Wednesday, 23 February 2011

The Happiness Project

    
Inspiration comes from many sources.  Sometimes we can be inspired by one person who is making a difference in the world or we encounter a group of like minded individuals who have made it their life's mission to improve the lives of others.  I would like to introduce you to a group of people who have inspired me and continue to inspire me daily. 

Robert Holden, Avril Carson, Ben Renshaw and Ian Lynch are the team that make up the Happiness Project.  I attended a Coaching Happiness course for a week last year and had the time of my life.  The book Be Happy, written by Robert Holden is an overview of the eight week course Be Happy.  This book encourages you to dig deep and make self enquiry a regular practise.  You will discover things about yourself that you never knew.  I highly recommend this book if you get the chance to read it.

The Happiness Project

The Happiness Project became a household name in 1996 when the BBC broadcast a BBC QED documentary called How to be Happy. Five million viewers tuned in to watch three volunteers, Caroline, Dawn, and Keith, embark upon a unique 8–week happiness course, designed by Dr Robert Holden. Their progress was monitored each week by a team of independent psychologists and scientists. The results were remarkable. The scientists hailed the course as “a genuine fast-track to happiness.

Caroline, Dawn, and Keith each made positive breakthroughs while on the course. Scientists continued to monitor their progress for six months after, and they concluded that, “The positive results were lasting.” How so? One reason may be that the scientists discovered the happiness course had changed the hard wiring of the brain. Professor Richard Davidson, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who measured the brain function of the volunteers over the course of eight weeks, concluded:
“This happiness training not only changes the way you feel;
it actually changes the way your brain functions.”
The How to be Happy documentary has since been shown in 16 countries to over 30 million viewers. Today, The Happiness Project is thriving. Each year we participate in a rich program of public workshops (including the 8-week happiness course), corporate consultancy (with brands like Dove and Virgin) media events, and ongoing research. Robert Holden, Ben Renshaw, Avril Carson, Ian Lynch and other members of the Happiness Project team continue to create new offerings—all of which you can read about at this website.
Click our portraits to read our profiles.
Robert Holden, Ph.D., is the Founder and Director of The Happiness Project and Success Intelligence. His innovative work on happiness and success has been featured on Oprah and in two major BBC TV documentaries, The Happiness Formula and How to Be Happy. Robert coaches leaders in the field of business, education, politics and health care. Notably, he has worked for Dove and the “Real Beauty Campaign,” and also for leading brands such as Virgin and The Body Shop. Robert is author of the best selling books: Happiness NOW!, Shift Happens!, and Success Intelligence. His new book, published in April 2009, is Be Happy. Visit www.robertholden.org for more information
I hope you take the time to look at their website http://www.happiness.co.uk/index.php and see their wonderful work for yourself!
 
Love and Blessings,
 
Jean Fisher-Taylor x

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