FAQ
Signature Strengths + Personal Vision = Well-being
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Principles of Positive Psychology
Q. What is Evidence-Based Life Coaching?
A. Evidence-based life coaching defines the profession of coaching as a systematic approach to inspiring growth and change from sophisticated scientific methodology. According to Dr Mell, “My practice is grounded in the principles derived from the study of Positive Psychology, and those principles guide my approach to building deeper awareness, healthier relationships, and greater happiness.”
Q. What is the science of Positive Psychology? Who is Dr. Martin Seligman? What is AuthenticHappiness.org?
Positive Psychology is a “new branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions,” according to the founder of Positive Psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman, Director of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center. “I encourage you to visit their fantastic website,” suggests Dr Mell. “Read their research and participate in their questionnaires. They’re fascinating!”
Dr. Seligman’s Positive Psychology classic, Authentic Happiness:
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Authentic-Happiness/Martin-Seligman-Ph-D/9780743222983
***FRESHEN UP-DATE: With the publication of his 2011 bestseller, Flourish, Dr Seligman refines the language, role and scope of Positive Psychology: “While certainly a part of well-being, happiness alone doesn’t give life meaning. ‘Well-being’ takes the stage front and center, and Happiness (or Positive Emotion) becomes one of the five pillars of Positive Psychology, along with Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment—or PERMA, the permanent building blocks for a life of profound fulfillment.
Buy It. Read It. Full Stop. Seligman, MEP (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. New York: Free Press. http://books.simonandschuster.com/Flourish/Martin-E-P-Seligman/9781439190760
Super Link: The Ultimate Resource on Positive Psychologyhttp://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
Q. Who is Dr. Tal Ben-Sharar?
Dr. Ben-Sharar is a graduate of and lecturer at Harvard University and is author of the best-selling book, Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment. His classes attract 1,400 students every semester, and for the last ten years, he has been “teaching personal and organizational excellence, leadership, ethics, and self-esteem” (McGraw-Hill, 2007).
Here’s the link to Dr. Ben-Sharar’s book Happier: http://www.mhprofessional.com/?page=/mhp/content/press_room/releases/products/Happier
Dr. Ben-Sharar tells the reader that his intention for Happier is to offer each reader a personal workbook, recognizing that the work of positive growth and change requires reflection and action. He adds that if you read each chapter and “incorporate its simple exercises into your daily routine you will see every aspect of your life with new eyes and a new sense of purpose.”
“I’ve recommended this book [Happier] countless times to family members, friends and clients, and to a person, they’ve responded with glowing praise.’ — Dr Mell
Q. What’s the connection to Positive Psychology, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Ronald Siegel?
Harvard Medical School teaches the principles of Positive Psychology in its formal curriculum, awards a Master in Applied Positive Psychology degree, and encourages best practices and scholarship in life coaching through its Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital and The Center for Applied Positive Psychology: “Positive psychology provides a robust theoretical and empirical basis for health, life, and leadership coaching” (www.instituteofcoaching.org).
Here’s the link to the Center’s website: http://www.instituteofcoaching.org/index.cfm?page=psychology
Dr. Ronald Siegel, a Harvard Medical School professor, served as editor on a special health report titled Positive Psychology (click to special health reporthttp://www.health.harvard.edu/special_health_reports/Positive-Psychology) and reveals the “Five Broad Paths to Happiness” that researchers can document in their study.
Click on a fantastic video featuring Dr. Ronald Siegel on Positive Psychologyhttp://www.youtube.com/user/HarvardHealthPub
Q. What’s important about life after 50 and Positive Psychology from the Harvard Special Health Report?
Let me assure you, as a person living life after 50 or someone who loves a Silver Sage, the complete Harvard Special Health Report on Positive Psychology is worth the read. Specifically for people over 50, the Report cites a recent study in 2006, published in theJournal of Economic Psychology, that youth fails to contribute to happiness and that, happily, adults achieve greater happiness as we move “into and through middle age” (Report, pg 12). In fact, happiness levels do decline but slowly as we move through old age and wrestle with health problems and the gradual loss of our personal freedoms.
The Report also cites a review of numerous studies on happiness and longevity completed in 2008 by Dutch sociologist Ruut Veenhoven that confirms that happiness appears to protect us against illness. This information is surely significant for life after 50: “If you care about your physical well-being, try increasing your happiness — there is some scientific evidence it could make your life longer and healthier” (pg 8). The best insurance against health problems is the long-term expression of positive emotions, so thinking positive thoughts for a month won’t necessarily cure heart disease if you already have it, but preventive measures like relaxation techniques and maintaining a positive outlook — over a period of years — can “reduce your risk of heart problems” (pg 8), and science tells us they work.
Please take time to read the Nun Study in the Report, conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky. Researchers found a “very strong association between the expression of positive emotions and longevity” (pg 8). Then, measure your own current level of satisfaction by taking the “Satisfaction With Life Scale” on page 10 in Positive Psychology or, better yet, click on the fantastic U Penn site athttp://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx and explore numerous, in-depth questionnaires online — absolutely free!
