Use this character strength to achieve your goals even during challenging times.
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 who join the #HappyActs movement, the more positive impact we’ll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters!
January’s happiness theme is hope. As one of the character strengths mostly associated with happiness, hope gives us the strength and motivation to achieve our goals. Ryan M. Niemiec, Ph.D., Education Director at the Via Institute on Character, says that building up hope can be beneficial to our mental, physical and social health. He suggests writing down a goal and three ways to achieve to that goal and why.
Our January Happy Act is to create a Hope Chandelier. This easy-to-do craft can provide the inspiration you need to create more hope in your life. Hope chandeliers look great at home or school. You can even plan one for an activity during wedding or baby shower.
Gather these materials:
- Glue gun and glue
- Scissors
- Various ribbons
- Quilting hoop
- Twine
- Cord or yarn for hanging
- Basket
- Paper
Step 1. Tie the twine to the inside of the quilt hoop and wrap around the hoop, creating a “web.” Tie off and insert back into outer loop. Secure.
Step 2. Tie yarn (or cord) around the quilting loop to create the top “hanger.”
Step 3. Use glue gun to secure ribbon around the outside of the hoop. Secure some decorative ribbons on hoop to start the chandelier.
Step 4. Print instructions on paper and mount for display or glue to a basket lid as shown.
Step 5. Cut strips of ribbon in various lengths (recommend 3 to 5 feet).
Step 6. Write down your hopes on the ribbons and attached to the chandelier.
Our January Happy Activist is Camille Gerace Nitschky, Executive Director of Children’s Grief Center in Midland, Michigan. Camille and her team of volunteers are dedicated to bringing back hope and joy in the lives of young people who have experienced the loss of loved ones. Children’s Grief Center is a safe place for children, teenagers and their families to get the love and support during times of sadness.
“We have over a hundred kids coming to group,” Camille says. “They find a lot of connection in the sense of belonging and they realize that they are not alone in their grief.”
Any time we can give hope to others, especially those who need it the most, we give them something to look forward to, relieve anxiety and create positive relationships. “We turned something hard and what seems to be negative into something positive and a tool for living.”
For more inspiring stories about hope:
4 Websites That Will Help You Build Hope
Time to up your #HappyActs game. Help us spread global happiness by becoming a Happy Activist and host your very own Happiness Wall for the International Day of Happiness (March 20). 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.
