{"id":139,"date":"2010-11-03T10:09:20","date_gmt":"2010-11-03T15:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wholeperson.com\/wordpress\/?p=139"},"modified":"2015-11-30T11:48:19","modified_gmt":"2015-11-30T17:48:19","slug":"to-be-happy-consider-strengths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/to-be-happy-consider-strengths","title":{"rendered":"To be happy consider strengths"},"content":{"rendered":"

Live, appreciate your strong suits
\nBy\u00a0Jacquelyn Ferguson, MS<\/a>\"Jacquelyn
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dr. Martin Seligman, University of PA author of \u201cAuthentic Happiness\u201d and a Positive Psychology pioneer, says happiness is strongly enhanced by three factors:
\n* Feeling better about your past;
\n* Thinking more optimistically about your future;
\n* Experiencing more contentment in the present.<\/p>\n

To be happier in the moment Seligman advises you to avoid shortcuts to happiness: sensory experiences accompanied by strong emotions (ecstasy, orgasm, thrills, delight,) like eating hot fudge sundaes, having sex, or watching spectator sports. These pleasures give you upticks in happiness but fade quickly.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much better to seek gratifications, which are activities you do for the sake of doing them. They involve thinking and require stretching your skills to improve.<\/p>\n

Gratifications will bring you greater ongoing happiness when they are an expression of your signature strengths. (Take Seligman\u2019s VIA Strengths Survey @ www.authentichappiness.org<\/a> to discover your own.) All of these strengths are very positive. Living your life expressing your top five or so makes you much happier – so much so that you can stop focusing on fixing what\u2019s supposedly wrong with you. Wouldn\u2019t that be refreshing? These strengths include:<\/p>\n

Wisdom and Knowledge:<\/strong> Courage:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Curiosity Valor
\nLove of learning Perseverance
\nJudgment Integrity
\nIngenuity
\nSocial intelligence
\nPerspective<\/p>\n

Humanity and Love:<\/strong> Justice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kindness Citizenship
\nLoving Fairness
\nLeadership<\/p>\n

Temperance:<\/strong> Transcendence:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Self-control Appreciation of beauty
\nPrudence Gratitude
\nHumility Hope
\nSpirituality
\nForgiveness
\nHumor
\nZest<\/p>\n

For example, my top five strengths identified by taking his assessment two years ago and again recently, are:
\n* Integrity;
\n* Curiosity;
\n* Zest;
\n* Loving;
\n* Gratitude;<\/p>\n

These strengths have strongly influenced my choices, thereby my happiness.<\/p>\n