#HappyActs

To celebrate the International Day of Happiness, kids from around the world showed off their creativity in the 2022 #HappyActs Art Contest. The theme was to illustrate what happiness looks like to them. Thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations to the top 3 winners! 1st Place Brianna. Age 9. 2nd Place Madisynn. Age 15. 3rd Place Kristina. Age 7.

In celebration of the International Day of Happiness (IDOH), Live Happy encourages you to spread more happiness for 31 days during the month of March. Every year we ask you to join us in celebrating the International Day of Happiness (IDOH) on March 20, by making the world a happier place through our 2022 #HappyActs campaign. This year is no different, but the need for more acts of kindness may be more important than ever. For more than two years now, the world has suffered great losses, felt more stress, and experienced more isolation than any time in recent history. With positive mindsets, attitudes and actions, we can turn hopelessness into hopefulness and helplessness into helpfulness. This year’s HappyActs campaign is focused on making kindness the new normal, especially on social media. This isn’t just an act of kindness, but an act of hope that collectively we can change the future to be a more positive and happier place for all. In this current state of the world where it seems no one can agree on anything and polarization and conflict seem to be on the rise, now is time to change the tone to express kindness and love so we can start to heal. We’ll never all agree on everything all the time, but we can start to have conversations where we understand each other instead of pushing each other apart. We are urging every one of our Live Happy Happy Activists to use your social networking platforms to be shiny beacons of happiness. During the month of March (and beyond), we encourage you to share your favorite meme or quote, post an inspirational article, or give a healthcare worker a much-needed shout out. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #HappyActs to let other Happy Activists know you are out there fighting the ‘good’ fight. Perform More Acts of Kindness Every year, we use the whole month of March to bring awareness to the power of acts of kindness. Doing something nice and helpful for others not only makes the receiver happier, but it also increases giver’s happiness as well. We are not talking about grand gestures either. In fact, it’s the little things the can spread more happiness because you can do more of them for more people. On HappyActs.org, you can download and print our 31 Ideas for #HappyActs calendar for fun and easy positive acts of kindness that you can perform and share every day of the month. For example, you can send a text to a friend that you know needs a little encouragement or buy a family a delicious meal through your go-to food delivery app. Whatever you do, share it with us and the world on your social media using #LiveHappy and #HappyActs. Happiness Walls are Back! Since 2013, we have been creating Happiness Walls to celebrate the International Day of Happiness.  Since the pandemic, this activity became more difficult because of social distancing rules. Not to be deterred, instead of not hosting our famous Happiness Walls, we decided to pivot in the name of happiness. Now you can host your very own wall almost anywhere you want. Just go to HappyActs.org to download, print, hang up and fill out your digital happiness wall. This is a great opportunity to invite co-workers, community members or local school to participate in the IDOH celebration. Kindness Wins! This year, Live Happy is hosting our #HappyActs Art Contest benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. From now until March 6, 2022, kids 16 and under can show off their creativity by submitting their own personal artwork for a chance to have their design featured on an official #HappyActs Water Bottle. This year’s design theme is: What does happiness look like to you? The team at Live Happy will choose the Grand Prize design and announce the winner on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Just send your submission to happyacts@livehappy.com and be sure to follow all our social media networks to see if you are a winner. All submitted artwork must be an original design, which does not contain any copyrighted material. The design must be submitted as a scanned drawing, PNG, JPEG, Photoshop or Illustrator file. All entry emails should have the subject line “2022 HappyActs Art Contest – [child’s name]” and include the child’s full name, address, telephone number and age. The 2022 #HappyActs Water Bottle will be sold on the Live Happy online store and a portion of the proceeds will be benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Happiness for All At Live Happy, we are dedicated to promoting and sharing authentic happiness through education, integrity, gratitude and community awareness. Our mission is to impact the world by bringing the happiness movement to a personal level and inspiring people to engage in purpose-driven, healthy, meaningful lives. We can’t do it alone, so we need your help by making 2022 the kindest, happiest year ever!

