Personal Development
- Positive Psychologist Alex Linley
- Happiness Index
- Two Heads Are Better Than One
- Peace, Life, and Opportunities
- Work Without Rules
- Wonders of the World
- DASH For Good Health
- Memory Tricks and Mind Exercises
- Life Balance, Work-Life Balance
- Mind and Soul Articles & Good Life
Positive Psychologist Alex Linley
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
Know and use your strengths for life success.
Many of the articles I write for Suite101 are inspired by the work of positive psychology researchers. A fairly new branch of psychology, positive psychology is focused on the study of well being, studying people at their best. What I love about positive psychology is its dedication to making the benefits of research available to all of us through articles, courses, moderately priced books, and conferences. These are not limited to the inner circle of psychologists, but open to anyone with an interest in human well being.
Alex Linley, a major force in positive psychology implementation resides in the United Kingdom. In 2005, he founded the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology, with a mission of Strengthening the World. Linley's latest book, Average to A+, Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others addresses his primary interest of bringing out the best in people.
I've ordered the book and will be reviewing it here in the near future. In the meantime, you may be interested in some of the articles I've written on using your strengths.
These are:
Strengths for Life Satisfaction
How to Play to Your Strengths
Playing to Your Strengths
Career Advice: Use Core Strengths
Career Change Advice
Alex Linley, a major force in positive psychology implementation resides in the United Kingdom. In 2005, he founded the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology, with a mission of Strengthening the World. Linley's latest book, Average to A+, Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others addresses his primary interest of bringing out the best in people.
I've ordered the book and will be reviewing it here in the near future. In the meantime, you may be interested in some of the articles I've written on using your strengths.
These are:
Strengths for Life Satisfaction
How to Play to Your Strengths
Playing to Your Strengths
Career Advice: Use Core Strengths
Career Change Advice
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
The Gallup Organization is polling Americans each night.
Did you feel happy yesterday? The Gallup Organization may call tonight to ask that question. Gallup, in partnership with Healthways Inc., is conducting 1000 interviews each night in the U.S. Gallup asks a series of questions about the events of the previous day and how the person felt that day.
The database of over 150,000 interviews is providing a wealth of information about health, happiness, and well being.
You may not be surprised to find that people feel more stress on work days than on weekends. Not a big revelation there, but the specifics are interesting: On Friday, June 14th, 2008, 11% of those surveyed said they had a lot of stress or worry the day before (a normal work day). On the following Monday, June 16, only 7% reported stress or worry the previous day, Sunday.
The Gallup Poll results site reports that "On a given day, 49% of Americans experience a lot of enjoyment/happiness, while 10% experience intense stress/worry. The percentage of Americans who experience a lot of happiness/enjoyment compared to those who experience intense stress/worry is highest for those who report spending six to seven hours socializing."
This confirms positive psychology researcher findings that social contact improves happiness.
The database of over 150,000 interviews is providing a wealth of information about health, happiness, and well being.
You may not be surprised to find that people feel more stress on work days than on weekends. Not a big revelation there, but the specifics are interesting: On Friday, June 14th, 2008, 11% of those surveyed said they had a lot of stress or worry the day before (a normal work day). On the following Monday, June 16, only 7% reported stress or worry the previous day, Sunday.
The Gallup Poll results site reports that "On a given day, 49% of Americans experience a lot of enjoyment/happiness, while 10% experience intense stress/worry. The percentage of Americans who experience a lot of happiness/enjoyment compared to those who experience intense stress/worry is highest for those who report spending six to seven hours socializing."
This confirms positive psychology researcher findings that social contact improves happiness.
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
What I've learned from the beta test of my new Balanced Life E-course.
In late March of this year I put out a few requests for volunteers to test a new Balanced Life E-course I was developing. One of the requests was in a Suite101 blog post, others in my personal blog and Suite's writer's forum. The course testing is now complete and I'm wrapping up modifications, corrections, and improvements.
So I asked myself, what have I learned from this experience?
I learned:
So I asked myself, what have I learned from this experience?
I learned:
- Two (or more) heads are better than one. Though I normally hesitate to ask for help, I find that getting other's viewpoints, perspectives, and interpretations improves my writing. The E-course, which I'll announce soon, is vastly improved by the generous help I received.
