Positivity doesn't eliminate our problems, it illuminates them.
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You’ve heard the question a hundred times: “Is the glass half empty or half full?” If we are operating in noxious negativity mode we see the glass as half empty. It is absolutely true. It is half empty. Of course it is. Any dang fool can see it’s half empty. When we are feeling negative, we focus on what is missing and lament the lack of water in the glass. When we are feeling more positive, we see the glass as half full. Of course it is half full. Anyone can see that. We focus on what we desire, and celebrate the presence of water. Then there are those who see it as completely full – all the time. These seemingly crazy people are not just positive; they are what this psychologist calls pathologically positive. Pathological Positivity is an empowering mental supernormality that lifts us above the normal perception of “reality.” It…
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Basic principles of positive psychology allow us to experience happiness now, and to anticipate more happiness in the future.
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How to use psychology to be happy now. Happiness is a choice - this is how and why.
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Time management? That is a misnomer. We can't really manage it can we? We can measure it, spend it, and watch it pass, but we can't save it, control it, or manage it. How will we spend it? When we spend our time on the activities that are ultimately most valuable to us, we have a right to happiness and peace. Please take three and a half minutes to see a million dollar example of this principle. http://youtu.be/2VPB2Jxx2Io Spend it wisely! Wake up with a smile and go after life. Live it, enjoy it, taste it, smell it, feel it. ~Joe Knapp
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David and Brenda have scheduled an appointment for some Pathologically Positive coaching. They are trying to save their twenty five year marriage. As is the case with far too many long-term couples, they are on the brink of divorce. There’s no real problem – and that is the problem. Brenda explains that she just doesn’t love David any more. She is pretty sure that he doesn’t love her either. David counters by telling me (not Brenda), “That’s silly. Of course I love her. She knows I love her.” Apparently, David is dead wrong about her knowing. Consider the oft’ told story of an elderly couple driving along together in their old Dodge pickup to the country store. Early in their marriage, this weekly trip was an anticipated outing where they would chat happily about the kids, the farm, a new calf. Now, in their later years, it has become a…
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Positivity is a practical approach to solve every problem. Pathological Positivity is not ignoring or avoiding reality, but intentionally and doggedly insisting on seeing possibilities in problems and finding or creating constructive tools to handle inevitable challenges.
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What is the biggest barrier to success, happiness, great relationships? Anxiety and fear. Try this experiment: - Take in a deep, slow, intentional breath through your nose. - Hold that breath for a moment, allowing yourself to feel the stretch. - Release slowly, through the mouth. - Repeat two or three more times. Notice what happens? This is like a physiological switch on the brain that calms the fight or flight response. This in turn restores blood flow to parts of the brain that are used in thinking, problem solving, rational thought. In My Anxiety Answer, the first step is to calm the brain's fight or flight response through breathing. The second is to steer the mind in a more productive direction. That first step, breathing, seems so simple. A client of mine said recently, "I don't see how that solves anything." Calming our brain's natural fight or flight response doesn't…
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