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The Happiness of Giving

"I felt beautiful when I was in Cambodia. I was sweaty, and my hair was matted and all over the place. And I was happy and hot and accomplishing a lot and running around, and I could feel my heart beating, and I felt beautiful." Angelina Jolie

This is exactly the same feeling that the HPC team felt in a hot afternoon on 3rd Feb. The team and a few volunteers brought 10 old folks from an old folk's home to China town to “feel’ the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year in the city. We were told many of these old folks had not been to China town for many years.

Most of these old folks had walking disability due to old age and need to move around on wheel chair. However, the spirit of joy and enthusiasm being able to go to town did not lose out when compare with any kids. Each volunteer was given the task to take care of one old folk to wheel them around.

The journey started with a simple meal at the China town market foodcourt. The old folks were given the choice to choose what they like to eat. Some chose their favourite chicken rice, some had cantonese fried noodles and their favourite kopi-o. It was sheered joy watching them enjoying their food. I was amazed with their appetite.

After the meal, they were wheeled around the streets of China town to see the goodies, decorations etc. The store owners were equally happy to meet them and offering them to taste the tidbits that they were selling. As we move along, we asked the old folk on what they like as the volunteers were anxious to meet their wishes.

Many did not want anything from us as the “giving” by spending time with them was already very meaningful to them. Nevertheless, we bought some foods, some S$10 watches etc. for some of them and again we could see the joy and tears from their eyes arising from the gesture of the volunteers.

We end the outing having dessert along the food street and again the old folks were given the choice to choose what they liked to eat. Though it was dessert time, some had asked for fish ball noodles, fried bee hoon despite they just had lunch 2 hours ago. I believe it was the happiness that had increased their digestive power.

Time had to come to say goodbye to the old folk. With a "heavy" heart, we wheeled them to the van to bring them "home". Some had not travel in a car for a long time and was feeling car sick. Nevertheless, the opportunity to reconnect with the outside community during an important festive season meant a lot to them.

We could see the joy and happiness from their eyes. We were glad to have the opportunity to make the trip possible. We feel so much richer and happier after the outing.

"When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace." The Dalai Lama

Thanking Your Way to Health and Happiness

Published by Associated Press
St Petersburg (Florida)

Say thanks, it might make you feel better.

Academics have long theorised that expressions of thank promote health and happiness and give optimism and energy to the downtrodden.

In recent years, researchers have tried to measure the benefits of gratitude. In a National Science Foundation funded study, Northeastern University psychologist David DeSteno has participants complete an arduous data entry task only to have it lost by a computer malfunction.
Then, a lab assistant, seemingly unconnected to the study and claiming to be in a hurry with his own experiment, restores the lost work.

The participants are dismissed. They bump into the lab assistant, who asks for help.; Dr DeSteno found those who had been helped by the assistant, and were grateful for it, were more likely to return the favour, and did so for longer than those in a group not helped.

"Gratitude leads people to act in virtues or more selfless ways," said Dr DeSteno, whose research was published earlier this year in the journal Current Directions In Psychological Science. "And it builds social support, which we know is tied to both physical and psychological well being."

Dr Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, said those who offer gratitude are less envious and resentful. They sleep longer, exercise more and report a drop in blood pressure, said Dr Emmons, who wrote Thanks! How Practising Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

Dr Brenda Shoshanna, a New York psychologist, agreed. "You can't be depressed and grateful at the same time," said Dr Shoshanna, the author of 365 Ways To Give Thanks: One For Every Day Of The Year. "It makes a person physically, mentally, in every way healthier."

Positive Psychology in the Workplace

The Positivity Ratio
By Lisa Sansom

You may have heard of a "magic" 3 to 1 positivity ratio - or this may be the first time you are hearing about it. However, this positivity ratio can be very important for you personally and professionally, so let me talk a bit about what it is and how you can implement it.

The 3:1 positivity ratio is based on research by Barbara Fredrickson and she writes about it in her book Positivity. The essence is that for every one negative emotion, we should experience and cultivate three positive emotions in order to flourish. People who are depressed tend to have ratios that are closer to 1:1 - not even more negatives than positives, but they experience about the same number of each. People who are flourishing, in their lives overall, tend to experience 3:1 at a minimum, and possibly more.

