by Lynn Soots | April, 2016 | Uncategorized
Talking Strengths I coach people at all levels in organisations and have probably heard the full range of ‘I wants…’ From I want promotion, I want to be more confident, I want to be seen as professional, I want to be more assertive, I want to work less hours and so on. Regardless of the ‘I want’ scenario, sooner or later we get around to the ‘I can’ conversation. In other words we talk about their strengths, the things that bring them energy, that they have the potential to be great at, and importantly that they enjoy doing. But if people are to progress beyond the ‘I want’ statements, they must both understand the strengths at their disposal and also how to nuance their use to maximise their chance of success. If you engage in discussions with people around their strengths, these 6 tips may prove handy: Nuance Strength Use Explore the relevance of using strengths in each specific context. Remember, we may benefit from dialling our strengths use up or down according to the context or social circumstances. For example, I may be great at critical thinking but doing this in every situation will quickly irritate others! Explore strengths impact Consider how strengths can help us to live our values and also the impact of using our strengths on those around us. Building self-awareness on how we use our strengths and how this is perceived by, (or impacts upon), others, enables us to change our behaviour. Treat strengths as buildable When talking about strengths, adopt a growth mindset. Assume strengths can be built and enhanced rather than treating...
by Lynn Soots | March, 2016 | Education, Health, Positive Psychology, self-development
Meet the Happiness Ninja The Happiness Ninja fights of sadness by slashing way unhappiness, kicking away the blues and karate chopping tears. I am The Happiness Ninja. I dress in a ninja costume and hit the streets conducting Random Acts of Kindness and advocating against the stigma of mental illness. Being suicidal myself for 12 long years I feel very passionate about advocating that “it ain’t weak to speak”. As The Happiness Ninja I have done many random acts of kindness both on the streets and at public events. This includes handing out free fortune cookies with inspirations messages inside of them instead of fortunes as well as macaroons with edible messages printed on them. I have given out hugs, bottles of water, chocolates, jelly beans and a variety of other consumable goods. I have even walked down the street and popped gifts into letter boxes and on people’s door steps randomly. The Courage to Share, Educate and Connect Some people think I must be crazy and others think I am super courageous to be wearing such a crazy outfit. I am doing this because I feel so passionately that Positive Psychology is the answer to reducing mental illness and suicide rates. The symbolism behind doing the random acts of kindness is because anyone who follows “the science of happiness” knows that RAK’S are the latest craze. When we conduct acts of kindness to others our body releases warm and fuzzy feelings inside and we feel fulfilled and good about ourselves. The other person also feels good too, so this is a win-win situation! On a mission I have...
by Lynn Soots | March, 2016 | Culture, Education, Positive Psychology, Relationships, self-development
I was seeing my friend after many weeks. She’d been away in Kashmir, visiting a Hindu shrine. I knew she’d had a bad experience and I feared it had something to do with the ongoing Hindi-Muslim riots in the region. Little did I guess… A Journey to remember She said that she too had worried about the riots prior to the pilgrimage. But once there, what struck her immediately was the fact that all the porters were Muslim men, who transported the Hindu pilgrims on pony backs or carried them on “palkis”, or palanquins, up the long and arduous trek. She looked everywhere for signs of religious animosity that was reported daily, but found none. She rationalized it by considering the monetary benefits for the porters and stayed on guard for subtle signs of hostility. What happened on the return trek would change her views forever. As they made the dangerous ride back, she and her group got caught in a terrible landslide. The entire ground before them split apart and she desperately watched half her group, including her parents, suddenly disappear from sight. She and a few others were left alone, save for the porters who carried them, injured and distraught. Beautiful surprises along the way These men were their saviors from that moment on. They tended to their cuts and bruises, dried their wet clothes in the frigid cold, cooked them meals from their own meager supplies, and sat guard at night so the distressed pilgrims could get a few hours of sleep. But what touched them the most were the words of comfort these men provided...
by Lynn Soots | February, 2016 | Education
“I shall try, to tri, my first triathlon..Ironman Cozumel 2015” Words to myself Ready….. Before Taking Positive Psychology I immediately knew what I’d apply the course’s teachings to: my journey towards becoming an Ironman. Becoming an Ironman (IM) consists of swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and then running 26.2 miles all under 16 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds. I began my journey in March of 2013 when I signed up for IM New Zealand 2014; come November 2013, the week of Thanksgiving, I had to withdraw from the race after being diagnosed with a gastrointestinal autoimmune disease that severely disabled me for a few months. After a year and half being on prednisone and gaining 50lbs from the medication, I was slowly tapered off and started to feel like myself again. My plan was to do Ironman during 2015 because after college graduation in December, I planned on getting a second job which wouldn’t allow for much IM training. Fast forward to January 2015 and I’m registered yet again for IM, this time for IM Cozumel set for November 29, 2015. Set…. Excited as I was to be reaching back to my kind of normal both physically and mentally, there were just two obvious road blocks that would prove to challenge my time management and approach towards training – my full time job, and attending the accelerated online college program at Chaminade. It is now November 17, just a week and a half away from the race and I can honestly say, “I am not as ready as I should be, or want to be…I may not...
by Lynn Soots | February, 2016 | Education
“He who has a ‘WHY’ to live for can bear almost any ‘HOW.” —Friedrich Nietzsche We always ask ourselves how do we kick this bad habit, how do we become more happy? The answer lies within your mind and actions. Forming good habits lead to accomplishments and accomplishments lead to happiness. When one is happy there is more positivity in their life. What is your reason for the habit you want to keep? Use this as your motivation to commit to your new habit. Find someone who will help motivate you to commit to your new habit. Be creative. From skepticism to realism Before taking Positive Psychology my thoughts on this course was, oh this should be fun (in a sarcastic voice). I need more positivity in my everyday life. I am so consumed with work. I’m always telling myself that I am too busy to live because I’m too busy making a living. I was watching life pass me by because work has become so important that I’m lazy when I’m not working. The moment I picked up the HaH book, I knew this was actually going to be a fun class instead of a sarcastic interesting class; I was right. I even told my wife she should read this book…(laughing inside). My Ah-Ha moment happened while reading Part 2 of HaH. I knew how to form good habits and continue forming good habits. I actually had built a list of “uncompleted” good habits. Once I reached part two, the title page was: “COMMITTING TO NEW HABITS.” My reaction was, “ope there it is, it’s telling me kick...
