Positive Leadership in Communities

Positive Leadership in Communities

Positive Leadership in Communities Opportunities Knock Opportunities knock at every mindful acknowledgement that creating something larger than one’s self is but an email, a call, or just a conversation away. Commitment to connection is the essential factor that bridges people through interests, common goals, enjoyment, seeking of meaning, life, cultural engagement and movement in a positive direction. Communities are not bound by a set distinctive criteria or specific attributes physical, location or tangible in nature. Communities are formed by nature of one person linking to another, linking to another though a number of ways that brings a vision to realization. Planting seeds Building positive communities can, but does not exclusively mean going out into a community and building on what is already there. It can also mean being one who plants the seed and elects to become one who tends to the garden as good host and helper; setting aside one’s individual needs and nurturing a movement towards a larger positive goal. I am reminded of my military days where the common phrase was never leaving your wingman—oh yes that famous phrase in Top Gun. This meant you had their back as they had your back; alone meant you were dead in the water. Positive communities develop and thrive on these sorts of unspoken commitments to ensure no link breaks free from a solid chain, thus together they form a solid loop with each link as valuable as the next. For this blog I will use the example of the developing Positive Psychology field itself. This is a community that has seen vast growth over the past decade, but...
PERMA – M is for Meaning

PERMA – M is for Meaning

PERMA – M is for Meaning. The forth element of the PERMA model focuses on meaning (M). Specifically, how one finds meaning in their life and how it relates to being part of a “good life”. Meaning is like the threads that bind and riddle a quilt to hold large and small pieces together; they can be thick and strong to hold the layers, or they can be thin and patterned to accent the created piece. Thus far this string of blogs elaborating on PERMA has highlighted Positive Emotion, Engagement, and Positive Relationships; left are Meaning and Accomplishment/Achievement1 . As we get into these last to elements of PERMA it is important to point out that these elements are subjective and can only be defined in relation to happiness or well-being by the individual (that’s you). As we explore this element, think about how you define meaning in your life. Does it have to be an all-inclusive effort that defines your entire life? — laser-beam “M”, or is your meaning found in the trail of bread crumbs left each day? — fireworks “m”. Now the trick here is to bridge how meaning becomes part of a good life, well-being and happiness. First, ask yourself if you can be happy without searching for meaning, is that possible? I know I can, a few years back I received an unexpected check from a colleague who was grateful I had covered a few courses in the event of a schedule conflict. The check was nice and I left happy, but the check did not provide any real meaning for me. It just...
PERMA – R  is for Positive Relationships

PERMA – R is for Positive Relationships

PERMA – R  is for Positive Relationships The third element of PERMA focuses on positive relationships with “positive” being an emphasized aspect. As highlighted in the previous blogs, focused on the PERMA model, we now start to get a sense that the elements: (P) Positive Emotion; (E) Engagement; (R) Positive Relationships; (M) Meaning; and (A) Accomplishment/Achievement1 are defined individually but converge, providing a reciprocating effect to one another. Understanding how positive relationships are supported as a holistic aspect of well-being and “a good life” [1] provides yet another essential connective pieces of the puzzle. So what exactly is a positive relationship and how would we be able to identify that indeed it was truly positive? When we talk about truly positive relationships we have to address the shadow side of natural relationships; not all relationships are going to be rosy all the time. First, there are relationships in which we find ourselves on the rollercoaster of positives and negatives that are not always at the fault of either party, and second there are relationships where belief and hope of a future positive relationship outweighs the reality of the present experience. Living in either situation often is not easy, but we can’t put relationships into neat little boxes and store them on the shelf when they are turning sour then take them down when everything is fine. In many given situations the choice to endure, to hope, to work on a relationship should not be seen as a counter to what is described in this continuing section, but as a gauge whereby time and events can be collected as influencing...
PERMA – E is for Engagement

PERMA – E is for Engagement

PERMA – E is for Engagement Let’s talk about the E of PERMA. To recap the umbrella of PERMA, PERMA is the acronym for the five vital elements that accompany the journey: These include: (P) Positive Emotion; (E) Engagement; (R) Positive Relationships; (M) Meaning; and (A) Accomplishment/Achievement [1] The last blog discussed the importance and meaning behind positive emotion (the P in PERMA). There was also a reference to knowing what actions you can put into motion to generate happiness or positive meaningful experiences in life, and so we come to (E) engagement. Engagement can be deep states in which we purposely create an extended period of time that includes a passion such as a hobby, a technique or a skill, and commitment to performance. This is just one aspect of engagement as engagement is not limited to long-term binding activities. Engagement can be a choice to engage in life; perhaps the decision to reach others—the quick decision to tell the gentleman you are passing “hey, great tie”, and in an instance you have changed a person’s mood, and in many cases received an acknowledgment back; changing your state as well. Why is engagement so import to well-being and happiness, and what does it mean to engage? As it might appear on paper the action of engagement can appear to be simplistic. The truth is, we are often overwhelmed by the automatic assembly line of life and often the things we can “engage in” are the first things to get dumped from the line-up. Perhaps you can relate to one or more of these statements: “I used to love...
Positive Interventions

Positive Interventions

Positive intervention has always been approached with caution and explanation regarding that actual intent and application. First, positive interventions are not an exclusive substitute for other types of therapy that might benefit from tandem application. Second, positive interventions span a variety of application from introspective self-learning to cognitive modifications in therapeutic settings. For the intrigued and interested  self-motivated learners, Braco Pobric’s “Habits of Happiness” and Tal Ben Shahar’s “Happier” books are wonderful “how to” books for those interested in learning how to take control of their life to make positive changes. On the therapeutic application side of the house, we have studies such as the Seligman, Steen, Park and Peterson research on positive intervention that includes writing three good things.  The study was conducted using an empirical basis of positive interventions and how injecting these positive application increase happiness1. Regardless of the application or venue, the idea is expand on human strengths that move one to have ah-ha moments or gradually shift viewpoints that lead to seeing the self in a more positive light. As a field, Positive Psychology does not deny that research should be accomplished to explore complexity issues within well-being and the human experience. However, Dr. Seligman2 describes the paradigm shift as one to pull the pendulum back from being swung too far; to conduct research that balances both positive and negative aspects of the human experience.   Positive psychology has purposefully set sail in a direction to explore and discover what is right with people, and how particular rituals, habits or practices fuel the fire for a flourishing life. Positive interventions can stem from a therapist...