In celebration of the International Day of Happiness, Live Happy invites youth from around the world to share what happiness looks like to them. Between February 11, 2022 and March 6, 2022 Live Happy is accepting art submissions for our 8th annual #HappyActs campaign to celebrate the International Day of Happiness on March 20, 2022. Kids from around the world can show off their creativity by entering the 2022 #HappyActs Art Contest. The theme is to illustrate what happiness looks like to them. One winning design will become the official 2022 #HappyActs Water Bottle. The winners will be announced on Friday, April 1, 2022. Grand Prize – This design will be featured on the official 2022 #HappyActs Water Bottle. The designer will receive four free water bottles and have their winning design displayed on livehappy.com. 2nd Place – The designer will receive a Live Happy hoodie and have their design submission displayed on livehappy.com. 3rd Place – The designer will receive a Live Happy beanie and have their design submission displayed on livehappy.com. The 2022 #HappyActs Water Bottle will be sold on store.livehappy.com and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Rules and Requirements Theme of design: What does happiness look like to you? Must be age 16 and under to enter. Required dimensions: 4" x 2 ½" One design per entry. Design will appear on the front of the water bottle. Must be an original design, which does not contain any copyright material. Designs submitted MUST NOT INCLUDE any obscene or foul language or designs. Any entries in violation of this rule will be disqualified. The design must be submitted as a scanned drawing, PNG, JPEG, Photoshop or Illustrator file. We reserve the right to make adjustments to the winning design. All entry emails should be sent to happyacts@livehappy.com with the subject line “2022 HappyActs Art Contest – [child’s name]." Please include the child’s full name, address, telephone number and age. Entries become the property of Live Happy, LLC.

Welcome, Happy Activists! A Happy Activist is someone who, through kind words and intentional positive actions, strives to make the world a better place. Live Happy invites you to join our #HappyActs movement! We encourage everyone to incorporate kindness into your daily lives by participating in each month’s planned activity. The more people who join the #HappyActs movement, the greater the positive impact we’ll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters! December's Happy Act theme is altruism. French philosopher Auguste Comte, the father of positivism, first defined the term of altruism as a social act that is the opposite of self-centeredness, even though the giver does receive personal satisfaction from giving. If you are motivated to serve the welfare of others without expecting anything in return, then you are more than likely an altruistic person. When we embrace each other with compassion and kindness, we create an opportunity to be better human beings to each other. While research into the benefits of altruism continues, many studies suggest the more generous we are, the better off we will be. December's Happy Act is to give a little extra this holiday season to someone in need. In his book Altruism: The Power of Compassion the Change Yourself and the World, Matthieu Ricard writes: “our existence is usually woven from deeds of cooperation, friendship, affection and care.” Whether it’s the ringing of the bell outside of the department store or serving warm meals for the hungry or shoveling a neighbor's sidewalk, don’t miss the call to pay a little more attention to others and make the holidays merrier for everyone. Our December Happy Activist is Carol Novello, founder of Mutual Rescue, author of Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too and president of Humane Society Silicon Valley in California. Carol displays her altruism by rescuing homeless animals, and in turn, placing those animals in happy homes. The result, she says, is a transforming experience for the people who adopt these animals in need. “Animals bring so much joy into our lives … part of the altruism in helping animals, is that you are really helping people too,” she says. “When you connect an animal with a person, you are enriching two lives.” For more on altruism, check out these articles: A Twist of Faith How to Be Compassionate Toward Difficult People The Giving Way to Happiness With Jenny Santi Time to up your #HappyActs game. Help us spread global happiness by becoming a Happy Activist and host your very own Happiness Wall. Learn how you can host a wall at your school, business or organization and find out how to create your own fantastic wall using one of our Happy Acts Wall Kits.

