Mission for Happy Home

Sweet as Honey When Offered: “Try a Bite!”

People feel a special kind of happiness when they enjoy delicious food with their loved ones. But there’s a way to make that happiness even richer: before taking the first bite, say, “Try a bite,” or “Please have some.” That tender moment—when you warmly invite a loved one to taste the food first—creates a deep sense of joy that goes beyond the feeling of being full. This month, why not offer the first bite to your family? Whatever the dish, it’s sure to taste as sweet as honey! Tip Cook or buy a dish your family loves. Place a tasty bite on top of their rice spoon. Gently slide the dish closer to them. Offer the first bite directly to…

Change Method: Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes

If you put yourself in someone else’s situation, there’s nothing you cannot understand. There is an old saying that goes, “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” It means you can understand a man when you put yourself in his situation. Even family members living in the same house cannot understand each other sometimes. It’s natural because people think differently as they look different from each other. So then why don’t you try putting yourself in someone else’s shoes? It’s called “Change Method” and it’s very easy. Tip If a conflict arises, put yourself in the other person’s situation and converse. Change roles of each other and act accordingly at home for one day. Try…

Live Without TV for a Week!

Today’s family life is getting desolate due to the development of digital gadgets such as TVs, computers, cellphones, and game consoles. It is because the demerits of lack of conversation among family members tag along behind the merits of the devices that make our lives convenient and comfortable. Among the gadgets, TV is very familiar to us and it has been in our lives longer than any others. Do you spend more time watching TV than having a conversation with your family? This month, be free from TV for a week at least. And find what can benefit you or what you can do with your family during the time instead. Then, you will spend your time much more profitably…

Sowing the Seed of Positives

If you plant lettuce in a field, it becomes a lettuce field; if you plant cabbage, it turns to a cabbage field; if you plant flowers, it becomes a flower field. It depends on what kind of seeds you plant. The field of our heart is the same. Just as a good seed produces good fruit, in order to bear fruits of joy, gratitude, and hope, we must first sow the seed of positives in our heart. This month, let’s sow the seed of positives, which may be small but will bear rich fruits. Remember that after sowing, you have to take good care of them! Tip Practice smiling before the mirror every morning. Try to discover other people’s strengths.…

Use “Cushion Words”

When you see a cushion, you want to lean on it. And when you do, it feels soft and comfortable. In words too, there are “cushion words” that make listeners pleased and comfortable. Before you ask someone to do something, if you say words like “Excuse me,” “I am sorry to bother you,” “I am afraid but,” or “If you don’t mind,” you will get rid of objectionable feelings and make them feel respected. Try not to forget to use these cushion words because they can even turn hard words into soft words. Reference Examples of Cushion Words “Sorry, but would you please help me?” “Honey, I know you are busy, but would you do me a favor?” “I’m sorry,…

Discover Hidden Merits of Your Family

While living with your loving family, you may see each other’s weaknesses. If you just look at weak points of others, you might unwittingly grumble against them. But if you consider their strengths bigger than their weaknesses, thanksgiving will come out of your mouth naturally. This month, find out 50 merits from each and every one of your family members with your eyes wide opened. If you look at others with a beautiful mind, you will be able to discover their hidden merits you haven’t recognized before and realize you’re living with such good people. Tip Tips for discovering family members’ hidden merits Have interest in them. Think positively even for their weak points. Note down whenever you find a…

Bathroom Etiquette

“Come out quickly. I’m in a hurry.” “Who didn’t switch off?” “Who hung the wet towel?” . . .  While using the bathroom together at home, we go through many troubles. If the bathroom is not cleaned up after use, the next user may be unpleasant. So, in the bathroom we need more consideration than in any other places at home. This month, let us observe good bathroom manners so that all family members can use the bathroom pleasantly and hygienically. People with a beautiful mind leave their seats beautiful. Tip Bathroom Etiquette at Home Knock the door before entering. Empty the bin when full. Wash your hands with soap. Yield for someone in a hurry. Replace the toilet paper…

Make Your Family Fall Asleep Pleasantly

Finishing off your day, you prepare for the next day before going to bed; this time is very important because in order to wake up in a good mood in the morning, you need to fall asleep pleasantly. As it is the most relaxing time of the day with your family, make good use of this time to bond with each other even more. Before going to bed, don’t forget to give affectionate greetings like “Good night” or “Sweet dreams” to your family. Tip Good Things to Do 30 Minutes Before Going to Bed Writing down what you were thankful during the day, or conversing with your family about it. Getting reconciled with someone if you had a quarrel. Massaging…

Help Your Family and Neighbors!

If someone comes to help you carry a heavy load, if someone kindly shows you the way when you are lost, if someone lends you an umbrella when you are floored by a sudden rain . . . You will be very happy and thankful when somebody stretches out a helping hand to you in those moments of need. In our everyday life, we need other people’s help. Why don’t we all become willing helpers this month? When our family or neighbors need help, let us help them without expecting anything in return. But that doesn’t mean we have no rewards at all, because helping others carries its own rewards. When we willingly help others, it always brings us joy…

“That’s All Right!”

How many times do people suffer a great blow while living their lives? In fact, people are more likely to be worried or concerned about small and trivial matters than big ones. It is the same for the cases of being offended by other people’s behavior. Most cases are just a little displeasing, and there are only a few cases where your whole life gets ruined by someone else. If you make a big deal out of a trivial matter or overreact, it becomes a big problem. Everything depends on your mind. If it is not that big of a deal, why don’t you think, ‘That’s all right,’ and put it aside? Tip Think, ‘That’s all right,’ when you feel…

Let Us Laugh Again and Again!

