Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence .

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim andend of humanexistence.

– Aristotle

The World Health Organization Predicts :

• By 2020 depression will be the second largest cause of human suffering.

• By 2030, it will be the largest cause of human suffering worldwide.

- The World Health Organization

• About 20 percent of teens will experience teen depression before they reach adulthood.

• Each day, there are approximately 12 youth suicides. Every 2 hours and 11 minutes, a person under the age of 25 commits suicide.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) Facts At A Glance, Summer 2007

A New Well-Being Paradigm

To fix the outside, we absolutely MUST address the inner life too.

What We Need : Individuals & Society

Happiness Leads to Success

Your brain at positive is

31% more productive than at NEGATIVE, NEUTRAL or STRESSED

. ACTIVATEYOUR

HAPPINESS!

Shawn Anchor, Harvard

The 3 Factors That In-fluence Your Happiness:

Genes Environment Intentional Activities

40%50%

- Sonja Lyubomirsky: The How of Happiness

10%

Breathe

What are Your Top 3 Strengths?

1.

2.

3.

It’s satisfying to draw on your strengths. How can you use them more in your day to day life?

• Under Age 10

• Age 10-15

• Age 15-20

• Age 20-25

• Over Age 25

Track Your Happiness: Finding your Happiness

Triggers

My Monkey Mind• Mind Reading• Control Myth• Personalization• Catastrophizing• Emotional Reasoning• Critic Voice• Blaming

The average adult grows 5,000 new brain cells a day.

We are NOT born with a fixed number of brain cells.

NEUROPLASTICITY - the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences.

Practice a couple minutes/day changing your thoughts = POSITIVE CHANGE!

Source: Interview with Richard Davidson, Seattle, Washington, April 13th, 2008.

NEWS FLASH: You CAN change your mind!

What is Your Mindset?

• Fixed Mindset– 1– 2– 3

• G– 3

Adapted from: Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: the new Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books (2008).

FIXED MINDSET My potential is determined at birth.

GROWTH MINDSETA person’s true potential

is unknown.“I’m a failure” (identity) “I failed” (action)

Avoid challenges. Persists in the face of setbacks.

Why bother? It’s not going to change anything.

Growth and learning require effort.

Feel threatened by the success of others. If you succeed, then I fail.

Finds lessons & inspiration in other people’s success.

Don’t reach full potential Reach even higher levels of achievement

Tracking YOUR Mindset?

Think of a recent challenge you faced either personally or professionally.

•What mindset did you have (fixed or growth)?

•How did this mindset affect your experience of happiness?

Practicing Happiness• Active Practices (Zumba)• Creative Practices (Drawing)• Quiet Practices (Meditation)• Wellness Practices (Sleep)• Relationship Practices (Volunteering)

Well-Being Practice: Every day for a week…

1. Note the positive2. Express gratitude regularly 3. Compliment & Connect4. Reflect on your positive changes

-Giovanni Fava of Univ. of Bologna, Italy

What INSPIRED me today?

What CHALLENGED me today?

What SURPRISED me today?

What touched my HEART?

Deepening Gratitude

Happiness IS Contagious!!!

25% increase

Your happiness has 3 degrees of influence!

10% increase

5.6% increase

Happy Guy!!

Source: Dr. James Fowler, UC San Diego,Dr. Nicholas Chistakis, Harvard University.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and

go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have

come alive.”Howard Thurman

For Added ResourcesProject Happiness shares programs, books and its award-winning film with therapists, schools and communities in 57 countries.

For Free Resources & to learn more join us @

www.projecthappiness.org855-77-HAPPY (774-2779)