Practice Kindness Amazing Things Will Happen
An
authentic life with flow, zest, and gratitude is meaningful, engaging and
pleasant. In order to want to optimize
life we have to be willing to want to promote happiness into our lives. However, becoming happier and maintaining
happiness is not easy, it takes work (Peterson, 2006). Optimism begins with a changing your attitude
into expecting a desirable future. An
optimistic life for me leads into waking up every day, being excited and full
of energy, otherwise known as zest.
Moreover, it opens a window of feeling gratitude for everything you have
in your life and appreciating the meaningful moments of your life. Below I will discuss my present and preferred
future into optimizing the quality of my life.
My
maximizing present involves continuing to give thanks through experiencing and
expressing gratitude. I will continue to
be grateful for the individuals who are around me. Gratitude is positive for both the recipient and
the giver because the recipient is grateful for being the recipient of gratefulness
and the giver is grateful for acknowledging the recipient was in need of, or
worthy of benefit (Emmons, 2007). Emmons
(2007) suggest that those who regularly practice positive thinking reap
emotional, interpersonal and personal benefits.
Therefore, I will continue to practice gratitude in my present life.
Furthermore, in my maximizing present I intend
to continue to spread the wisdoms of “ARK” (Acts of Random Kindness). I had the opportunity as project manager at Sunset
Community Center every Monday for eight weeks of day-camp to teach the acronym
“ARK” to an average of 40 new kids a week between the ages of 5-12 years
old. Also, I ran an “ARK” activity with
some Vancouver city Day-Camp staff and discussed with them the power of
ARK. Every day for eight weeks before
children and staff went home we placed
our hands all in the middle of the carpet piling on top of each other’s hands
and yell “Longevity” on the count of three. Completing these activities with
the children and staff at my work has enhanced my work environment through
building positive relationships with the kids and staff members. Before the
work day begins my staff and I go around in a circle listing one thing we are
grateful for and then move on with our days activities. Not only has this enhanced
my work environment, but it has left an impact on my life in general. I leave work in a mental and physical
positive state which makes me feel less exhausted at the end of the day, because
I am grateful for a positive work environment. ARK is very important to me
because it creates a different type of subjective happiness when you are
helping someone else in need. It allows you to feel selfless, and continue to
help others in your daily life routines. It last much longer then a personal
pleasurable experience, and creates feelings of hedonism (Peterson, 2006).
Moreover, it includes feelings of meaning, engagement, pleasure and victory
(Peterson, 2006). This summer I have
felt so much intrinsic motivation to wake up in the morning to go to work, and
during my workday I have felt a flush of feelings of flow making a whole eight
hour shift fly by. Furthermore, in terms
of my physiology I am currently taking a multivitamin and omega 3 flax seed
fish oil tablet and end my day with a calcium pill. These supplements will help boost my positive
emotions, and reduce depression, anxiety and anger (Peterson, 2006). Overall, it will increase my longevity by
living a healthy active lifestyle. Therefore, in my maximizing present I would
like to broaden and build on my positive emotions through gratitude, ARK and
living a healthy and active lifestyle.
In
addition, I will maximize my future through using the hope theory. My preferred
future is to be happy. I will be happy
though having a successful career as a teacher and spreading ARK through my classroom. I hope to continue to have goals in my life and challenge myself by
putting energy into my life and looking after myself through spreading positive
emotions. I hope to have high subjective well-being and high life satisfaction in
my careers and relationships. In my life I hope to experience inner outcomes
such as; enjoyment, savoring, remembering, pleasure and positive feelings
(Peterson, 2006). I do not have an end
date of this time line of events because chromos otherwise known as time
perspective is running out. Life is
short and changes in my life are going to begin today. I will have to be very strict with myself and
make sure I accomplish the goals I want while being happy and living everyday
as if it were my last. So why not practice kindness in our lives, what do we have to lose?
I would like to dedicate my first
blog to a wonderful co-worker Monica Dhaliwal who helped in motivating me to
create a blog and as she put it “make them live.” Thank you for savoring the gratitude
exercises!
References
Emmons, R. (2007). Thanks: How the New
Science of Gratitude Can Make you Happier. Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in
positive psychology. New York, NY:
Oxford University Press.
