Grand Valley Magazine Summer 2014 - (Page 37)
OF F T H E PAT H
A hobby
and a way of
life for staff
member
by Dottie Barnes
"Clap along if you feel like happiness
is the truth. Because I'm happy."
Recognize these lyrics? They are
from the popular song, "Happy," by
Pharrell, from the movie soundtrack for
"Despicable Me 2."
When the song first flooded the
airwaves, Linda Yuhas, director of
Compensation and Employment
Services in Human Resources, had
her inbox flooded with emails about
it. That's because Yuhas has been
described by many as a symbol of
happiness.
Yuhas is known around campus, and
elsewhere for that matter, for being
cheery and quick to smile and laugh.
While she said she has always been a
positive person, Yuhas puts time and
effort into being happy and having a
positive demeanor and outlook.
"People need to be happier," said
Yuhas. "Not 'ha, ha' happy, but having
a positive attitude, joy, gratitude and
serenity."
In 2013, Yuhas started the Happiness
Club through Health and Wellness at
Grand Valley, a quarterly lunch-hour
meeting on campus where faculty and
staff members can meet and network
with others who are committed to
improving their lives by injecting
happiness into daily living. "It isn't
meant to serve as a therapy session,
but rather a place to go to be uplifted,"
said Yuhas. "We bring in guest
speakers who share their experiences
and encourage others on how to be
positive."
She got the idea for the club after
reading the book Happy for No Reason,
by Marci Shimoff.
"The book is about how to be
happy from the inside, no matter
what your circumstances are," said
Yuhas. "The information was so good,
I started presenting it at seminars
and workshops at Grand Valley and
off-campus. I wanted the theme to
continue past a one-time workshop,
and got the idea for the Happiness
Club."
Yuhas said she and her husband,
Mike, a professor of accounting and
taxation at Grand Valley, made some
changes years ago to help keep a more
positive attitude and outlook. "Words
we say and hear impact our health.
Research shows people who are happy
and positive and expect the best are
healthier, live longer and are more
successful," she said.
The pair rarely watch television or
read negative articles. Yuhas said she
made another big change that helps
her overall happiness. "Being very busy
and stressed out can be looked at as a
status symbol. I let go of that," she said.
"I'm also a very physical person. The
last thing I want to do is sit around and
mope. Walking or working out helps. I
stay very active."
Growing up, Yuhas said some thought
she was naive, called her Pollyanna or
made fun of her for always looking for
the good in people. "It's just who I am,"
she said. "I've tried to be more serious
to fit in, but it just doesn't feel right.
I'm just letting myself be me. There's
Suggested reading from the Happiness Club:
Gateway to Happiness
by Zelig Pliskin
The Feeling Good Handbook
by David D. Burns
What Happy People Know
by Dan Baker
How We Choose to be Happy
by Rick Foster & Greg Hicks
enough negativity in the world."
Life doesn't come without hardship.
Yuhas, known for making the most
out of what comes her way, faced a
tragedy that would play a significant
role in deepening her faith and her
commitment to overall happiness. Her
son, Ryan, died in a car accident in
1995 after his vehicle was struck by a
drunken driver. He was 19.
"I never thought I could live through
something like that," she said. "When
it happened, it was truly like the
Footprints in the Sand poem. I felt
God's presence very strongly, more
than I ever dreamed. And, I also had no
doubt that Ryan was in a better place.
I really believe Ryan lived his purpose
and now he's doing other things. My
faith and attitude helped me through."
Yuhas finds it helpful to keep a
gratitude journal. Every morning
she makes a list of everything she
is grateful for and a list of hopes
for the day. She also looks at the
list from the day before - the great
things that happened, the blessings
she experienced and the people she
interacted with. She said the journal
is a way of training her mind to be
open and more aware of the wonderful
people and circumstances in her life.
Yuhas said her naturally positive
attitude is a gift, a sort of inherited
"happy gene" that her Aunt Mazo also
had. Yuhas said her aunt never spoke
a negative word about anyone, didn't
complain or judge. Her Aunt Mazo lived
to be 105 and drove, volunteered and
played piano at a nursing home until
she was 103.
"Aunt Mazo was my role model," said
Yuhas. "She wrote an autobiography
in her late 80s and I read it after she
died. She finished her autobiography
with the Optimist Creed (rules to live by
written by Christian D. Larson). It made
me smile because I happen to have that
creed on my desk.
"Aunt Mazo was always very grateful
and I think that plays an enormous role
in how you feel. Always looking for the
good makes you feel good."
Yuhas said she often reflects on what
her aunt said on her deathbed, as a
reminder of how to live each day. "My
aunt was heard saying, 'Lord, let me be
a blessing to someone today.' Even at
that point in time, my aunt's focus was
on being useful to others," she said.
37
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Summer 2014
Table of Contents
Campus News
Fall Arts Celebration
Athletics
Donor Impact
Sustainability
Research
Q&A Karen Gipson
A seat at the table
Students dig program
Deployment to enrollment
Seeing double
Off the path
Arts
Alumni News
Grand Valley Magazine Summer 2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineWinter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineFall2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSummer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Spring2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Winter2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/2015FallGVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Summer2015GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMSpring2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMwinter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/GVMFall2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/grandvalleymagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/spring2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/fall_2013
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