The miracle of giving from your HI Zone

Happy Friday! I've been hibernating this past week, working on the revision of my book. And writing this week's Happier YOU letter is considered a reward for myself?by finally getting into the zone (which was really hard) for the chapter on the brain science.

For this edition, let's talk about giving and its power to help us heal in all fronts.?

Luna...

In early January, one of my neighbors sent an email to our neighborhood mailing list sharing that Luna (name has been changed), a community member who had been living in the area for years, had just had a stroke and was expected not?to survive. And she created a meal train for everyone to chip in.?

We were still quite new to the neighborhood, but I had a chance to have a chat with Luna in the fall, after picking up my daughter right in front of her house. At Luna's and her husband's courtesy, I made a detour, before heading home, to visit their backyard for some gardening ideas. In the afternoon sunlight, Luna, in her collared shirt and well-ironed pants, was smiling gently, showing me the herbs she planted next to her sun room. They were thriving with the size bigger than any that I had seen. "You really have green thumbs," I told Luna. That was the only time we met and in my mind was the impression of a kind and elegant soul.?

So I registered for a slot that was later in the month when our kitchen that was under renovation gave me some space to cook. Then came January 23rd when my Fresh Direct order with organic fresh produce and pasture-raised meat arrived. It was also when I received an email from a neighbor that Luna had passed away and I just needed to cook for her husband and daughter.?

That afternoon, I poured my fondness for Luna into making a wholesome and nutritious meal which I hoped her loved ones would enjoy. My kitchen was alive with the washing and cutting and chopping of the vegetables and the stirring of the soup. By the time I was done, it had been dark and outside was freezing. After pouring the potato, broccoli, carrot and pork rib soup into a ceramic bowl, putting some brown rice into a glass box, and covering them, I fetched the food to my neighbors. Luna's daughter opened the door and we exchanged a few words. "Thank you for caring for our health," she said, and before bidding farewell, I shared with her my thoughts, "Your mom is such a very lovely person and I believe she will look after you from heaven."

On the way home, I felt a deep sense of happiness, of meaning, of the fact that I organized my life to cook for my neighbor so they would feel the love and care from the community. Nothing could compare with doing something so down to earth to the very person I know of. And the moment I reached home, all of the tiredness and nausea I had experienced the week before miraculously evaporated, replaced by energy and vitality.?

James...

And just about a week ago, James (name has been changed), another neighbor came to our place to collect the Fresh Direct bags for a charity organization he volunteered with so they could send meals to people in need. James and I had a chat that enlightened my day.

He used to work in Wall Street and a few years ago, he had a stroke that sent him straight to the four walls of his house for one and a half year. Being detached from the normal life, James was depressed. Yet, he found this organization and started to provide help by being hands on, "I thought of working in the office again but I realized helping to prepare the food and carrying heavy bags made me feel truly happy. I also donated my time and energy to one of the biggest libraries about herbs, which makes me feel so alive."

So James healed physically and equally importantly, he healed mentally and emotionally. He carried the bags home with his hands and he also carried meaning in his heart.

For a Happier YOU:

In the book "The Giving Way to Happiness", author Jenny Santi quoted the research findings of a mother named Liz Alderman regarding what helped build resilience and mitigate depression in Cambodia refugees. Spirituality, work and altruism are the three things. You may also have read somewhere about the hidden power of helping and experienced it first hand yourself.?

So the next time you feel unhappy or you simply want to uplevel your happiness in a deep way, help someone and help in a way that aligns with your Happiness Infinity (HI) Zone where your talents, purpose, passion and values encompass each other. For me, cooking a meal for my neighbor reflects a few of my values namely community and relatedness. And each year, I often donate my time and expertise in the form of a workshop / talk, twice, to a non-profit / public organizations that focuses on helping women / mother and children, which totally matches my HI Zone. Sometimes, it could be just a private message, instead of a comment or a reaction on Facebook, to a good friend encouraging her to find professional support, with an offer to help find one, when seeing her post about her struggles. This also aligns with the key theme of my work.?

At the same time, don't fall into the trap of feeling guilty when you receive tons of invitations to donate from friends on Facebook. While social media makes it easy for giving, it also causes overwhelm, the feeling of "I am not helpful enough," and the fear of being judged as being selfish. Give, help, donate... in a way that you feel so you, that you could most relate with, that you have capacity for, that you feel, even just in your heart, acknowledged and appreciated, so you can create a happiness circle with ripple effects, not an unhappiness trap with a dead end.?Then experience the miracles it brings you.

And remember sometimes, the very person you want to help is yourself, filling your own tank, because you can't give what you don't have.

With a wish to be in the zone again next week,?

Onwards to Happiness Infinity,

Amy Nguyen

P. S. If you love this newsletter and think your friends may benefit from it, I'd like to invite you to spread happiness and share?this subscription link?with them.

Photo: Bringing my son to a dentist yesterday moved me out of my cave, awakening my senses at the very sights and sounds of New York City. Spending time with and for one of my closest persons in the world?turned out not to be a duty but a treat :)