There is now a new science called Positive Psychology that focuses on how live a happy life, instead of focusing on problems, crisis, conflict, and misery. It has had tremendous results in helping people live joyful, productive and fulfilled lives. Basically, it teaches us how to respond to negative influences and habits in our lives and to turn them into a positive and productive results.
Prior to this breakthrough in the study of our mind, emotions, and resulting behaviors, psychology focused on our sub-conscious, searching for childhood trauma and our past unresolved conflicts and negative experiences. There was no attempt to show people how to be happy, grateful, virtuous, altruistic, and to have a positive view of their lives. Instead, it focused on escaping from pain; but, never how to live free from inner obstacles and to experience joy, intimacy, and fulfillment. It did not show how to find an answer to humanities’ persistent query: How do I live happily?
The center of this revolution in the science of our mind, emotions and behavior is located at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Marty Seligman is the founder of this new direction in psychology. UPenn offers this as a graduate course, (in which I am currently enrolled with Dr. Seligman).
The US Army now uses this new psychology to prevent PTSD. Their program is called “Master Resiliency Training.” It has proven to be 85% effective! They are using it to make more effective soldiers, who know how to assimilate the horrors of war and to continue the fight.
Few of us, if any, in life will escape bad experiences, afflictions, sadness, difficulties, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles within and without us. All of these are a part of the human experience. So what we must learn to rise above negative experiences and to channel such experiences in our minds and hearts into directions that do not create long lasting harm; but, on the contrary, to even have beneficial effects on our behavior and attitude.
Patriotic Hearts, a 501c3 non-profit, I founded in 2007, is now developing an online course to teach everyone this science of Happiness. The US Army has loaned us a Command Sergeant Major in the Human Resources department, who is a teacher and a trainer of this course, to work with us. We are calling it Soar to Success. And we have begun a new program to use as a vehicle to bring it to college students.
Employers on Campus will be introducing this positivity education at colleges across the US. These events will have multiple purposes. We bring 10 companies, seeking college educated people, to work for them, or to intern with them. The H.R. representatives from the attending businesses present for 5-7 minutes, Then they go to their assigned interview spaces; and, any students who wants to talk further or to make application can do so.
Soar to Success will also be given an introduction to the students, and to the H.R. representatives. The students can enroll and start our Positive Psychology course. The businesses can enroll their employees online too; or, have us givea more in-depth training at their locations.
This revolutionary, new psychology has application to a myriad of purposes. It can help athletes, coaches, leaders, even entire countries can be affected if these principles are taught from early school years and on up.
I am excited, hopeful, and full of expectation that millions of lives can be made much better through this science.
Mark Baird — Let’s connect:
