Most likely, you’ve heard the saying, “Happiness is an inside job!” Well now, I truly understand that HAPPINESS IS AN INSIDE JOB! That as living beings, we can funnel our “happy thoughts.” I am sure that you know someone who is ALWAYS happy, no matter what is happening in the world around THAT person, he or she is always HAPPY! Your special person may be a spouse, close friend, sibling, or child. My happy person gets up every morning singing and constantly reminds me that my cup is half-filled as opposed to half-empty. He reminds me that something is always “happening” and will continue to happen; just keep moving! Count your blessings! I once asked him, “Why are you always so happy?” His responses, “I think about things that make me happy. I choose to be around people that are positive. I do things that make me happy. I avoid negativity because it brings me down. I stay humble.” At that time, I had no idea that I was living with a walking, breathing scientific specimen! That his remedies for being happy were grounded in research on positive psychology.
A few years back, I had the opportunity to attend the Happiness Advantage workshop. Before attending, I was required to read a parable about a community of frogs. The frogs, like people, possessed varying skillsets and personalities. The main character, Spark, was not a typical frog; he was orange, humble, and kind. Throughout the parable, he utilized his skills to motivate and to help others. He never questioned why he was orange and once he befriended someone, his new friend would also become orange. Before the parable ends, there’s lots of orange frogs living blissfully in Utopia! Needless the say, I enjoyed the workshop and have been sprinkling orange daily! If you ever can attend the workshop, I recommend it 100%! I must be honest, while I loved the message received during the workshop, I really didn’t understand the power of positive psychology until reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. I’ve purchased the book for my leadership team with the hope that they too, will become accustomed to looking for sprinkles of orange. In a quick, easy read, the author reveals the 7 principles of happiness and the numerous benefits of being HAPPY! The simplest principle is merely to look for opportunities of happiness. In short, if you want to be happy, you must train your brain to focus on positive things! So, my school family and I are currently on a safari to find sprinkles of orange! We are amid a 21-Day Happiness Challenge!
Before embarking on the citrus safari, each class was given an orange bin in which to collect their sprinkles of orange. To commend their efforts, I’ve purchased a slew of orange prizes that I am sure the kids will love. In just a few weeks, several classrooms will have orange accents to brighten their homes away from home. In the classrooms where the challenge has been embraced as a motivator of success, creativity, and positive mindset, an educator’s dream team, the kids are overjoyed to share their happy thoughts. Each morning, when I visit classrooms, the kids are saying, ” Look, we got more!” Many of the classes have collected more than 200 sprinkles. I am happy to see the kids excited and thrilled that many teachers have embraced the 21-Day Happiness Challenge! More importantly, I am confident that those who have learned to funnel happiness are on the road to success! With each sprinkle of orange, we are closer to a blue ribbon! While orange may not be your favorite color, I am sure that being happy will brighten your day and lessen your load. In a world where you can be anything, BE HAPPY! Orange sprinkles to you and yours!
