I’m a total advocate of positive psychology and not only do I promote it, but I also try to practise it in my own work and personal life. When I came across this TED talk by psychologist Shawn Achor, I wasn’t just entertained, I was reminded yet again that by introducing very simple practices into your daily routine, you can re-boot how your brain works.
Shawn talks about how we have trained ourselves to believe that to be happy we firstly have to be successful. The problem is that once we have reached the goal, we then need to keep raising the bar in order to deem ourselves successful again. These repeated actions push happiness further and further away until eventually happiness becomes the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow which you never do find.
Shawn turns this whole “success = happiness” concept on its head. He introduces us to techniques that have us practising the art of happiness with no prerequisites, like having to achieve a goal or catch the carrot dangling in front of us.
This TED Talk is brilliant and funny and to assist you I have outlined the techniques mentioned below.
Being positive in the present
- 3 Gratitudes: List 3 new things you are thankful for over the next 21 days
- Journaling: Document 1 positive experience you have encountered during the past 24 hours
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Random acts of kindness
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