Q. Is it scientific fact? Are 50-plus adults happier than younger people?
In a word, Yes! The famous words of wise, old Aristotle ring true for us as we grow wiser: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” While youth is glamorous and glitzy in images from popular culture, the years up-to-and-through Middle Age are the happiest.
Tal Ben-Sharar (Happier, 2007) suggests that over time we learn to ask ourselves smarter questions, including “How can I become happier?” not whether I’m happy or not: “This question acknowledges the nature of happiness and the fact that its pursuit is an ongoing process best represented by an infinite continuum, not by a finite point. I am happier today than I was five years ago, and I hope to be happier five years from now than I am today” (Happier, pg 8).
Laura Kohn, a certified hypnotherapist and specialist working with clients in trauma therapy, indicates that her experience is that people do not have the life experience and perspective to fully understand their lives and the implications of their values and choices until they’re thirty-five years old (www.floridatraumetherapy.com).
Q. Who are Dr. Carol Kauffman, Dr. Susan David, and Ms. Margaret Moore?
These three women are co-directors of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kauffman is a psychologist at McLean and a professional coach (www.carolkauffman.com) and Dr. David and Margaret Moore often work and present in tandem to promote research and teaching in evidence-based psychology (www.evidencebasedpsychology.com).
Q. What is the International Positive Psychology Association?
The IPPA is a well-regarded organization for practitioners, researchers, students and advocates of Positive Psychology, and their mission and focus are on global well-being. Discover more at (www.ippanetwork.org).
Q. What is the link to a reputable daily source of Positive Psychology news?
Click to www.pos-psych.com.
Q. What about formal training for life coaches? Who are Berry Fowler and Barbara Wainwright?
Individually and collectively, Fowler and Wainwright are Life Coaching Powerhouses. Together, they have founded Fowler Wainwright International, an institute for professional coaching (www.fowlerwainwright.com). According to their training website, “The Professional Life Coaching System developed by Fowler Wainwright International enables its graduates to provide effective results-driven coaching by utilizing FWI’s proven professional tools and methodologies.”
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Q. What is significant about the science of Positive Psychology to you, Dr Mell? Is it personal?
For me, the science of Positive Psychology affirms that life coaching works! As a practitioner, I’m dedicated to using and supporting the most effective concepts and methods for people—in my case, people approaching and over 50 — who are seeking the best life coaching strategies possible. Consider this: if there are tried-and-true measures that you could learn and practice that will help you live a more joyful life every day and will help you develop a clearer path to greater fulfillment, don’t you want your Life Coach to know about these measures and help you maximize their potential in YOUR life?
Yes, of course you do! And that’s my promise to you. I’m committed to evidence-based life coaching — implementing best practices in my own work and always pursuing the most current research in best practices toward my lifelong learning.
Time is precious; that’s a lesson that every Silver Sage has learned first-hand. Let’s work together to Optimize Aging by making the most of our time and energy on evidence-based approaches that WORK!
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Aging Myths: Genius, Precocity & Late Bloomers
Q. Can you connect Malcolm Gladwell and exploding myths about aging?
In the fall of 2008 (precisely, the October 20, 2008, issue of The New Yorker), best-selling author and trends-spotter Malcolm Gladwell wrote an exceptional article for The New Yorker that is a must-read for people interested in Optimizing Aging. The title? “Late Bloomers: Why Do We Equate Genius with Precocity?”
Gladwell’s premise is that, if we blindly accept a direct connection between genius and precocity, we fail to recognize late bloomers and the value of experience and perseverance. The article focuses primarily on creative genius and examines three central arts: poetry, film and visual art, but he begins the article with a richly drawn anecdote about “Ben Fountain” and his departure after law school from a real-estate firm in Dallas to write fiction. In short, Fountain becomes “an overnight success” after years of toiling at writing and lots of rejection, proving Gladwell’s argument that, while there are lots of examples in music, poetry and art of precocious youths who write and perform brilliant music or poetry or who create and show magnificent masterpieces of art, there are far more people who, after years and years of trial-and-error and diligent searching, arediscovered late.
He concludes by acknowledging the romantic notion of a child born to genius, but leaves the reader with this bit of critical reasoning: ” …sometimes genius is anything but rarefied; sometimes it’s just the thing that emerges after twenty years of working at your kitchen table” (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/20/081020fa_fact_gladwell).
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The Art of Aging Gracefully
Q. So, what does the research teach us about aging gracefully?
This phrase comes from a wonderful article by Katherine Kam, a feature writer for the WebMD website. The article reveals several common traits that experts say facilitate successful aging. People who age successfully and happily (1) maintain positive attitudes, (2) live mindfully in the here-and-now, (3) accept change as inevitable without losing hope, and (4) continue to find or pursue interests that are important to them. Click here for the complete article: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/the-art-of-aging-gracefully