Recently my wife and daughter got a sneak preview of this year’s Activating Happy! conference and from what they tell me, it promises to be full of good ideas about cultivating happiness within.

They attended a talk at the Lake Oswego Library given by one of this year’s featured speakers, Polly Campbell, a motivational speaker and author of several books including, How to Live an Awesome Life. While there were many takeaways, one of the most beneficial was stressing the importance of finding the awe in our lives to help us deal with stressful situations. A Stanford study found that awe expands our perception of time, leaving us feeling like we have more time in which to get things done which in turn, boosts our sense of well-being. Considering our how time-deprived most of us run around feeling these days, it makes good sense to take a few moments to savor a full moon, observe a spider web, or walk among the changing fall colors.

In addition to Campbell, this year’s lineup of speakers include:

• Brad Pendergraft. Last year’s keynote speaker, Brad is also known as “Brain Coach Brad,” and is author of The Un-worried Brain: Achieve More, Stress Less and Turn Worry into Action with Practical Brain Science. This year he will speak to “Finding Your Way: What You Need to Know About Your Brain for Happiness and a Meaningful Life.”

• Danielle Baker is a certified Body Language Trainer who will give attendees insight as to harness this inner superpower to improve their lives through her talk, “The Power of Nonverbal: Use Your Body Language to Feel More Confident, Capable & Happy.”

• Henrik Bothe is an internationally renowned entertainer who will share the happiness knowledge he has gleaned over 25 years of performance experience in his presentation on “Want Happiness? Start Dropping the Ball.”

• Dr. Larry Sherman, an acclaimed professor of neuroscience at OHSU, will offer his expertise when he discusses, “Sex, Chocolate and Prairie Voles: The Neuroscience of Pleasure and Love.”

• Dr. Nina Meledandri, a naturopathic physician and mindful eating educator hopes to change the way attendees experience their next meal with her presentation on “Tasting Happiness: How Mindful Eating Supports a Happier Life.”

• Steven Linder is considered one of the top neurolinguistic programming trainers and will provide insight as to how this strategy can contribute to our overall sense of well being in his talk, “Happiness: A Neuro-Strategies Approach.”

• Susan Shadburne will draw from her experience as a medical/emotional/intuitive/bio-energy healer as she shares her thoughts on, “How to be Happy, No Matter What.”

• Andy Harrison is a Transformation Rock Musician as well as author of Grow Happy! The 5 Transforming Steps of Lasting Happiness. He writes music that is designed to increase our levels of happiness and will provide the lunch time entertainment.

The conference is set for Saturday, November 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State Street. Tickets are $89 and include lunch, coffee and tea as well as treats (and probably a few good laughs) throughout the day. Purchase them online and soon as last year’s event sold out.

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