Traditionally, psychology focused on how to overcome psychological and emotional problems. Positive psychology, however, is the science of understanding how to achieve excellence by helping people to identify, develop and best use their abilities.
Here are a few basic lessons from positive psychology:
Focus on the present
Worrying about something you can’t change drains energy, but learning to focus on the present gives more personal satisfaction, while providing building blocks for a better future.
Know your strengths
Once you know your character strengths, you can then decide on how best to use them. There is a free questionnaire to identify character strengths on the Authentic Happiness website http://www.authentichappiness.com/ – registering is free and once you’ve finished you get a detailed report.
Be optimistic
Optimism is a key factor in positive psychology, and even the most pessimistic of individuals can learn to turn around their negative thinking. It is one thing to be realistically cautious and another to see nothing but negative outcomes. Optimistic people tend to live longer, get more out of life, be more successful and have better relationships.
For more, see Martin Seligman's book, Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
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