LIFE COACHING NEWSLETTER
MAY 2005
The Five Signature Strengths [1]
Second Edition
“I believe that each person possesses several signature strengths. These are strengths of character that a person self-consciously owns, celebrates, and (if he or she can arrange life successfully) exercises every day in work, love, play, and parenting.”
M. Seligman, Professor of Psychology at the University of PA
In the April Edition of The Five Signature Strengths (Vitality, Optimism, Curiosity, Love, and Gratitude) Vitality was explored. In this Second Edition, the Signature Strength of Optimism will be explored.
Optimism is classified by Peterson and Seligman as:
Hope [Optimism, Future-Mindedness, Future Orientation]
Expressions of the virtue of Transcendence [2]
These strengths forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning.
This composite strength “…is a cognitive, emotional, and motivational stance toward the future. Optimism and hope refer to a belief – perhaps wish would be a better term or even motive – that in the future good events … will outweigh or be more likely than bad events….” (Peterson and Seligman, 2004, p. 572
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul....
Emily Dickinson
One of my Christmas rituals is to watch Charles Dicken’s Scrooge – a story I loved as a child because it is about the transformation of a miserly old man who is pschologically and spiritually reborn (transcendence) after being forced to confront the reality of his mean, selfish, and greedy life. I suppose the wonder of transformation and trancendence has fascinated me ever after.
And since I could not imagine a more perfect or meaningful example of a spiritual or psychological path leading to transformation or transcendence than the Twelve Step Program, I've decided to include the Promises from this program below because they embody the essence of a path leading to a meaningful life of hope and optimism.
“THE PROMISES OF THE TWELVE STEPS
“If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through. We are going to know a freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situation which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.
THE TWELVE PROMISES
Hope instead of desperation
Faith instead of despair
Courage instead of fear
Peace of mind instead of confusion
Self-respect instead of self-contempt
Self-confidence instead of helplessness
The respect of other instead of their pity ad contempt
A clear conscience instead of a sense of guilt.
Real friendships instead of loneliness.
A clear pattern of life instead of a purposeless existence.
The love an understanding of our families instead of their doubts and fears.
The freedom of a happy life instead"
Angela Maffeo
May 2005
The schedule for the Day of Self-Discovery Programs at Radcliffe for 2005 is:
Sunday, June 5, 2005
For more information, visit
www.discoveryourpsychologicaltype.org.
amaffeo@post.harvard.edu
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[1] A signature strength is experienced as :
A sense of ownership and authenticity (“This is the real me”)
A feeling of excitement while displaying it, particularly at first
A rapid learning curve as the strength is first practiced
Continuous learning of new ways to enact the strength
A sense of yearning to find ways to use it
A feeling of inevitability is using the strength (“Try and stop me”)
Invigoration rather than exhaustion while using the strength
The creation and pursuit of personal projects that revolve around it
Joy, zest, enthusiasm, even ecstasy while using it
[2] Transcendence - "...the connection to something higher- the belief that there is meaning or purpose larger than ourselves. Transcendence ... is the opposite of nihilism, the contention that life has no meaning." - P. 38
