On 8-9 May, the 3rd “Happiness and Its Causes” Conference was held in Sydney, Australia, with over 2,000 participants. I’m a fan of the Happiness and Its Causes conference, and…
Mindfulness
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AllAweGlobal PoliciesLoveMindfulnessPathway 3 "Meaning"Savoring / In-the-MomentSpirituality_1 Positive Experiences
Lesson from the Earthquake: Altruism and Selfless Love
Last Monday’s catastrophic earthquake measuring a 7.8 on the Richter Scale in Wenchuan County of China’s Sichuan province jolted not only the region, but also many of our hearts. Disasters might trigger the most magnificent qualities of humanity – which includes love, courage, unity, and the perseverance to survive.
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AllAweHabitsHealthMindfulnessOptimismPositive FeelingsSavoring / In-the-Moment
Savoring for your Health
by Doug Turnerby Doug TurnerI love to reminisce. When I get together with friends or family we tell the same stories again and again. Like the time we stared death in the face in…
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AllBusinessGoalsHopeMindfulnessPathway 3 "Meaning"Positive FeelingsSpirituality_1 Positive Experiences
Where Has Our Birthday Wish Gone? From Wishes and Goals to the Journey of a Flourishing Life
A birthday is a special day for many of us. We all make wishes on our birthdays. It has been said that fewer than 15 per cent of birthday wishes are realized: most are broken within two weeks. We may start wondering why our birthday wishes would make us so miserable. Aren’t they supposed to make us hopeful and anticipative of our future?
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AllCommunicationHabitsHappiness ExercisesHealthLoveMindfulnessPathway 3 "Meaning"Positive FeelingsSavoring / In-the-MomentSpirituality
“How do you share positive psychology with strangers?”
by Sulynnby Sulynn“How do you propose we share positive psychology with strangers?” a participant at one of my recent seminars asked. The question took me by surprise, but in a flash, I answered intuitively,…
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AllBusinessGratitudeMindfulnessParenting & SchoolsPathway 3 "Meaning"Positive Feelings_1 Positive Experiences
On Graduation Day… Reflection on the Importance of Praise and Appreciation
Today is my graduation ceremony for my Master degree, a big and significant day. In this sweet and warm moment, I could not stop myself from reflecting on my life as a Masters’ student over the past year. This day makes me think of Praise and Appreciation, which I have learnt from my supervisor, Professor Michael West, Dean of the Aston Business School; which is so important to me, and of course also important to positive psychology and to one’s happiness.
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AllGlobal PoliciesGoalsHealthHopeMindfulnessOptimismPathway 3 "Meaning"Resilience
Locating Hope in “Hopeless” Circumstances
by Sean Doyleby Sean DoyleI have always been drawn to the quote by Friedrich Nietzsche that “Freedom is to struggle with no hope for reward.” There a great deal of courage in that line.…
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Our brains are attics – they have to be, storing all our past stuff. But we live when we can in the dizzy day-room delights of children’s laughter, family chaos, and even work. Spring seems to arrive earlier each year. So we are tempted to spring-clean our brains: let’s not. Let’s leave the attic to gather what dust it will, and let’s freshen the day rooms – the present and the future of our lives.
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AllAweMindfulnessPathway 3 "Meaning"Strengths_2 Positive Traits
“Positive Abnormality” – Be a GENIUS by discovering your Speciality, Uniqueness, and Meaning
“Am I abnormal?” People sometimes ask me this question when they know I am a psychologist. I am not in a very good position to answer this question, yet this leaves me in rumination over another interesting question, “Why do people try to be normal but not someone special? Why not be Positively Abnormal?”
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AllAweDecision-MakingMindfulnessPathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"_1 Positive Experiences
Let Your Subconscious Mind Go To Work for You – Part 2©
My Dad’s father understood the power of the subconscious. When I couldn’t figure something out when I was growing up, my grandfather used to say, “Take a walk. Clear your mind.” He believed that if you set aside your issue for a little while, you would allow your subconscious mind to bring forth new and better thoughts, not just the few you already had. As a result you would come up with a better idea.