- Pareto's 80/20 rule still applies. 20% of the volunteers contributed 80% of the feedback. But I'm not complaining. This was strictly a voluntary activity, and in such an effort I learned to expect that some would be able to contribute more than others.
- I learned to accept (almost welcome?) severe criticism as my more vocal critics provided great feedback for improvement.
- People's learning preferences vary. Some liked my straight forward, business-like approach, others wanted a lighter approach. Though I can add some light touches here and there, I have to write with my own voice.
- Helpful people take on more than they can handle at times, and are reluctant to de-commit. Whether this is the reason for the 80/20 rule or just one of the reasons, I've learned to solicit a much larger group than I think I'll need.
Peace, Life, and Opportunities
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
A life lesson on positive thinking from a Vietnam War survivor.
One of the fascinating aspects of life is the regularity with which life presents us with opportunities to experience who we really are. Some may view these same situations as frustrations when the unexpected shows up and disrupts what was planned.
Forty five year old Phan Thi Kim Phuc was a happy nine year old when the horrors of the Vietnam War changed her peaceful village life in a horrific way. You may have seen her in a famous, Pulitzer Prize winning photo. Phuc is the little girl running naked with her skin burning from a napalm bomb attack.
"Napalm is very powerful, but faith and forgiveness are much more powerful," Phuc was quoted as saying in a recent speech in Columbus, Ohio (The Columbus Dispatch, May 8, 2008, by Meredith Heagney). Though faced with the horrible deaths of family members and years of painful skin surgeries, Phuc is a happy, peaceful person. How Phuc thinks about what life presented her is captured fully as she asked her audience, "Please don't see her (herself, the girl in the picture) as crying out in pain and fear, see her as crying out in peace."
Most of us don't have to go through events as traumatic as this woman, but we all have the opportunities to react to the unexpected by being true to what we believe, what we value, and how we choose to view the world.
Forty five year old Phan Thi Kim Phuc was a happy nine year old when the horrors of the Vietnam War changed her peaceful village life in a horrific way. You may have seen her in a famous, Pulitzer Prize winning photo. Phuc is the little girl running naked with her skin burning from a napalm bomb attack.
"Napalm is very powerful, but faith and forgiveness are much more powerful," Phuc was quoted as saying in a recent speech in Columbus, Ohio (The Columbus Dispatch, May 8, 2008, by Meredith Heagney). Though faced with the horrible deaths of family members and years of painful skin surgeries, Phuc is a happy, peaceful person. How Phuc thinks about what life presented her is captured fully as she asked her audience, "Please don't see her (herself, the girl in the picture) as crying out in pain and fear, see her as crying out in peace."
Most of us don't have to go through events as traumatic as this woman, but we all have the opportunities to react to the unexpected by being true to what we believe, what we value, and how we choose to view the world.
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
A refreshing approach to work.
A Dublin, Ohio company has few rules for employees other than doing the job. Employees have unlimited vacation and sick days, flexible schedules, and an informal work environment without cubicles, walls, or corner offices for the bosses.
Reporter Amy Saunders of the Columbus Dispatch summarizes, "...they come to the office, behave responsibly and do their work. Really." Founder Jack Buchanan responds, "Why wouldn't they. They have a job to do."
Buchanan's ad agency fosters a culture of mutual respect. No one has been fired for abusing the company's policies, though they have if unable to fit into the relaxed, responsible culture.
"Companies have the myth that you can control people - you can't control them, but you can make them miserable," says Buchanan.
Hmm, quite a contrast from the environment depicted in the comic strip Dilbert, which many painfully see as accurate representations of their employers.
Reporter Amy Saunders of the Columbus Dispatch summarizes, "...they come to the office, behave responsibly and do their work. Really." Founder Jack Buchanan responds, "Why wouldn't they. They have a job to do."
Buchanan's ad agency fosters a culture of mutual respect. No one has been fired for abusing the company's policies, though they have if unable to fit into the relaxed, responsible culture.
"Companies have the myth that you can control people - you can't control them, but you can make them miserable," says Buchanan.
Hmm, quite a contrast from the environment depicted in the comic strip Dilbert, which many painfully see as accurate representations of their employers.
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
A reflection on the Internet's value interconnecting humanity.
If you're reading this you're experiencing what, in my mind, is a true wonder of the world - the Internet. There are many lists of the Wonders of the World, most being natural or man-made structures.
