Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. A "you can do it" when things are tough.
-Richard M. DeVos
Showing posts with label Optimism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Optimism. Show all posts
June 10, 2013
May 7, 2013
How to be happier
Deseret Morning News, Monday, November 27, 2006
New York- As a motivational speaker and executive coach, Caroline Adams Miller know a few things about using mental exercises to acheieve goals. But last year, one exercise she was asked to try took her by surprise.
Every night, she was to think of three good things that happened that day and analyze why they occurred. That was supposed to increase her overall happiness.
"I thought it was too simple to be effective," said Miller, 44, of Bethesda. Md. "I went to harvard. I'm used to things being complicated."
Miller was assigned the task as homework in a master's degree program. But as a chronic worrier, she knew she could use the kind of boost the exercise was supposed to deliver. She got it. "The quality of my dreams has changed, I never have trouble falling asleep and I do feel happier," she said.
Results may vary, as they say in the weight-loss ads. But that exercise is one of several that have shown preliminary promise in recent research into how people can make themselves happier-not just for a day or two, but long-term. It's part of a larger body of work that challenges a long-standing skepticism about whether that's even possible.
There's no shortage of advice in how to become a happier person, as a visit to any bookstore will demonstrate. The problem is, most of the books on the store shelves aren't backed up by rigorous research, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the university of California, Riverside, who's conducting such studies now.
In fact, she says, there has been very little research in how people become happier. For decades a widely accepted view has been that people are stuch with a basic setting on their happiness thermostat. It says the effects of good or bad life events like marriage, a raise, divorce, or disability will simply fade with time.
We adapt to them just like we stop noticing a bad odor from behind the living room couch after a while, this theory says. So this adaptation would seem to doom any deliberate attempt to raise a person's basic happiness setting.
As two researchers put it in 1996, "It may be that trying to be happier is as futile as trying to be taller."
But recent long-term studies have revealed that the happiness thermostat is more malleable than the popular theory maintained, at least in its extreme form. "Set-point is not destiny," says psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois.
One new study showing change in happiness levels followed thousands of Germans for 17 years. It found that about a quarter changed significantly over that time in their basic level of satisfaction with life. (That's a popular happiness measure; some studies sample how one feels through the day instead.) Nearly a tenth of the German participants changed by three points or more on a 10-point scale. other studies show an effect of specific life events, though of course the results are averages and can't predict what will happen to particular individuals. Results show long-lasting shadows associated with events like serious disability, divorce, widowhood, and losing a job.
the boost from getting married, on the other hand, seems to dissipate after about two years, says Richard E. Lucas of Michigan State University.
Lucas states that most people are happy, most of the time. People will gauge a 7.5 out of 10 on the happiness scale. Still, many people want to be happier. What can they do? The think of three good things exercise is one of those currently being tested. People keep using it because it instantly makes them feel better. It makes them focus on good things that happen, Miller said.
Miller said that the exercise made her notice more good things in her day, and that now she routinely lists 10 or 20 of them rather than just three.
New York- As a motivational speaker and executive coach, Caroline Adams Miller know a few things about using mental exercises to acheieve goals. But last year, one exercise she was asked to try took her by surprise.
Every night, she was to think of three good things that happened that day and analyze why they occurred. That was supposed to increase her overall happiness.
"I thought it was too simple to be effective," said Miller, 44, of Bethesda. Md. "I went to harvard. I'm used to things being complicated."
Miller was assigned the task as homework in a master's degree program. But as a chronic worrier, she knew she could use the kind of boost the exercise was supposed to deliver. She got it. "The quality of my dreams has changed, I never have trouble falling asleep and I do feel happier," she said.
Results may vary, as they say in the weight-loss ads. But that exercise is one of several that have shown preliminary promise in recent research into how people can make themselves happier-not just for a day or two, but long-term. It's part of a larger body of work that challenges a long-standing skepticism about whether that's even possible.
There's no shortage of advice in how to become a happier person, as a visit to any bookstore will demonstrate. The problem is, most of the books on the store shelves aren't backed up by rigorous research, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the university of California, Riverside, who's conducting such studies now.
