Everything Summer Blog

Happiness is....

I have heard a lot of different New Year's resolutions, most involving self-betterment, through diet, fitness, exercise, volunteerism. There are vows to take on new challenges or give up bad habits. All of them really are aimed though to make the person who is doing the resolving, happier. There have been books devoted to seeking happiness (i.e. the aptly named The Happiness Project), essays written, innumerable philosophical discussions amongst philosophers, college students,teen-agers, parents, pre-schoolers, you name it.

So, what is happiness, and how do you get it? Is it as easy as all those quotes posted on someone's Facebook page or is there more to it? Ralph Gardner, Jr. of the Wall Street Journal, wrote an essay in December entitled, "A Study in Happiness" , in which he attended a meeting of the St. John's College New York City "Happiness" Executive Seminar. This particular seminar revolved around an essay by Seneca. While Mr. Gardner lamented the choice of refreshments, he was happy to have spent "90 minutes... without cell phones, in communion with someone who lived 2,000 years ago, and was both smarter and shrewder than anyone else you're likely to encounter over the course of your average day."

Happiness, as even Lucy from the Peanuts comic strip could tell you, is different things for different people. One child might want to play sports-- hit, kick, and throw balls all day long. Another may be happiest reading or creating art projects, or playing guitar, or singing. One woman may be enormously happy when she finishes a marathon, another when she sees an old friend. Sometimes, it seems nothing will make teen-agers happy. However, everyone (perhaps teen-agers especially!) benefits from time away, from changing up their routine. Whether it is vacation, camp, an academic summer program, a visit abroad, a new job or volunteer opportunity, everyone should take time this year to make a change, to view things from a different angle, to allow themselves to appreciate the things they have that do make them happy.

Love What You Do: Thank You Steve Jobs

A recent Wall Street Journal article reprinted part of Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford University commencement address. His lessons and words of wisdom ring so true to me, as I love what I do.

He speaks to three lessons. The one that resonates most with me is Love and Loss:

"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

When you are passionate about your work, it isn't work at all. Someone once asked if you could do what you do and not get paid, would you still do it? My answer is a resounding YES. Waking up each day knowing I can make a difference in the lives of young people, having a positive impact on their development, is not a task; it is a love. Unearthing and researching opportunities that meet the custom needs of each client is rewarding and fulfilling.

Like Steve Jobs, my career has taken different paths due to various circumstances. But each road connects the dots for me. I know my value and purpose is greater to families, camps, summer programs and educational institutions because of all the miles I have experienced in life.

One of my points of advocacy to the young people I guide is to encourage them to explore and discover passions so they learn more about what is meaningful to them, and how they can contribute to society and mankind. And using the summer as an experimental, experiential and learning period is a great way for today's youth to pursue a positive developmental path.

Work Ethic You Want (When Young)

I work with kids, teens and young adults daily, from camps to careers. I try to help them develop their innate skills, and discover and nurture others. It's a great jump start to listen to what successful individuals have to say about behaviors and traits they seek out when hiring young people.

Some great insights can be gleaned from the NY Times article, A Work Ethic Shaped At An Early Age. The founder of TransPerfect, a translation service, shares the traits young people should have:

• Working from an extremely young age, and ideally not having stopped
• Work hard, gain experience to become self-sufficient
• That type of upbringing usually translates to becoming good employees
• Adversity, overcoming some sort of challenge is important
• People who play competitive sports, come from entrepreneurial families, tend to have a desire to succeed
• Being accountable and transparent
• Being able to "tell me about yourself;" this indicates if they are a logical thinker and an effective communicator
• Positive energy, proactive problem resolving
• Collaborative and good listening abilities
• Idea generation and detail orientation
• The desire to take risks
• Humility

Knowing this now should help teens - and kids - to work early on developing and mastering these essential work, and life, skills. Summer is a good time to take stock and nurture your strengths and weaknesses.