The Internet merits a "Wonder" rating for this one reason: it joins humanity as nothing has in the past, except for personal travels. Through our inter-communications with each other we're able to see that people in different countries, with different cultures, governments, and religious beliefs share with us the basic human desires, interests, fears, and joys.
The organizations of church and state are separatist by nature. They've divided us into us and them by highlighting differences. Sure, we're all different in many ways, but the ways that we're the same far outweigh our differences.
We can see that for ourselves once we communicate directly with another person. The Internet makes that ability a daily occurrence. This came home to me again due to a brief, but very enjoyable interchange of email with Susan, who resides in Australia.
In discussing this topic, Susan observed that the anonymity of our Internet exchanges allows us to assess a person based on what is said, the tone, the words chosen, etc. without the handicap of pre-judgments based on a person's skin color, weight, age, and citizenship.
Enjoy what you read on the Internet, evaluate informational content for yourself, and bless your ability to tap into a world-wide communication tool so easily.
The Internet merits a "Wonder" rating for this one reason: it joins humanity as nothing has in the past, except for personal travels. Through our inter-communications with each other we're able to see that people in different countries, with different cultures, governments, and religious beliefs share with us the basic human desires, interests, fears, and joys.
The organizations of church and state are separatist by nature. They've divided us into us and them by highlighting differences. Sure, we're all different in many ways, but the ways that we're the same far outweigh our differences.
We can see that for ourselves once we communicate directly with another person. The Internet makes that ability a daily occurrence. This came home to me again due to a brief, but very enjoyable interchange of email with Susan, who resides in Australia.
In discussing this topic, Susan observed that the anonymity of our Internet exchanges allows us to assess a person based on what is said, the tone, the words chosen, etc. without the handicap of pre-judgments based on a person's skin color, weight, age, and citizenship.
Enjoy what you read on the Internet, evaluate informational content for yourself, and bless your ability to tap into a world-wide communication tool so easily.
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
Results of a lengthy study shows that the FDA recommended DASH diet reduces the incidence of heart attack and stroke.
A study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine, and reported on by the Associated Press, indicates that a government recommended diet for lowering blood pressure prevents heart attack and stroke, even in those without high blood pressure.
Research begun in 1980, involving more than 88,000 healthy women analyzed their food choices and noted that those whose diets closely modeled the recommendations of DASH were 24 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack and 18 percent less likely to have a stroke.
DASH, for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension recommends a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and plant based protein, with limited amounts of total fat and saturated fat. The DASH food pyramid is a product of the FDA.
Though the study focused on women, Simmons College researcher Teresa Fung, the study's lead author suggested that men would probably get similar results.
Tonight's dinner: Spicy red beans and whole grain brown rice. Fruit for dessert!
Research begun in 1980, involving more than 88,000 healthy women analyzed their food choices and noted that those whose diets closely modeled the recommendations of DASH were 24 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack and 18 percent less likely to have a stroke.
DASH, for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension recommends a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and plant based protein, with limited amounts of total fat and saturated fat. The DASH food pyramid is a product of the FDA.
Though the study focused on women, Simmons College researcher Teresa Fung, the study's lead author suggested that men would probably get similar results.
Tonight's dinner: Spicy red beans and whole grain brown rice. Fruit for dessert!
Memory Tricks and Mind Exercises
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
It may not be early Alzheimer's or dementia, but just being too busy.
Lost your car keys again? Concerned because you went into a room purposefully, only to realize you have no idea what you went in to get? It's probably not Alzheimers or early stages of dementia, but lack of concentration.
This, according to Patricia Curtis in the March 2008 issue of Readers Digest. Curtis quotes Zaldy S. Tan, MD, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who says, "Forgetting these types of things is a sign of how busy we are. When we're not paying good attention, the memories we form aren't very robust, and we have a problem retrieving the information later."
As I described in a review of Dan Gilbert's, Stumbling on Happiness , Gilbert explains it this way. We compress the huge amount of data that we perceive in a given experience into a few critical components: the sensory highlights and associated emotions. Later, as we recall the event, our mind brings up the highlights and emotions and fills in the rest. That's right, we imagine what would have occurred to smooth out the few pieces of fact and form a complete story.
So our mental lapses may be nothing more than lack of focus and concentration. Whew!
Now where did I put that flash drive?