In fact, she says, there has been very little research in how people become happier. For decades a widely accepted view has been that people are stuch with a basic setting on their happiness thermostat. It says the effects of good or bad life events like marriage, a raise, divorce, or disability will simply fade with time.
We adapt to them just like we stop noticing a bad odor from behind the living room couch after a while, this theory says. So this adaptation would seem to doom any deliberate attempt to raise a person's basic happiness setting.
As two researchers put it in 1996, "It may be that trying to be happier is as futile as trying to be taller."
But recent long-term studies have revealed that the happiness thermostat is more malleable than the popular theory maintained, at least in its extreme form. "Set-point is not destiny," says psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois.
One new study showing change in happiness levels followed thousands of Germans for 17 years. It found that about a quarter changed significantly over that time in their basic level of satisfaction with life. (That's a popular happiness measure; some studies sample how one feels through the day instead.) Nearly a tenth of the German participants changed by three points or more on a 10-point scale. other studies show an effect of specific life events, though of course the results are averages and can't predict what will happen to particular individuals. Results show long-lasting shadows associated with events like serious disability, divorce, widowhood, and losing a job.
the boost from getting married, on the other hand, seems to dissipate after about two years, says Richard E. Lucas of Michigan State University.
Lucas states that most people are happy, most of the time. People will gauge a 7.5 out of 10 on the happiness scale. Still, many people want to be happier. What can they do? The think of three good things exercise is one of those currently being tested. People keep using it because it instantly makes them feel better. It makes them focus on good things that happen, Miller said.
Miller said that the exercise made her notice more good things in her day, and that now she routinely lists 10 or 20 of them rather than just three.
February 4, 2013
Pep Talk- Video
This is a cute video with some excellent "feel good" messages.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o&safe=active
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o&safe=active
October 1, 2012
The Greatest
Watch the following video:
http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/99-The-Greatest
http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/99-The-Greatest
The Greatest is all about perspective. Just when you think you are failing, when things seem to be going wrong…a change of perspective shines a bright light of realization that you just might be succeeding in other ways. It is a very simple concept but the key, of course was finding the right young actor to play the part. As you have seen, he is amazing. After countless takes throwing the ball up and missing—which is harder than you might think—he never lost his zeal. The last scene was as strong as the first. “Celebration” by Kool and The Gang fittingly takes us from despair at ‘strike three” to euphoria and inspires us to embrace the value of Optimism as we face similar situations each day. After all, you might just be…The Greatest.
Believe
Marlis: www.values.com
I recently was in the hospital for yet ANOTHER emergency surgery. My 18th surgery in 10 years, most of them not planned. It is what it is. I don't know about elsewhere in other hospitals but the ones I've been in have marker boards on the wall for nurses to right their name, the date, goals for the patient etc. I like to take over the goals section. I find a quote to post to inspire myself and those that are helping me. If nothing else, it makes someone smile. I have one vice in this world though I'm not sure if a decaf coffee from Starbucks without any syrups, milk, creamers or other flavors counts as a vice, hehehehehe. After 6 days in, I was getting antsy, so I marched over to the board and wrote, "Starbucks is out there!" It reminded me that even a simple silly goal of a decaf coffee is better than no goal at all, especially when you start to feel defeated, depressed and the "is this ever going to end?!" feeling. It got me to walking more. But what truly astonished me was how much it made all the people coming into my room be it doctors, nurses, lab personnel and visitors - laugh. Just absolutely crack up laughing. I heard many of the medical folks say they needed the laugh due to a tough day. So when you think you are only inspiring yourself, giving yourself a boost, the good vibes are passed along to the people who need it most and that has a beautiful ripple effect!
Thinking about it...
Do you have something or someone in your life that bothers you?
Can you change that part of your life?
Can you change the way you think about it/ them?
Make a list of some of the good things about them/ that situation.
If we focus on the GOOD things then life becomes better for us.
August 24, 2012
Attitude
Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitudes toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it.
-Charles R. Swindoll
If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't you're right.
-Mary Kay Ash
If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't you're right.
