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Below are some charts I’ve made throughout the past few months, originally for my own use to help develop understanding and use of these ideas (and for sharing with a few friends…although anyone is welcome to view or use them) with the purpose of filling them in and becoming more aware of what qualities I might be using and how I’m “using” those various qualities in my everyday life….and to encourage myself to use some of them more often…
I’m also encouraging myself to be true to nurturing, developing and appreciating my own versions of the variety and variations of strengths and qualities that I “have” ……or have the potential to develop… of happily living whatever varied combinations of positive qualities I might have the potential for living…which of course is vast……as it also is for each and every one of us…….
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learning to recognize, honor and appreciate
each of our own
personally “unique”
variety and variations of “positive qualities” and “strengths,”
the variety and variation of combinations of qualities we might have
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I learned about many of these ideas in Lauren Vannett’s OLLI classes last spring, fall and in January- March, 2016 Ollie Classes at Cal Berkeley. A few topics that Lauren introduced in her classes: VIA Core Strengths, Positive Emotions and Positive Psychology quizzes and explanations, Resilience etc :
VIA Institute on CharacterUPenn Authentic Happiness
UPenn Questionaires and Surveys, including VIA Strengths
Ryan Niemiec Website: Resources and Links
Barbara Fredrickson Positive Emotions and Psychology
Martin Seligman, Flourish, PERMA qualities
Al Siebert, The Resiliency Advantage
There are also ideas in some of these charts from other books and from ideas that I’ve learned from Buddhist teachings, other classes and from a variety of wonderful books.
Throughout this “post” I’ve mixed:
- more “cognitively” based, linear charts encouraging understanding, accessing and using positive strengths, skills and qualities
- with more “heart based” visual image pages…warming my heart to remind and encourage myself to happily “live” these qualities with richness and fullness…
Using these charts to learn to pause, notice, recognize and appreciate various strengths and positive qualities we are probably using throughout each day…
VIA Core Strengths, PERMA Flourish Qualities,
Mayo Clinic Resilience Qualities, Positivity Qualities, Positive Emotions
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More wonderfully positive qualities we’re probably using each day…
The qualities of…
The Six Perfections, The 4 Immeasuables,
“The 5 A’s” “Effective Action” “Optimistic Explanatory Style”
Positive ABCDE, Well-Being Components
….pausing, noticing, recognizing and appreciating these many wonderful qualities,
as we’re living them…
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One of the first “daily checklist” charts, noticing only VIA Core Strengths
Below: an example of a chart that I created and filled in several times a week, after taking part in some very ordinary, everyday activities. I’m continuing to fill these in for new activities, because I seemed to gain such benefit from doing that and looking at the “positive evidence” afterward… very affirming!
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I filled in only the first 2 pages of the charts, for a number of weeks.
I found that actually filling those in and then seeing how many areas I had used to be very powerful for me... I had no idea I had been using many of those positive core strengths and positive qualities = “positive evidence!”
As I learned more ideas and also wanted to include some deeply valued “practices” that I was already doing, I integrated those additional qualities into the 3rd , 4th and 5th pages of the charts.
I was quite liberal in how I interpreted using specific qualities in those activities.
I started out using x’s in boxes, but didn’t like the look of x’s. Next, I tried using “stars” but didn’t like the look of those. So I tried out using 1 -10. After awhile, I realized that if I actually used a certain quality, I would just put a 9 in that box and appreciate that I had used that quality in a sincere manner. (10 was 2 digits, so 9 was easier)
Again…filling these in and then SEEING the many strengths and qualities that I use on a regular basis in very ordinary activities was a powerful, positive “wake up” for me.
I also started noticing more of these positive qualities and strengths as I was actually using/doing/living them in the midst of activities.
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An example of a checklist I filled in this past week.
( Ordinary everyday “activities” = Went with my husband to an appointment at a local Social Security office to straighten out a MAJOR mix-up with his application; went to a special monthly lunch group for people who took an OLLI class on Neuroplasticity and Volunteering; watching an amazing Golden State Warriors basketball game on TV with my husband; went to an OLLI Rock and Roll, Beatles and Rolling Stones class in Berkeley; Reading, studying and making charts about “resilience” for using to help support myself in becoming more resilient..and then sharing some of those ideas with my husband.) Again, I was very “liberal” in recognizing what qualities I noticed I was using/living during those activities…
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PERMA, Positivity, Positive Emotions Qualities
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This next chart includes some “traits of creative people” from the research and book, Wired to Create, by Kaufman and Gregoire …terrific book! I highly recommend that book! Amazing ideas!
