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Choosing Happiness
Choosing Happiness
Animal: Bluebird Food: Cherries
A person will be just about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln
Activities
1) Choosing: Sit quietly and think of a time you felt happy. Recall what you were doing. Let the feelings flow back into your heart and mind. Whisper to yourself: Right now, I choose to be happy!
2) Energizing: Watch the ups and downs of your feelings. When you are down and ready to change your energy, do the Awake & Ready Exercises. Notice how they affect you.
3) Laughing: Each day, read one funny story or tell a joke.
4) Affirming: Repeat or write these words (3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day): I am happy inside myself. Nothing outside can make me happy or sad! This affirmation can also be used with the Happiness pose on the front of this card.
5) Helping: Find a way to help someone else be happy.
6) Smiling: If you’re stuck feeling sad, look into a mirror and use your fingers to push the edges of your mouth up into a smile. Notice if your feelings change.
7) Noticing: Make a list, mentally or in writing, of at least five parts of your life that are going well.
15 ____ minutes there doing something you enjoy.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Choosing | |||||||||
| Energizing | |||||||||
| Laughing | |||||||||
| Affirming | |||||||||
| Helping | |||||||||
| Smiling | |||||||||
| Noticing | |||||||||
Living Truth
Living Truth
Animal: Whale Food: Coconut
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” Gautama Buddha
Activities
1) Speaking: Say what you feel is true, while being sensitive to others. Choose silence when in doubt.
2) Listening: Have a friend tell you a story that is partly true and partly false. See if you notice any changes in body language or tone of voice when they aren’t telling the truth.
3) Reflecting: Notice when you are “making up” reasons to explain something you’ve done. See how it makes you feel inside. Now tell the same story as it actually happened. See if your feelings are different.
4) Affirming: Repeat or write these words (3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day): I open myself to truth in everything I do!
5) Drawing: Create a picture that goes with the above affirmation or some other aspect of truth.
6) Choosing: Look for a situation where there’s a clear difference between what you should do and what you’d like to do. Do what you feel is right, then wait at least 30 minutes and see how you feel.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Speaking | |||||||||
| Listening | |||||||||
| Reflecting | |||||||||
| Affirming | |||||||||
| Drawing | |||||||||
| Choosing | |||||||||
Working With Others
Working with Others
Animal: Bees Food: Raspberries
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” Mother Teresa
Activities
1) Help: When someone is having a hard time, offer to help. A person carrying a heavy load will finish their trip faster if they get help.
2) Sharing: Share something you have with someone else. A miser sits alone counting his money, while a flower shares its beauty for free.
3) Forgiveness: When you are ready to forgive someone, let go of the upset and focus on joy. See the person filled with joy. You can be like a snail that hides in its shell, or an eagle that soars in the sky.
4) Listen: Listen carefully when others, especially older people, offer advice. If it sounds true, try it out and see if it works. The rain falls equally on rocks and plants, but the plants use the water to grow.
5) Thanks: Thank others when they do something for you. Complete the circle of energy; don’t let it just sit in a puddle.
6) The Bright Side: Instead of thinking about someone’s faults, focus on their strengths. A vulture looks for dead things to eat, while the hummingbird looks for bright flowers and sweet smells.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Help | |||||||||
| Sharing | |||||||||
| Forgiveness | |||||||||
| Listen | |||||||||
| Thanks | |||||||||
| The Bright Side | |||||||||
Forming Healthy Habits
Forming Healthy Habits
Animal: Cat Food: Almonds
“It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.” Benjamin Franklin
Activities
Suggestions: Posture (sitting, standing); Sleep (bedtime); Exercise (fresh air, sunshine, break a sweat); Regular Baths/Showers; Care of Teeth (brushing, flossing); Doing Chores or Homework
1) Goal: Choose an area from the above list as an overall goal (flossing your teeth daily…).
2) Progress: Set a lesser goal in the same area that seems doable in the coming week (flossing three times…).
3) Support: Do everything to make your goal achievable (Put the floss out in the open…).
4) Motivation: Find a way to support your efforts. (Ask a friend to help you…)
5) Affirmation: If you fall short, reduce the goal, but refuse to give up. Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day:
The season of failure is the best time to sow the seeds of success!
