About the Author

Helen McKay, Founder and Life Member of the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) Inc., is also author of "Gadi Mirrabooka" and co-author – with Berice Dudley – of "About Storytelling", and "Riotous Riddles".

As artist-potter, 3-dimensional art teacher, Helen, taught at secondary schools and evening colleges in New Zealand. She worked for some years with gifted and reluctant - even difficult – students, to help gain a sense of achievement, through their artwork. With heightened self-esteem and a renewed interest in learning - due to the success of their projects - many of these children became successful in their academic achievements. Helen also inspired gifted under-achievers, to extraordinary accomplishments, using music and story.

Helen settled in Sydney, Australia in 1981, where she won many admirers with her uniquely derivative landscape pottery. However, injuries sustained in an MVA, soon after arrival, made it impossible to continue this art form. Having triumphed over adversity, she has confronted and overcome a host of challenging situations during her life. Since 2001, Helen has lived in Toronto, on the shores of Lake Macquarie. Using story – a valuable resource that can entertain, extend teaching options and teach values, without confronting listeners, she offers examples of a strategy to help people develop a more positive approach to life.

Helen offers a simple strategy, field-tested for a number of years on friends and family, to help people discover a happier existence. She believes that many unhappy people are negatively focussed on past problems and unpleasant experiences. "We need to find a way to get off the treadmill of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, which present us with unhappy consequences for our global society. People can easily become stuck in a time warp: chronically focussed on past traumas, unhappy experiences and unfulfilled ambitions, so they are unable to move on. To become happier, they need learn to appreciate the good things that are happening in the present."

By following her suggestions, it's possible to refocus: become more optimistic and lead a happier, healthier life. By regularly recording each of our happy moments, everyone can acquire techniques to escape those depressing 'Blue days'.

Scattered throughout the book are pages taken from her friend's and Helen’s Happy book: examples of the random nature of these happy moments.

Helen has a special interest in helping young people – especially children – to access the keys to their happiness. She believes it is vitally important for children to begin this habit at a young age, to enable them to develop strategies for a more positive life. This can begin as toddlers, telling parents about their happy moments. Once the children can write, they should be encouraged to record these happy memories in a Happy notebook, so they have something to help them through the "blue days".

This is especially important for children caught up in a partnership break-up or loss of a parent or friend. To help combat the confusion and deep sense of loss, it is important to refocus them on the good things that are happening, now. Writing down their happy moments is one way to redirect their minds into a more positive direction. The strategy has been proven, by Helen and her friend.

Begin a Happy Book – Be Happy!