Good Guidance
with Jenny Morris, Tim Lowe
& Silke Hetherington.
FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICE
Growing Happiness
Wikipedia says happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.
As human beings we all want to feel happy and not just every now and then. In our search for happiness we are often led to believe that if we owned more, bought more, achieved more or won more we would find happiness, but is it found in spending, accumulating or competing with others ? Sadly we may give our children the impression that happiness is something you can buy or conquer, or even worse, that someone else has control of our happiness. The reality is, that if we get the ‘ingredients’ right for happiness, then nothing can stop us from being happy, even in difficult times. It’s our choice.
A great religious leader of our times (the Dalai Lama) has a different focus on happiness when he states that true happiness is found in kindness and compassion. He goes on to say that genuine happiness comes when you see some usefulness in your life. These qualities are not things you can hold or see, but they make you feel good, and they certainly leave lasting impressions on other people.
In order to provide our children with the skills to pursue happiness here are some suggestions.
Show by your example, encourage, or teach your child:
- That happiness is a choice, so choose it
- To be happy with themselves - their gifts and talents, as well as limitations
- To work towards self- improvement but not at another’s expense
- To be kind to themselves, and to others
- That no matter what they pursue it is important to do their best (whether at home, school, work or in the community)
- To laugh as often as is possible
- To care for others, and to look out for others, and if they see something unjust then do something about it
- To do good deeds for others – it will make them feel good too.
- To be grateful for what they have (envy creates discontent)
- To greet the new day with a smile and be glad to be alive to enjoy it
Happiness is not just about meeting our own needs. We are social beings. The more we connect with others and consider others the easier will be our own pursuit of happiness.
