The idea of a happy and meaningful life has become unnecessarily complicated in some circles, says author and certified positive psychology coach Lynda Wallace, who left a high-powered executive career with Johnson & Johnson to pursue her real passion - helping individuals and groups achieve greater happiness and success.

"Happiness has been appropriately cited as a goal in political debates on issues from taxation to the social safety net to marriage equality, but the debate is often confused," says Wallace, author of "A Short Course in Happiness: Practical Steps to a Happier Life," which topped Amazon's Self-Help Best Seller list.

"Some people claim that happiness is all in your DNA or bank account. The truth is that happiness is largely a matter of everyday choices and actions. There are straightforward, well-researched and effective things every one of us can do to create greater happiness in our lives and in the lives of those we care about."

The essential elements of a happy life are not mysterious, she says.

Research shows that the happiest people do four basic things that make the difference: they focus on what is good and positive in their lives; cope effectively with life's inevitable challenges; develop strong relationships; and pursue meaningful goals.

"We can all become happier by putting our efforts into these areas," Wallace says.

One of the first steps we can take is to get past some of the common misperceptions about happiness that can stand in our way. Wallace offers these four examples.

• Misconception #1: Happiness is about getting the big things right. It's natural to think that if we were suddenly rich, beautiful and living on the beach somewhere, we'd be happy. But that type of good fortune turns out to have a surprisingly small impact on happiness. The happiest people are most often not those in the most enviable circumstances, but those who cultivate positive emotional outlooks and actions. So how can we do it? "Take concrete steps to practice optimism, gratitude, kindness and self-compassion in your everyday life," says Wallace. "The cumulative effect of those everyday choices can have a tremendous impact on how you experience your life."

• Misconception #2: Happy people suppress negative emotions. Happy people actually experience sadness, grief, worry and other so-called negative emotions nearly as frequently as unhappy people do. The difference is what happens when those feelings occur. Happier people are generally able to experience negative feelings without losing hope for the future. "They give themselves permission to feel sad, angry, or lonely, but they remain confident that things will get better. As a result, their sadness progresses into hope and action rather than regressing into anxiety and despair."

• Misconception #3: Pursuing happiness is self-centered. The strongest of all conclusions drawn by researchers into emotional well-being is that our happiness is determined more by our relationships with other people than by any other single factor. The happiest people build their lives around good, trusting relationships. "If other priorities are getting in the way of your relationships," says Wallace, "take steps to shift the balance back to where it will really make a difference."

• Misconception #4: I'll be happy when I achieve my goals. Have you ever noticed that when someone wins the Super Bowl or an Academy Award, or when you achieve a long-sought ambition, that wonderful sense of accomplishment and happiness seems to fade faster than you'd expect? "That's just the way our brains work," says Wallace. "Committed goal pursuit is one of the keys to a happy life, but most of the happiness we get from striving for goals comes while we're making progress toward them, not after we achieve them. That's why it's so important that we choose goals that are in synch with what we love and value, and that we make a conscious effort to enjoy them along the way."

About Lynda Wallace

After twenty years as a highly successful executive with Johnson & Johnson, where she was responsible for a $1B portfolio of businesses including Band-Aid, Neosporin and Purell, Lynda Wallace chose to change careers to pursue her passion. She now helps individuals and groups apply proven insights and techniques to achieve greater happiness and success in their lives, families, careers, and businesses. Lynda holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a certified positive psychology coach. She is also a sought-after speaker and the author of the #1 Amazon Self-Help Best Seller "A Short Course in Happiness: Practical Steps to a Happier Life." More information is available at her website: www.lyndawallace.com.

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - Twenty-seven area nonprofit organizations will be awarded $338,950 on Wednesday, April 24th during The Amy Helpenstell Foundation's Spring Grant Reception at 8:30 a.m. at the Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island. This is the largest amount of funding awarded by the Foundation in a single grant cycle.

The Amy Helpenstell Foundation promotes awareness, understanding, diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders in the greater Quad Cities area. Amy Helpenstell passed away in 2003 from complications related to an eating disorder. Ms. Helpenstell created the Foundation through her estate to support causes related to health, education, youth development, community development and cultural activities within a 60-mile radius of Rock Island, where she lived and worked.

"Amy's Foundation has given nearly $4 million back to the community since 2005, all to causes that she cared about very much," said Franz "Bud" Helpenstell, Amy's father and President of The Amy Helpenstell Foundation. "With the full impact of state cutbacks to nonprofits being especially noticeable now, we are happy to support these organizations in every way we can. The important work they do can be felt in the lives of real people every day."

