“HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT WHAT’S AHEAD FOR YOU IN 2012?
This was Tom Peters’ opening question in a recent post explaining that 2011 has been a “punishing period” for many of us and 2012 promises more of the same. He has been highlighting Resilience as a necessary “excellence” attribute in keeping up your spirits and your team’s spirits in challenging times. Peters recently blogged about Flourish, the latest book by Martin Seligman. Seligman is considered to be an expert in depression and happiness. He has been described as the “Father of Positive Psychology” and is the director of the Positive Psychology Center at University of Pennsylvania.
The “Losada” effect found that high performing teams had 3 times more positive thoughts than negative. Seligman explains that to achieve higher levels of well being and happiness you should use positive psychology techniques including writing about your experiences in gratitude journals. One of the simple exercises that Seligman uses to build a positive mindset is called “Three Good Things.”
The “3 Good Things” exercise, also know as the “3 Blessings” exercise has been tested and it has been shown to increase well-being and decrease depression and anxiety. (94% of very depressed people became less depressed and 92% became happier in 15 days and these outcomes were sustained for 6 months).
What?
Each night before you go to sleep do the Three Good Things Exercise:
1. Think of three good things that happened today. (It can be anything as long as it is good, happy thing)
2. Write them down.
3. Reflect on why they happened. (You get to decide why)
Continue reading “Three Good Things”