14 Jul New happiness boosting exercise – what are your defining moments?
Positive psychology has, in recent years, developed a range of wonderful and powerful happiness boosting techniques and strategies. And the good news is that it's continuing to develop more and better ones that are proving ever more effective for ever more people who're looking to create more happiness in their lives.
I recently came across this fantastic exercise which I'm pretty sure you'll all enjoy and benefit from so read on, enjoy, and most importantly, put it into practice so you can revel in the happiness gains…
by Ryan Niemiec for PsychCentral
Life is what happens between monotony and miracles, as one sage put it.
Indeed, our lives are a collection of moments in time – some mundane and routine, some extraordinary, and many others. I’m not sure that we are shaped by every moment and every event of our lives, but certainly there is potential in each moment to impact us.
After a stagnant and difficult first date, I recall walking out of the Mexican restaurant with my date and saying to myself, “Give it one more try.” And so, while kicking a stone into the bushes and with my chin at my chest, I mumbled, “Um, do you want to go get some coffee or something?” The woman replied, “Sure!” I was flabbergasted. The evening and coffee shifted into high gear and a wonderful connection ensued. That woman later became my wife.
That moment – my kicking the stone and deciding, “Don’t give up just yet. Give it one more try. Just one more” – was a defining moment for me. One of the character strengths at play was perseverance, another was hope (the latter is one of my signature strengths, the former is not). This impacted my identity – who I am – because when something is really important to me I give things that extra push and effort.
I turn to my innate strength and call forth perseverance to overcome the thoughts of “I can’t,” “but I might fail,” and “what’s the point?” In such moments, it takes courage to deploy strengths, and for me, I had to at least “act brave,” even if I didn’t feel so brave in that moment.
Bringing a careful attention – or mindfulness – to the important moments in our lives can help us not only better understand ourselves, but help us realize we can take an active role and impact our life for the better.
This can be boiled into a positive intervention called the Defining Moments Exercise. Want to give it a try?
Here are the steps to practice the Defining Moments Exercise:
1.) Defining moment:
Name one moment in time that has had a positive effect on you. Preferably, choose a moment in which you took action in some way. This moment doesn’t have to be dramatic, simply any moment that has had a meaningful impact on you…
…keep reading the full version of this with the complete description of the exercise HERE and again, don't forget to actually DO THIS, not just read about it, to ensure you gain the full benefit : )