Greetings!
Seasons Greetings!
Everyone at the H-Factor is enjoying the fall and upcoming holiday season while taking
to the road to provide Harvesting Happiness Workshops around the country. Is there any better time to talk about
harvesting happiness than during the harvest/holiday season? I love the idea that happiness is a seed that
you plant, nurture and watch grow to fruition. Cultivating happiness is a loving harvest that enriches your mind,
body and soul sustaining yourself and those around you.
I also appreciate the sense of time that comes with a true harvest and celebration. It's easy to get impatient and expect
immediate results, but the truth is that all wonderful things take some time
and effort to fully grow into themselves.
There are many ways to sow the seeds of happiness. For one person
it might be planning a picnic
lunch, or finding a special gift for a loved one. For another it
might be gathering with
friends or even volunteering at a non-profit organization. Each
person has their own interpretation of
happiness, so it stands to reason that there are many ways to cultivate
joy. There are some common themes
to happiness, though. We know that most
happiness seems to spring from the elements of time and
connection. Stop and consider a happy memory. What was it
that made you so happy? In many cases, people will notice that
they
had taken the time to do something or connect in someway that otherwise
might have been overlooked. The connection might be with
yourself, or
another, it could be with an entire group, an animal or even your
higher
power. But, connection is definitely an
element of happiness. The busy mom, who
reports that she feels happy in the afternoon after her yoga class,
acknowledges that she has taken the time out of her full day to take
care of
herself. She is making a connection with
her body, her breath and her inner thoughts.
The business man who reports that he feels truly happy when making his
yearly trip to Chile
to provide text books to school children in need, is enjoying the
connection and taking the time to make a substantive difference in
their lives.
If you would like to sow the seeds of happiness in your
life, ask yourself what haven't you taken the time to do lately and who haven't
you connected with enough? Nurture these
goals and you will see happiness sprout in ways that you could never imagine.
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We remain in the editing room hard at work on the new and improved 90 minute version of H-Factor for Film Festival submission, Motivational Speaking, Educational Services, Academic Conferences and Private Coaching.
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This coming year we will be conducting Harvesting Happiness Workshops in venues large and small all over the country. This is a wonderful new workshop that is great for team building and boosting morale. There is no group too small or large to benefit from this workshop. For more information about Harvesting Happiness Workshops visit our new website devoted solely to the workshops at: www.harvestinghappiness.com. You can also visit Harvesting Happiness on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harvesting-Happiness/137223598520?v=wall or you can simply type in Harvesting Happiness. Become a fan and we will provide you with timely updates.
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Recently, afterreading several articles about Andre Agassi I haven't
been
able to stop thinking about him as an shining example of triumph over
adversity. His ability to confront the demons of drug addition
and come out the other side as a roll model for children is a
commendable feat. Of
course, he enjoyed a wonderful tennis career and is widely considered
to be one
of the greatest tennis players of his time. Since his retirement it
seems
as though Agassi has only become happier. A quick look at his long list
of
charitable associations and you begin to get a picture of what may be
making
this star athlete smile.
In 2001 Andre Agassi opened the Andre
Agassi College
Preparatory Academy
for at risk youth in Las Vegas. This is a tuition free school designed around
the idea of maximizing a child's potential while teaching them and demanding
mutual respect. The result is a model
for how a neighborhood and a group of struggling students can be turned around. The inspiration that the school provides
reaches far beyond the lives of the students who attend to
classrooms all around the country who have been functioning under the
assumption that there are kids who can not be saved.
In his own words Agassi has described the mission of the
school, "We're here to transform education and create
opportunities to empower young people." And they have. The school has clearly
demonstrated that even in the worst circumstances children can excel if given the
proper educational tools. Earlier
this year the school graduated its first senior class. The guest speaker at the commencement was, of
course, Andre Agassi.
If the Andre Agassi
College Preparatory
Academy were Agassi's
only charity he would surely have plenty to smile about. It is actually
only one of many charities that he is involved in. Agassi's involvement with Child Haven made it
possible for the Agassi
Center for Education to
be built. His foundation donated more
than a quarter of a million dollars to build the Andre Agassi Cottage for
Medically Fragile Children, a facility that provides housing for children who
need to be quarantined due to infectious disease or other medical conditions
requiring extensive treatment. In
2007, Agassi joined with Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Jeff
Gordon, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario
Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning and Cal Ripken, Jr. to found Athletes for Hope, a
charitable organization which helps professional athletes pair their talents
with charitable causes.
In May of this year Andre Agassi was awarded the Woodrow
Wilson Award for Public Service. In his
acceptance speech he clearly outlined his motivation for his life and his
charitable works. "Many years ago, at the lowest point in my career and one of
the lowest points in my life, I figured out why I was here. Years later when I
continued to compete and play tennis long after my body told me to stop; I was
driven by that same reason. I was here to care for children in need, to try and
give a voice to those whose voices are rarely heard."
