Kids Listen Up – Here Are Some Tips For Happiness at School and in Everyday Life…

1. Include everyone, I mean play with everyone and include as many kids as you can in your games. The best fun you can have is when everyone is playing together and having fun whether you are in a playground, on your street or where ever you are. The worst times are when there is fighting, jealousy and excluding others. Include the kids you normally wouldn’t play with, the kid with the limp, or the funny eye, the kid with the head scarf who is very quiet…. It is a good rule to assume that other children are good, until they prove otherwise. Most kids are just waiting for an opportunity to play and have fun. Some of the best summer days I had was when every child and teenager on our street played a game of rounder’s together. The fun and laughter lasted for hours and you felt you belonged there.
2. Always listen to your gut feelings (these are in your stomach and are ALWAYS right) and if something feels wrong it probably is. So take action to get away from the person or situation. You will be glad you did. Follow your gut and your heart and you will be okay.
3. Adults are not perfect. Your Parents, your Teachers, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, are all only human which means they can make mistakes. Overall most adults try to do the best they can, but don’t be too hard on someone or hold it against them, when they are generally kind, but turn out to be wrong or make a mistake. We all make mistakes, nobody is perfect.
4. Being a good friend – being a friend to someone means being honest, telling the truth and being loyal to them. Know who you’re friends are and love them, share with them and be kind to them. Life is not about showing off, measuring who has what, it’s about having good times with  your friends and family and being there for them when they need you. My best friends that I grew up were generally good fun, good listeners and shared everything, they are still my friends now 30 years later.
5. Don’t take things to heart. This can be hard to do, but it is worth practicing. People say things that they don’t always mean (remember what I said about Adults not being perfect). Sometimes people that you know, might say something mean to you, an adult or a child – maybe they are having a bad day or someone was mean to them. Maybe they don’t like themselves very much or have some problems, but it’s easier to be mean to someone else then to deal with their problems. Don’t listen to what others say about you, just think ‘oh they must be having a bad day’ and choose not to believe them and try not to think about it again. You will come across mean or nasty people at different times in you life, think of the mean, nasty words rolling off you like water off a ducks back.
6. Not everyone is going to love you, they may not give you the time and attention that you want or deserve. There may be a Teacher or someone that just doesn’t seem to like you very much, so don’t worry about why (it’s probably nothing to do with you, but about their own issues or problems, like maybe you remind them of someone that hurt them). Anyway it doesn’t matter why, just try to accept that not everyone is going to love you or even like you, and don’t try to do lots of things to make someone think you’re great. Just be confident enough inside to say ‘I love me’ and that is the most important thing. You need to be your own biggest fan and love yourself.
7. Try new things. Try new activities that you have never tried before, you might end up loving it. Don’t let your fear stop you from giving something a try, maybe it’s food, maybe it’s the cub scouts, a sport, maybe it’s surfing! Find out what you love doing and try to do as much of it as you can. Doing things that you love to do and being with people you love will give you them most enjoyment in life.
8. Enjoy the here and now. Kids you know how to do this, playing with friends and having a mess with your Dad or brothers and sisters, you forget about everything else. Who knows what’s around the corner, good and bad things happen all the time, so enjoy the here and now. If you’re always wanting something, then you will never enjoy today. Don’t think that ‘when I’m older it will be great’ or ‘when I get my new trainers/x-box/mobile phone, then I’ll be happy’. Happiness comes from inside you, not from other people or things. Decide for yourself every day: I’m happy and it’s going to be a great day.
9. Say Sorry. Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes and life is not perfect either, bad stuff happens. When you are wrong realise you are wrong and take action. Learn how to say sorry, if you have made a mistake or hurt someone, don’t wait, don’t let it drag out just do the right thing and apologise as quickly as you can face to face if possible.