Also on this chart… noticing the very precious “The Six Perfections” qualities and “The Four Immeasurable” qualities
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Being sure to do all of this…
learning, thinking, reflecting, observing, identifying, recognizing and acknowledging…
with a heartfelt sense of…warmth, love and appreciation
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Adding some more ideas to the next page of the charts, including the 5 A’s from David Richo’s book, “How to Be an Adult in Relationship“
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Some wonderful ideas and examples of how we might actually “live,” “nurture” and “show” each of these “5 A’s”…as we’re connecting with each other….enriching our own lives and the lives of those around us each day. (specific ideas found in a website, Genuine Connection, Kalpana Murthy )
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My “flipped” ABCDE, for noticing, nurturing and encouraging the positives….
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No matter what positive strengths or qualities we might be using or living in each moment,
just like ourselves…all beings are wishing for….
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I’m steadily increasing my understanding of and reminding myself about these awarenesses and understandings about nurturing both my “more frequently used” strengths and qualities and the potential for developing more of ALL of these VIA Core Strengths and the many other positive qualities:
Lots of really helpful explanations and ideas in here:
( from http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/ryan-niemiec/2010052611161 )
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Studying, reflecting, noticing, creating and filling in these charts,
………..practicing………..practicing………practicing………….
“opening up to…….and creating……..each of our own positive outcomes”
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In support of encouraging having more consistently positive thoughts…letting go of hypothetical, worrying or judgmental thoughts, mostly about myself…. I created a somewhat “unusual” post proclaiming” the “strong determination” to let go of limiting or negative thinking...using the vibrant song: “Shut up and dance with me!”
Initially, I changed those word to “Hush up!…and dance with me!”…
…but now I changed the words again to the strong affirmation… speaking from a healthier part of my mind to a “less positive” aspect of my mind ….. “Wake up! and dance with me!”
It’s a really powerful, highly motivating song that is tremendously supportive of living ALL of the positive ideas in this post.
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A chart, below, that I made to easily use the ABCDE ideas … learning ….
letting go of and shifting out of possibly “less positive” ways of thinking...
leading to….shifting into….more positive ways of thinking….
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“…………thinking……………”
can go, of course, in positive OR negative directions,
when getting “less positive”….sometimes seeming to be leading me
on a bit of a “less-than-positive,” spinning carousel ride,
creating my very own “magical mystery tour”
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Learning to use the ABCDE sequence…
learning how to flexibly shift and choose…
in getting myself off that “magical mystery tour” carousel
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reading, studying and reflecting upon these ideas,
developing a deeper understanding of inter-relatedness of these ideas,
seeing how I can actually use the ideas in my everyday awareness and life,
………practicing………practicing………practicing………
with patience, perseverance and persistence,
with curiosity, courage and trust
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Quick reminder charts…. for easily remembering and using the ABCDE steps
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Using ABCDE for both challenges AND POSITIVES…I figured that if that ABCDE progression works so well for challenging “negative” thinking, that it could be “flipped” and used to support “positive” thinking, too…so that’s what I did!
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Understanding all of these ideas…nurturing all of these “positive qualities…..”
supporting opening our hearts and minds…
leading toward expanding understandings and insights….
Hopefully leading to living with deeper wisdom and compassion,
a sense of wisdom and compassion that understands…
“just like myself…every being on earth wishes for……..”
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As I’ve been studying and reflecting upon these various of ideas…
and creating “learning materials”
to support understanding and actually “living” these ideas,
….I’ve been happily……..shifting….. between…..a few “paradoxical traits” …
I love creating organized charts and using and learning from those charts….
logical, sequential learning…supported by those charts!
I also love creating and learning from….
beautiful, flowing metaphorical image pages
pages that are created from the heart…created with love…..
both are a delight to create…
both are great for supporting….
learning, shifting and opening my heart and mind….
Accessing and shifting flexibly….. back and forth….between…
“head” charts…thinking…information…logical ideas… …principles…reasonings…
“heart” …loving images…beauty… feeling….opening…flowing….becoming…
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A few heart-felt “meditation phrases” (below) …
that I use or have put together for myself…
using qualities of …..
Loving kindness wishes, Six Perfections, Immeasurables, PERMA and Resilience
…..guiding myself…..using loving “meditation phrases”….
encouraging myself to nurture and encourage more of these positive qualities of mind.
I put the various “meditation phrases” (on the next chart, below) together after reading an article that explained that doing “loving kindness meditation” every day for several weeks can have a powerful, positive effect on a sense of well being… Wow!!!…I’m good with that!!…here we go!!!
