Zone Positive

The happiest people have strong relationships in their lives. http://tinyurl.com/29gseclb

Relationships are paramount to  our survival and our well-being http://tinyurl.com/y9k2adt

How to get along with a workplace bully (wish I had read this years ago) http://tinyurl.com/2bsnxt9

Is resilience as easy as ABC..DE? Good article on a  way of coping with adversity: http://tinyurl.com/24nqpse

What helps when adversity hits? Some good suggestions in this article http://tinyurl.com/yhbtfmz

Resiliency skills for a lifetime of ups and downs. Good article here http://tinyurl.com/26utz7u

What are your top 5 character strengths- find out http://tinyurl.com/26ou4me

How are you using your top character strengths- simple exercise to find out http://tinyurl.com/2cnsj4e

Using your strengths in activities you enjoy (and those you hate) http://tinyurl.com/2a286ph

The case for a more balanced approach to clinical assessment which focuses as much on strength as it does on weakness http://tinyurl.com/27gvz5y

Use your strengths–enjoy your  job more and be more productive at your job http://tinyurl.com/y9czjcq

Helping children get into a state where they are receptive to learning-using their strengths in school http://tinyurl.com/284t3ss

Good book on building/using  resilience in your life: http://tinyurl.com/2a3yswe

This book made a lot of sense to me- cognitive approach to resilience  http://tinyurl.com/28×2293

Karen Reivich– an expert in resilience- and hilarious as a teacher. Here’s her book: http://tinyurl.com/2e6gya9

Receive a 25% discount on our courses when you purchase all  lessons today.

Our lesson in motivation covers the spectrum of self determination, praise, rewards, feedback, goal setting and other tools and instrumentalities that may (or may not) prompt people to take action.  The research of psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan provides much of our present day insight into the science of motivation.  There are no techniques that will motivate people or make them autonomous—free of outside control.  Intrinsic motivation must come from within, not from techniques.  It comes from people deciding they are ready to take responsibility for managing themselves. Once people are motivated and ready to change for their own personal reasons, then various techniques may be useful for them (like goal setting)—but without true resolve, without personal importance, techniques will not help.  Compliance produces change that is not likely to be maintained, and defiance blocks change to begin with.  Meaningful change occurs when people accept themselves, take interest in why they do what they do, and then decide that they are ready to do differently.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a movement started in the mid 1980s by Professor David Cooperrider and colleagues from Case Western Reserve University.  Since then, the subject has been extensively researched and applied worldwide by thousands of organizations and communities.  Dr. Cooperrider’s theory  maintains that a change of perspective, such as focusing on and asking questions about the positive characteristics of an organization rather than focusing on negative aspects such as problems, needs, and deficits, can inspire an image of what the future could be, mobilize positive creative energy and initiate a process of discovery and change within an organization.  The goal of Appreciative Inquiry remains as it has been from the start of the movement:  AI seeks to help organizations build upon what they do best in a positive manner. In the words of Thomas H. White, head of GTE, “Appreciative Inquiry focuses us on the positive aspects of our lives and leverages them to correct the negative. It’s the opposite of ‘problem-solving.”

Greetings- and welcome to the launch of my new blog: Enter Positive Psychology.  I’ll explain the title in a bit but first let me talk about the purpose behind this blog.  I returned to school a few years back to get a masters degree in applied positive psychology, the study of well-being and life satisfaction.  The key word here is “applied”. I am not a researcher, nor do I consider myself an academic.  My interest in this field has to do with applying the principles – all the “stuff” that has been studied and reported on—in my life.  That’s why I went back to school.  I want to “kick the tires”- see if and how the theories work.  Then I want to pass along these learning’s to others—really anyone who has a similar interest in learning and using positive psychology—either personally or professionally (or both).    

I think I’m a good candidate for the purpose and goals behind this relatively new science.  While I have a good life, I also believe that I could be doing more. And, while I’m a generally happy person, I also have my share of ups and downs—mostly minor events with a few upheavals thrown in now and then.  But here again, I think I could be happier.

I’d like to be less judgmental

I’d like to express gratitude and forgiveness more genuinely

I would like more quality relationships in my life.

I’d like to improve the relationships that I have- especially with my siblings

I want to continue personal development—learning and experiencing new things- before my brain starts to fizzle.

I’d like an avocation—something outside of work that could really put me into a state of “flow”

I’d like to switch my brain to the off position—and just relax more often than I do.

I’d like to expand my sphere of giving beyond my current nucleus (basically my family).

So this is where positive psychology enters the picture for me (thus helping to explain the title of my blog).  Can the theories behind character strengths, positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and purpose – and the other principles of positive psychology—help me accomplish some or all of these things?  And in the end, will I be happier?  Will I lead a more flourishing life?

Well, that’s what we shall see.

Zippy is happy

Don’t we all want to be happy – and live a fulfilled and contented life? But why then do many of us spend much of our time being unhappy and discontented?  Why do we complain about what we don’t have more often than giving thanks for what we do have?   Do you find yourself holding on to grudges?  Do we really believe that happiness and contentment are just around the corner if only we could get there? If only we could get even?  Try a dose of gratitude and forgiveness—you will be amazed at how powerful a medicine these can be especially when you practice offering them every day.  This course will introduce you to the simple yet complex theories behind gratitude and forgiveness.