6) Celebrate: Celebrate each time you achieve one of your goals.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Goal | |||||||||
| Progress | |||||||||
| Support | |||||||||
| Motivation | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Celebrate | |||||||||
Building Will Power
Building Will Power
Animal: Beaver Food: Tomatoes
“We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves”. J.K. Rowling
Activities
1) Reflection: Before you act, ask yourself why you are acting. Are you just going along with other people’s ideas or are you thinking for yourself? If you can’t find a good reason, stop and do something else.
2) Changes: Change a habit. Start small, like brushing your teeth in a different way. Then go onto something harder.
3) New: Each day, try something you’ve never done before. Start with something small like eating a new food.
4) Finish: Everyday, take one project to completion. Next, get your projects done on time.
5) Environment: Watch how your surroundings affect you. Write down one thing that uplifts your energy and another that decreases it. Choose to be around those things that help you.
6) Energy: When things get difficult, stop and practice the Awake & Ready exercises. Notice the change in your energy level.
7) Affirmation: Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day: I face my challenges with initiative and enthusiasm!
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Reflection | |||||||||
| Changes | |||||||||
| New | |||||||||
| Finish | |||||||||
| Environment | |||||||||
| Energy | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
Sharpening the Mind
Sharpening the Mind
Animal: Elephant Food: Pistachios
“Every thought we think is creating our future.” Louise L. Hay
Activities
1) Observing: Look at an object or scene. Turn away and describe what you saw. Repeat three times, adding a least 5 new details each time.
2) Remembering: Exercise your memory. At first, try to write down what you did today. On the next day try going back further until you can remember what you did a week ago.
3) Reasoning: Pick two objects or people. Identify 5 ways they are related and 5 ways they are different.
4) Imagining: Choose an object and think of 20 possible ways it might be used. You can put the object in another universe or forward/backward in time.
5) Affirming: Repeat or write these words (3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day): My mind expands in all directions like a beacon of shining light!
6) Attuning: Focus on someone who thinks clearly and notice how they do things. When you have to figure something out, ask yourself, “How would _______ do this?”
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Observing | |||||||||
| Remembering | |||||||||
| Reasoning | |||||||||
| Imagining | |||||||||
| Affirming | |||||||||
| Attuning | |||||||||
Developing Concentration
Developing Concentration
Animal: Heron Food: Corn
“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.”Ancient Proverb
Activities
1) Challenge: Pick an activity that’s a little challenging (math, yoga, music, etc.) and focus on it for: 3, 8, 15, or ____ minutes.
2) Exercises: Find a time when your concentration is weak. Stop and practice the Awake & Ready exercises. Notice the effect.
3) Story: Choose a particular story from a book or something you’d like to
create. Close your eyes and develop the ideas for: 3, 8, 15, or ____ minutes without stopping.
4) Other People: At least once a day, notice other people who are concentrating and make sure not to interrupt them.
5) Affirmation: Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day: I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to do. Like a laser beam I burn away all problems, all obstacles!
6) Distractions: Take your work to a place where people are doing other things. See if you can keep focussed for : 3, 8, 15, or ____ minutes without getting distracted.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Challenge | |||||||||
| Exercises | |||||||||
| Story | |||||||||
| Other People | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Distractions | |||||||||
Cultivating Courage
Cultivating Courage
Animal: Horse Food: Pineapple
“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.“ Malala Yousafzai
Activities
1) Changes: Choose a difficult part of your life and try to look on it as an adventure. Write down three ways you could grow from it.
2) Energy: When you’re feeling worried and needing extra support, practice the Awake & Ready Exercises.
3) Friends: Spend time with people who help you feel more energetic and courageous.
4) Affirmation: Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day: I have within me the courage and energy to face every challenge!
5) Steps: When faced with a big challenge, take one small step toward solving it. When you’ve done that, choose a bigger step.
6) Attitude: Watch what you say and think. Replace complaining and whining with words and thoughts of courage and strength.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Changes | |||||||||
| Exercises | |||||||||
| Friends | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Steps | |||||||||
| Attitude | |||||||||
Gaining Control of Your Diet
Gaining Control of Your Diet
Animal: Swan Food: Mangoes
“I don’t eat junk foods and I don’t think junk thoughts.” Peace Pilgrim
Activities
1) Goal: Write down your goal. Eat healthier foods? Eat more slowly? Lose or gain weight? Review it each day.
