What Are the Keys to a Successful Career? Identifying Flow in Your Life Presented by: Jill Stratton, Ph.D. jill.stratton@gmail.com

Psychology What comes to mind?

Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. --Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania

Negative Versus Positive Psychology

Life Satisfaction Anxiety Depression Joy Schizophrenia Happiness 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 Life Satisfaction Anxiety Depression Joy Schizophrenia Happiness 142,988 80,891 125,162 7,967 4,921 7,428

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life." ~John Lennon

What are 3 things that bring you JOY right now?

Less positive nuns: 33% lived to be 85 Happy nuns: 90% lived to be 85 The Nun Study Less positive nuns: 33% lived to be 85 Happy nuns: 90% lived to be 85 On average, the happier nuns lived 9 years longer than the less happy nuns. Danner (2001)

The Nun Study

Subjective Well Being = ∑( PA) / ∑(NA) + Meaning & Purpose Happiness = The Sum of our Positive Affect / The Sum of our Negative Affect Subjective Well Being = ∑( PA) / ∑(NA) + Meaning & Purpose

Lyubomirsky’s Determinants of Happiness

Circumstances = 10-15% of the difference between Research on the “Circumstances” Income/Wealth Age Gender Marriage Religion Education Beauty Circumstances = 10-15% of the difference between happy and unhappy people !!

What about lottery winners?

Focus on your strengths Cultivate relationships What Are Some Intentional Acts? Focus on your strengths Cultivate relationships Express gratitude for what you have/what is going well Help other people Stay optimistic, avoid pessimism Stay in shape, live healthy Try to rebound quickly from negative events Have goals and ambitions that you value

Write down one of your top strengths. Be specific!

Activity

Provide a deep sense of meaning Natural Effortless  Flow Energizing Provide a deep sense of meaning Connect you with the deepest sense of who you are Building upon your strengths leads to a significant boost in happiness and well-being. ~Dr. Wendy Ulrich

People who do focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs. They are more productive too, both individually and in teams. And they are more than three times as likely to say they have an excellent quality of life. ~The Gallup Organization

Flow Comes out of Positive Psychology Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. --Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania

Flow + Joy = Career Success FLOW Defined… Csikszentmihalyi defines flow “as an almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness.” Flow + Joy = Career Success

So what exactly is FLOW? Flow- When individuals engage in activities and lose awareness of time and space, they are involved with flow experiences. Think of an activity you did as a child when you lost all track of time …..

Can you think of someone who embodies Flow? Musicians Athletes Kids at play

9 Characteristics of Flow Clear Goals Unambiguous and immediate feedback Skills that match challenges Merging of action and awareness Centering of attention on a limited stimulus field A sense of potential control A loss of self-consciousness An altered sense of time An autotelic experience

Skills that Match Challenges

How can I identify what puts me in Flow? What do you like to do? Do more of it! Results? Talk to a trusted advisor or coach Learn something new Meditate Identify your strengths, use your strengths Be present and acknowledge what brings you joy!

Think of one way in which flow connects with you in your professional life…

Think about a time you were in flow… What skills and abilities did you use when you were in flow? What would your life look like if you spent more time in flow? What brings you joy in your life, and how can you spend more time doing that?

What do you need to change in your professional life to obtain flow? Attitude? People? Career or a Job? Living in the Moment? Appreciation? New Challenges? Take a risk?

What can you achieve by maximizing your own Flow?

Does flow make a person happy? “In many ways, the secret to a happy life is to learn to get flow from as many of the things we have to do as possible” (Csik, p. 113).

May the “flow” be with you!

Let’s continue the conversation! THANK YOU! Let’s continue the conversation! Jill Stratton jill.stratton@gmail.com www.jillstratton.com