Welcome, Happy Activists! A Happy Activist is someone who, through kind words and intentional positive actions, strives to make the world a better place. Live Happy invites you to join our #HappyActs movement! Every month, we encourage everyone to incorporate kindness into your daily lives by participating in each month’s planned activity. The more people who join the #HappyActs movement, the greater the positive impact we’ll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters! October’s Happy Act theme is optimism. Optimistic people feel good about their future and are confident they will achieve positive outcomes. When we adapt to a positive mindset, we enjoy many mental and physical benefits, including lower stress and anxiety, stronger immune systems, better quality sleep and better coping skills. That’s not to say that we put our heads in the sand when bad things happen, but as optimists, we have the power to accept the negativity, deal with it and then move in a positive way. October’s Happy Act is optimism. People who see the glass half full also have better relationships and social interactions which can spread exponentially to other people. This behavior can create a ripple effect of happiness. Throughout your day, try making as many positive connections as you can. It can be a small gesture, such as a kind smile; or something greater, such as seeking out someone who is feeling down and out and letting them know how much you value them as a person and care about the positive outcomes of their future. Your kind gesture just might be the catalyst to turn someone’s day around. A recent study shows that our optimism can extend vicariously to other people, even strangers, when we hold positive and hopeful views about them. Our October Happy Activist is author and mental health advocate Mark Simmonds. His latest memoir Breakdown and Repair: A Father’s Tale of Stress and Success tells the story of how Mark went from suffering a mental breakdown due to stress and on the brink of suicide to championing for destigmatizing mental illness. Despite several setbacks, including helping his daughter Emily battle anorexia, Mark’s hope, resilience and optimism have kept him moving toward his goals for better mental health. After six long years, Emily has overcome the illness and is now thriving. “You are going to get confronted with lots of different situations in life,” he says. “When you come out of them, the reward and recognition you will get for showing resilience will be well worth the effort.” For more on optimism, check out these articles: The New Definition of Happiness Cultural Change and Moral Power A Positive Approach to Problems Time to up your #HappyActs game. Help us spread global happiness by becoming a Happy Activist and host your very own Happiness Wall. Learn how you can host a wall at your school, business or organization and find out how to create your own fantastic wall using one of our Happy Acts Wall Kits.

Welcome, Happy Activists! A Happy Activist is someone who, through kind words and intentional positive actions, strives to make the world a better place. Live Happy invites you to join our #HappyActs movement! On the 20th of each month, we encourage everyone to incorporate kindness into your daily lives by participating in each month’s planned activity. The more people who join the #HappyActs movement, the greater the positive impact we’ll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters! August’s Happy Act theme is positive education. Psychologist and founding member of positive psychology Martin Seligman, Ph.D., defines positive education as “the intersection of traditional education with the building of well-being.” The goal of positive education is help young people find and develop their character strengths so they can thrive in life. Research shows that students who participated in programs that taught both academic and social and emotional health, had a 10% improvement in grades and well-being as well as a buffer against anger, anxiety and depression. August’s Happy Act is to lead by example by developing your own character strengths while teaching young people about the character strengths they need to flourish, such as kindness, forgiveness, leadership and perseverance. By providing tools to improving social and emotional health, they have the ability to improve their well-being and live a happier life. Psychologist and bestselling author Lea Waters, Ph.D. spoke at the 2018 Festival of Positive Education in Fort Worth, Texas and said, “parenting is a really important piece of the positive education puzzle.” Check out the VIA Institute on Character to find out more about character strengths and how you can apply them to your life as well as those around you. Our August Happy Activist is elementary school teacher Lucie Buissereth-Lindner in Stockholm, Sweden. She says she tries to make the world a happier place by making small impactful changes in her students’ lives every day. “Teaching kids the importance of a relentless work ethic, authenticity and self-belief is the way I give back in hopes to create an army of leaders and a legacy of excellence!” she says. Lucie and her students are working toward competing in the World Inter-School Rope Skipping Championship 2019 in Belgium. “Not only will they test their strengths, and power, but also build self-confidence, make new friends, and broaden their horizons!” Their team is called 'The HusbyGårds Hopprep Starzzz ' which translates to “Super Enthusiastic, Hard-working, Talented Girls and Boys of Sweden!” For more information on positive education, check out the links below: Character and Well-Being 4 Ideas Shaping the Future of Education The Importance of Positive Education The Power of Character Strengths With Ryan Niemiec Time to up your #HappyActs game. Help us spread global happiness by becoming a Happy Activist and host your very own Happiness Wall. Learn how you can host a wall at your school, business or organization and find out how to create your own fantastic wall using one of our Happy Acts Wall Kits.