Greetings!
We happened upon these words of Henry van Dyke and couldn't resist sharing the question he so eloquently posed:
"Are you willing ... to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness ... to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings ...?"
Are you willing? It not easy, but that challenge is keeping me on track. Making this documentary film helps me focus on this. I try not to even open my "book of complaints" but rather to seek out a place, every day, where I can plant a few seeds of happiness or launch a few waves that then ripple outward through my family, friends and colleagues, to strangers and beyond. For me, its about bringing the inside job to the outside world! In big ways through H-Factor, and in small ways, everyday...
Lisa
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We're organizing our tapes, cutting a new trailer, and searching for a cutting-edge editor who can take the project over the finish line. Although we've pushed back the finish line just bit because new and great opportunities to shoot happiness happening just keep appearing. After hearing NPR reporter Eric Weiner interviewed on the 20/20 happiness special about his new book, "The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World," felt we had to talk with him, and he agreed. So we just finished talking with Eric and shooting his reading at the KGB Bar in New York City last month, along with another wonderfully witty author, Jennifer 8 Lee. Ms Lee, who penned the recent bestseller, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, her fascinating insights on the role of food in our happiness ups and downs.
We're still working on securing permission to film in Bhutan this summer-things move at a royal pace in the Kingdom where patience is not only a virtue, but a necessity! We're definitely screening the film at the 4th annual European Conference on Positive Psychology in Croatia this summer and will also touchdown in Denmark to see for ourselves why the Danes have captured the title of happiest nation on earth!
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Adwin
Adwin is one of those multi-hyphenated individuals: poet, spoken-word artist, children's book author and illustrator, teacher, writer, and recording artist. Blending all these talents into a fully functioning, philosophical practice he calls Flowology, Adwin finds his bliss in helping others connect with their own flow and generate happiness. He introduced an innovative education program that tackled the problem of diabetes and obesity among today's youth, impacting more than 250,000 children in the Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Long Beach School Districts. Adwin also directs Agape's Spoken Word Ministry and facilitates workshops for Youth and Family at the University of Transformational Studies & Leadership Academy. We are delighted to have his unique voice enliven the H-Factor narrative. Click on the Exclusive Video link in this issue for a sneak peak at Adwin's creative contribution to H-Factor. All the flavors in Adwin's unique mix can be found on his webpage.
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Who do you think is happier overall, men or women? Not easy to answer, right? So many variables, but social scientists have collected some data to illuminate this just a bit for us all. In the early 1970s, women reported being slightly happier than men. Today, however, the two have switched places, and there's an apparent "happiness gap" between men and women. Two studies, covered in depth by New York Times David Leonhardt, point to this apparent switch as part of a larger trend related to work place satisfaction and time spent with family. For more on this intriguing turn in the tide, click here to read the full NYT article, "He's happier, She's Less So."
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Our showcase for happiness art created by young students at the Children's Education Center at Cal Tech in Pasadena. We welcome your artistic expression of happiness.
We'll gladly feature your H-Art print in an upcoming issue.
Kailee
7 years old
"The Owls"
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H-Factor "the movie" is the little train that could! We're on track and though we haven't yet set a destination date will be coming your way soon. Until then, please send us your adventures in the pursuit of happiness. We'd love to include them in here and thank you in advance for your creative contributions to our upstart little newsletter.
With heart,
Lisa, Kayla, & Aryel Kamen and the staff of
H-Factor...Where is Your Heart?
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Last Saturday, I saw the movie, Horton Hears a Who, and I remember reading Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss when I was a kid. Well, I'm still a kid, but my mom and I read it when I was a much younger kid. I always liked the adventures of Horton. He's a nice elephant who keeps bumping into all kinds of greedy, selfish, lazy people but he stays trustworthy, loyal and patient through it all. Horton kept saying in the story that "a person's a person no matter how small," and that makes me stop and think and change the way I'm being sometimes, so I think that's a good message to share in my Korner today.
Love, Kayla.
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Click the image above
for a sneak peek!
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H-FACTOR...Where is Your Heart?
Film Review by Leenar Kasor
Published Jan. 16, 2008 in Teewang Lae Wela
(Space & Time) Thailand blog @ www.prachatai.com
"Simply referring to happiness evokes something dynamic and benign," Lisa Kamen said with an exuberant smile on her face. The filmmaker, currently at work on her documentary H-Factor...Where is Your Heart? valorously travels with her young daughter Kayla in tow from one continent to another, exploring the intricacies of people's happiness by asking the simple question: "What is your happiness?"
Back to one of those days when Lisa was pedaling her bicycle around in a northern part of India, an idea occurred to her. It was to explore the question of what motivates the Indian people to unpretentiously express themselves through fun and happiness despite suffering deprivations and inadequacies in their daily lives. That essentially was the starting point fo this documentary film.
In the process of making H-Factor, Lisa and 9-year-old Kayla carry their cameras in search of shots that convey the happy feelings experienced by men, women and children of different ages and colors-people from all walks of life. Together they traveled to the far-away corners of India and around the U.S.
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4th European Conference on Positive Psychology (ECPP), July 2008
Come learn, teach, and enjoy old and new friends at this international exchange of positive ideas in the beautiful city of Opatija, Croatia, nestled on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. H-Factor will screen for attendees at the Welcome Reception. Speakers include Ed Diener, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Claremont Graduate University; Randy Larsen, Washington University at St. Louis; Alan Carr, University College Dublin, Ireland; Wilmar Schaufeli of Netherland's Utrecht University; and Márta Fülöp of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. For more information, visit www.pospsy.ffri.hr/
Happiness & Its Causes 2008
Keynote presentation and workshop
by Positive Psychology founder
Professor Martin Seligman
and Daniel Gilbert,
author of Stumbling on Happiness
May 8-9, 2008
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● "No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, everyone wants to be happy. Everyone wants that warm, fuzzy glow.
Sometimes life sucks. It's no secret. However, there is a way to keep yourself feeling up..."
Jinx's blog offers her special tips: www.thoughts.com/jinxx/blog/happiness-37998/
● Visit the H-Factor website to leave your heartprint! www.whatisyourhappiness.com
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Written and edited by
Rachel Ross
H-Factor's Content Development Specialist
& Resident Skeptic
Designed by
Dustin Zahn
Dzahn Design
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