Positive Psychology
Sorry, this post was meant to be written on Friday, but due to my CRAZY work schedule this weekend.. well, obviously it didn't. So, here it is :)
In Friday's class we watched a video (mostly because it was Friday and everyone was burnt out). In the video Shawn Achor, a professor at Harvard, was giving a speech about "positive psychology" what he defined as "concentrating on the above average, as opposed to the below average in order to move the average up."
"Happiness is a necessity." "Don't be a perfectionist." - these are quotes Achor kept repeating, and I agree, to an extent. I believe that not everyone is allowed the privileged of being happy. Yes, it is nice to feel content, and yes, there are a fortunate few who will get everything they hope for out of life. But, in this economy, in this modern world, happiness has become a luxury. I envy those few who are allowed to experience true happiness because there are many, like myself, who will have to work in jobs that don't make us happy... simply because we need the money and can't afford to do what does make us happy. If I had the choice, I would be in Africa teaching English to children in a tiny village.... but no, I can't afford the thousands of dollars that it costs to do something nice like that. So, instead, I will be here in Alberta teaching hundreds of ungrateful teenagers who would rather drop out of school. Now, obviously not all of my students will be like that, but if the kids from my high school are any indication... I'm in trouble.
Sorry for the rant, but that's just something that really ticks me off. Kids here do not realize how good they have things.
Anyway, back to the video. One quote in particular stuck in my head:
In Friday's class we watched a video (mostly because it was Friday and everyone was burnt out). In the video Shawn Achor, a professor at Harvard, was giving a speech about "positive psychology" what he defined as "concentrating on the above average, as opposed to the below average in order to move the average up."
"Happiness is a necessity." "Don't be a perfectionist." - these are quotes Achor kept repeating, and I agree, to an extent. I believe that not everyone is allowed the privileged of being happy. Yes, it is nice to feel content, and yes, there are a fortunate few who will get everything they hope for out of life. But, in this economy, in this modern world, happiness has become a luxury. I envy those few who are allowed to experience true happiness because there are many, like myself, who will have to work in jobs that don't make us happy... simply because we need the money and can't afford to do what does make us happy. If I had the choice, I would be in Africa teaching English to children in a tiny village.... but no, I can't afford the thousands of dollars that it costs to do something nice like that. So, instead, I will be here in Alberta teaching hundreds of ungrateful teenagers who would rather drop out of school. Now, obviously not all of my students will be like that, but if the kids from my high school are any indication... I'm in trouble.
Sorry for the rant, but that's just something that really ticks me off. Kids here do not realize how good they have things.
Anyway, back to the video. One quote in particular stuck in my head:
"The way of the emperor, is the way of the empire." - Confucius.
I believe this means that by being positive yourself, people around you will become positive as well. I actually experimented with this today at work. I work in a liquor store, so I see every sort of person.. super rich, super poor, super drunk, kind of drunk.. and I decided to be overly cheery just to see how they would react. Overall people responded well, they smiled back, asked how I was doing.. they were just friendly. However, there will always be those select few grumps but I didn't let them "kill my buzz" (so to speak). But my problem is: people are only human, we are going to have our "off days", no one can be cheerful 24/7. So, then, should we fake being happy for the sake of others?
I know this has been a short post, but I hope that last question is enough to leave you thinking. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Natasha.
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