Happy Dolphin

We teach children to count, to read, we teach them about the world, we teach them how to be resilient, how to bounce back, how to solve conflict and how to manage their anger… but do we ever really teach them to be happy and how to practice it daily?

Happiness must be taught.

It is a learned skill, it needs to constantly reviewed and drilled into our young minds, and so we can create a more optimistic future!

Planning to be Happy

Happiness is something that we can work on; in fact we need to make plans to ensure that our highest potential and greatest good is reached. As the saying goes,

Those you fail to plan, plan to fail!

So let’s looks at ways we can plan to be happy on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly level!

Start by identifying when you’re at your happiest.

• What are the happiest times of each day for you?
• What are you thinking when you are happy?
• Who are you with?
• What are you doing?
• What things within yourself are guiding you in those times, what are your motivations?

Remind yourself to be happy

Maybe you need to place a few objects or photos around your house or on your desk to remind you to be happy. On top of my filing cabinet I have a pink and a black toy poodle. They remind me of my dogs at home and how happy they are to see me when I get home!

I also have a set of flags with Chinese characters and English words. They include: tranquillity, courage, love, wisdom, peace and most importantly happiness. The quote under the happiness states:

When one’s spiritual needs are met by an untroubled inner life. Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.

Positive activities in your weekly routine are also important. Schedule time to be happy – is essential to well being!

The way we think makes a difference

Each day we have a million different thoughts. Some of these thoughts are positive, some productive and some of our thoughts are destructive. We can teach people, especially children how to identify the negative and destructive thoughts.  Even really young children can be taught to replace negative thinking with more positive thoughts. This is an essential skill for parents and teachers to teach.

Make a list of things that may bring you happiness.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What can you do today that will bring you joy?
• What can you do this week?
• What can you plan to do this month?
• What will you plan this year?

Teach children, adolescents and your friends how to be happy. There will always be times of sorrow or sadness in our lives, or times where we feel anxious or unhappy for what ever reason, but as the sun rises each day, so does sadness lift.

Sometimes, we just have to know how to be happy and practice it daily!

Smile - It can increase your happiness!

He then came across a large map of the world, so he ripped it out the paper and then tore the picture of the world into small pieces to resemble a jigsaw puzzle and gave it to the child.

Satisfied with his genius, he thought that will keep her busy for at least 20 minutes.

Within a minute, the child exclaimed, “Dad, I have done it!”

Amazed, the father looked at her and said, “How did you do it so quickly?”

“It was easy,” she replied. “On the other side of the world was a picture of a person. If you get the person right, you get the world right!”

If you get the person right you get the world right!

There will always be disruptive students within the classroom and at school. Perhaps these students are the ones that teach us the most. They make teachers use their class room management skills, challenge teachers the most and, at times, are outright rude. These are the kids that end up in the Principals office and then are usually sent to the School Counsellor. There are always reasons for this behaviour.

I raise the ethical question, should schools seek the greatest good for the greatest number, or seek to help an individual reach their full potential? I understand the need to seek the greatest good for the greatest number, but as a counsellor, for me it is individuals that matter most. This is illustrated simply in the well known story above.

Of course, schools and society and even teachers must focus on the greatest good for the greatest number, but we can’t dismiss the individual who will need our help.

Because it is when you get the person or individual right – that it that we can get the world right!