Virtue of Citizenship (strength of com- munity): teamwork, leadership and fairness
Virtue of Temperance (strength of self): forgiveness, humility, prudence and self- regulation
Virtue of Transcendence (strength of spir- it): appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor and spirituality
We all possess the 24 strengths, Be as Happy as a Pup by Lisa Sullivan O
ne beautiful lesson dogs teach us is to be present in the now. Dogs are frequently happy because they
aren’t too concerned about many things in life. T at’s not so easy for humans. We have things to do, bills to pay, families to take care of and more, but there are research-proven ways to tap into our happiness. One of those is to focus on our character strengths. Character strengths are the positive
parts of our personality that impact how we think, feel and behave, and are the keys to being our best selves. T ey develop from our experiences, give us energy and sustain us. T ey are diff erent from our other strengths, such as unique skills, talents, interests and resources because character strengths refl ect our real selves—who we are at our core.
T e leader in the research of character
strengths is the VIA Institute on Charac- ter, a nonprofi t organization dedicated to bringing the science of character strengths to the world. T rough the research of Dr. Neal Mayerson and Dr. Martin Seligman, and research of more than 5 million people from over 190 countries, they discovered there are 24 character strengths, each com- ing under the heading of six broad virtues:
Virtue of Wisdom (strength of head): creativity, curiosity; judgment, love of learning and perspective
Virtue of Courage (strength of heart): bravery, perseverance, honesty and zest
Virtue of Humanity (strength of others): love, kindness and social intelligence
If You Are Reading This, So Are Your Potential Customers.
but in varying degrees, giving each of us a unique character profi le. Research done at the VIA Institute on Character shows focusing on our top fi ve signature strengths is benefi cial, making us happier and more successful. One of the best tools to find our
top signature strengths is the 10-min- ute VIA Survey of Character Strengths (
ViaCharacter.org) and is at the heart of the research on character strengths. It was created by a team of social scientists that scoured the world for ways to iden- tify, measure and develop what is “good” in people. The VIA Survey is regarded as a central tool of positive psychol- ogy and has been used in hundreds of research studies, resulting in better workplaces, schools, teams and lives the world over. By focusing on our signature
strengths, we have a sense of fl ourish- ing and purpose. We feel happier, more engaged and energized. Being more dog- like may bring more happiness. Be play- ful. Walk in the park. Dance and scamper. Play fetch. Dig in the mud. Roll in the grass. Take a good nap every day. True happiness is acquired by living a full, ful- fi lling and real life, one that serves us and others well. Tapping into and focusing on our character strengths is a wonderful way to do that.
8 Austin Edition
Contact us today for ad rates. 512-614-4282
AustinAwakenings.com
Lisa Sullivan is the owner of T e Happiness Element, in Dripping Springs, a company that provides science-based positivity work- shops for companies and happiness retreats for women. For more information, email
Info@HappinessElement.com or visit
HappinessElement.com and CampAttaGirl. com. See ad, page 18.
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