Students learn new tips for happiness
Devin C. Hughes, otherwise known as the Chief Inspiration Officer, visited CSC Thursday night to give a presentation about happiness in the Student Center Ballroom.
His presentation, titled “The ‘Thang’ called Happiness,” encouraged students to change their outlook on life in order to increase the happiness and satisfaction they feel in their lives.
He began his presentation by telling the students about his background. Growing up in a racially mixed family made for an interesting childhood, according to Hughes.
He told the students that he had dyslexia and managed to write four books despite this difficulty, encouraging students to reach their goals even if they are seemingly unattainable.
Hughes then engaged the audience by asking them a question: “Can you describe your life right now in one word?”
Various students responded with words like blessed, grateful, adventurous, and good.
Hughes then pointed out that not one person in the audience said “happy.”
He then told students that he was going to focus his talk on sharing real world tips that they could use to improve their lives and increase their happiness.
The rest of the presentation included Hughes leading the audience through a series of activities, including thumb wars, ‘selfie Thursday,’ sharing good news with one stranger, and a back-to-back challenge during which students learned to open their mind and consider other options for problem solving.
Hughes finished the presentation by leaving the audience with his “5 Habits of Happiness,” 1) “The 3 Gratitudes” (students list three things they are grateful for each day for a month), 2) “The Doubler” (students journal for 2-3 minutes about one positive thing that happened each day for a month, 3) “The Fun 15” (students exercise for 15 minutes each day for a month), 4) Meditation (students meditate each day for a month), and 5) “Conscious Acts of Kindness” (students perform one act of kindness each day for a month).
“You can find a way, or you can find excuse, “ Hughes said.