With his purpose well defined and his action in complete accordance
with
that purpose, is it any wonder he has reason to smile? In November of
this year his new inspirational autobiography simply entitled, "OPEN,"
was be released.
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As the world continues to spin gracefully on its axis, time marches
on. It is easy to get caught up in the day to day minutia that
our modern lives create.
It's so important to remember that there is a larger purpose to our
lives than our cell phones, deadlines and bank balances. The truth is
that
there are amazing tools available to us, tools that our grandparents
and
parents never had the opportunity to use.
We have the choice to use these tools to create time and connection
with
ourselves and our fellow man, or we can choose to become slaves to
these tools
and allow them to isolate us from the rest of the world.
I
was with a friend the other day who was
clearly frazzled. She was having one of
those days that we all have at one point or another. Her day was
so full it was bursting at the
seams. She had a client meeting, a
parent teacher conference for her son, a soccer game, a deadline for a
report
looming and a cell phone that was vibrating itself off the table with
incoming
calls. We were attempting to enjoy five
minutes of sanity, connection and a glass of refreshing lemonade but
the
vibrating phone continued to vie for her attention. She was
frustrated and made some vague threat
about wanting to throw the phone out the nearest window. Haven't
we all been there at least once? I asked my friend three little
questions that
I like to ask myself whenever I feel frustrated with time and
technology.
The first question:
What needs to get done today in order to make your life more enjoyable? At
the first part of the question I could see my friend starting to get
frustrated. Her list of things that
needed to get done was insurmountable, but when she heard the second half of
the question she stopped and took a breath.
What actually needed to be done to make her life more enjoyable? It was an entirely different list. Certainly
some of the things were the same, but they were cast in a new light. The report on her desk that needed to be
completed, still needed to be finished in order to enjoy her life but now it
was a task that had a promise of freedom and happiness at the end instead of
being just another item on an unending to do list.
The second question:
What would I love to find the time to do today? At this question a smile spread over my
friend's face. It is funny to me how
flexible the human spirit is. In less
than 2 minutes my friend had gone from total frustration to peaceful happiness
and we hadn't even changed positions!
She was only thinking about what she would like to do with the day!
The third question:
How can I utilize the technology that I have to make these things
happen? I had no sooner finished the
question than my friend leapt to her feet, grabbed her cell phone and left a
new outgoing message that simply said left her name and the information that
she was in a conference and unreachable for the rest of the day. She urged callers to leave a detailed message
with a promise that she would get back to them on the following day. Then she turned her phone off and informed me
that she was off to finish the report so she could spend the rest of the
afternoon shopping with her twin daughters.
She smiled, squeezed my hand and left to enjoy her day.
The heart of the matter is that today will pass no matter what we
do. We can spend the day tied to a series of
mundane tasks that seem painful and unrewarding or we can live with
purpose and
enjoy all of our day to day tasks, even the boring ones, by
acknowledging
what they do for us. At the end of the
day how do you want to have spent your time? You can either
become exasperated by over programming, or your can embrace each task
mindfully and in the moment in service to harvesting greater happiness.
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· Harvesting Happiness
http://www.harvestinghappiness.com
A website devoted to the creation
of happiness in your daily life using tips, tricks and techniques taught by
Lisa Cypers Kamen
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· 2010 Happiness and It's
Causes Convention
It's never too early to start planning to attend the 2010 Happiness and It's
Causes Convention in Sydney,
Australia. The May Conference details are now available
on the following website: http://www.terrapinn.com/2010/happiness/venue.stm
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· H-Factor Blog Where do we find
happiness? How do we find happiness? Why are happy people
happy? And why are unhappy people unhappy? These are legitimate
questions with some surprising answers. Find out at: http://lisakamen.wordpress.com/
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· Global Happiness http://www.globalhappiness.net
The goal of this organization is to "spread this
most contagious bug to everyone everywhere so that they feel empowered to live
the best lives and feel they can make a difference to our planet, our people
and our earth."
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· Happiness.org http://www.happiness.org
The Happiness Foundation
provides strategic consulting services to non-profits that want to
optimize operations, grow stronger, and have an even bigger impact by supplying
intellectual capital. "The world is filled with bright, motivated individuals
who use their skills and talents every day for economic gain. It is our belief
that most of these same individuals - given the chance - would gladly
contribute a share of their time to the non-profit sector if asked." In this
alternative to traditional philanthropy, business leaders and experts donate
their time, knowledge, and contacts to help non-profits increase
their impact. Acting as a matchmaker and project coordinator, the Happiness
Foundation supports a wide range of non-profits doing work on poverty
alleviation
education, human rights, and health.
