December 5, 2013 will be remembered for at least two historic events: First, the worst storm surge in Northern Europe for more than half a century, with mile upon mile of town and countryside in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark inundated with sea water and many people losing their homes, their livelihoods, […]
Last month a Positive Education Summit took place in the UK, led by Professor Martin Seligman and sponsored by Wellington College, one of the top public schools and, under the leadership of Dr Anthony Seldon, probably the longest-standing exponent of applying positive psychology in schools anywhere in the world. The Positive Education Summit was attended […]
“Happiness reminds us that ultimately this is a world of people, of families, of communities all alike – of human beings seeking the same thing. When we grasp this universal simplicity – this sense of a shared planet and shared fate for those who walk on it in a common quest for happiness, well-being, and […]
Pick any chapter from Chris Peterson’s posthumously published book, Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychologyand you’re in for a real treat. His reflections cover every aspect of what it means to be human, to live a life worth living. Even sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll get a passing mention, although you […]
Recently British television rebroadcast a series of programs called Kevin McCloud’s Man Made Home (#ManMadeHome), featuring the well-known designer, writer, and presenter. Since the late 90s, McCloud has presented the Grand Designs series where every program focuses on the efforts of people (usually a couple) to design and build their own house. Over the years […]
What is ‘flow’? How can you achieve more of it? How can it help you develop your skills and confidence? In this article we explore how to acheive greater well-being through flow, and some top tips for getting more flow in your life.
In the UK business community there is a growing interest in the topic of employee engagement, sparked by a government-commissioned report in 2009, Engaging for Success: Enhancing Performance through Employee Engagement. In November 2012 the report’s authors, David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, established a group called Engage for Success (EfS) which describes itself as a “movement […]
Even though Ken Keir focused on Honda’s R&D philosophy, explaining that in recessionary times, the company goes against the tide and invests more in R&D rather than less, by the time we reached slide 5 of the presentation on the Honda strategy, vision, values, and behavior, it was pretty clear to me that here was a company founded on positive psychology principles. How did I know?
Aaron Jarden has written a 130-page e-book, Positive Psychologists on Positive Psychology that explores topics that all positive psychologists, experienced or novice, researcher or practitioner, will find interesting. Not only does the book provide answers to basic questions, such as “What is positive psychology?”, it also addresses more challenging ones, such as When, where and […]
Yesterday I wrote about secrets of goal setting. Today I’m following up with a few factors that affect maintaining goal commitment. Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions on 31 Dec 2011 and if so, are you still sticking with them or have you already given up? A survey conducted a few years ago by […]
It’s the end of January already! “Where has the time gone?” my elderly neighbour Stella asked this morning as we chatted about the weather, our families, and which birds we had spotted in our gardens (the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is doing a nationwide Bird Watch this weekend). Stella is a real […]