While the world is immersing in anxiety and depression with every passing moment, there’s a group of guys in London spreading happiness. We took notice of them when we heard about them through ServiceSpace, founded by our mentor Nipun Mehta. Their tagline made us more curious which says- “To connect and inspire people to live happier more fulfilling lives.” Here we go, the story on world’s first Museum of Happiness that teaches keys to well-being in a fun and interactive way. We got in touch with the co-founder of Museum of Happiness (MoH), who also happens to be one of the UK’s most well-known mindfulness experts, coach, speaker and a bestselling author- Shamash Alidina.
Museum of Happiness
I met someone running the Museum of Nonsense (Nonseum). Then I thought, why not a Museum of Happiness – I want to spread more happiness in the world. As you’re aware, MoH’s values are Compassion, Community, Creativity & Consciousness. I would like to share an incident that shows how these values are impacting the people we have engaged.
One participant came to our event where I was teaching mindfulness and self-compassion. He was suffering from depression. He loved the meditation and now meditates regularly and has overcome his depression. He’s much more positive and hopeful in his life now.
Happiness at Work
The Museum of Happiness is a not-for-profit organization. The Museum provides a space to explore happiness through activities and displays. We—Vicky Johnson, Kieran Walton and I— the co-founders, volunteer our time to run the experience. The Museum of Happiness runs by the kindness of volunteers. We do happiness at work since we believe that happiness is great for workplace success. Loads of research proves happiness boosts productivity, creativity, communication and profit too!
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Values
Purpose, passion are intrinsic values, whereas power, money are extrinsic. There’s nothing wrong with power if you use it wisely; quite often someone needs to be in charge and make decisions. And nothing wrong with money if used to maximize happiness in the world. So our values help to make money and power forces for good, not for increasing unhappiness in the world.
Happiness, Peace and Contentment
If you have peace and contentment, can you be unhappy?
If you feel deeply happy, are you at peace and feel content?
I think these are different words for the same thing. Happiness is contentment that comes from deep inner peace, kindness, and love for self, others and our earth. Peace and happiness do not come from controlling the world and other people. It comes from letting go.
Quicky Bytes:
- Giving: Love made visible.
- One Line to Remember: The secret to life is appreciating that everything is out of control.
- Happiness: Can be multiplied by letting go of your attachment to being happy all the time and loving this moment, just as it is.
P.S. MoH had a pop-up launch at the British Museum in April 2016, where they had two special guests: HH The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu! Shamash had blogged his experience in MoH and had written on how Dalai Lama had blessed -“’There’s too much focus on money, isn’t it? More needs to be done to cultivate warm heartedness – the pillar of a happy and healthy life. Very pleased with this initiative. I’m pleased MoH are focusing on mindfulness, community and compassion – and also some funfulness…playfulness…not sure how you say it!’ – and then he burst into laughter in true Dalai style.”
When Team KYS asked Shamash what were the future plans for MoH, his answer to us – “At the moment, we’re focusing on what lies in the present. :-)” We wish the best to MoH. Let there be more happiness in this beautiful world!