I was invited to Birmingham City University to facilitate a session for students on Happiness. My first impression of the Curzon Building was a good one. It was well lit from the outside which created some ambience and inside the ceilings were high. I looked up and thought if my problems were as great as this building I would be in huge trouble. I began to walk up the stairs and then I looked down and it gave me a realisation.

When we are standing at the foot of our problems looking up it can appear like a big skyscraper. If I was to stand on the top floor of the Curzon building and look down maybe the problems would appear miniscule in comparison. That requires me to elevate my consciousness. When we look at problems from the same level it appears overwhelming but if we enhance our thoughts and then look down these problems can be seen differently.

In the session we went through exercises to help students discover their strengths and values. One exercise I like to practice is giving students an opportunity to ask their loved ones questions they may never have asked before. One of my favourite ones is “What do you see that could hold me back and why? “Below you can see an image of students making phone calls to find out more about themselves.

The final thoughts I left with students is to work for a purpose not an applause.