When you laugh, blessings come your way and harmony follows your family. When you laugh, hope wells up in you and sorrow goes away. When you laugh, you can overcome hardship and relieve stress. Laughter is so good for your body like restorative medicine that it helps you keep your health and drive away cancers and sometimes it can even change your destiny. It brings you happiness, the greatest goal of your life, in the end. People say that they laugh as they are happy, but sometimes they get happy as they laugh. This month, let us enjoy the privilege of laughing to our hearts’ content. Tip Laugh as soon as you get up, and you will be happy all…

Be Calm like Water, Not like Cola!

Have you ever opened a bottle of coke thoughtlessly which spewed carbonated bubbles out of control? There are times when people act like a cola. It is when they cannot tolerate irritation, anger, or rage and let it out as they feel. For any reason, if you lose your temper, you feel down and uncomfortable. But others will feel worse. There are many things that do not come up to your expectation, and sometimes you may feel frustrated due to communication problems with others, but you cannot get angry every time. Wouldn’t it be better to control your anger wisely than to get angry and regret? Let’s promise not to burst into sudden anger this month just as water keeps…

Present a Gift Without Spending Money!

When it comes to a gift, you think of a box wrapped in pretty paper and tied with a ribbon. However, a gift is not always put in a box. A gift is to bring joy and happiness to someone, expressing your thanks and love. So if you present joy and happiness to someone, it can be an excellent gift, like a cool wind, a blooming flower, and a rainbow in the sky that nature presents us freely. People say that what is essential is invisible to the eye and cannot be bought with money. This month, find out what is essential, and give it to your family! Tip Try out these gifts for your family: For your family, write…

Take the Initiative

A family is the smallest unit of the community. A community is a group of people who live or act together or who have a particular shared purpose. When many people live together in the same house, they sometimes pass their work onto another and want someone else to do things for them—even something that must be done jointly. There are also many times when they compete against each other over totally useless things. So, the mission of this month is to take the initiative. It doesn’t mean that you should eat delicious food first and have good things first, but that you should be the first to put love, care, and sacrifice into action for your family. Tip Apologize first after an argument, greet warmly first, smile…

Donate Your Talent to Your Family!

Musician with music, chef with dish, and lecturer with lecture ... Contributing to society by donating their talents and abilities to others is called Talent Donation. Talent donation is generally done in society, but it can also be done at home in a narrow sense. Everyone has one thing that he or she is good at. You can do it for your family. God has given a talent to each of us, wanting us to use it for others. If we use it for our family, it will be more meaningful. Even for a small thing, do not keep your talent to yourself but use it for your family. Then, it will be a great help to your family’s harmony…

Thank God!

When it suddenly showers after you hang out the washing on the line, you may get irritated and think, ‘Ugh! All my hard work is gone!’ But you can find a positive point: ‘Thank God, I’ve handed umbrellas to my children before they left in the morning.’ If you have to do the laundry again anyways, which one would make you feel less difficult? Even if you face a hard and irritable situation, you would be glad if you change your mind. In fact, we live in countless good fortunes. We can drink clean water, we can eat delicious food, we can laugh, we have a family to be together, we have a place to sleep, nothing bad happened to…

Be the Same Person Inside and Outside!

Some family heads are friendly to their colleagues but abrupt with their families; some wives are kind to others but blunt to their families; some children are very considerate and sympathetic to their friends, but not to their families. Your family can be more hurt and heartbroken by the words and actions that you express without a second thought, thinking, ‘They will understand because we are family.’ This month, how about treating your family just as you do others? This doesn’t mean you should keep your distance from your family, but be polite and careful as much as you treat others. When you become the same person inside and outside, don’t you think you’ll be able to find your true…

Create Family Mailbox!

Jeong Yakyong, a scholar of the Realist School of Confucianism in the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, wrote more than a hundred letters to educate his two sons during his exile. Another scholar Yi Hwang too sent numerous letters to his son to convey his deep love. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of The Little Prince, expressed his affection and longing for his mother through letters from his childhood to death. A letter is a good tool and a best gift to convey a sincere heart. Many parents have been moved to tears by their children’s letters, and many children have corrected their mindsets at their parents’ letters. This month, let’s create a beautiful family mailbox and share family love through…

Make Rules for Happy Home!

A happy family life is often included in a New Year’s wish list. However, happiness is not given by nature, by chance, or by itself. Happiness comes to those who try and practice. What are your efforts to make your family happy? If your family makes effort all together rather than alone, it will surely create a synergy effect. So, start brainstorming and make Happy Rules for your happy home. The important thing is to practice after setting up your Happy Rules. If you continue to follow the rules until the year end, starting this month, wouldn’t your family become happier than now by the end of the year? Tip Set your Happy Rules in detail. (Hug each other, reconcile…

Make an Exciting Family Slogan!

Before players come onto the field, they say, “Let’s go!” to cheer up each other. In Spanish, people say, “Animo!” When you shout encouraging words, you give yourself strength and confidence to do things, and you can strengthen team spirit, radiating good energy. Family, too, is like a team. Why don’t you create your “family slogan” for good teamwork? Family slogan does not only build family teamwork, but also give strength and courage to each other, conveying the message of hope. Now, clench your fists and shout your family slogan all together! Tip Discuss which words would be nice to be included in the slogan. Make the slogan give an impression of joy and positiveness. Clapping and a gesture can…