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· Visit the H-Factor website to leave your heartprint!
www.whatisyourhappiness.com
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Heart
Kayla Kamen
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As fall settles in and the weather begins to change it is my hope for
all of
us that we take the time to enjoy the subtle differences in our
days. Take a moment to enjoy a crisp apple or the fresh smell of
a Christmas tree. Applaud colorful trees or make snowmen with
your children. Revel in the excitement of fresh
pumpkins and holiday lights. Enjoy the harvest of fresh
vegetables and holiday cheer as well as, of all the happiness you have
sowed in your life. Take the time to plant new seeds; it will be
worth your effort.
Merry Everything and Happy Always,
Lisa, Kayla & Aryel Kamen and
the staff of H-Factor...Where is your Heart?
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Fall is a time when everything changes. I have new teachers, and new friends who sit
near me. I have new books to explore and
new things to learn. I don't always like
new things and sometimes all of the change can make me feel uncertain. But my Mom always reminds me that change is
inevitable. It's going to happen no matter what I do. Mom says I should try to think of change as
something that isn't good or bad, it just is.
When I don't think of it as good or bad I don't get worried. In the end everything always works out
anyway, and I don't want to spend all of my time worrying.
My
mom always tells me one of the ways to get happy is to do something for
someone else. This weekend we are going away. I've decided
to wear an Santa's helper elf hat and pass out candy canes to all the
staff at the airport as we pass through it. I'll let you know
next time around if I became happier or made someone else happy in the
process.
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Sheriff Lee Baca
Click the image above
for a sneak peek!
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We have been on the road sharing our Harvesting Happiness
workshops with groups all around the country.
What is truly amazing to me is that no matter where we go we find
amazing stories of courage, hope, vision and happiness.
We
recently did a Harvesting Happiness workshop with some of the amazing
private trainers at Equinox Fitness in Los Angeles. I'm always excited
to walk into a room full of people who have gathered to explore the
infinite possibilities of happiness. I never know what I am going
to hear or what as a collective we will learn, but I am never
disappointed. The Equinox event was no exception. I look
forward to working with other Equinox facilities around the country to
make happiness the goal and event for their organization.
Presently,
we are nearing completion of the "Harvesting Happiness"
book, a compendium to the film and workshop. This book chronicles
the story behind the story of H-Factor...Where Is Your Heart?, offers
the reader workbook tools to augment the seminars as well as research
and everyday wisdom to cultivate great life satisfaction.
If your company or
organization would like to take part in a Harvesting Happiness workshop, to
relieve stress, team build or even to just have fun please contact us at heartprint@whatisyourhappiness.com.
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New! Harvesting Happiness Workshops
& Private Coaching facilitated by Lisa Kamen Now Available!
According to Lisa, her inspiration for Harvesting
Happiness came while standing in the shower. "It just
dawned on me that I could be doing something to help people navigate what many
refer to as the Global Economic Crisis. My take on what is happening is that it
is a unique opportunity to shift our focus to what really matters most. Yes,
the financial impact is hitting home hard in different ways for each of us.
Yet, at the end of the day it is how we relate to these challenges that is key.
After years of study on the important topic of happiness, I realized that
beyond H-Factor, I have other gifts of
value I can share. In a very real sense, I harvest happiness, I harvest
the joy in myself and help others do so within themselves, and that is how the
workshop and the name came to be. Soon after I conceptualized the idea, a dear
friend organized my first "test-drive" workshop with super happy results
(contented attendees). It is a simple, four-hour format. I screen the 30-minute
version of H-Factor followed by a Q& A, a light meal, and a brief
meditation to assist participants in focusing on and accessing their happiness.
Then we close with a Vision Boarding session on what else....happiness! Talk
about setting intentions and watching them come to life! We have planned
two more Harvesting Happiness workshops in the upcoming months, so if
you'd like to plant the seeds of happiness and reap bountiful benefits of this
healthy harvest, please contact us at heartprint@whatisyourhappiness.com. And, if you or someone you
know would be interested in hosting a Harvesting Happiness workshop,
we'd love to hear from you. Happiness is truly an inside job!"
Interested
in One on One Harvesting Happiness Coaching? The first 50-Minute
Private Telephone Session is always complimentary. 310-273-5300
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On
Tuesday, November 24th Lisa guest lectured at the University of
Southern California (USC) in The Science of Happiness class, Department
of Psychology.
A sample of what's to come in January 2010... Glendale Community College New York City Parks & Recreation Equinox Fitness, New York
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Written and edited by
Shannon Penrod
Writer
&
Lisa Cypers Kamen
Filmmaker & Happiness Facilitator
Designed by
Dustin Zahn
Dzahn Design
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