My Dad’s father understood the power of the subconscious.
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AllAweGlobal PoliciesMindfulnessPathway 3 "Meaning"Strengths_1 Positive Experiences
Musings – ‘Finding Your Voice’
by Sulynnby SulynnToday, I picked up Stephen R Covey’s book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness to read and my attention was immediately riveted. Covey said that the 8th habit was not…
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AllDecision-MakingGratitudeMindfulnessOptimismPathway 3 "Meaning"_1 Positive Experiences
The Law of the Garbage Truck™
Special Note to Positive Psychology News Daily Friends This month I am posting a column that I wrote a number of years ago known as The Law of the Garbage…
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AllCoachingMindfulnessPathway 3 "Meaning"_1 Positive Experiences
Searching versus Seeking
by Aren Cohenby Aren CohenRecently I was talking with an acquaintance of mine who is preparing to leave his job in investment banking to go to an ashram in India to practice mediation and yoga. It was clear that he was excited by the prospect of this new journey, but he was also apprehensive. Having attended business school and lived in the Tal Ben-Sharar notion of the “rat race” (Ben-Sharar, 2007) working on Wall Street, he was unsure of giving it all up to embark on a more spiritual journey. […]
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AllDecision-MakingHappiness ExercisesMindfulnessParenting & SchoolsPathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"_2 Positive Traits
“Brainset” – Neuroscience Examines Carol Dweck’s Theory
Recently, Dr. Mangels and colleagues teamed up with Carol Dweck to study the differences in the brains of people with growth mindsets and fixed mindsets. This is exciting work because it is hard empirical science studying the underlying brain functions dealing with learning and internal self-concepts.
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AllAweLoveMindfulnessPathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"Pathway 3 "Meaning"Savoring / In-the-Moment
The Science and Wonder of Positive Psychology
by Doug Turnerby Doug TurnerI have been reading about the virtues as outlined in the book of virtues by Peterson and Seligman. I have been wondering how they all relate to each other and…
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AllHabitsMindfulnessPathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"Pathway 3 "Meaning"Spirituality_1 Positive Experiences
Living a Balanced Life
by Dana Arakawaby Dana ArakawaOur lives are full of stress: we have 24 hours each day and more activities than we feel we have time for. In this age of multi-tasking and instantaneous communication…
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AllHealthMindfulnessPathway 1 "Pleasure"Savoring / In-the-Moment_1 Positive Experiences
The Delight and Discontent of Eating
by Gloria Parkby Gloria ParkOne of the great pleasures in life can be found in the food that we eat. For me, my relationship with food started out as a challenge for many years.…
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Conversation on an Airplane “I’m planning on being a fireman. But if my brother gets killed in Iraq, I’m going to enlist and go take vengeance over there.” Thus spoke…
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AllMindfulnessPathway 3 "Meaning"Savoring / In-the-Moment_1 Positive Experiences
The Meaning in Mother’s Day
Humans gravitate towards creating and celebrating rituals in all sizes and forms – from a morning shower routine to the composition of a elaborate Thanksgiving dinner. Rituals are a way for us to recognize our values and connect to what creates meaning in our lives. Many believe that rituals are psychologically necessary to our daily life and that they give us a rhythm to connect to within our stressful and chaotic lives. So the idea is that by consciously or unconsciously engaging in ritualistic behavior we are able to more fully ground ourselves and reconnect to our values or with others. […]
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AllMindfulnessPathway 1 "Pleasure"Pathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"Positive FeelingsSavoring / In-the-Moment_1 Positive Experiences
Honoring Our Relationship with Time
Like many of us, I have, all my life, struggled with time in one way or another. I seem to alternate between embracing flat-out activity and finding deeper pools of…