The Northfield I See: C’mon Get Happy

Hi. No confession this week. I’ve got a question instead: Do you do stuff that makes you happy?

While you think about it, I will explain why I asked.

This week I spent a really long time putting together Sparks Initiative materials for conferences at . You may have guessed what sparks are by now, but I will give you the Search Institute definition: Sparks are your deepest passions and interests. They are the things that give you meaning, focus and joy. 

The Sparks Initiative is project of the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative grounded in the research of the Minneapolis based Search Institute. The Sparks Initiative has a handful of pilot sites in Northfield. Its goal is to give Northfield youth the resources and support they need to discover and pursue their interests and passions.

Youth who know and do what they love thrive. They are more successful in school, make healthier choices, have higher self-esteem, and are generally happier.  Not rocket science, I know.

So, if youth lead happier, more productive, and more fulfilled lives when they pursue their Sparks, shouldn’t that be the case for adults too?

It totally is the case! The problem is that we, as adults (I know I’m a young adult, but now that I’ve graduated from college I’m lumping myself in with the rest of you) spend so much time working, maintaining a household, and raising children that we don’t bother to do the things that make us really happy.

Since graduation it has been harder to find time to ignite my Sparks and to be honest, I could use a little more “meaning, focus, and joy” in my life.

Couldn’t you? 

Ignite one of your Sparks (even if it’s only for a little while) this weekend, or next weekend, or better yet, right now—you’ll be happier.