Last week my husband and I flew to Sydney Australia to attend a two-day conference called Happiness and its Causes.
What a fabulous two days it was. As I stood in the auditorium with 1200 other people waiting for His Holiness The Dalai Lama to come out on stage, listening to Ben Lee’s song ‘We are all in this together’, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my eyes welled up with tears of joy. I couldn’t help but feel connected to all of these people.
We really are all in this together, all striving to be happy and all searching for meaning and purpose in our lives.
As speaker after speaker came out on stage, some reading from notes, some with the polished flair of consummate entertainers and some just speaking from their hearts, I felt a deep common thread throughout all of the talks; to be happy is to be of service.
Whenever you do something to help someone else, no matter how big or small it is you are being of service. When you are being of service not only are you making someone else happy, you are also creating happiness in your own life. This kind of happiness comes from a place within that spreads like a warm glow throughout your body, making you feel satisfied, content and at peace with the world. It may last for a Nano second, a few minutes, an hour or even days, but it radiates a kind of happiness that is different from the happiness that comes from ‘I’ centred happiness such as pampering yourself at a day spa, eating your favourite chocolate or going away on holidays.
Over the past year I have consciously been trying to spread happiness by hand writing a happy letter every day and giving it to someone. I have shared happy memories with family and friends, I have written thank you letters, I have written conversational letters, letters of inspiration and I have placed random acts of letter kindness in a variety of different locations.
Each letter has been written with the pure intention of spreading joy and as far as I know joy has been the outcome. I have learnt so much about life and happiness through this project, but if there is one best happiness tip I learnt, it is this:
When you put happiness out into the world, it comes back to you in abundance!
This Sunday 21 June will be the second last day of Project Happy Letter. It will be my 364th letter and I am asking everyone who is serious about being happy to join with me on this day and write a happy letter to someone who has made a positive impact in their life.
It can be simply a sharing of a happy memory, a thank you letter or just a letter to say hello. If you want some inspiration click here and it will take you to some samples of letters that I have written.
If you have a presence on social media I am encouraging people to take a photo of themselves posting the letter (just like I have every day for the past year) and then put it up on their FaceBook, Instagram or Twitter account with the #happyletter.
My aim is to create some awareness around how important letter writing is and how it can create happiness. Letter writing is a dying art and even though social media is important, I believe a hand written letter says “I see you, I care.”
I honestly can’t put into words how much richer my life has become since embarking on Project Happy Letter. If you want to be happier then give happiness away and watch it come back to you in abundance. It’s a perfect way to deposit some happiness into your happiness bank account.
Be happy, colour the world.
Claire
What an accomplishment! You set yourself a huge goal, achieved it in style and in the process succeeded in spreading your message of happinessness to many lucky recipricants. I can’t help but feel so proud for you and of you. Seems so fitting that as your project comes to a close, you have found yourself re-energized by this conference and I have no doubt you will find something equally incredible to do next. I feel so blessed to have been on the receiving end of 2 of your beauiful letters and will be following your lead and sending out a happy letter or 2 myself!
Thanks heaps Nik for your encouragement and support of my little project. I always look forward to your comments on my blog, it makes it all worthwhile.
My lovely friend Claire,
You are such an amazing inspirational lady! I cannot think about you without a huge smile coming across my face
I have no doubt that your Happy Letters have made so many people happy and just what they needed to make their day better, especially your random letters that you have left for someone to find!
I admire your commitment to this project and I personally have absolutely LOVED my happy letters!
Love you
Francine xx
Francine, thank you so much for popping in and leaving a comment. You have put a huge smile on my face and I am so glad you have loved receiving my happy letters.