Week #8 – Happiness

Weekly Overview

Let’s start today with a survey: Who here likes to be happy? 

Yes, of course, in general we all want to feel happy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling mad or sad (or any other emotions) sometimes, but we usually want to work through those feelings to find happiness again. But there are two important questions we need to ask: What is true happiness? And how can we cultivate that happiness in our lives? 

Let’s investigate that first question. What do you think true happiness is? Where does it come from? Let’s say you get a new toy or game… You’ll feel happy about that, right? But eventually (sometimes within a few hours) that will fade, you’ll get bored with it and want to move onto the next thing. So is that true happiness?  Not really, because it depends on things and things come and they go and our feelings about them change. So if true happiness doesn’t come from external sources, (things outside of us), where must it come from?

Yes, true happiness comes from within! How would you describe that feeling of natural happiness, joy and fulfillment that comes from within? For me, that means I feel connected (to friend, family, community, nature, spirit, etc.), I feel aligned with my purpose (I am growing and doing good work in the world), and I feel trust that even when things don’t go my way, everything is going to be ok. For me, that’s what true happiness feels like. So then how can we cultivate that natural state of happiness in our lives? To answer that question I want to tell you a story.

In this story we’ll make YOU the hero. In this story you’ve lived a pretty normal life thus far, but you felt like something was missing so you decided to head out on a quest, a quest to find true happiness. You had heard an old legend that the secret to true happiness lay locked behind an ancient door hidden in a cave on the greenbelt. So you packed your backpack with supplies and headed out. You didn’t know exactly where to start or which direction to go, but you loved nature and exercise so you started hiking along the creek. You had already walked for several miles and were beginning to wonder if you should just turn around, when you spotted a friend, a neighbor of yours, Clare, who was feeling hungry and little lost. Well, you had packed plenty of snacks packed for your hike so you were happy to share, and you invited her to join in your quest. She had heard of the legend too and loved adventures so she was excited to come along, as long as she was home by dinnertime, so the quest continued. 

At one point, as you both rounded the corner on a steep ravine, you both slipped and slid down into the creek! You were both soaked and so frustrated and disappointed. It was too steep to climb out solo so Clare gave you a boost up, and then you were able to reach back down and help her out. As you both lay there, soaked, catching your breath, you felt stuck, you felt sad, angry, you felt like giving up, turning around and going home. But then Clare said, “We can’t quit now! C’mon this is an epic adventure, let’s keep going!”

And just then the sun came out from behind the clouds. “Ok, let’s do it.” You both trudged on with the sun slowly warming your backs. After another mile or so, as you rounded a bend, you both looked up and could clearly see the entrance to a cave up on the cliffside. It was a treacherous climb, and you were both a little scared (not that you would admit it), but you loved the challenge, especially knowing how close you might be to the cave spoken of in the legend. You had to help each other out as you climbed, sometimes with a helping hand and sometimes just with some encouraging words, until you finally made it to the top.

It seemed like an ordinary cave at first glance. But as you went deeper into the cave, the walls narrowed until you had to crawl, which was not very comfortable at all. Thankfully you packed a headlamp because it got super dark too. Clare was starting to get nervous and suggested maybe it was time to head back for dinner. And then, just after you flipped your headlamp on, there is was. The door! It was only about three feet tall, arched across the top, with rusty iron hinges and thick wood, dusty and cracked with age. It looked ancient, and was ornately carved around the edges. In the center you noticed a key hole, and as you wiped the dust away you could see a carving of an owl around it. Next to that there were some words inscribed. When you blew the dust away you could read the message:

If it’s happiness you seek
It’s not in this door
Happiness is a journey
And it requires more
You pushed through anger, sadness, and fear
But how did you really get here?
There were two important things to do
One for others and one for you
Search your heart and mind
And the key you shall find

You and Clare both sat there in this dark cave scratching your heads. “What does that mean, ‘How did we get here?'” you asked, perplexed. “We hiked, of course.”

“Hmm.. I think it’s looking for something a little deeper than that,” said Clare. “Like, how did we even get started on this journey anyway?”

“Oh, good point” you replied. Well, I was curious about the legend and I love being out in nature and getting some good exercise so I guess that’s what got me started.”

“And I love adventures, especially with friends, so that’s why I said ‘Yes'”.

“So we were both just doing things that we loved?”

“Yes, that must be it!” All of a sudden one of the owl’s eyes lit up golden-orange.  “Whoa!” you both screamed at once. “Now what?”

“Well, clearly this door isn’t budging. What else could there be? Doing what you love seems like it would be the key to happiness, doesn’t it?”

“Sure,” said Clare, “but it says there are two important things to do, one for others and one for you. If doing what you love is for you, then the other answer must be something you do for others, right?”

“Of course!” you shouted, “We both helped each other out along the way. First I helped you out when you felt lost and hungry, and then you helped me keep going when I felt like giving up at the creek, and we both helped each other up the cliffside. I never could have made it this far without you. That’s the other secret – helping others!”

Just then the owl’s other eye lit up golden-orange too and they could hear a click within the locking mechanism of the door. With eyes wide they slowly looked at each other then back at the door. Then together they pushed it open and crawled through… They came out at the edge of the woods, but it looked familiar – they were in their neighborhood, only a block from home! After a few steps they looked back and could see no trace of the door. “Wow!” they both said in unison, scratching their heads. “So the legend is true and we actually found the secret to true happiness: Do what you love and help others. I can’t wait to get started! But first, I think it’s time for dinner…”

Theme Words

True Fulfillment | Success | Satisfaction | Joy | Positivity | Gratitude

Additional Activity Suggestions

Here’s a few other ideas of activities that don’t require supporting documents.

Music References

In this section, we are looking for music for this activity that inspires student to connect with others in their community. 

Quotes

When looking for quotes for this lesson, be on the lookout for those that inspire students to search out and reach for their dreams.

Inquiry Prompts

You can use the following prompts to help inspire conversations that will lead students towards success in this lesson.

Additional Resources

Check out these great additional resources to help you lead your students towards success in this lesson.

Mentor Added Documents

The documents on the following form have been added by other mentors. See the list below for their documents, files, descriptions, or other information that they provided. These documents are a great way to add some variation to your lessons in ways that you think might best suit your learners. 

Add Your Own Document

Have you made a great modification to this lesson that you think would be a great addition to the Mentor Added Documents? Use the form below to share it with other Mentors who are using the Whole Life Learning curriculum! Note: You will have to be signed into a Google account to use this feature, so that you can upload any documents that you’ve created.

Click here to add your document to the list!