Helping others can be a great way to boost your own happiness.
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!
July’s Happy Act theme is community. Research shows that strong, engaging communities are safer, healthier and happier. Making positive connections with our neighbors makes us feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves and we are less likely to live in isolation, which can have adverse effects on our mental and physical well-being.
July’s Happy Act is to do something positive to make a difference in your community. Amy Blankson, author and Live Happy contributor, writes in her article, “Start a Ripple of Kindness in Your Community,” that “you do not have to have a lot of time or money or status or even connections—you just have to have a willingness to make someone’s day just a bit brighter and the follow-through to accomplish it.” Even small gestures can add up in a big way, such as volunteering for your local Habitat for Humanity or take the time to welcome a new neighbor to the neighborhood. These good deeds not only make the people we help happy, but we get happiness from helping others, too.
Community helps makes you feel balanced. It makes you feel a connection with everyone." — Mariel Hemingway
Our July Happy Activist is Jaxson Turner, an 11-year-old from Plano, Texas. This youngster is already wise beyond his years and understands that a thriving community means helping those in need. For his 11th birthday, Jaxson has raised more than $12,000 through GoFundMe to help give the homeless an Easter dinner. In 2018, in lieu of Christmas gifts, he asked people to donate to a local homeless shelter so the children can enjoy the holidays. He clearly has gone above and beyond to help others.
“It brings me happiness to help others in need and touch their heart for a lifetime and hopefully make them smile for a day,” Jaxson says. According to Jaxson, it is very important to care about those in need, because you never know when we will need a helping hand in life. He says helping others “makes the community happy and it helps the less fortunate feel like the community cares about them.”
Jaxson's latest endeavor involves selling lemonade to raise funds for back-to-school necessities, including haircuts, school supplies and backpacks. Way to go, Jaxson! To find out more about Jaxson and his charitable actions, check out his Facebook page.
For more information on how to give back to your community, read the articles listed below.
Community Gardens Grow Happiness
Revitalizing Community for Renewed Happiness
