Author: Stephanie Hills

  • Hard workers

    Two labourers were working for the city. One would dig a hole; dig, dig, dig. The other would come behind him and fill the hole; fill, fill, fill. These two men worked furiously. One digging a hole, the other filling it up again. A man watching was impressed at how hard these men were working, […]

  • Happiness is a Serious Matter

    “Too many people confuse being serious with being solemn.” These are the words of comedian John Cleese. He’s right; we tend to associate importance with solemnity and to assume that cheerfulness belongs only with amusing trivialities. I believe the reason comes down to our language, which conflates two different meanings in the word ‘serious.’  On […]

  • The Art and Science of Happiness

    This half-day workplace-based workshop is a great opportunity for a team to come together to enhance individual and workplace happiness. You’ll learn the science behind factors that increase happiness and there’ll be opportunities to come up with your own ideas for lifting your spirits at work and in life generally. The workshop is informative, interactive […]

  • Happiness in Your Workplace – A workshop for the whole team!

    If you’d like to lift the mood in the place where you work, this half-day workshop is something you could suggest to your boss. After all, a happier workforce is a more productive workforce, not to mention the increases in co-operation and creativity. This workshop gives an overview of happiness research and why happiness is […]

  • The gift of time

    Donna (not her real name) is unwell and facing a major operation. When the time comes, it will require several weeks off work to recover. Although Donna is a private person and has not made her situation public, someone in her workplace found out about it. This kind-hearted individual approached the HR department and asked […]

  • Crazy Happy: A film

    Crazy Happy is a documentary filmed in Whangarei, following a group of people with mental health issues as they participate in a 100-day project to promote happiness. At the beginning of the project most of the participants suffered from depression, some to a debilitating degree. The idea was quite simple: each day the participants had […]

  • Questions

    A father and son went fishing one day. After a couple hours in the boat, the boy suddenly became curious about the world around him. He asked his father, “How does this boat float?” The father thought for a moment, then replied, “Don’t rightly know, son.” The boy returned to his contemplation, then turned back […]

  • Inspired drawing

    A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child’s work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, ‘I’m drawing God.’ The teacher paused and said, ‘But no one knows […]

  • When the good go bad…

    How is it that so much harm is caused in the name of religion? How can people who do dreadful things look themselves in the mirror and think they are right? I believe it has something to do with language. Not just the way we use words to justify what we do, but the very […]

  • Another lost wallet returned

    Recently, while driving, flatmates Chantell and Gerri spotted a wallet lying in the middle of a busy road. They braved the traffic to rescue it, which included chasing paper money being blown down the street in the wind. The wallet contained a driver’s license, but no address. What to do? Luckily there was a hairdresser’s […]