Happiness Initiative

"Workplace well-being takes more than apps and stress management" - a Straits Times Opinion piece on 11 September 2024 by Vadivu Govind, founding director of Inner Wealth. As she pointed out, the old English word for wealth is "weal," which means well-being. I believe that through her work with Inner Wealth, she is promoting wealth from within - well-being. Indeed, through Happiness Initiative’s work over the past few years engaging with workplace well-being, it’s clear that it takes more than an app or an ad hoc workshop. It requires the inner work of employees, managers, and leaders to connect with their own well-being before they can positively influence their work, their team, and their organisation culture. Very often, most people don’t have time for such deep inner work, except when transformative experiences occur in their lives. Well-Being Circles was born out of the vision to make such inner work accessible whenever someone is ready. Over 8 sessions, 2 hours every Saturday, people from all walks of life come together in small circles, learning well-being skills. What makes such deep inner work possible through these circles is everyone’s openness to relate the well-being skills to their own personal stories, offering social support to facilitate change. The upcoming Wave 6 will take place in Oct-Nov. Perhaps it will offer you an opportunity to begin your own inner work. Wave 6 registration will close this Sat, 21 Sep. For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/g_-tZDsJ. If you think 8 weeks is a long time, wait until you meet participants-turned-leaders who dedicate another 8 weeks to facilitate a circle. Often, we have leaders who come back again and again. This picture is a kudos to Wave 5 and Wave 6 Well-Being Leaders. For me, fostering well-being takes inner work. What inner work have you started? #wellbeing #happiness

I'm a little late to post this but hey, I was in this Tatler Gen.T list along with many other wonderful folks doing wonderful things. While I'm honoured to be on this list, I must also say that the work at Happiness Initiative was done by a whole collective of people - especially my co-founder Simon Leow, who has always been a tireless advocate of evidence based well-being skills. Simon is not often recognised because most such awards tend to favour the young, but he has probably put in more blood, sweat (and I contributed more tears 🤣) in HI than me. And he has always also been a strong pillar of support whenever I doubt myself, and always believing in me. So yes, this award is dedicated to him, for being with me on every step of this journey. I also want to acknowledge the many unsung heroes who tirelessly contribute to making a difference every day. Their dedication and passion often go unnoticed, but their impact is immeasurable. Check out the full list of inspiring folks here: https://lnkd.in/gHQpbDAB (And yes, my teeth was totally photoshopped, hair made up, and for the first time in my life I have make up on. So yea this isn't normal - I look even more awesome in my natural self 😎)

I’m #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested to make well-being skills accessible?

Nearly 40 of us from Temasek Trust, Temasek Foundation, and Temasek Trust Asset Management recently participated in a wellness workshop conducted by The Happiness Initiative. It focused on equipping participants to be resilient and to have a growth mindset when faced with challenges. During the highly interactive workshop, participants learnt to identify negative thinking patterns and apply proven strategies to reframe them into constructive thought patterns. The Happiness Initiative was a co-working partner at Temasek Shophouse in 2020. Their work is centred on translating the science of happiness and well-being into concrete actions people can take. We are glad to work with them on this workshop to equip our team members with the techniques to care for themselves, their loved ones, and the communities they serve. Thank you, Simon Leow, Sherman Ho, and team for a most engaging and enriching session! #TemasekTrust #TemasekFoundation #TTAM #wellbeing

This article about why Singapore youths are less happier than their elders makes a great read and reflection. It ends with a proposition for our youths to foster greater meaning in their lives - by engaging in activities that align to their values and being in service of something bigger than themselves. This is what Happiness Initiative’s Well-Being Circles is about. If you have friends that may benefit from this, kindly share as registration is closing soon: www.wellbeingcircles.sg #wellbeing #wellbeingcircles #youth #happiness

Holland Village’s #Thambi • #Soul • #Wellbeing Grace Yeoh, a CNA correspondent, has been covering the story of the closure of the iconic 80-year-old magazine stall at Holland Village. In her latest CNA article last week, the title asked this question: “We have lost heritage icons in the past. What made Thambi at Holland Village so different?” A spoiler alert. She ended the article with this answer: “At first, it would seem, we only lose our heritage. But if we’re not careful, our soul goes too.” Holland Village was a place I grew up in. The first shopping mall that I could recall going to was the late Oriental Emporium departmental store at Holland Village Shopping Centre, where it was a wow experience to be allowed to roam freely. In my early teen years, I would be playing soccer at a void deck of a block that had since been demolished and replaced by the now pet-friendly One Holland Village. All my favourite eateries that I grew up with made way to all the bars and restaurants that we see today. Thambi Magazine stall was the last surviving Holland Village heritage icon until last Sunday, 5 May, where it rolled down its shutters for the last time. There was a certain sadness in me. It was the place during the lowest point of my life where I found the magazine “Wired”, which gave me courage to pursue a career change. It was the place that I discovered the magazine “Monocle” which gave me solace after my career change. Then when I finally got my flat, it offered me yet another inspiration - “Home & Decor”. Looking back, Thambi Magazine seems to offer me timely reminders to reconnect back with my soul before I got too lost in the labyrinth of life. And on Thambi Magazine’s last evening, having been heartbroken for more than a year, it seemed like a serendipitous nudge to reconnect back with my soul. Instinctively, I picked up two Monocle magazines. A nostalgic feeling connected me back to a time when I was at my poorest but happiest, reading Monocle and being lost in the world of beautiful design. While Thambi sold his last magazine, it seemed to be a signal for me to turn to a new chapter of my life too. This reminiscence got me thinking of my work on well-being. What is well-being in its raw form? Well-being, in its raw form, is connecting with our souls. Having ran hundreds of well-being workshops through Happiness Initiative, I reflected where there was a shift in energy amongst the participants - they leaned forward and listened more intently. Where there was a sense of collective humanity as if we understood each of us is suffering and each of us has the capacity to be better versions of ourselves. I think this experience is made possible when participants connected with their souls; and I connected with mine too. Steve Jobs famously said, “The only way to do great work, is to love what you do.” I would add the way to love what you do, is to connect with your soul. Connecting with our soul is well-being in its raw form.