The Circle of Influence v. The Circle of Concern
The Circle of Influence and The Circle of Concern (The Circles) were first introduced to me by Stephen Covey in his hugely popular book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (based on Julian Rotter’s work) is a concept I regularly come back to, as it is an easy to remember guide for where I […]
The Yin and Yang of Happiness
Happiness is a complex topic. And what makes it even more so is when some researchers claim that there are in fact two types of happiness – hedonic and eudaimonic. Hedonic happiness refers to the single minded pursuit of in-the-moment pleasure. Hedonism aims for a presence of positive emotions and a higher sense of life […]
The Happy Pie
How would you feel if someone told you that you controlled 40% of your happiness? This may come as a surprise to some given most of us tend to assume that our happiness is largely dependent on external factors such as a great job, a loving partner, a steady cash flow etc. Sonja Lyubomirsky is […]
The Power of Purpose
If tomorrow was your last day on Earth, what would you do? Think about this for a minute. Those things you listed off in your head, how many of them are you doing each day? Often what comes to mind when we are asked this question is very different to the reality of how we […]
The Lost Generation
What do you think your life will look like in 30 years? I am far from a poetry enthusiast yet Jonathan Reed’s poem “The Lost Generation” is one I love and often share. Reed won second place in the American Association of Retired Persons ‘U@50’ contest in 2007, where contestants were asked to create a video […]
The Case of the Imposter
“You’re going to have to come with us. You have been found out. Your time here is up”. “Finally!” you think to yourself as you are escorted out of your office building and breathe a sigh of relief that Management have uncovered your incompetence long at last… Does anyone else ever feel like it is […]
Book Review: Man’s Search for Meaning
I’m sure you have been given loads of book recommendations over the years that you have either taken on board or left behind. Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning is a piece of literature that belongs in that first camp and I have no doubt that the other 10 million people who have read it, […]
The life changing magic of PERMA
Who would have thought that five letters could have such a profound impact on my life? I was first introduced to PERMA in my Positive Psychology studies. And ever since, I consider this acronym as the best thing that has come my way since Netflix. If you were asked “do you know what happiness is?” […]
Being-well: Reframing wellbeing
Could wellbeing be one of the most overused terms at the moment? Everywhere I look these days; there it seems to be right there in front me. Thrown around by creative advertisers marketing the latest product or service to get you well… Don’t get me wrong, as a strong supporter of this latest self-help craze, […]