Great Expectations

I’ve been wondering if life might be a little easier if we had no expectations of each other.  It seems that almost all disagreements and divides come down to a sense that expectations are not met. But what is the cost of having no expectations?  And how do can we gain benefit from shared expectations?

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Emotional Agility

“Emotional agility” was named by Harvard Business Review as the “Idea of the year” for 2016. The book by psychologist Susan David PhD, “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life” provides tips on how to best interact with our thoughts and feelings in a way that helps us to reach our personal and professional goals.

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Resilience: Its not what you think

I don’t often tell people about the kind of psychology I do.  It’s not that I’m not proud of it, but because it is generally misunderstood. When I tell people my work involves applying positive psychology and building resilience in the workplace, they usually look at me like I’m a flake.  It seems they picture me facilitating group hugs and Kumbaya sing alongs.  (Image source: reachout.com) 

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Learning: Why it’s easier said than done

How can you learn and grow, when you feel you need to know it all to begin with?  We are habituated to measure our success by external validation.  For children, this may take the form of stickers, praise or grades at school.  For us adults, it includes promotions, pay rises and positive feedback. Unfortunately, this external validation can undermine our capacity to learn and grow. (Image source: www.holidayssun.com; Puerto Banus at night)

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GRIT

An inspiring review of Angela Duckworth’s book Grit, by Miriam Yates, Consulting Psychologist at Within Consulting.  

Why do you need Grit? How do you get it? And why talent isn’t everything!

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