Reminding you to make the "Happiness Decision." Letting you know about our meeting dates, giving you happiness information, and your latest copy of the Be Happy Zone Article's that are published every other Wednesday in the Fairfield Citizen-News. At the end of this newsletter you can read the latest article called: REFILL FOR LIFE.

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles. - George Eliot
Think Smart, Look Smart, Be Smart...Be Happy! - Lionel

Happiness Club on TV:) "Dolly Curtis interviews..." an award winning cable access television program airing on Cablevision for 20 years is featuring Lionel Ketchian and his happiness video on Wednesday, October 1st, at 8:30 PM and repeating on Thursday, October 2nd at 10:00 PM on Cablevision channel 77. The program "Finding Happiness" was produced by a four-person crew of RIT students who traveled from Rochester to Connecticut during 2003 on several occasions to videotape Lionel Ketchian at his Happiness Club meetings and his Sacred Heart University classroom. The four students led by Raeanne did an outstanding production depicting Lionel's happiness ideals and simple exercises in living using happiness as the key. They quietly contrasted this with the academic dialogue from psychology professors and their perception of happiness as one emotion not necessarily a way of life. The students also showed their own undecided feelings about happiness and their reactions to Lionel's' happiness club activities. At first they were not so sure about the meaningfulness of Lionel's message, but by the end of the taping and editing they were more willing to give Lionel's happiness approach a chance in their lives.

The quality of their production is excellent. They are very accomplished videographers for people of their young years. Dolly decided to feature the video on her program this week. Tune in to see it in its entirety. Cablevision of Connecticut airs in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, New Canaan, Darien, Wilton, Weston, Westport, Easton, and Redding. The show will broadcast in these ten towns on Cablevision of Connecticut channel 77, on October 1 at 8:30 PM and October 2 at 10:oo pm. Special thanks to public access television at Cablevision and Jon Sherwood, coordinator, for assisting us. - Dolly Curtis

Happ-E-Mail:) Just wanted to share some good news about my movie, "Finding Happiness." I recently found out that I was awarded first place Nonfiction at this years Vincent T. Slavin film fest (the old SMPTE-RAVA) festival. And if that alone wasn't good news, here is some more "Finding Happiness" has been officially selected for the 2003 Detroit Docs Festival. Hope you're all doing well! Thanks again for all of your help with this film; it was an experience I'll never forget! Thanks again, Raeanne :)

Happ-E-Quote:) "When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that in itself is a choice." - William James

Happ-E-Mail:) I wanted to let you know that I will indeed attend the next meeting on the 23rd and look forward to it immensely. I will start by quickly discussing how I came to increase the joy in my life, especially after a period of down years. From there I will discuss some of the aspects of the book. I added a link to the Happiness Club site from mine. It is located at www.refillforlife.com and can be found under the LINKS section. Thanks again for everything...I look forward to meeting you at next month's meeting. Click here: Health and happiness books - Refill for Life Thanks, Michael Wano, author of Refill For Life.

Happ-E-Mail:) I was eagerly reading the last Newsletter you've sent, the one with a few quotes from Woody Allen, sent in by Dr. Bernie Siegel. Then I decided to print it and it disappeared from my e-mail.....it's really a mystery. I'm wondering if you could resend it to me; it would be much appreciated. I look forward to your meeting Thursday. Thanks a lot. Your newsletter is such a balm to me; it's another form of church. Jennifer

Happ-E-Quote:) "Happiness is a state of mind, a click inside us, a conscious, determined decision or will to embrace with fascination, enthusiasm (that is, by God possessed), the entire world and creation. Happiness is total consciousness. happiness is the peak fulfillment of life. It is a human's own doing, his greatest power and liberty. Happiness is not external to man, it is a genial force in him. It cannot be elsewhere. It is not part of nature or of the world, it is an attribute, an essence of the human person." - Dr. Robert Muller

Happ-E-Mail:) I'm in Ohio. Is there clubs here? JP

Happ-E-Quote:) "The remarkable thing we have is a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude." - Charles Swindoll

Happ-E-Mail:) I have three boys in three schools so its just settling down with open houses and settling in. All is doing great. A friend of mine today was telling me how she loves your column and always reads it. Isn't that the best? Love to you, Lisa.