The Spring Grant recipients and the programs that received funding include :

• Aldridge Early Learning Center - Parent Education, $2,000

• Arrowhead Ranch - Computer Based Learning Program for Arrowhead Academy, $10,750
• Augustana College - Amy Helpenstell Student Interns Program, $20,000
• Bethany for Children and Families - Youth Transitional Housing for Homeless Youth (Rock Island), $8,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley - One-to-One Mentoring, $15,000
• Black Hawk College Foundation - Nursing Education: Extending Simulation into the Classroom and Beyond, $3,000
• Black Hawk College Optional Education Program - Adult Education English as a Second Language Coordination, $20,000
• Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley - Core Mission Grant, $16,000
• Child Abuse Council - Building Capacity for the Future, $10,000
• Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities - Enhanced Feeding Therapy Program, $16,000
• Community Housing Services - JumpStart After School Program, $10,000
• Community Resource and Learning Center, Inc. - Preschool Project, $5,000
• Gilda's Club of the Quad Cities - Children in Need Continuation and Expansion, $15,000
• Hand in Hand - Adapted Enrichment Programs for Children With Disabilities, $4,200
• Henry County Youth Services Bureau - Free Home-Based and School-Based Counseling, $12,000
• Junior Achievement of the Heartland - Building a Stronger Community-Junior Achievement Core-Mission Programs, $15,000
• Junior High Drop-In Center / South Park Presbyterian Church - Healthy Eating Program, $3,000
• Marriage and Family Counseling Service - Spanish Family Therapy Program, $10,000
• National Alliance on Mental Illness, Scott County - NAMI Scott County Office Expansion; Bringing NAMI's Signature Education Classes In-House, $5,000
• New Kingdom Trail Riders - 2012-2014 Horse Care Project, $10,000
• Rick's House of Hope - Ongoing Training of Volunteers and Staff, $4,000
• Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health - Quad Cities Eating Disorders Consortium, $50,000
• School Health LINK, Inc. - Behavioral Health Specialist, $15,000
• Spring Forward Learning Center - After-School Tutoring and Mentoring, $15,000
• St. Ambrose University - The Amy Helpenstell Scholars Program at St. Ambrose University, $10,000
• theplace2b - theplace2b Community Outreach Project, $15,000
• Vera French Foundation - School-Based Mental Health Therapy Program, $20,000

For more information about The Amy Helpenstell Foundation, visit www.amyhelpenstell.org orcall 563-326-2840. The Amy Helpenstell Foundation is administered by the CommunityFoundation of the Great River Bend.

Davenport, Iowa (April 23, 2013) - The Figge Art Museum will hold its third PechaKucha Night on Thursday, April 25th at 6:30pm in the museum lobby.

At PechaKucha Night, guests will hear a variety of entertaining talks, from RAGBRAI to wood carving, Junior Theatre to photography! This week's lineup includes: Dawn Wohlford-Metallo, Peter Small, Anna Pagnucci, Raelene Pullen, Ryan Collins, Megan Schoff, Patrick Reed, Martha Bonte, Bill Wohlford and Dan Sheridan.

Devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture, the first PechaKucha Night was held in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network and show their work in public. Now, they are held in over 600 cities around the world by a city organizer. PechaKucha Nights are FREE, informal, and fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts, or hobbies in the PechaKucha 20x20 format. This format allows presenters to show 20 slides for 20 seconds each (six minutes and 40 seconds in total) to keep presentations concise and fast-paced. The images advance automatically and the presenter talks along to the images.

Museum admission is free on Thursday evenings and this event will include free light appetizers beginning at 5:30 p.m. along with a cash bar. For more information on future dates, visit www.figgeartmuseum.org. If you are interested in becoming a presenter please contact Melissa Hueting at mhueting@figgeartmuseum.org.

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New Law Increases Senior Homestead Exemption, General Homestead Exemption

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation that will reduce property tax bills for seniors across Illinois. Senate Bill 1894 raises the senior homestead exemption from $4,000 to $5,000 - potentially saving seniors up to more than $200 annually. This new exemption for seniors takes effect for Cook County this year.

"The new law will reduce property tax bills for seniors across Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "This boost in savings will relieve some of the financial burden faced by seniors and working families, and help ensure no one struggles to stay in their home."

Sponsored by Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) and Representative John Bradley (D-Marion), SB 1894 increases the Senior Homestead Exemption - property tax breaks for Illinois residents age 65 and older - from $4,000 to $5,000. Seniors in the city of Chicago will have the increase applied to their taxable year 2012 taxes, due in 2013. All other counties will benefit from the increase beginning next year.

In addition, this bill raises the general homestead exemption for Cook County starting next year. Originally phased-in over three years, Cook County's Alternative General Homestead Exemption was designed to limit yearly increases and assessments on residential property. Cook County currently has a seven percent exemption cap, while the rest of the state maintains a flat exemption rate of $6,000. The new law moves Cook County to a flat exemption rate of $7,000 beginning taxable year 2012.

City of Chicago homeowners will be the first to benefit from the increased exemption as the seven percent cap expires in the city this year. Chicago's maximum reduction under the cap would have decreased from $8,000 to $6,000, but SB 1894 bumps up the maximum to $7,000. Northern Cook County will begin benefitting from the increase in 2014 when the cap expires in that region, and Southern Cook County will begin benefitting in 2015.

"Property owners throughout Cook County have seen their taxes increase year after year," Sen. Hutchinson said. "This will go a long way for many families who continue to struggle to make ends meet."

"This is good public policy that will help take some of the sting away as the 7 percent provision expires," Assessor Berrios said. "Due to the quick action of the state legislature and the governor, the additional exemption savings will be seen on second-installment bills Cook County homeowners will receive this summer."

The law is effective immediately.