The Pursuit of Happiness: It Depends...

We have a Declaration of Independence, but we also need a Declaration of Interdependence:

No one succeeds alone, gains freedom alone, or finds joy alone.

Our lives, liberties, and happiness are intertwined.#TuesdayThoughts

— Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) August 21, 2018

September 5th, Wednesday:

1. Journal Prompt(s):

A. What is your "Pursuit of Happiness"?

B. When was the last time you were truly happy?

C. Thoughts on this music video - consider the irony:

Genius.com Lyrics



2. Jumpstart on HOMEWORK - and catch up and review expectations for Seminar Paragraphs:



3. Shawn Achor - studied and taught positive psychology at Harvard University for 12 years.

Now he runs Good Think Inc.

 He concludes his TED Talk: 

We've found there are ways that you can train your brain to be able to become more positive. In just a two-minute span of time done for 21 days in a row, we can actually rewire your brain, allowing your brain to actually work more optimistically and more successfully. We've done these things in research now in every company that I've worked with, getting them to write down three new things that they're grateful for for 21 days in a row, three new things each day. And at the end of that, their brain starts to retain a patternof scanning the world not for the negative, but for the positive first. 

Journaling about one positive experience you've had over the past 24 hours allows your brain to relive it. Exercise teaches your brain that your behavior matters. We find that meditation allows your brain to get over the cultural ADHD that we've been creating by trying to do multiple tasks at once and allows our brains to focus on the task at hand. And finally, random acts of kindness are conscious acts of kindness.We get people, when they open up their inbox, to write one positive email praising or thanking somebody in their support network. 

And by doing these activities and by training your brain just like we train our bodies, what we've found is we can reverse the formula for happiness and success, and in doing so, not only create ripples of positivity, but a real revolution.