Approximately nine months ago I found it. I found the answer to the questions that had ignited Her Savory Life years ago. I describe it as a movement for humanity. It turns out that in looking to find my own purpose, I found an industry that is actually about that same process of helping people find happiness. How ironic. It's called Positive Psychology, and focuses on helping humans become engaged, empowered and in control of their lives.
Dr. Martin Seligman is the founder of this new science, an evolved psychology - the science of human flourishing - which argues that rather than look at traditional methods of diagnosing illness and what is 'wrong' with people -- there is on the flip side, infinite wisdom and positive change that comes from proactively harnessing what is 'right' with people. It begins from a willingness and desire to self-reflect and commit to bettering ones self, and continues with deliberate, actionable steps to raise levels of a persons day-to-day and long-term wellbeing.
As I was studying this field, I read this quote, which took hold of me and wouldn't let go. "Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s unbecoming everything that isn’t you so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” - Author unknown.
Before starting the HSL journey, I was blindly chasing a societal norm that had dictated most of my decisions as a child, adolesent and young adult. A lot of this in my opinion, begins with having to declare who we want to be and what we want to do when we are 20 years old. For me, the everyday decision of how we want to show up in this world and what to do with that precious 24-hour period should begin at age 20. These decisions should be influenced by our values, which can really only be shaped by adversities we've faced, places we've travelled to, different people we've met, diverse cultures we've experienced, and failures we've bounced back from. Many of us don't truly get exposure to this until well after those teen years.
At 30, I can say that the authentic person I am, not molded to a job, career path or societal expectation, is ever-evolving, but anchored from one constant - love. That anchor of love has brought me to positive psychology, which I can now say is my calling and I am forever its ambassador.
And the more exciting and externally-facing part is sharing this knowledge with others. After becoming a certified practitioner of applied positive psychology, I've spent the past several months using that foundational knowledge and combining it with my own experiences to teach people how to create their own formula for happiness. Its important to say that these teachings aren't only for people who feel they need to "unbecome" any restraints or forced identities, that is just my story of how I came into this work. This material is for everyone - for people who just want to better deal with negativity in their lives; individuals who want to manage stress, or build better relationships, or get more engaged at work; or cleanse and declutter their living spaces. This is for anyone interested in bettering themselves. Its a movement for humanity.
There is so much more I want to say about PosPsy, but I will reserve for now. I am happy to say I am actively teaching flourishing workshops of all kinds to individuals and teams. Read more about that here.
And check out my student spotlight featured by my teacher, friend and Founder of The Flourishing Center, Louis Alloro.