Happ-E-Quote:) "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." - Mother Teresa"

Happ-E-Mail:) Well, you do it everytime. It's the arrival of yet another stunning Happ-E-Newsletter. I haven't even finished reading the entire thing yet, and simply had to stop to extend my perpetual gratitude. I love the Happiness Train! (Where DO you come up with these ideas, over and again! Amazing!) Such a fabulous visualization and analogy to assist us with staying ever on the Happiness Track. I was just reading a bunch of clippings on my computer these last few days of things you've said in previous emails and newsletters, always amazed at what I read there, and here you do it yet again! I guess you're just showing us all the marvels that come and sustain themselves from always riding that Happiness Train. "Change the world one person at a time, beginning with oneself," -- well, my good friend, you are INDEED changing the world one person at a time, by the thousands! Cheers to you! Stunning, absolutely stunning. You make my heart sing, if I've not told you so before, though I'm sure I must have. Your eternal friend, Barry

Happ-E-Quote:) "Take a look at any successful person, past or present. It could be Bill Gates and his quest to revolutionize the way we communicate and work. It could be Mother Teresa who realized the plight of children in Calcutta and personally devoted her life to them. It might be Dr. Suess who wanted to make children learn through laughter. Each one had a dream and a passion to create a vision. They achieved their vision by carefully establishing goals and making a commitment to seeing them through." - Michael Wano

Happ-E-Mail:) Just wanted to thank you for sending the newsletters. It's great positive reinforcement for me and I come away with a new attitude everytime I read them. Well, I'll see you at the October meeting. Take care. Terry

Happ-E-Quote:) "If we can imagine, we can achieve. We call them dreams. We bring them to reality by setting goals and objectives to help us reach our destination. Happiness is achieved when we follow the dreams in our heart by using the head to imagine the desired state, and taking the necessary steps to achieve them." - Michael Wano

Happ-E-Mail:) I feel certain you will enjoy this newsletter and Peggy Jenkins website. We are the publishers of Jenkin's book The Joyful Child and its a very popular award winning book. I believe her e-zine has lots to offer for happiness subscribers. Many Blessings, Barbara Hoberman Levine, Author of YOUR BODY BELIEVES EVERY WORD YOU SAY. www.aslanpublishing.com

Happ-E-Quote:) "Who we will be in the future will be largely defined by the experiences we choose today. As the old saying goes, "we learn from experience." By examining what we did right or wrong in a given situation, we can alter our course the next time we face similar circumstances." - Michael Wano

Happ-E-Mail:) Hope everyone is having a great year! Here are 2 important pieces of information for this years Basket Brigade: SAVE THE DATES!

1) We have just set the date for the Basket Brigade: November 22nd (The Saturday before Thanksgiving.)

2) Basket Brigade Benefit Concert Andrew Leonard and Doug Smith Concert Thursday, October 16th at 8 PM, New Haven, CT Donation $15, Hill Regional Career Magnet High School, 140 Legion Ave (Parking lot on Orchard St.) For Information and Directions call (203) 624-2600 ext. 300. We are fortunate enough to have Andrew Leonard and Doug Smith perform an amazing solo guitar concert to benefit the Basket Brigade. We need your help to promote this concert! Print and post flyers: at your job, library, grocery store, etc. Send e-mails to at least 5 friends/coworkers and follow up encouraging them to attend and support a great cause. Give tickets as gifts. Any other creative ideas can be emailed to me. We need everyone's help and support for this to be a success. This is all about coming together as the Basket Brigade team to serve our community. Thanks, Matt Albert, MAlpert100@aol.com.

Happ-E-Mail:) This summer has seen a big change for me personally. I no longer live in the Northeast. In the beginning of August, I moved to the Lexington, Kentucky area. The concert on October 16 is for a great cause. The concert is a fundraiser for the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis and the Basket Brigade, a group of volunteers who have been delivering Thanksgiving Baskets to needy families in the New Haven, CT area for the past ten years. Proceeds from the concert will be used to purchase food and supplies to create Thanksgiving Baskets, which will be delivered to families served by the Coordinating Council For Children In Crisis. The Basket Brigade with the help of the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis feeds approximately 125 families a year. Each $15 donation feeds two people at Thanksgiving, $25 feeds a family of four. Best, Andrew Leonard

Happ-E-Quote:) "My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just to enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate." - Thornton Wilder

Happ-E-Mail:) Hello Everyone! We are thinking of making a change to the spiritual cruise. We think that by changing the whole itinerary of the cruise, including cruise line, we will stir up more excitement toward this upcoming journey. We have already started talking to Celebrity to see what they have to offer to the passengers, but before we make any permanent arrangements we wanted to run it past all of you. We would be sailing on April 24, 2004 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for 7 days on the Celebrity Century. Visiting Ochos Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Mexico and Key West, Florida. We feel that this itinerary is more inviting and exciting. The inside cabins will start at $793 per person and oceanviews will start at $993 per person. You can contact Angie at popeye1128@aol.com or Laurie at bluejaysjoy@aol.com. Thank You all for your support and Have a Fantastic Day. Love and Light to you all, Angie, Laurie and Brenda

Work Like the Dalai Lama - Lessons from the spiritual leader on how to find happiness on the job. An interview with Dr. Howard Cutler.

