Newsletter #2 Meaning + Purpose – Photo 7 

Element of Wellbeing: Meaning + Purpose

Wellbeing Activity – Photo 7 

Every person in your family has special things that matter to them and that they are grateful for. There are also other things that matter that they aren’t aware of and as such aren’t consciously grateful for. This activity, called Photo 7, is to cultivate in all family members a belief that they have purposeful reasons for getting out of bed every morning to experience these things that matter, and become aware of the ones they previously haven’t recognised. The Japanese call it their ikigai.

In most homes there are several devices which have a camera. Every day, each member of your family is asked to take at least one photo or video of something that matters to them and that they are grateful for. The funnier the better. 

At the evening meal, with TV off, each member of your family shares and explains their photos or videos. As parents, this provides you with fantastic opportunities to role model being happy, laughing and valuing each family member’s contributions. Doing this raises children’s self-awareness to being grateful for things they already have.

Also, your children are constantly bombarded with advertising that more is better. This activity contests this to show that less is more.

If you have enough time, take this activity one step further and collate all the images into a shared family folder and refer back to these images every few weeks. It is the frequency of positive emotions, not intensity, that builds healthy, resilient and positive children.