Sorry, an error occurred.
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our advertising news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our breaking news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest email news? Signup today!
Receive the latest features from Scene in the West Metro.
Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!
Sign up with
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Sign in with
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Secure & Encrypted
Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
Editor
Showing kindness, compassion and graciousness. Getting back to the basic principles of humankind.
In recognition of “Feel Good February,” Isanti County is inviting the public to a workshop administered through the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog Workshop. The free workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the Cambridge Public Library, 111 N. Dellwood St. Those interested should register by emailing [email protected]. The workshop is geared toward those 18 and older who are interested in their own well-being.
In September, the Isanti County Board approved a contract with the International Thought Leaders Network to bring the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog Workshop to Isanti County. The cost to implement the program is $650,000, which will be paid through the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds. Isanti County is expected to receive $7.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The purpose of the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog Workshop is to spread a wellness initiative targeted at offsetting the mental health effects of COVID-19 and promoting positivity throughout the county by building awareness, providing education and creating opportunities for social connection.
Since September, Isanti County has been promoting the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog initiative. The Orange Frog is an educational program based on the work of Harvard University-trained researcher and New York Times bestselling author Shawn Achor.
According to the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog website, the parable of the Orange Frog is explained as follows: “Caught between two worlds, Spark was exactly like every other frog in his pond with one notable exception. Spark emerges from a tadpole with a slight but noticeable orange spot. And this orange spot makes Spark feel uncomfortably different. What’s more, Spark begins to make a disconcerting observation; when he does things that make him feel better (and produce more positive results) the orange spots increase. Spark is left with a difficult decision; be normal, which makes him less conspicuous, or continue doing those things that make him happier, more productive and … more orange.”
Isanti County Administrator Julia Lines explained Isanti County has made postcards explaining the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog initiative that will be mailed to new county residents in February, and there will also be a TikTok video posted in the near future to help connect with county youth.
Lines explained “Feel Good February” was created to encourage and inspire random acts of kindness for their fellow community members.
“And that’s kind of the key concept too behind this,” Lines said. “The research shows we’re happiest when we do kind things for others, and so that’s kind of what I talk about with my kids too. Let’s buy the person’s coffee behind us and they get so excited and they’re watching.”
Isanti County has also made Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog 2022 calendars that can be picked up at the North 65 Chamber Office, 2 Enterprise Ave. NE, Suite C4, Isanti. Throughout the calendar, listed mainly on Mondays through Fridays, are ideas for residents to embrace positivity, social connectedness and happiness. Some of the ideas on the calendar include, for example, “Reflect on three things that were positive from the past week,” and “Enjoy family and friends today.”
“In these calendars, every day there is a little suggestion,” Lines said. “So we’re calling February, ‘Feel Good February.’ So every day in February, we are going to do a little challenge and it can be based off what the suggestions are here. … So we’re hoping that whatever we’re doing people see and then they do it themselves and then they share, like a positive challenge. So that’s what we’re thinking for February, and so then in March we’re planning ‘The Great Reconnect,’ which is March 20, which is the International Day of Happiness. So we’re going to challenge people to, and we’ll give them some suggestions, but like if you haven’t met one of your neighbors, go over to your neighbor. Because this whole thing is really about the connection piece and I feel like we’ve lost that a little bit.”
Brandon Lauseng, who works for Isanti County in the information technology department, feels the Feb. 10 workshop will be inspiring.
“It can be challenging to be happy. Sometimes we’re not quite sure where to start and it can feel overwhelming,” Lauseng. “I think this provides some really easy, feasible tools to get there. That’s what I love about it, is it kind of empowers people a little bit more.”
Lines said it seems people are tending to focus on the negative.
“This negative mindset, whatever headline, they just go the negative and that’s just spiraling and that’s so sad to me,” Lines said. “I feel like we need to get past that, bring people back together, find a way to focus on the positive things, because if we keep focusing on the negative, we’re never going to get out of this pandemic and we’re never going to move on from it. People are angry and distrusting.”
The goal of the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog is positivity.
“That’s our agenda, we want to help people. We just want to help people. We want to be in a place where you wave as you walk by people, you say hi. You’re friendly,” Lines said. “We have to be nice to people. If we don’t find a way to treat people better, it’s not going to be good.”
Lines said the Feb. 10 workshop will help provide people with tools to be more happy and to spread happiness.
“So I guess I would say to people if you’re looking for a way to help yourself get in a positive place, be healthy, be resilient, this is just tools for that,” Lines said. “And when we’re healthy, the people around us are. If I come home happy, how do you think my family is going to respond to that? It really does spread and it’s contagious and I think we need it.”
“There’s enough negativity in the world, let’s focus on something positive. The social norm has become to find what’s wrong with things as they find different articles that come out and people pick them apart,” Lauseng said. “Can we get it where it’s more normal for people to see the good and want to be a part of the good, and want to spread that good, and that happiness.”
While Lauseng said while there is negative news within social media and mainstream media, you can’t get lost in it.
“There’s something called toxic positivity or something where you’re denying negative emotions — it’s not about that. That happens, we feel sadness, we feel grief, we feel things,” Lauseng said. “This is just trying to say after that here’s something that we can give you to help maybe combat against that a little bit. Because sometimes people get lost after that and they don’t know where to go next.”
Lines said the school districts will be launching the Happiness 360 curriculum with Braham perhaps starting a pilot project in the spring and Cambridge-Isanti beginning in the fall.
“Some people think that we’re maybe trying to push this as a way to combat some serious things like depression or stuff that may require medical attention or things like that,” Lauseng said. “But no, that’s not it necessarily, but it’s something as opposed to nothing.”
Lines said when she was looking through the guidance of how to spend the American Rescue Plan Act funds, it was asking the county to identify the needs of the community, outside of masks and vaccines, and focus more on the mental health issues that may have been aggravated or multiplied through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I knew that in 2019 Allina Health and Isanti County Public Health did that community needs assessment and that’s when social isolation was identified for the first time as one of the top three issues of our residents, so pre-pandemic,” Lines said. “So I knew that that was an issue pre-pandemic and obviously very much aggravated by the pandemic, so I was thinking about what could we possibly do with that. So I had read the Orange Frog/Happiness Advantage when I worked for the school district and so that’s kind of how it came to be.”
Lines said Isanti County is the first county to embrace the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog Workshop, with it only previously being done with school districts and major companies and corporations.
“You go into schools, you go into day cares, an orange frog and a parable is super helpful for that,” Lauseng said. “You go into a giant corporation and you’re in this very white collar, business meeting forum, they’ll like the frogs and stuff like that, but they’re going to want to know what’s this about and then you’ll get into those scientific details. I think it’s just good to cover that whole spectrum that way.”
For more details on the Happiness Advantage/Orange Frog Workshop, visit www.orangefrogenterprise.com/workshop.
Editor
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your comment has been submitted.
Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Would you like to receive our latest news? Signup today!