The first collaboration between psychiatrist Howard Cutler and the Dalai Lama resulted in the bestseller, "The Art of Happiness." They continue their conversation in a recently published sequel, "The Art of Happiness at Work." In an interview with Beliefnet, www.beliefnet.com, Dr. Cutler shared some of the Dalai Lama's workplace wisdom. The underlying premise of both of your books -- that the purpose of life is happiness -- on the surface may seem selfish and not too spiritual. Could you explain what the Dalai Lama's idea of happiness is?

From his perspective there is an inextricable link between one's own personal happiness and kindness and caring and compassion towards others. It's not only from the Dalai Lama's perspective -- from his particular view of life and Buddhist philosophy -- but also from the scientific standpoint that shows that happy people are much more likely to show compassion. What's remarkable is this amazing link between happiness and kindness towards others.

In the first book we mentioned some experiments where they artificially induced a happy mood in some test subjects. And then they designed an experiment to see if they would stop and help somebody -- one of the experimenters was in disguise and approached them as somebody in need. And they found that those in the happier group were more likely to help the other person. But the Dalai Lama feels that it works the other way around as well. That the deliberate cultivation of kindness and compassion and caring and tolerance and forgiveness and these type of things will make one a happier person.

Happ-E-Quote:) "When others greet us, we tend to reciprocate. We enjoy when others initiate the action. Though it may catch us off guard, there is usually a feeling of warmth when one directs personal attention in our direction. Understanding the impact it has on us, it is easy to see how a simple hello can bring us instant joy." -Michael Wano

Happ-E-Mail:) I loved your newsletter. My father mailed me a copy of a "News" paper he found at the health food store called the "Happy Times." It is filled with inspirational stories and motivational messages. No where in it did it speak of distrust, hatred, or unhappiness. I am thinking we need to start one here. I'll try to contact the publisher when I am in Florida. As always you brighten my day. Love and hugs and mucho happiness, Barbara

Happ-E-Mail:) I think the Happiness club meetings are so wonderful and amazing and affirming. I'm sending the poem "Time for Happiness" that l read as part of my talk at the last meeting. Guess what? I now have a website. I will be adding the happiness club to the website. Check out www.positivebliss.com and let me know what you think. Sending light, peace and happiness. Love, Lynette

Time For Happiness

Time is such a precious gift
Available for all
But sometimes we don't listen
We do not heed the call

We think there's a competition
Based on how much we get done
Constantly looking at our watches
We miss all of the fun

"Time is of the essence"
"I just don't’ have time"
"I can't spend too much time with you, because I give up mine"
"You’d better be timely"
"The time, it’s just not right"
We all need to stop right now
Before we loose sight

Time is of the essence
But the time to live is now
How can we regroup our thoughts?
And understand this somehow

When we look over our shoulder
Or try to see ahead
We miss all of the precious moments that we could have had

You don’t want to say one day
"I wish I’d made the time"
Live right now, in the moment
And life will be divine

Decide "time for happiness" is now
Not somewhere down the line
And make friends and embrace

This magnificent gift
Called
Time
© September 2003 Lynette Turner

HAPPINESS CLUB MEETING:) The Happiness Club is having its next meeting on Thursday, October 23, from 7:00 - 8:45 p.m. at Fairfield Public Library, Rotary Room, 1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield. The topic is "got HAPPINESS?" by Michael Wano, the author of Refill For Life and Lionel Ketchian. Michael mentioned that there will be a surprise to all the people that attend this meeting. Don't miss this valuable meeting, and meet some wonderful people using happiness in their lives.

NEXT HAPPINESS CLUB MEETING:)
Topic:) "got HAPPINESS?"
Date:) October 23, 2003
Time:) 7:00 - 8:45 P.M.
Place:) Fairfield Public Library
In the:) Rotary Room
Address:) 1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT

Open to the public and admission is free. www.happinessclub.com.
Call Lionel Ketchian (203) 258-7777 or E-mail: PrintLRK@aol.com

Directions:
From New York - I- 95, Exit 21, Mill Plain Road. Right at bottom of ramp. Under railroad overpass make a left at light (Post Rd.), 1/2 mile on right at the corner.
From New Haven - I- 95, Exit 22, North Benson Road. Left at bottom of ramp. Under railroad overpass make a right at light (Post Rd.), 1/2 mile on left at the corner.

