Leigh Anne and Sherra say…

Leigh Anne and Sherra both have known and admired Susan for more than 15 years. Her presentations and speeches were always the highlight of the various events and conferences we attended. Since she has left her corporate position we have maintained our friendship with Susan and continued to be inspired by her. We each have our favorite “Susan-isms” that we love sharing with others. Susan is a perfect example of our word of the month – Happiness. Susan always has a smile on her face and she chooses happiness even when it would be easier to do otherwise! We are excited for you to get to know Susan!

I’ve done the College Student thing – waitress, mail sorter, hostess; the See The World thing – travel agent, tour guide, airline work; the Small Town thing – news editor community weekly, the Corporate Executive thing – Vice President for international Direct Sales company; and now, the Entrepreneurial Ownership thing – my partner and I do personalized women’s retreats and also offer coaching, speaking, training and writing services.

I live a charmed life with my husband and black lab on the Mississippi River in Minnesota. And I believe the 60s are the best of all years – maybe that’s because I don’t know what my 70s hold!

First, a few personal fun facts and questions…

Favorite color:

Magenta

Favorite food you associate with Fall:

Baked butternut squash swimming in butter, salt and pepper.

Pet Peeve?

I’m not good at tolerating intolerant people.

What is something that no one knows about you? (that you want to tell the whole internet world)

I’m addicted to cereal – Sticky Bun Pecan Granola mixed with Cheerios, raisins and vanilla soy milk. I eat it every morning and when my husband’s gone, I eat it for dinner, too.

One word that describes you:

Positive.

What’s your motto or mantra:

Choose Joy!

What are the top three things that are most important to you — the things you love to do and you are passionate about?

Only three?

Okay, one, I feel called to help women, live more positively and purposefully, to not play small.
Two, I am passionate about helping women uncover and realize their dreams. We use a wonderful process my partner Jenny developed called DreamStorming and we help women create Dream Boards, Dream Albums and Dream Cards.
Finally, I believe all women today want three things more than anything: Confidence … Connection … and Calm. After all these years, I’ve grown in these areas and feel my work is to support women in finding more Confidence, Connection and Calm in their lives.

Word of the Month ~ Happiness

Give us your definition of happiness.

Happiness is a Choice. That’s why I say Choose Joy. I once asked my friend Kathie why she thinks her life works so beautifully. I love her simple answer: “I want to be happy.” She CHOOSES to be happy. When we are handed that lemon, we have two choices – one reaction starts a downward spiral and one starts an upward spiral. When we want to be happy, we will make the most positive choice and take the best-feeling action we can at the time. When I’m in conflict and deciding what to do, my guiding principles is: Err on the side of Love.

Happiness is an Intention. I begin every day with this intention: to be joyful and share joy with others. I spend time each morning in quiet, reading inspirational messages, asking for guidance, listening to uplifting music, framing a day of joy.

Happiness is an attitude. Very simply, the more positive we think, feel and act, the happier we are. Period. My friends call me Pollyanna and that’s fine with me – they know I’m happy.

We personally know you have a gift for helping women see the joy and happiness in every day living, tell our readers more about how you choose joy in your life and how you help others do the same.

Of course there are big ways to be happy – serve others, be grateful, share generously, find stillness and answer your calling. I like to add smaller, tangible ways to Choose Joy.

I integrate joy in my To Do lists. In my planner, I have one page for each day’s tasks – at the top, I write a positive line from my morning quiet time – a quote, something nice someone said, a line from a song. So, every time I look at my To Do list, I also see an uplifting message. Then at night, at the bottom of the page, I write Blessings – a few of the positive things that happened in the day – a call from a friend, a lesson learned, a connection made, finding a great new pair of shoes! If you start the day with inspiration and end it with gratitude, it’s got to be a happy day.

Make fun and make surprises. This summer, three girlfriends were coming for coffee and to their surprise (and mine) I decided to really fuss. I set up a la-di-dah brunch – a white linen tablecloth on the picnic table outside – my company dishes, crystal goblets for juice, cloth napkins and little vases with flowers from my garden. The beautiful table sparkled in the morning sun – and they loved it – took pictures with their cells. How can you surprise someone today?

Other ways to Choose Joy in our daily lives: When I want to get over something negative or move past it, instead of telling myself, “Let it go,” I say “Let it be.” That feels better to me, more accepting. I don’t begin or end my day with the news – it’s too nasty – I try to catch the six o’clock news or read the paper when everything’s already active but I don’t let it interfere with my quiet time. Hang with like-minded positive people. It’s okay to let it be…

Certainly, no one can be happy all the time, can they? How do you deal with unhappiness?

When I’m unhappy, my job is not to take action or solve the problem; my job is to make myself feel better – because when I act or make decisions in anger or sadness, I don’t make wise choices. So, when I’m unhappy, I do anything to feel better in the moment – play Josh Groban music, go fishing with my husband, help someone, work out, return to my quiet time reading – and when all else fails, I curl up under a blanket and take a nap! Once I have a little emotional distance, I’m better equipped to deal with whatever’s causing the unhappiness. And sometimes, while I’m busy trying to lift myself, the negative emotion dissipates. I also play the Count My Blessings game. It is impossible to feel grateful and unhappy at the same time.

What are the most important things that may actually not be “things” that bring you happiness?

Teaching what I know. Learning something new. Helping women connect with women. Supporting my husband. Gathering with my girlfriends and laughing til we snort. Welcoming friends and family to our home on the river.

Share with us some things that make you smile and put a little extra joy in your day.

Handwritten notes in my mailbox. Having time to watch Oprah. Sunday paper and coffee with my husband. Time in the hot tub at the end of a tough day. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

As a former corporate vice-president and writer and now with your new retreat business coaching and connecting with women, what is your best advice for women who are searching for more happiness in their life?

Make decisions when you’re excited and act when you’re inspired – guaranteed, you’ll have fabulous, happy results. Decide and act from a place of frustration, chaos, anger or other negative emotions, guaranteed, you’ll have unhappy results. When I’m wondering which decision to make, which action to take, I ask, “Does this feel like Joy in my Heart or a Pit in my Stomach? Act when you feel the Joy, not the Pit. Then trust and let it be.

Share a life lesson learned about happiness, something, perhaps that you know now that you didn’t know when you were 18?

I didn’t know anything I’ve just shared at 18. Truth is, I learned most of after 50 – that’s why I love this season of life.

My Life Lessons: Choose Joy. Don’t play small. Dream. Find quiet time. Set an intention of happiness everyday. Serve others. Start your day with inspiration and end it with gratitude. Count your blessings. Surprise someone. Act when you’re excited and inspired. Be positive. Live with Joy in your Heart not a Pit in your Stomach. Take naps. Laugh til you snort. Err on the side of Love. Let it Be.

Giveaway: Happiness Coaching with Susan!
Two winners will each receive a one hour coaching session via phone …
and a small personal gift from Susan.

Enter to win by leaving a comment and tell us how you think a coaching session would benefit you! We’ll leave this one up for some extra time since it’s the week of Thanksgiving. Post your comment by midnight PST on Sunday, November 30th and we’ll pick a random winner on Monday, December 1st.

P.S. Susan is definitely an iLash Girl!
Check out the diamond rhinestones on her lashes.