365 Ways to Live Happy (34 page)

When you think about your community, do you know whether or not there is a safe place for teens to hang out? If there isn't, think about how you could rally support for one. Creating a teen-designated space starts with one person having the idea and motivation to spearhead the concept. In some communities, teens themselves form a council of representatives from all the schools in an area to raise money, awareness, and a volunteer work force to take the dream to reality. Help teens in your town stay away from gangs, drug and alcohol abuse, and teen pregnancy by creating a place where they can hang out safely and share happy times with friends.

One way to spread happiness is to keep your promises. Just as you see someone who is faithful to her word as trustworthy, so your friends, family, and business colleagues will also trust you when you hold to the truth. In this age of spin, when facts get altered in ways to deliberately mislead people and to further ideological agendas, let your truth be absolute. It isn't always easy to align your feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and spoken words so that no one questions your truthfulness or integrity. Gandhi used truth as his nonviolent weapon against adversaries. No one questioned his truthfulness or whether he could keep his promises to others. Imagine the happiness of millions of Indians when his Quit India movement secured their freedom from the British.

If you've ever asked someone what her purpose in life is, you may have gotten a blank stare and silence. It's not like asking people to name their job. They are going through the motions of their lives and they know what they do every day, especially at their places of employment, but the word in your question that throws them off is “purpose.” Purpose is the reason for doing something or why it exists. Working at a job is necessary to earn money to support yourself and your family, but it isn't your purpose. Living purposefully means much more than your job. Here's a hin — it likely will have something to do with love, compassion, peace, consciousness, truthfulness, meaning, awakening, and courage. Figure out your purpose and then spark a dialogue on that topic with others. As you already have learned, people are happiest when life for them has meaning and purpose.

A child orphaned as a result of war, famine, or disease may bear many scars that are not easily healed. But you can help him trust again and feel hope. Perhaps one day he'll smile or laugh and be able to feel happy. You may not know that volunteering to work at an orphanage also can gain you some college credit. Of course, it will depend on the program. For example, the Institute for Field Research Expeditions (IFRE) places volunteers and interns in eighteen countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. That organization has in-country staff and facilities to support you and your work abroad. Check it out at
www.ifrevolunteers.org
.

Likewise, Serve Your World needs volunteers to work in orphanages in Guatemala, Africa, and the Philippines. Similarly, in Peru, the Puericultorio Perez Aranibar, the largest children's home in South America, needs people to provide child care for infants and toddlers, teach conversational English to teens, or work with older children on maintenance projects. Your work can help spread a little happiness to the most vulnerable children who have been living on the street, are abandoned, orphaned, or disabled.

Your child or her teacher may have asked you to help as a parent volunteer on an upcoming schoolsponsored field trip. Often, schools need parent volunteers to accompany the children to field trip destinations such as a natural history museum or historic or cultural sites. If you can get the time off from work or other commitments, consider volunteering for at least one of the field trips during the school year. It allows you to see firsthand what your child is experiencing during the field trip and how and what she is being taught. It also will mean a lot to your youngster that you have taken time off to join her and her classmates. For some kids, that's a really big deal and a source of happiness and pride.

Demonstrate a sense of joyful purpose in helping your church, school, and community meet their fiscal responsibilities through fundraising efforts. There are hundreds of articles about fundraising on the Internet and reading about what's involved is always a good place to start the process. Success in church fundraising depends, in part, on building a bond between the fundraising campaign and the church's community, showing need, and having a donor recognition program that reinforces a sense of belonging. School fundraising events work best when the “fun” in fundraising is emphasized. Some ideas for school fundraisers include seasonal events, food or juice booths, candy product sales, car washes, and card sales (for prepaid phone cards, pizza, or local shop gift cards). Church fundraising ideas include bake sales, holiday boutiques, bingo, and raffles. Raise some money for your church or school and spread the concept of how helping others can bestow happiness on all involved.

Count to ten and tell your friend that you're breaking the gossip habit. Counting is one of those techniques you can use to manage a behavior that you choose to avoid. It's a powerful technique in anger management and can also be used when you don't wish to gossip. Malicious gossip is mean, and some experts declare it nothing less than a form of bullying. Step back, count to ten, and remove yourself from the gossip clique. Don't take part in the mudslinging. Feel happy knowing that you didn't and your friend might see the error of it as well. Finding things to praise about others inspires people to feel happy whereas gossiping does just the opposite.

Teens run away from home for a variety of reasons, some more compelling than others, but they may not be aware of the dangers they face living on the streets. Experts on crime and teen runaways point out that teens are seldom running to somewhere to have fun. Rather, they are running away from bad home situations and family problems that might be precipitated by divorce, job loss, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, and physical abuse. Crisis hotlines and teen shelters are necessary for assisting these young people who are not yet adults and who have no means of support. If this cause resonates with you, check out
www.standupforkids.org
or volunteer at a local teen shelter. Generate happiness, as much as possible, in that young person's life.

If you know someone who can't seem to get going, is a little down, or has lost interest in things that used to excite him, give him a book that you have found inspiring or motivational. Talk with that individual about the reasons that life is no longer happy and fulfilling for him. See if you can find out what precipitated the loss of interest. Perhaps that person needs more than a book; it might be necessary to suggest that he seek professional counseling if he's depressed. Ask yourself what you might do to help him get interested in life again. Would a motivational support group help him? Would he like to attend church, temple, or a meditation group with you? Is he burned out from work and does he need a weekend or longer away? If so, invite him to join you for some rest and relaxation, a vision quest, or a spa getaway. Just as you might during dark times in your life welcome a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand to lift you, or someone to walk with you when you feel alone, your friend may need that from you now.