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— Door VII — Share Your Gifts — Think |
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THINK about Sharing Your Gifts:
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 “They come by and knock on your door with an opportunity ...” |
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 “They come by and knock on your door with an opportunity. It’s your luck if you open the door at the right time.”
—PRABHA (American) |
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 “I learned that you really can’t choose the
situations you’re put in, but you can choose
how you deal with them. And the people in the
world who are happy are the people who are dealing
with their situations well… and the people who are
unhappy are the people who aren’t.”
—EMILY (American)<
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 “I realized that pain and sadness are emotions
that won’t last. They will pass. Like everything,
you can get over it. And I’m alive! Happiness is
just being here and noticing every detail in my
life that brings me joy, especially the small
pieces of happiness, like eating a meal.”
—LUKE (American) |
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 “I was able to do some major reflecting on my life. By talking to all
these people… and seeing how much service brings happiness in their
lives, it makes me realize that all the times that I have been
teaching, helping or just being in
service, it has brought me so much
happiness. I realize this is something
I need to focus on in my life.”
—JOHN NURI (American)
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TOOLS & ACTIVITIES:
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 Sharing Your Piece of the Puzzle |
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Sharing Your Piece of the Puzzle |
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 We call them Social Entrepreneurs |
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We call them Social Entrepreneurs |
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These young people recognized a social problem - something unfair - and organized people and events to change these problems. They figured out what they stood for, what gifts they could offer... and took action.
We call them Social Entrepreneurs |
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When he was 12 years old, Zach Hunter (left) learned about Harriet Tubman, a slave who
helped form the Underground railway during the US civil war. Horrified by slavery, he told his mom
that he would not stand for slavery if he lived in those times. His mom
told him that he is living in the same time slavery still exists today!
Shocked, Zach knew he had to help out. He started a campaign! Recognizing that most people he knew didnt have large amounts of
money to donate, he asked people for loose change - the
money that had in their cars, pockets, or at
home. His campaign has raised thousands
of dollars and continues to do so today!
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 When she was 10 years old and living near a rain forest in Costa Rica, Janine Licare (right) noticed
the trucks that polluted the air with their black smoke. In 1999, Janine
cofounded Kids Saving the Rainforest in order to protect wildlife and
their habitat. This organization raises money to protect the rainforest,
including the construction of monkey bridges, which are ropes that are above
the roads and safe in the forest. |
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 Nandie Ooosthuizen (leftmost in the photo) grew up in South Africa and then moved to
the US in her early teens. While in high school, she learned about
the millions of adults and children in Sudan trying to escape the
violence from their government. Horrified, Nandie began the Save
Sudan Project, where she sold “Save Sudan” t-shirts that she
created. She raised over $5,000 (USD) for the victims of Sudan. That was
just the beginning. Now Nandie has joined Project Happiness to
inspire others to follow their passions and to be the change. |
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 My Path to Happiness |
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My Path to Happiness |
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 Things have become clear
to me: Things about how I have
been living, how I want to live, and
the kind of person I want to be. I
have not always been especially
compassionate towards others
because I expect people to live at
their highest potential. India taught
me that sometimes only
compassion and
gratefulness are appropriate
and that judgments won’t
get you anywhere. A great
example are the kids that we met in
Dharamsala, India. Most of them
have left their families behind in Tibet for freedom in India. They have no country, no family and
yet they are some of the happiest, most motivated and interesting people I’ve ever met. To me it
seems they are this way because they are truly grateful for what they have. In America we
are materially rich, but spiritually devastated. We put emphasis on products and not
on relationships. Seeing the opposite in India really helped me to realize which is more
important to me. Since that trip I am the happiest I have ever been. Every day has been a good
day because I’ve realized how much I have to be grateful for. I feel wrong when I
complain because I know in my heart that I have nothing to complain about. Thinking like this is
very effective for cultivating compassion, and my critical mind has changed very
dramatically. Now I am critical towards those who are not compassionate to others. We have no
right to judge anyone else’s situation. And it hurts me when someone is not grateful. |
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