Why is this?

First of all, negative emotions tend to be more weighty. When you look back on your life, it is likely easier to remember the down times, and those memories can bring you down again. It is less easy to remember the joyful and exuberant times, and when you do remember those high points, the current emotion you experience may be more akin to satisfaction or contentment - not the highs that you lived before.

Also, negative emotions tend to last longer than positive emotions. This is a result of the way our brains are wired - it's not right or wrong, it just is. Negative emotions stay with us longer, and so have a greater impact on us.

Positive emotions tend to be more fleeting, especially in their highest, most energetic states. People can stay in a state of contentment for a while, but probably not in a state of ecstatic joy.

All of this means that for every one negative emotion, you should actively try to experience or cultivate three positive emotions to counteract the downward spiral that could result otherwise.

This 3:1 ratio is a mathematical average - you should also be aware that in marriages, for example, research is showing that a 5:1 ratio is a better predictor of health and longevity. In the workplace, high-performance teams track at 6:1.

So what does this mean for you? Two things:

1. Actively cultivate more positive emotion. Barbara Fredrickson's website has some links and tools for you to assess your current ratio. See http://www.positivityratio.com/

2. Refocus your attention on the good events that do happen. You may not need to actively create new positive experiences, but give your attention to the positive events that are naturally occurring around you. This will also boost your positivity ratio.

Innerpositiveness Switch from X to Y (contribution by Madeline Wan)

Innerpositiveness Leader

By Madeline Wan

We are here for a purpose..

Live a great meaningful and purposeful life!
Would our life be defined by how much material possessions we acquired or perhaps a heart, a life we have touched?
Go MAD!
Cultivate our spirit, character and body and that of those under our charge!

We have the capacity..

Greatness is in ALL of Us. Believe it.
We have the capacity to give and to bless.

Our Purpose

Transforming our organization..
a Vision is but a thousand steps of doing..
have a disciplined mind to execute..

How big do you want your biz to be?

The size of heart determines the size of our business…
Have space in your heart for people..

Our State of Mind (SOM) is key..

Mental Stillness or Mental Tension?
Our well being determines that of those below us..

Feel good! Look better!

Don’t beat yourself!
Certainty and Confidence comes from not knowing everything but believing you can learn and do everything…

May peace be with you..

God, grant me,
Serenity to accept things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and
Wisdom to know the difference.

Our appreciation

Let’s just do your best, and God will do the rest.
Thank you leaders.

The Art of Happiness

By Dalai Lama

The purpose of life is to seek happiness that last. Genuine Happiness is a feeling of joy and a sense of inner contentment that results from developing inner discipline which is calm, peace state of mind, rooted in affection and compassion.

Pleasure can also result in a feeling of joy, but based mainly on physical sensory experiences and subject to change at any time, and will not last, that feeling is only temporary.

Genuine Happiness relates more to the state of one's mind and heart, and it is much more stable, reliable, and long lasting than pleasure. Tibetan concept of mind “Sem” has a much broader meaning, closer to `psyche' or `spirit'; it includes intellect and feeling, heart and mind."

So it's not just "positive thinking" that's the key, it's positive being. By bringing about a certain inner discipline, we can undergo a transformation of our attitude, our entire outlook and approach to living.

There are many components to a happy life - having enough money to have one's basic needs met, other people with whom one can share things, love, and so on. It is still possible to be happy even if one has very little money, is in poor health, or even if one is not fortunate enough to have a special relationship with a spouse or lover.

On the other hand, no matter how wealthy a person is, no matter how wonderful their spouse is, or no matter how much "external" success one enjoys or praise one receives, if a person's mind is in turmoil, if it is troubled by anger, hatred, fear, anxiety, or jealousy, then it is impossible to really be happy.

Even though certain having a certain amount of money and so on are factors for enjoying a happy life, one's mental state, the "mind factor" is the predominant or key component.

Happiness can be achieved through training the mind. By getting into the habit of spending a few minutes each day engaged in any practice that helps quiet and focuses the mind--practices such as meditation or prayer. This can help one develop a calm, peace state of mind – inner discipline.