Author: Stephanie Hills

  • Happy anniversary!

    Bob:     “Hey John, I hear your 25th wedding anniversary is coming up. Are you doing anything special for your wife?” John:    “I sure am. A few months ago, we were walking through a new part of town, and we passed a posh restaurant. My wife looked through the window and said, ‘That looks like a […]

  • Being Happy With Who You Are

    In the book Presence, Otto Scharmer tells the story of coming home from school at age 16 to find his home in flames. His family had lived in that farmhouse for 200 years and all his belongings were inside, so as he stood there in shock, everything he identified with was going up in smoke. […]

  • Patience at the supermarket

    Ute wrote in about how simple actions make a difference: In the shopping mall today, it was packed with people with gloomy faces pushing trolleys through the narrow aisles and if everybody would have insisted on having the first go nobody would have gone anywhere. So simply giving way and waiting a few seconds produced […]

  • A peaceful passing

    An oldie but a goodie sent in by Steve: “When I die, I’d like to go the way my grandfather did, quietly in his sleep. Not screaming and yelling like his passengers.”                      ~ Bob Monkhouse

  • The Four Sacred Gifts

    The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times       by Dr Anita L. Sanchez In this simply written, but deeply meaningful book, Dr Anita Sanchez weaves her personal story with the Native American prophecy of a world where humans from all parts of the Earth can live harmoniously together. To do so, though, we […]

  • Can you have too much happiness?

    George Bernard Shaw wrote: “a lifetime of happiness! No man could bear it: it would be hell on earth.” In contrast, the Dalai Lama said the purpose of life is to be happy. Who is right? I believe both are correct, but they are talking about different kinds of happiness. The simplest kind of happiness is […]

  • How We Got Happy: Stories of health, hope and happiness from 20 young Kiwis who beat depression

    How we got Happy: Stories of health, hope and happiness from 20 young Kiwis who beat depression. By Jonathan Nabbs & Eve Macfarlane. Photography: Mark Hamilton. This beautifully presented, almost magazine-style book features interviews with young people about the practices they use to maintain their happiness. The focus is on the positive, with little mention […]

  • Unexpected gift from a stranger

    This gem came in from Bryonie: I was the recipient of a random act of kindness the other day. My Fitbit strap broke on Friday night and as I need the watch part for work and I like to know my step count each day, I decided I would have to go and buy a […]

  • The role of goodwill in communication

    Some people seem to have no trouble making new acquaintances, whereas others find it difficult to navigate ‘small talk’ and getting to know people. Research has shown that people who have more social connections are happier than those with few, and people with a habit of chatting to strangers tend to attract more positive opportunities […]

  • Harmonise Your Team

    Do you wish your work team could function more effectively? Would you love to see the team culture bringing out the best in each person? Synergy is where working together becomes so much greater than the sum of individual contributions. Happy Nation can gently smooth out the wrinkles in your workplace relationships and inspire a […]