2) Exercise: Decide to eat only when you are hungry. Choose a way to distract yourself at other times: take some deep breaths, go for a walk, do the Awake & Ready Exercises…
3) Focus: Take at least one meal a day in silence. Use this time to concentrate on your goal.
4) Affirmation: Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day:My diet fills me with energy, vitality, and health!
5) Mini-Fasts: Choose a period (like 1-4pm) each day when you will not eat. Write down the times.
6) Relax: Select a fun, healthy food you can eat when you need to relax from your goal. ____________
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Goal | |||||||||
| Exercise | |||||||||
| Focus | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Mini-Fasts | |||||||||
| Relax | |||||||||
Nurturing Even-Mindedness
Nurturing Even-Mindedness
Animal: Cow Food: Banana
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Nelson Mandela
Activities
1) Journal: Each time you get upset, write down what caused it ,what you did, and how it affected others.
2) Exercises: Choose an exercise to practice whenever you need to calm
down (breathing, tensing & relaxing, going for a walk… ).
3) Visualization: Find a quiet place. As you relax, visualize a balloon
filling with your outgoing breath. See the balloon surrounding all
your tensions. Watch them rise up and disappear into the sky.
4) Affirmation: Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each
day: I calmly accept whatever comes as an opportunity for further
growth!
5) Support: Find someone who can help you develop the habit of calmness.
Share ideas and choose things you can work on together.
6) Celebration: Each time you’re able to shift your energy from
frustration or anger into something more helpful, celebrate!
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Journal | |||||||||
| Exercises | |||||||||
| Visualization | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Support | |||||||||
| Celebration | |||||||||
Making Friends
Making Friends
Animal: Dog Food: Peaches
“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first”. Paramhansa Yogananda
Activities
1) Helping: Offer to help your new friend. Give friendship instead of waiting for it to be offered.Be like a fireplace that gives warmth, rather than waiting to be warmed.
2) Listening: Listen more and talk less. Ask about something your friend is saying. Who likes a dog that does nothing but bark?
3) Sharing: Share your happiness, not your bad moods. Would you rather share a rainbow or a wormy apple?
4) Promising: If you say you’ll do something for your friend, do it. Be strong like a tree in a storm, not a leaf
that blows away in a little breeze.
5) Accepting: Accept your friend’s differences, as long as they aren’t harmful. Choose friends who give you that same freedom. Isn’t a garden more beautiful with lots of different colors?
6) Affirming: Repeat or write these words (3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day): The river of friendship flows through me to everyone I meet!This affirmation can also be used with the Friendship pose on the front of this card.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Helping | |||||||||
| Listening | |||||||||
| Sharing | |||||||||
| Promising | |||||||||
| Accepting | |||||||||
| Affirming | |||||||||
Finding Peace
Finding Peace
Animal: Dove Food: Pears
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Activities
1) Environment: Find a quiet place where you can be alone. Spend 5 10
15 ____ minutes there doing something you enjoy.
2) Gratitude: Make a list of 10 things that you are thankful for.
3) Exercises: Do the Awake & Ready exercises, followed by a few yoga
stretches.
4) Affirmation: Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each
day: I feel peace; I share peace; I live in an ocean of peace!
5) Breathing: Tense and relax your body three times. Breathing
naturally, watch 10 breaths, focussing your mind on feelings of
calmness, strength, and joy.
6) Sharing: When you see conflict or inharmony, mentally send out
waves of peace. If there is a way to help more directly, try
sharing through calm words or actions.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Environment | |||||||||
| Gratitude | |||||||||
| Exercises | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Breathing | |||||||||
| Sharing | |||||||||
Getting Up in the Morning
Getting Up in the Morning
Animal: Rooster Food: Oranges
“Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning, and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.” Yoko Ono
Activities
1) Bedtime: Write down the number of hours you need to sleep. Subtract that number from the time you need to wake up. Use the answer as your goal for getting to bed.
2) Evening Food: Finish your last meal 2 or more hours before going to bed.
3) Affirmation: Remember your wake up time. As you go to sleep, repeat these words: I will wake up at ____ o’clock, feeling refreshed and energetic!
4) Alarm: Get an alarm clock that you won’t be able to sleep through. Put it in a place where you’ll need to get out of bed to turn it off.
