Schools, businesses and households are being forced to do a lot more with a lot less and Project Happiness delivers proven techniques to do just that. A recent study found that social emotional learning, improved student grade performance by 11% more than double the improvement from reducing class size.

“We are grateful to Cartier for helping our community endure these difficult times,” Randy Taran, founder of Project Happiness said. “Everyone benefits when even a single teenager chooses family over drugs, education over crime, kindness over violence.”

Project Happiness was founded to give teenagers effective tools to create success and happiness in school and in life. Its curriculum is being used in Palo Alto’s Gunn High School, a community that was devastated by four student suicides, as well as Corte Madera in Portola Valley, and Menlo School in Atherton. Stanford University will begin to integrate it as part of its peer health educators program this fall.

“We’ve not seen the light at the end of the tunnel, but if we allow happiness to guide us, we won’t go wrong,” Randy added.

Cartier will donate 10% of all sales to Project Happiness a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.  View special select items -> Cartier Trunk Show Items. H’ordeuvres and champagne will be served. Space is limited. To RSVP please call Aida Smailagic (650) 325-6170.

September 14th, 2010 6:30-8:30 PM
Cartier
155 Stanford Shopping Ctr
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Tel. (650) 325-6170
Fax (650) 325-6176
www.Cartier.us

The good news is that as a human being, you come equipped with powerful tools to access your desire, and no person or situation can take those away from you. Here are 5 simple ways to tap into the strength of desire that lives inside. Knowing these can help you draw on them right now.

1. Passion: Have you ever seen a sports team losing badly at half time, only to summon an intensity of desire that helps them not only play better than expected, but win the game? Passion can be as extreme as a Good Samaritan lifting up a car to save a child or as simple as making up your mind to meet a particular person you’re interested in getting to know better. Think of a time when you were determined to do something no matter what and draw on that feeling as you move forward.

Continue reading on the Huffington Post…

Project Happiness is thrilled to announce that, in partnership with Alliant University, we are launching an online continuing education course on July 12th entitled “Exploring Positivity in Classroom Management: A Curriculum of Wellness.” This course (2.5 CEU’s) will give teachers — new and old teachers, Project Happiness facilitators and others, science and art teachers, public and private school teachers — a chance to enliven their teaching practice with the positive psychology, mindfulness and wellness practices that Project Happiness does so well. If you’re interested, take a look here for more details and then click here to REGISTER through Alliant University.

Rewriting Your Script to Prevent Depression

I have to say this is my FAVORITE part of the discussion with Nina, because it’s here where we explore the relationship between the illness, ‘depression,’ and the wellness practices of Project Happiness. Here’s how Nina (who knows a LOT about psychology, as you’ll see if you listen!) lays it out:

• Learning to be aware of your emotions, to regulate your emotions, and to separate your emotional response from reality are critical skills for depression PREVENTION and depression RECOVERY.
• Learning to know when to reach out for professional help — for yourself or someone you care about — is critical for those with SEVERE DEPRESSION, particularly teens.

Take a listen to the podcast episode HERE…

Here is one of my favorite Project Happiness methods for getting a handle on where you’re at emotionally and moving in a positive direction:

Rewriting Your Script (Taken from the Project Happiness Handbook, p.47)

1. Close your eyes and try to picture your current situation (your feelings, your interactions, your choices) as a film. Who are the characters on the screen? What are they doing, thinking and feeling? In particular, what is the protagonist (you!) doing, thinking and feeling?
2. Sketch out this movie in words or pictures.
3. Now…remember that you are the writer, actor and director in your movie: rewrite the script! What could the protagonist do to reach for joy and connection? Could you take some of those steps in your world?

And remember to always practice SELF-COMPASSION; your runaway ‘monkey mind’ (check out p.48 in the Project Happiness Handbook) may be telling you that your friends and family don’t have the time or energy to ‘deal with’ your feelings, but that is probably the farthest thing from the truth. REACH OUT and let someone else help you figure out the next step.

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit…but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less. But let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules and although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

–> To hear Nina and I talk about this journey, click HERE.

Here are some resources that weren’t there for Nina or her parents 15 years ago, but are here now:

• Pre-eminent depression researcher, Dr. John Greden, discussing the progression of depression here.
• Here’s some great info on childhood and adolescent depression from the Michigan Depression Center’s website (run by — you guessed it — Dr. Greden!)
• Nina’s favorite mental health charity and advocacy organization, NARSAD, is available here.
• This is a list of some warning signs teens with depression might exhibit.
• And, of course, the Project Happiness Handbook, available on Amazon, is a great resource for helping parents, teachers and kids be aware of their emotions so that they can show compassion to themselves and others and reach out when they need help.

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit…but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less. But let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules and although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less. But let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules and although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less. But let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules and although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

A stranger becoming my friend.

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less. But let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules and although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less-let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules. And although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

A Sunday promenade in Berkeley.

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less-let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules. And although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

A freshly, washed and cleaned car. What a difference!

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less-let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules. And although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

The great cup of coffee I had this morning was bliss. Bliss, I tells-ya!

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less-let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules. And although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity is like Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for more happiness.

Knowing I’m a father-to-be is making my heart

glow!

I read somewhere it takes 30 days to create a new habit but when I find great ice-cream, like Bi-Rite’s salted caramel, it just takes one scoop or less-Let’s be rational, ice-cream breaks a lot of rules. And although we all want more happiness in our lives, negativity seems to have Velcro fastening itself to our thoughts. Neuroscience gives us a strategy with this bit of wisdom, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, happy thoughts create happy brains. Join me in this 30 Day Challenge to rewire my brain for happiness.