"Eagles come in all shapes and sizes, but you will recognize them by their attitudes."
 

Charles Prestwick Scott

The field of Psychology has taken a right turn! In addition to its longtime goal of understanding and treating psychological problems, it is now in the business of scientifically studying optimal human functioning and the skills that lead to creating, enhancing and maintaining personal and professional well-being. At long last, the field is paying very special attention to the strengths that help us design and achieve a life filled with joy and purpose, a life imbued with hope, energy, self-confidence and personal achievement, a life in which we're able to weather the inevitable storms with grace and resilience.

This right turn is called "Positive Psychology," and it's about the Good Life. The individual primarily responsible for igniting this movement is Martin Seligman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a past president of the American Psychological Association (APA). During his tenure as president, he heralded "Positive Psychology" as the APA theme of the year. And since then, there has been a groundswell of attention and energy devoted to the empirical study and development of the strengths that lead to the Good Life.

Positive Psychology is an approach that focuses on what's right with an individual, what strengths already exist and to what degree. It addresses the application of these strengths in the pursuit of one's life goals and dreams. It helps an individual define the effective and ineffective aspects of his or her attitude. It presents empirically-validated methods to cultivate the strengths that are empowering in terms of individual fulfillment.

The following strengths are important keys in the quest to achieve your vision and dreams:

Courage: facing your fears and taking the risks necessary for success

Optimism: believing you are a powerful force in your future

Persistence: developing patience, discipline and endurance to succeed

Living in the Present: living every moment to the optimum

Enthusiasm: achieving and maintaining a vigorous level of excitement

Resilience: bouncing back from serious adversity

More information about each of these strengths and the techniques that lead to their development is available in Dr. Esonis' latest book, It's Your Little Red Wagon... 6 Core Strengths for Navigating Your Path to the Good Life. To learn more or to order your copy, please click here.

• Refuse to cast yourself as a victim in your inner world and in your public persona; it's a straight shot to pain and disappointment. This misguided approach marginalizes your ability to live a fruitful, powerful and rewarding existence.
• Success is good for you, and so is failure.
• Expect to succeed. Trust that you will achieve superlative results.
• Passion is about living deeply, finding what inspires you, what sets your creative and emotional world ablaze, what brings purpose and meaning to your life.
• We all have limitations. Rather than allowing your limitations to bring you shame or discouragement, accept the fact that you're human, be relieved you're not perfect and see the humor in your imperfections.
• Some people avoid the possibility of failure as if it's the ultimate catastrophe. It's not failure, but rather fear-based avoidance that ravages a person's life.
• What is malignant to the human spirit is not fear, but the capitulation to fear.
• Taking risks and making courageous decisions are integral in paving the path to your personally-defined goals.
• You have a choice about how you view, react to and utilize change. You can be afraid, hoping that very little will be different from what you've come to expect. Or you can welcome change as one of your best allies. Either way, changes will occur whether you like it or not.
• Living in the present avails us the opportunity to be powerful and successful on our own behalf, to embrace the possibilities, and to become wise, insightful and connected in relationships.
  

Positive Psychology Coaching, an approach that has been advanced through robust research, helps you build the attitudinal/behavioral repertoire that can turn your dreams into reality. If you'd like to discover the power of Positive Psychology Life Coaching, please contact me for a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation. This can be arranged by visiting my website at www.PositivePathLifeCoaching.com or by calling me at 760-746-PATH (7284). And to view my latest book on Amazon.com, It's Your Little Red Wagon... 6 Core Strengths for Navigating Your Path to the Good Life, please click here.

As the Chinese proverb posits, "If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." If you're ready to make changes and want a mentor to help you discover your own positive path, schedule your consultation today. You can look forward to:

• Recognizing that you possess the power to respond to situations in ways that lead to the outcomes you desire
• Developing positive, proactive thoughts, emotions, behaviors, visions, ideas and goals
• Learning to generate the results you want in life by dictating the direction of your personally-defined path and taking steps to transform your goals and dreams into reality
• Learning to be focused, strategic and action-oriented
• Managing stress and anxiety
• Using and enhancing the core psychological strengths
• Being able to turn adversity into promise
• Relaxing and enjoying life

Sharon S. Esonis, Ph.D.

Psychologist / Life Coach

San Diego, California

Telephone: 760-746-PATH (7284)

Email: ThePositivePath@cox.net

Website: www.PositivePathLifeCoaching.com