Keep a Full Bucket While Doing More than You Thought Possible! Carolyn Washburn, Professor USU Extension Washington County

Everyone needs a full bucket. A full bucket is happiness and contentment. A full bucket allows you to fill another’s bucket. What is the "bucket"? The bucket represents your mental and emotional self. How do you feel when your bucket is full? When your bucket is full, you feel more confident, secure, calm, patient, and friendly. Your thoughts are positive and you expect positive results. When your bucket is overflowing, you experience an intense happiness that can spread to those around you. Have you ever felt better after someone gave you a friendly smile or happy grin? This is the "ripple effect" of a full bucket. How do you feel when your bucket is empty? When your bucket is empty, it contains few, if any, positive thoughts or feelings. When your bucket is empty you can easily become sad, negative, insecure, nervous, angry, depressed, stressed, worried, afraid, or physically ill. When you experience any of these feelings, it's easy to believe that life is too challenging and that nothing you attempt will be successful. An empty bucket can affect your behavior and cause you to express your emotions in a way that empties the buckets of those around you.

Everyone has a bucket! Is yours full or empty? It may be invisible, but it is real. It is a very important part of you, so take care of it.

A bucket has only one purpose. That is to hold good thoughts and feelings about you! A full bucket makes you feel valued and appreciated. You need a full bucket to fill good about yourself and when you feel good about yourself-you are willing to help and do for others.

Encouraging others fills buckets.   To become a bucket filler-start by being kind. A thought, a deed, a smile. Kindness is the most important element in any relationship. When you fill someone’s bucket your own gets filled. That is why it is important to encourage others to fill buckets. Kindness fills buckets- mine and yours. Encouraging others fills buckets.

The right career choice keeps your bucket full.   ? The right career choice keeps your bucket full. These are the most prevalent occupations for women in 2010. Ranked. The most women were secretaries with the 3 coming in as teachers. Women still only make about 74% as much as men. 49 % of the workforce is women. Weekly salary of secretaries is $657, nurses, $1,035, teachers $891, Cashiers $361, Waitresses $363 More women then men in United States have to have 2 jobs to survive. Wise choices for Education fills buckets.

Utah Marriage Statistics 50% of marriages end in divorce Six hours of marriage enrichment KEEPS strong relationships!

Today - ?? Who feels really good today? What made you feel good today? Can you make someone else feel good? What choices will you make that will keep your bucket full? These questions can help others think about what fills their buckets. Remember- Bucket filling is what makes our buckets full!

Our lives require daily “Food” Our lives require daily “Food”. The more we build on the positives-the fuller our buckets become. 5 to 1 Most of us need more positive emotions in our lives. We need 5 positive emotions and remarks for every 1 negative. That means when we are around positive people and experiences do MUCH better. Three positives to 1 negative creates a productive situation. 13 positives to 1 negative is too high and we begin to lose our esteem, because we don’t feel sincerity. 1 positive to 1 negative can generally lead to a divorce or leaving the job or relationship.

What are you willing to “pay” for a full bucket? Give me more positives! What are you willing to “pay” for a full bucket? 9 out of 10 people need more positives thoughts or actions in their lives. It takes 5 positive actions to “remove” 1 negative action. For people to be productive they need about 3 positive to 1 negative and if you get 13 positive to 1 negative-productive begins to diminish. That is too high., So sincerity and the right amount works. Research has shown that increasing positive emotions can increase your life span by 10 years.

Tell me Show Me Tell Others Tell me in front of a group, or with a note or even one on one, or in front of my family and friends. Show me with a gift, a title, or even greater responsibility. Take me to dinner. Tell others because my peers need to know, my boss needs to know, family need to know.

Shine light on the good things! Always try to do your best. Help others Be courteous Be around positive people Praise others Tell someone you care about them Meet new people Give recognitions to others Listen to others Make people laugh Smile at others

Happiness depends on the relationship with others. Make friends that will last a lifetime. Treat them with kindness and respect. Reverse the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Make best friends that will last a lifetime. Make friends, stand up for others, become a hero for someone. These all fill a bucket very quickly. Make best friends that will last a lifetime.

When our bucket is empty we feel down and deflated. An empty bucket poisons our outlook, saps our energy and undermines our will. When someone dips from our buckets, it huts us. Remember: A full bucket can increase your life span by 10 years. Keep yours filled! When our bucket is empty we feel down and deflated.

Sadness and tragedy can empty buckets for a long while. Sometimes tragedy and sadness will empty a bucket. Support groups can help, but sometimes a bucket can never be totally refilled.

Don’t be a bucket dipper! Dippers: Make fun of others Ignore others Talk about others behind their back Don’t include everyone Don’t talk to all around them Dippers make you feel: Sad Angry Disappointed Frustrated Embarrassed Unimportant Bucket dipping is when you say or do something to or about someone else that makes them feel bad. You can ignore it, disregard or be unhappy. When you dip into someone else's bucket-you dip into your own. Yours will empty very quickly when you dip into another's. If you can’t say something nice-don’t say anything at all.

How can I be a bucket filler? Try these words and actions: Give a compliment Tell someone you care Do a job for someone Listen to another's dreams Send a note or text Make someone laugh

4H leader can be the best at bucket filling 4H leader can be the best at bucket filling. You have the opportunity to help youth grow and learn new skills. That is excellent bucket filling-and along the way, teach 4H youth to be bucket fillers.

Become bucket fillers! Adult buckets run on low also. When you see someone who looks like they have a low bucket-think of something you can do to fill it. Remember it will fill yours too.

We are bucket fillers –doing great things with our lives !

This is a great “pledge” to put into our lives to encourage us to keep others buckets full. A world full of bucket fillers would be a delight. Let’s start today with some fun activities to encourage bucket filling. Bucket Bingo, Pass the Plate, Keep a Bucket Filling Journal.

References Rath, Tom.,& Clifton, Donald O. 2009. How full is your bucket? Gallup Press, New York, NY McCloud, Carol. 2006. Have you filled a bucket today? Ferne Press, Northville, MI http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=71&sid=24573229 Youtube video Brooke Walker KSL

Make best friends that will last a lifetime. Make friends, stand up for others, become a hero for someone. These all fill a bucket very quickly. Make best friends that will last a lifetime.

9 out of 10 people need more positives thoughts or actions in their lives. It takes 5 positive actions to “remove” 1 negative action. For people to be productive they need about 3 positive to 1 negative and if you get 13 positive to 1 negative-productive begins to diminish. That is too high., So sincerity and the right amount works. Research has shown that increasing positive emotions can increase your life span by 10 years. Give me more positives!