【推荐3】Alexa von Tobel, a successful entrepreneur(企业家), learned an important lesson during her time at Harvard University: Money alone doesn’t bring happiness. Despite achieving financial(财务的) success by selling her startup for millions of dollars, Alexa believes that true happiness comes from things that money can’t buy.

During her undergraduate studies in psychology, Alexa had the opportunity to study at Harvard’s Leadership and Happiness Laboratory, also known as the “Happiness Lab”. This experience gave her a new understanding on what truly brings happiness. She discovered that it’s the simple routines and daily actions that create a sense of community and connection, rather than material wealth.

Alexa’s mindset(思维模式) still influences her work. She believes that finding happiness is more important than just making money. Alexa thinks it’s important to take pride in the process of building a company, rather than only focus ing on the financial outcomes.

She applies this attitude to her personal life as well. Alexa and her husband value celebrating the journey rather than just the end results, even when it comes to raising their kids.

While at Harvard, Alexa was greatly inspired by Tal Ben-Shahar and Shawn Achor, who taught a popular course on “Positive Psychology”. This field emphasizes finding joy and satisfaction by connecting with others, being grateful, and having a positive mindset.

For Alexa, the lessons from her time at Harvard still remind her to focus on whatever brings her joy in her life, rather than obsessing over money or materials. “The daily effort drives happiness, not the outcome,” she says.

【推荐1】Fifteen years ago, Claybourne Elder was a twentysomething from Utah, standing in the back of a Broadway theatre watching “Putnam County Spelling Bee”, when an act of kindness opened a door to new possibilities.

“This man came up to me and said, ‘Hey, are you from out of town?’And I said, ”Yeah, I’m just here visiting. ‘And the man handed me $200 and said, “You looked like you were having more fun than the people in the expensive seats. Go to buy yourself a ticket to Sweeney Todd tomorrow. It’ll change your life, ‘” Elder said. Elder never got the man’s name — just $200 and a photo.

Elder had never seen Sweeney Todd, so he bought “a great seat”. Starring in that production was the legendary Patti LuPone. “That did not seem real. Patti LuPone. . . she seemed like a person you read about in a book or heard about somewhere, but not someone you saw perform,” Elder said.

He then tried his best to earn a place on the stage. LuPone is now his co-star in the hit musical Company — a turning point of fate that goes back to the stranger who gave him the means to watch one of Broadway’s biggest productions. “It takes that kind of generosity to show you what generosity can be, to turn around and do it again,” Elder said.

Giving back is now a big part of his life. Once a month, he and his 4-year-old son pay fora stranger’s meal at their local diner. Recently, he has started giving away free tickets to his show through social media.

After every performance, Elder takes a picture with the strangers he buys tickets for and hangs the photos in his dressing room. “I hope that it awakens something in them, just like it did in me,” he said. “What I hope happens is that these people are shown some sort of sincere kindness from a stranger and hopefully in turn go out and do something kind for somebody who they don’t know.”

【推荐3】Brenda Thomas’s heart became a shell when her 21-year-old son died in a motorcycle accident in September 2019, only one week into his senior year of college. But she has found something that helps her to deal with her grief.

She keeps “acts of kindness” cards in honor of her son. These folded pieces of paper are tucked in her purse at all times and always stored in the glove compartment of her car. Whenever she does a good deed for a stranger— which is about once a week— she passes along a card with a message written on it: “If you receive this card, then you must be a recipient of a random act of kindness.” At the top of each note is her son’s name, Trevor Paul Thomas.

Trevor was an athlete who played baseball at Allegany College of Maryland and Penn State Fayette. He was a loyal friend and a force for good, with a witty sense of humor and a big smile. According to his mother, one of Trevor’s best qualities was his compassion for others, no matter how well he knew them. He regularly shoveled(铲) snow off the driveways of older neighbors, delivered hot meals to those in need, and befriended classmates who struggled to fit in. It seemed a natural fit to launch a kindness campaign in his memory.

The Thomas family adopted the “acts of kindness” cards to mark what would have been Trevor’s 23 birthday. They hoped that these cards would encourage people to do a good deed as part of Trevor’s legacy. On each card, they included a mantra (箴言) that the family said best describes the way Trevor had lived his life: “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like somebody.”

Recently, while dining with her daughter Whitney in a restaurant, Brenda decided to pay for the meal of a mother and two children. The recipient of Brenda’s spontaneous (发自内心的) gift was Liana Arruda. She was taking her nine-year-old son and his five-year-old sister for dinner. She felt shocked and moved after the waitress handed her the card. She used it as an opportunity to teach her children about compassion and is now brainstorming ways to pass on the goodness. “I’m waiting to find the perfect opportunity,” she said. “I want it to matter, because it mattered to me.”

For the Thomas family, while there is still—and forever will be—a massive void(空虚感) in their lives without Trevor, committing to “living like him” has helped them turn their pain into purpose. “We’ll keep paying it forward in Trevor’s honor because it would make him so proud,” said Brenda.

The Forgotten Pages

Once upon a time, there was a small village surrounded by mountains and trees. The villagers were used to their robotic daily tasks and none of them had the imagination or the will to try something new, except for one girl named Hannah.

Hannah was an adventurous spirit with an imagination far beyond her time. She loved to explore and would spend hours in the woods looking for new things.

One afternoon, she came upon an abandoned cottage which looked very old. She tip - toed slowly to the door and opened it. In front of Hannah was a room full of books! Hannah’s excitement was visible on her face as she jumped up and down with joy!

Hannah realized she had found a hidden treasure. She shared everything with her friends but heard roars of laughter! Confused and hurt by this reaction, she did not give up. She eagerly read these books full of adventurous tales and was inspired by the characters who struggled for good with their determination, learning the power of love and friendship, and that the true strength lies within one’s own heart!

With the good in heart, she decided to share the tales with the villagers. She knew it would be a difficult journey, but she wanted to share the gold with everyone. Hannah started telling tales every day at the cottage.

From the start, only her very good friend, Sanuki, and her family came to the readings. But the word of her famous tales spread rapidly causing more and more people to come to the readings.

Everyone would gather in the old cottage as she told her stories. They transformed it into a holy place full of adventures and imagination.

Hannah reminded everyone through her tales of the importance of human connection, empathy, and love. She helped the lost find their bright path.

She became a beacon (灯塔)of hope, a reminder for everyone that even in the dustiest corners, there can be a hidden treasure. And that treasure is not always gold, it can be a tale simply waiting to be shared. The forgotten treasure lying in the old cottage transformed Hannah, whose passion and dedication blew life into the tales, and her words breathed new life into villagers’ uninformed（蒙昧的）souls.