Post-Election – How We Will Make a Difference

Post-Election – How We Will Make a Difference

The recent UK election was not a straightforward process. Brexit played a huge role in how people voted and for some, it meant prioritising one set of values over another.   Winners and losers UK elections work on the principle of first past the post and consequently we talk in terms of who won, and who lost. If we think like this then we all become losers. There are good people of integrity amongst every political party, let’s recognise this.   Welfare, not warfare! Initiating or responding to hostile language, mud-slinging and fake news, brings out the worst of our characters. Let’s concentrate on what matters, the welfare of our people, our country and our place in the world. It’s not enough to place the responsibility of this solely on the government, we must all be accountable.   What can WE do? Whilst we wait for our newly elected Government to fulfil their campaign promises there is much we can do as individuals to make a positive difference in everyday life. It is the small things that add up to make a huge difference.   ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ Gandhi’s words are simple but true. If we want to live in a compassionate society we need to practise compassion. If we want equality then we need to treat everyone equally. Actions speak louder than words.   How Positive Psychology can help You may care greatly but unless you know HOW to make a difference, where do you start? Positive psychology research shows that even the smallest shift in our thinking can have positive...
Litter – A walk in the Park

Litter – A walk in the Park

  Recently, I was walking in Richmond Park with my partner, our friend and her two young children. It was a beautiful spring day and a real chance to blow away the cobwebs. Richmond Park is outstandingly beautiful and well maintained. Sadly, not all visitors treat it accordingly and as we were walking I spotted three empty plastic water bottles. Instinctively, I picked up the bottles ready to throw away in a litter-bin.  My friend’s son Jack, who is only four asked me what I was doing, so I explained to him that litter is dangerous for the animals as well as looking unsightly (using four year old terminology). To my surprise, he immediately spotted a larger empty plastic bottle some ten metres away. He walked straight over to it and picked it up, wanting to take it to a bin as well. So, off we went and disposed of the bottles. Later when we were walking through the town centre, Jack once again spotted another bottle, which he merrily picked up and asked where we could throw it away.   Jack had suddenly become a litter champion. Internet Campaigns! The afternoon’s events reminded me of a conversation with a colleague who told me about what happens when she goes to the beach with her friends and their children. At the end of the day, they all have to pick up five pieces of rubbish that did not belong to their party. I remember thinking what a great idea, particularly as awareness is being raised, in part to Sir David Attenborough’s BBC Blue Planet episode talking about plastic pollution. I...
The Power of Gratitude

The Power of Gratitude

Reflections of gratitude I recently spent a month in The Philippines which brought the depth of gratitude I have for the country that I was born and raised in, to a whole new level.  I have actively been practising gratitude in the form of a daily gratitude journal – writing down the three best things of the day and acknowledging why they are so good and why I’m so grateful for these things occurring – for almost two years now.  This has been a large contributing factor in the ongoing process to re-train the neural pathways in my own brain which enabled me to successfully overcome many years of depression and mental health challenges several years ago. This activity in itself encompasses great power, however combined with real life altering and first hand experiences, this activity then becomes dramatically enhanced.  It is one thing to be vaguely aware of the poverty in this world and quite another to experience it firsthand.  There were several significant activities that occurred for me during this time that have raised my conscious awareness and consequently my expression of gratitude to new heights.  Number one being that for the very first time in my life, for 10 days whilst attending a Vipassana (silent) meditation program in the middle of nowhere, several hours outside of Manila, I did not have access to hot water.  On top of this for many hours every day there was no access to running water – hot or cold – at all.  For me, coming from Australia, where even during a major drought season several years ago, lack of water...
Is PERMA 51 Possible?

Is PERMA 51 Possible?

Seligman’s Moonshot Goal In Martin Seligman’s seminal book, Flourish, he concludes with what I like to see as his sigh of the soul. He talks of when he was at the first World Congress of the IPPA in 2009 and James Pawelski posed this question: “What vision can we articulate that is as grand and inspiring as John Kennedy’s of putting a man on the moon? What is our moon shot? What is the long mission of positive psychology?” (see Flourish, p. 238) He then talks about how some of the most brilliant positive psychologists have come up with ways to measure human flourishing and suggests that our moonshot goal will be to not only measure flourishing, but to engender more of it. He then states: “By the year 2051, 51 percent of the people of the world will be flourishing.” (see Flourish, p. 240). He calls this goal PERMA 51. Half the World Flourishing: Breaking it Down This truly is a moonshot goal. Just think of it for a minute. This book was published in 2011. Here we are at the end of 2016. That gives us less than 35 years to accomplish this task. Let’s break it down further. In 2011, the world’s population had just hit the 7 billion mark. As of August 2016 the world’s population was estimated at 7.4 billion. By the year 2050 the UN states that the median estimates see the world’s population to reach 9.725 billion. (this article from Wikipedia) Add the average increase of about 286 million per year and you have the number 10.011 billion people. Divide that by...
Building Character Strengths in post-Brexit Britain

Building Character Strengths in post-Brexit Britain

Building Character Strengths in post-Brexit Britain I wouldn’t normally describe myself as a particularly vocal person on the subject of politics but I think like many other people at the moment, I am still reeling from the decision to leave the European Union (EU). I was especially shocked at the strength of my reaction to the news of Brexit and towards my fellow compatriots – and even some of the ‘senior’ members of my own family – for voting to leave. But I would like to think that studying Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) has taught me to ‘self-regulate’ more quickly and to recognise the importance of dealing with this situation and these emotions as speedily and positively as we can. Whichever way we voted, action is essential if we are to prevent a potentially very divisive split in relationships with family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and communities. The power of fear and negativity can bring out the worst in all of us. The Archbishop of Canterbury has already spoken out on “an out-welling of poison and hatred” that has occurred since the Brexit result, with racial attacks increasing dramatically. Whilst I applaud the attempt to make clear that Britain is not a nation of racists, I don’t think the ‘wear a safety pin’ to display this perspective is enough: it is in our everyday attitudes and actions that the truth will be made evident. Core values of the British ‘character’ This division could damage the very heart of our British ‘strength of character’ with core values such as fairness, tolerance and humanity. But it’s not only the public who need...
My Heart is Where My Home Is

My Heart is Where My Home Is

What does it mean to ‘go home’? I recently had the opportunity to visit the town where I grew up. I haven’t lived there in decades, yet, I visited two weekends in a row. One weekend was reconnecting with the past—my high school reunion. The following weekend was spent sharing my present—leading an improv workshop at the Grand Rapids Improv Festival and being interviewed on a local morning show. Funny thing…and believe it or not, I was somewhat shy in high school. I didn’t take a single acting class or ever performed on stage in high school. Yet, decades later, I appear on TV and teach an improv workshop in my hometown. Attending my high school reunion brought unexpected connections and friendships. New and renewed friendships. Classmates I was friends with before are now in my life again. We shared laughter and stories of old and new. It felt like I never left-sort of Having been away from Grand Rapids, Michigan through the years left me with a constant longing for home. Being uprooted after my freshman year of college and embarking on an adventure to Raleigh, North Carolina with my mom and dad, this youngest of six was forced to make a home wherever she was. Moving from a Midwestern town to a Southern town was a culture shock for this once 18-year-old. I was told I talk funny by people from all over the Southern United States. For those of you not aware, just like there are different Midwest accents—from Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota—there are various Southern accents—from the mountains to the beach of North Carolina, Georgia,...