POS ITIVE THINKING
Manifesting outcomes or stumbling on happiness?
Happiness isn’t a rational logical thing, it’s a feeling. Manifestation therefore needs to be focussed on the ‘why’ & the feeling or essence that you’re looking for.
by A.C. Ping
“It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.” [Viktor Frankl]
F
ree will or destiny? Self-directed manifestation or flow? Self- reliance or praying to the gods?
Which camp do you fit into? Does it depend on what mood you’re in and/ or how things are going in your life? Martin Seligman, the father of the positive psychology movement, says the difference between pessimists and optimists is how they describe life events to themselves. When good things happen, an optimist takes the credit but a pessimist doesn’t. When bad things happen, though, a pessimist takes the blame while an optimist blames external factors. So, are you a manifestor when good or bad things happen to you? And do you jump camps when the opposite happens? And above all – where’s the balance? And how does it all tie into life happiness?
GOAL SETTING COUNTERPRODUCTIVE? Research1
Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting, the authors conclude that goal setting is a prescription-strength medication that requires careful dosing, and may have harmful side effects including neglect of non-goal areas, a rise in unethical behaviour (which includes cheating and lying about actual achievements), distorted risk preferences, and reduced intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, failure to achieve goals may result in negative consequences for self-identity and create feelings of unworthiness. Hmmm…
OKAY, HOW ABOUT HAPPINESS? In 3
Some key differences between a says that setting goals doesn’t
necessarily work, and that goal setting may actually be counterproductive. Strike one for manifestation! In the Harvard Business Review report 2 Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side
18 APRIL 2017
happy life and a meaningful life the researchers found that “Satisfying one’s needs and wants increased happiness but was largely irrelevant to meaningfulness. Happiness was largely present oriented, whereas meaningfulness involves integrating past, present, and future. For example, thinking about future and past was associated with high meaningfulness but low happiness. Higher levels of worry, stress, and anxiety were linked to higher meaningfulness but lower happiness. Concerns with personal identity and
expressing the self, contributed to meaning but not happiness.” Put simply you can lead a life high in
meaningfulness, where you spend a lot of time thinking about the past and the future – but NOT be happy. Or you can lead a meaningless life, where you are simply present, BUT be happy. Strike two for manifestation!
WHAT DOES THE IDEAL SELF WANT? But wait – before you give up on manifestation – check out 4
The ideal
self as the driver ofintentional change, which presents an alternative view to motivation, change and happiness. In this paper, the ideal self is composed of three major components: an image of a desired future, hope, and a comprehensive sense of one’s core identity. This model of the ideal self creates a comprehensive context within which a person can formulate why they want to adapt, evolve, or maintain their current desired state. The ideal self helps to organise the will and hence create a state of positive effect from within. Note the difference here? ‘Why’ – not ‘what’. Okay, so now we are getting to the heart
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