-Mary Kay Ash
August 16, 2012
Beautiful Things
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched...but are felt in the heart."
-Helen Keller
A prolific author, Keller was well-traveled, and was outspoken in her anti-war convictions. A member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World, she campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, socialism, and other radical left causes. She was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1971.[3]
www.wikipedia.org
August 15, 2012
7 Tips for Maintaining a Positive Attitude
1. Learn healthy ways to manage your stress.
2. Think of challenges as opportunities to shine.
3. Look for the best in others- and yourself.
4. Eat right and get plenty of rest.
5. Focus on the joys in life and remember to laugh.
6. Keep things in perspective. Do what you can do, and let go of the rest.
7. Take pride in your work and your achievements.
2. Think of challenges as opportunities to shine.
3. Look for the best in others- and yourself.
4. Eat right and get plenty of rest.
5. Focus on the joys in life and remember to laugh.
6. Keep things in perspective. Do what you can do, and let go of the rest.
7. Take pride in your work and your achievements.
July 23, 2012
Success
Living a life of positive thinking and laughter is bound to have you feeling happier and more successful throughout your day-to-day routine. In fact, people who make positive thinking and laughter a key goal in their lives tend to experience more daily success and happiness than anyone else. There are key steps to achieving happiness by incorporating a good attitude and a sense of humor in your life: visualizing goals and maintaining the right attitude. Visualizing goals and going after them is a key component to positive thinking because it is a successful technique that helps you achieve the results you want. Keeping a good attitude towards life is a great way to make laughter a greater part of your life. Having a sense of humor can empower you, even in the most distressing situations. Instead of making a bad situation worse, a sense of humor can help you overcome any negative emotions and get you in the frame of mind to solve whatever problem is at hand.
http://www.lifescript.com/soul/self/well-being/a_life_of_positive_thinking_and_laughter.aspx?gclid=CJzu_PzbsbECFSgbQgodUgoAmQ&trans=1&du=1&ef_id=9cdQDkNvZRYAABFa%3a20120724064822%3as
http://www.lifescript.com/soul/self/well-being/a_life_of_positive_thinking_and_laughter.aspx?gclid=CJzu_PzbsbECFSgbQgodUgoAmQ&trans=1&du=1&ef_id=9cdQDkNvZRYAABFa%3a20120724064822%3as
July 16, 2012
June 8, 2012
Negative Thoughts
A Self-Assessment
Thoughts That Weigh Me Down
Rate all those that fit what you have thought.
1- one to two times a year
2- Every couple of months
3- Every month
4- every couple of weeks
__It doesn't pay to get close to anyone, because that person will get hurt too.
__I don't care about anything anymore.
__I'll scare all of my friends away if I don't stop crying or thinking about this all of the time.
__It's not right for me to have fun now.
__I can't let anyone know how I really reacted when it happened. I'm ashamed. I'll be made fun of or called stupid.
__I can't do anything right anymore.
__I feel like I'm going crazy.
__I have to take care of myself. No one else will.
__I should be over this by now. There is something wrong with me.
__It's best I keep it all to myself.
__There's no point in trying anymore.
__There is nothing else I can do.
Add up your ratings. How high was your score? How do you feel about it? Set a goal to lower that number by increasing the positive thoughts about yourself and your life.
Thoughts That Weigh Me Down
Rate all those that fit what you have thought.
1- one to two times a year
2- Every couple of months
3- Every month
4- every couple of weeks
__It doesn't pay to get close to anyone, because that person will get hurt too.
__I don't care about anything anymore.
__I'll scare all of my friends away if I don't stop crying or thinking about this all of the time.
__It's not right for me to have fun now.
__I can't let anyone know how I really reacted when it happened. I'm ashamed. I'll be made fun of or called stupid.
__I can't do anything right anymore.
__I feel like I'm going crazy.
__I have to take care of myself. No one else will.
__I should be over this by now. There is something wrong with me.
__It's best I keep it all to myself.
__There's no point in trying anymore.
__There is nothing else I can do.
Add up your ratings. How high was your score? How do you feel about it? Set a goal to lower that number by increasing the positive thoughts about yourself and your life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)