Why should we practice Random Acts of Kindness?

Molly escaped the war in Bosnia and was able to come to San Francisco to start a new life. For many many years she thought that she should not be happy because the people in her country were suffering so much.

She did many self-help/ self-development workshops yet she was still unhappy. At last she came to the happiness club over and over and she never missed a meeting.

The message we teach at the happiness club is “HAPPINESS IS A DECISION” never made sense to her. In her words, “I felt like you were telling to be an orange and I am a lemon.” She thought that we were trying to tell her to be something she was not.

One day, I tell her a story about two women. One was sad for many years, she was divorced and she was very bitter and felt that her life was a struggle and she always needed people to pity her. She felt like her life was miserable and it would always be that way because of the events she suffered in the past.

The other woman, was happy, joyful, outgoing, colorful, fun, excited for life. This woman too had suffered a great deal in the past but chooses to see and experience life’s positive side.

It was through this story that Molly realized that happiness really is a CHOICE!!!

This was big news in the happiness club because Molly told the group once that she never would be happy, NEVER.

One woman who attended the happiness club even cried for her in empathy!

Anyway, once Molly made the happiness decision, she needed tools to help her maintain her happy state.

We do an annual meeting in the park and practice random acts of kindness. This is a very popular meeting! After the meeting we asked for a volunteer to perform 5 random acts of kindness everyday until out next meeting 30 days later.

When I checked in with her a few weeks after the meeting, she said “I feel like an angel on Earth!” I continually look for things to do to help people every chance I get. And now, when she needs help there is ALWAYS someone there to help her.

She recommends EVERY PERSON perform these 5 Random Acts of Kindness because the positive change that occurs in your life is unbelievable!

Molly has been happy every day since she realized that HAPPINESS IS A DECISION. Random Acts of Kindness is only one of her tools to help her live her sustainable happy life.

p.s. there is a random acts of kindness foundation at www.actsofkindness.org

Angels on Earth!

Come to the happiness club!

It is for happy people or unhappy people. It is for people who want to share their happiness or learn how to be happy! This month we will be focusing on one of the top methods to help us live happier lives! It is performing random acts of kindness! Who would have known that such a simple gesture would help us be happier! In other words, pretend you are an angel on earth looking for innocent bystanders to be nice to, to try to make their day, to help them smile….

Who wouldn’t want to be an angel on Earth? On May 28^th under the circle of Palm Trees (20^th and Dolores) in San Francisco from 3-5 pm there will be a group of “Angels” strategizing and then practicing Random Acts of Kindness in the park. Come and be an Angel for a day, join us!

If you have any questions call or email me.

Aymee Coget

Aymee@thehappyzone.com

www.happyaymee.blogspot.com

www.happinessclub.com

www.makemehappytv.com

www.thehappyzone.com

YOU are in charge of YOUR happiness!

For some reason people are not happy. They have every single exuse there is for their unhappiness. At some point in time society (advertising) got the best of us and told us we need things to make us happy. Well who can you count on if you can’t count on yourself. I ask you to stop looking outside of yourself for your happiness and look inside. Deep inside, because the only person or thing that will make you happy is YOU!!!

There are many ways to ignite this inner derived, long lasting and self sustaining happiness, ask me how…

My dark side and My challenges

Everyone has their challenges and everyone has their obstacles, their hidden secrets, their own family dysfunction... I have mine too. I promise that I am not just a happy, pretty lady who gets everything easy and has never had to lift a finger... I have my challenges and I have a dark side just like everyone else... I promise. Everyday I make the decision to love life, work hard, be grateful, and be happy.

My challenges started young when I was brought up as a poor kid in a rich town... All of my friends were worrying about where to go on their mid-winter break or what kind of car their parents were going to buy for them... I remember eating tuna fish a variety of different ways (tuna sandwich, tuna casserole, etc) and shopping at the good will - pretending it was the cool thing to do... I don’t eat tuna fish as an adult, :-)

Another thing in my childhood... my parents never asked me what I thought. They never encouraged me to have an opinion. When asked my opinion now as an adult, I have to be coerced into it and guided through it. I do have opinions, don't get me wrong. My challenge is voicing them in a way that is acceptable, interesting and well thought out.

When I was 25, I had a HORRIBLE case of acne; in fact you couldn't even see my skin because it was all filled up with cystic acne. After modeling 2 years prior, my beauty was ripped away from me. I had to rebuild my self-esteem and retrain myself to look into the mirror. I learned humility.

Money is still my challenge. It is hard for me to talk about it, to look at it, to think about it. In fact when I am done with graduate school, I will be about $200,000 in debt. Whoa!

We all have our challenges. We are not alone. Some people have different challenges than others, yet we are here to help each other overcome them. No man is an island. We learn from one another…. Happiness is my daily challenge so is self-esteem, self- worth, anything financially related. Plus I am sure there are many more challenges in my dark side that I will learn later, they are yet to come.

The bottom line… we all have something to teach and we all have something to learn. We all have our own obstacles, challenges and dark sides. I am open to learning from those who have conquered the challenges I have yet to conquer.

The thing I have learned lately is to love our challenges because they help us learn and grow. Try to know our dark side so that it comes into the light. These in particular are a great challenge. Believe me!

The Happiness Decision

A few people have told me that I need to blog... that they care about what I think and experience...

I am a crusader: one with a mission! My mission is to help as many people as I can to live happier lives.

First, I will introduce myself... I am generation X, a Reiki Master (Healer), an Organizational Psychology PhD student (emphasis in leadership and positive psychology), a bi-sexual, an ex-wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, an aspiring TV Hostess for a TV show about happiness, leadership coach, happiness coach, an explorer of the Dark Side, and the California Chapter President of the Happiness Club.

I just met with a woman who came to me because she didn't know where else to go. She has cerebral palsy, she is extremely depressed. Really depressed. After talking for 35 minutes, she left our conversation so she could decide if she wanted to be happy. To decide if she cared enough to make changes in her life, to do the actions required to help herself. I hope she decides it is worth it.

I learned about ten years ago that you can't help people who do not want to be helped. Only you can decide if you are worth it to make the change. Deep inside yourself, is where your happiness is, no where else. No one can give it to you. Happiness is a Decision that you make for yourself. For your own well-being, your own benefit, your own life experience.

Make the Happiness Decision!!!

http://www.happinessclub.com/Decision/decision.htm