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These various “meditation phrases” …
using and enriching a few of the ideas highlighted in these flowing image pages,
images I created from my heart…for the heart
(images happily created throughout the past 10 years)
pretty “images” that support the positive qualities explained in this post
and in “meditations” from various books, Buddhist teachings etc
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Tying in with the ideas about the VIA Core strengths, Al Siebert wrote in his extremely helpful book “The Resiliency Advantage,” that highly resilient people have an internally generated sense of “identity”…. an “internal locus of control“…. and a self-created, embedded sense of “professionalism”…… well, I’m retired from my career as a Resource Specialist…so no more external “titles” or labels….so personally exploring and accessing these internally generated VIA Strengths and other positive qualities
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So….I realized that I can integrate and extend my awareness of these VIA core strengths and positive qualities ideas to source my own “sense of myself” … perhaps even developing increasingly flexible senses of “identity”… NOT just a sense of ONLY “one” limited, defined, rigid, limiting sense of self…but accessing and creating a variety of senses of “selves” ….my own senses of varying, authentic “identities,” appropriate to living authentically in varying situations and contexts….
….and living with an internally generated sense of “professionalism”….???…. perhaps, living as…. “a good-hearted human being” with lots of varied, flexibly varying, potential, positive strengths and qualities …. with no more need for any externally designated titles or labels.
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I’m realizing that perhaps I can become increasingly grounded in simply being committed to authentically living varying combinations of these positive qualities….which I can see that I’m actually doing as I look back at the daily checklists (above) that I had filled in ….
I think that I’m increasingly using and “living…”
these varied and varying combinations of positive strengths and qualities….
as much as possible…
as often as possible…
in whatever ways I might be choosing or able to be do so…
whenever I might be able to do that…
wherever I might be….
in various ordinary activities each day……
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Soooo…….for me…..nurturing and accessing deeply felt, internally generated senses of “identity“… all part of a metaphoric “dance” ….. “dancing” … living with integrity and a good heart….contributing happily and generously to the freedom and happiness of myself and others…using the “symbol” of Lady Liberty… “Dance with me!”
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Lady Liberty….
strong, steady, stable, resourceful, powerful, inspiring…
lighting the way to a greater and expanding sense of…
freedom, lightness, brightness, optimism,
resilience, hope and possibility ….~
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Lady Liberty…part of me…within me….
…..leading myself forward….
toward a future with special, heart-felt potential…~
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Accessing “her” strengths… “my” strengths…
recognizing and accessing my own variations of theses strengths and qualities,
in varying situations…with various people… using varying combinations…
“becoming” these strength …. “living” them….
supporting, nurturing and encouraging
a greater and deepening sense of…….
well being!
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I’ve been having a really, really wonderful time creating these various “learning materials!” (which, again, I originally created for my own use…and to share with a few friends…but I’m happy to share everything that I create…anything and everything in this post and in the entire Pocket Perspectives blog…and in my other blogs too….Reflections from a Friend, Hold You In My Heart, 98 Years Old and Still Writing, English 4 Me 2…. with anyone who might find them helpful…share away!)
Can you guess what might be some of my “stronger” VIA Core Strengths???……
yup! … 😀 “love of learning” “appreciation of beauty and excellence” “spirituality, sense of purpose and faith” and “creativity, ingenuity, originality……” 😀
I put these particular VIA Core Strength and Resilience “learning materials” that I’ve been creating, and am continuing to use, in the top headline tab “Greenhouse” area of my blog, Pocket Perspectives….along with several creative, (but insightful and “serious” ) off-beat presentations of some of “the wisdom teachings” from Buddhism in the “Seeding the Clouds“ headline tab area…. a quiet place, where I can put longer selections that I can easily access, view, read and reflect upon……and remind myself to “enjoy” the ideas, “nurture” these understandings and qualities, “use” them and “live” them…and happily sharing everything I write or create with anyone who happens to stop by here!
In conjunction with studying about these VIA Core Strengths and other positive qualities, I’ve also been exploring, studying and learning more about various aspects and qualities of “resilient people”… and using those excellent ideas for helping myself in developing a steadier, more stable sense of resilience…which of course, ties in with nurturing all of these VIA Core strengths and other positive qualities…
I’m actually very motivated to develop a greater understanding about and sense of “resilience,” after an understandable, but difficult, “stumble” this past fall and winter, after the passing of my 98 year old aunt (September 7 ) and my 97 year old mother (November 20)…and after I had several biopsies and operations in November and December… which turned out fine…all is well….but still…wanting to understand what goes into nurturing and increasing a sense of “resiliency”…..”…because, although I hadn’t realized this, there’s lots of research on resiliency and understandings about how resiliency is a quality that can actually be developed…and specific ways and strategies to support doing that…
Beside just studying and reading about those qualities for supporting a sense of resilience, I’ve also been creating actual “usable” learning materials to nurture and encourage myself in developing more of that sense. Some of those “resilience” ideas are here in the Greenhouse Headline tab: “9. Dance with me! Understanding and developing Resilience qualities!”
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Other people are welcome to use any of these ideas, too…I think they’re wonderful and using them seems to be leading to some really positive shifts! Hurray! “Dance with me!”
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Pocket Perspectives 