This, according to Patricia Curtis in the March 2008 issue of Readers Digest. Curtis quotes Zaldy S. Tan, MD, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who says, "Forgetting these types of things is a sign of how busy we are. When we're not paying good attention, the memories we form aren't very robust, and we have a problem retrieving the information later."
As I described in a review of Dan Gilbert's, Stumbling on Happiness , Gilbert explains it this way. We compress the huge amount of data that we perceive in a given experience into a few critical components: the sensory highlights and associated emotions. Later, as we recall the event, our mind brings up the highlights and emotions and fills in the rest. That's right, we imagine what would have occurred to smooth out the few pieces of fact and form a complete story.
So our mental lapses may be nothing more than lack of focus and concentration. Whew!
Now where did I put that flash drive?
Life Balance, Work-Life Balance
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
Learn to live a balanced life with Bring Balance to Your Life E-course
**Notice**
The trial or beta test of this Life Balance E-course is now filled and has begun. If you are interested in a future offering of this course, email me.
Striking a good balance between work, family, friends, recreation, and all the other roles of life can be very challenging. It's no fun to be overwhelmed, over-worked, and facing the end of the day with no time for yourself.
The articles I've written on Life Balance are quite popular. Requests for the free Pillars of a Balanced Life Worksheet are also high.
But the Pillars Worksheet is just a start at gaining clarity on the balance, or lack of it, in life. And the articles are independent, generally found through search engines and inter-related only by internal links.
So I'm working on an E-course that will combine an initial balance assessment, lessons and exercises in implementing life balance ideas, explanation of the five fundamental building blocks of a balanced life, and describe the four skill sets needed to put it all together. A wrap-up evaluation is also planned, all of this delivered by email once each week for six or seven weeks.
I'm looking for a small group of people to trial the E-course. The trial group will receive the E-course free, but must agree to:
Send your request to participate to personaldevelopment@suite101.com.
The trial or beta test of this Life Balance E-course is now filled and has begun. If you are interested in a future offering of this course, email me.
Striking a good balance between work, family, friends, recreation, and all the other roles of life can be very challenging. It's no fun to be overwhelmed, over-worked, and facing the end of the day with no time for yourself.
The articles I've written on Life Balance are quite popular. Requests for the free Pillars of a Balanced Life Worksheet are also high.
But the Pillars Worksheet is just a start at gaining clarity on the balance, or lack of it, in life. And the articles are independent, generally found through search engines and inter-related only by internal links.
So I'm working on an E-course that will combine an initial balance assessment, lessons and exercises in implementing life balance ideas, explanation of the five fundamental building blocks of a balanced life, and describe the four skill sets needed to put it all together. A wrap-up evaluation is also planned, all of this delivered by email once each week for six or seven weeks.
I'm looking for a small group of people to trial the E-course. The trial group will receive the E-course free, but must agree to:
- Complete each lesson within one week,
- Participate in an end of course evaluation and feedback,
- Provide written feedback on the benefits and weaknesses of each lesson and the entire course,
- Submit a short paragraph describing reasons for participating.
Send your request to participate to personaldevelopment@suite101.com.
Mind and Soul Articles & Good Life
Posted by
Jerry Lopper
Jerry Lopper
Future articles will bring the latest information from the newly formed International Positive Psychology Association.
I'm intrigued by the human mind and soul. Oh, the body is pretty interesting, too. But mind and soul always interest me. Both are so powerful, mysterious, and deeply hidden from view. Yet we accomplish who we are by routinely using the forces and capabilities of mind and soul.
What intrigues me the most is learning to use mind and soul for better living. The research out of positive psychology indicates that there is much each of us can do, and do easily, to have happier, more fulfilling lives.
My articles based on positive psychology information are among the most popular at Personal Development. So when the opportunity came to join the newly formed International Positive Psychology Association, I jumped on it. I look forward to bringing the latest thoughts from positive psychology research to everyone working to be the best they can be.
What intrigues me the most is learning to use mind and soul for better living. The research out of positive psychology indicates that there is much each of us can do, and do easily, to have happier, more fulfilling lives.
My articles based on positive psychology information are among the most popular at Personal Development. So when the opportunity came to join the newly formed International Positive Psychology Association, I jumped on it. I look forward to bringing the latest thoughts from positive psychology research to everyone working to be the best they can be.
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