5) Exercises: As soon as you turn off the alarm in the morning, do the Awake & Ready exercises.
6) Morning Food: Have food available that you will look forward to eating, but only eat it if you get up on time.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Bedtime | |||||||||
| Evening Food | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Alarm | |||||||||
| Exercises | |||||||||
| Morning Food | |||||||||
Expanding Sensitivity
Expanding Sensitivity
Animal: Butterfly Food: Dates
“The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt in the heart.” Helen Keller
Activities
1) Music: Listen to a piece of beautiful music for ten minutes. Close your eyes and let your mind be guided by the notes.
2) Animals: Choose an animal (even an ant) and follow it for ten minutes, watching it with full attention.
3) Nature: Sit quietly for ten minutes in a spot in nature where you can’t see other people. Focus your mind on the scene around you. As you relax, notice the many different things that are happening.
4) Affirmation: Repeat or write these words 3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day: I am sensitive to everything around me. I live in harmony with all life!
5) Exercises: When you’re feeling restless, stop and do the Awake & Ready exercises, then five minutes of yoga. See if you feel more aware of the things around you.
6) People: Spend ten minutes watching another person. Try to see what they are seeing, feel what they are feeling.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Music | |||||||||
| Animals | |||||||||
| Nature | |||||||||
| Affirmation | |||||||||
| Exercises | |||||||||
| People | |||||||||
How to Use the Chart
Exploring Flexibility
Exploring Flexibility
Animal: Seal Food: Figs
“Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow, whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die.” Lao Tsu
Activities
1) Letting Go: Choose a situation where there is something you’d like to have (money, ice cream, etc.). Place it in front of you. Stop, take a deep breath, mentally let go of the object, and then walk away from it.
2) Exploring: Choose a food that you dislike and place a small amount in your mouth. Focus your attention on the taste, not on how you feel about it. See if you can change your feeling about the food.
3) Understanding: Listen closely when someone says something you disagree with. Afterwards, think about what they said and write two reasons why they might feel that way.
4) Awakening: When your brain is feeling stuck, practice the Awake & Ready Exercises. Then notice if you have the energy to move ahead in new directions.
5) Affirming: Repeat or write these words (3, 6, 9, or ___ times each day): I am open to new ideas. My mind expands in freedom and joy!
6) Thinking: When someone asks you to do something, stop and think of two reasons why it might be a good idea and two reasons why it might be a bad idea. Then make your choice.
Action Chart
| ✓ | Weekly Goals | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Letting Go | |||||||||
| Exploring | |||||||||
| Understanding | |||||||||
| Awakening | |||||||||
| Affirming | |||||||||
| Thinking | |||||||||
How to Use the Chart
Select one or more activities from the left hand side of the card and place a check to the left of the same title on the Action Chart. If there are a certain number of minutes or repetitions related to your goal, record them in the box to the right of the title. As you go through the week, check off each day that you performed a specific activity.
At the end of the week, decide whether you want to continue working on this particular Life Skill. If you do, feel free to modify the Action Chart to meet your needs. You can record new ideas in the blank space at the bottom of the chart. If you’ve done enough in this area for now, put the booklet aside for future use, and congratulate yourself on the effort you’ve made so far. With creativity and perseverance, success is inevitable!
For more titles and a description of the Awake and Ready exercises, go to www.edforlife.org
Education for Life (EFL) is an international organization committed to preparing children and people of all ages to successfully meet life’s challenges and find ever-deeper meaning and purpose.
How to Use the Charts
How to Use the Chart
Select one or more activities from the left hand side of the card and place a check to the left of the same title on the Action Chart. If there are a certain number of minutes or repetitions related to your goal, record them in the box to the right of the title. As you go through the week, check off each day that you performed a specific activity.
At the end of the week, decide whether you want to continue working on this particular Life Skill. If you do, feel free to modify the Action Chart to meet your needs. You can record new ideas in the blank space at the bottom of the chart. If you’ve done enough in this area for now, put the booklet aside for future use, and congratulate yourself on the effort you’ve made so far. With creativity and perseverance, success is inevitable!
For more titles and a description of the Awake and Ready exercises, go to www.edforlife.org
Education for Life (EFL) is an international organization committed to preparing children and people of all ages to successfully meet life’s challenges and find ever-deeper meaning and purpose.