BE HAPPY ZONE
Fairfield Citizen-News
September 24, 2003

REFILL FOR LIFE
By Lionel Ketchian

"There is a correlation between health and happiness. When we are happy, we feel better about our health and ourselves. When we are not, even a minor ache becomes a chronic pain. Therefore, we must continually strive to increase the joy in our lives. But how do we do this? There are many options (or prescriptions) ranging from medicine to therapy, reading to faith; however, prescriptions are only beneficial when the symptoms are well defined. When it comes to happiness, we are our own best doctors." These are the words written by Michael Wano. He is the author of the book, Refill For Life, at www.refillforlife.com.

I was fortunate to be sent an e-mail a few weeks ago by Michael Wano. He asked if I would read his book and comment about it. I agreed to do so and that is why I am writing about his book now. The interesting thing about Michael is that he wrote the book from his personal experience. He wrote the book for himself. He said that even if it did not do well, he wanted to write the book to have completed the task for his own sake. It was a goal that he attained and one that I am glad he pursued.

Michael has written a wonderful book on happiness with an interesting way of fulfilling it for ourselves. As he says, "Refill for Life is one of the first self-help books to provide an approach to happiness that you define for yourself. It is based on the notion that all of us have experienced happiness at some point in our lives; it is now time to refill our order. The goal is not to have you understand anything new, just recall a few things you once knew." Michael uses this unique approach to get us in touch with happiness at our own level of experience.

Michael also sent me a bottle that looks like medication, but is actually filled with candy hearts that have the name of the different thoughts for happiness on them. He has candy with Be Yourself, Imagine, Dream, Smile, Have Fun, Set Goals, Look Up, Say Hello. Each of these pieces of candy contains the basic thought of each chapter in his book. In this case happiness comes in a bottle filled with candy hearts. Michael recommends that you take at least one tablet daily to have you remember where your happiness can come from. On the bottle there is a warning label that carries this message: "Side effects include increased smiles, uncontrollable laughter, and never-ending joy."

I whole heatedly and happily recommend Michael Wano's book, Refill for Life. Michael really understands what happiness is. Michael shows us that he understands what happiness is with one of these quotes from his book, "In spite of continuous change, we need to realize that our happiness can be wholly independent of our environment. If we believe otherwise, we may never achieve true happiness." It is important to understand that happiness is within us and not something we find out there.

I have found that when people reach the age of thirty they start to think about what is important. I checked this out with Michael and he admitted that although he is thirty-six years old. He started to think about happiness and life when he reached thirty years of age. It seems that until we mature we really do not know what life is all about, especially the good things about life. Happiness is one of those things that must be experienced. In order to experience it, we need to go through some of life's challenges and problems. How we deal with these things are what shapes our personalities and strategies for living.

Michael says, "In life, there is only one true goal. That is being happy." If you have been reading my column for any length of time then you know that these words are really important. Those words not only show us how to live, they also show us that Michael is a man who has understood happiness at a level that is greatly elevated from many authors of happiness books. This is the reason I have requested him to speak to us in October at our next Happiness Club meeting.

You are the reason we have Happiness Club meetings. Think of us as your REFILL FOR LIFE and come on down to our next meeting on October 23, from 7:00-8:45 p.m. The topic is "got Happiness? You will meet Michael Wano the author of Refill For Life. He is going to speak about his book and your happiness. The meeting will be held in the Rotary Room, at the Fairfield Public Library, located at 1080 Old Post Road. There is no charge for the meeting or the happiness power you will get. Get happy and make tracks for this meeting for your refill now.

Michael Wano's words show us how to live, "Let your heart and your mind work in tandem. They should look out for each other and play devil's advocate. Yet when it comes to what makes you happy, you should listen to your heart; then use your mind to determine how to carry out the actions that will lead to increased joy. Experience teaches you about yourself. The heart is the pupil and most interested student. In time it becomes the master. Learn to entrust it with your happiness."

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club, a Happiness Coach, and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The website is www.HappinessClub.com.

Share a smile and forward this motivating Happ-E-Newsletter to your friends and family members you care about. Brighten their day by giving them a FREE Newsletter. Or, it's FREE, and easy to subscribe, just send your blank e-mail to happinessclub@aol.com, or subscribe online at: www.happinessclub.com.

Happiness is an inner state of well being. A state of well being that enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life. - Lionel Ketchian

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you desire. Please include the copyrights and credits due the authors.

Our mailing list and your name is never sold, traded, or given to anyone outside of our organization. You can smile about that!

REMOVAL INSTRUCTIONS: To be removed from this Happ-E-Newsletter reply with "Remove" in the subject line.

Life is full of opportunities. Go For It! Carpe diem!

© Copyright 2003, Lionel R. Ketchian, all rights reserved.