Since my blog is called Pursuing Passions, I was keen to learn more about the dualistic nature of passion when I attended the First World Congress on Positive Psychology this past weekend in Philadelphia.
That there is good passion and bad passion is not new. But appreciating the psychological impacts of good and bad passion is of interest. Of even greater interest is how to cultivate more good passion and why does that matter?
Robert J. Vallerand, Professor of Psychology at Universite du Quebec a Montreal defines passion “as a strong inclination toward an activity that people like, find important, and in which they invest time and energy.”
Vallerand’s model posits the existence of two types of passion – harmonious passion and obsessive passion – each associated with different outcomes and experiences. [click to continue…]
Life is what happens to us when we have other plans, is, I think, a paraphrase of John Lennon, the great lyricist of Beatles fame. Perhaps Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President-elect) in Iran could be thinking just that right now, as the people Iran rise up to demonstrate that they had other plans. Big story to be continued.
So when life happens, it can mean we are thrown off life’s course as we have designed it. Barriers and challenges get in the way of what we dreamed our life to be. The vision we held becomes blurred, cloudy or even blacks out. It can happen when we get very sick, lose family members, our jobs, our homes and businesses. There are so many stories out there in our current climate that seem to suggest life doesn’t always go according to plan.
Right in your face steps the aliveness of life – with its fullest passion urging you to take personal responsibility for what you really care about. History shows us repeatedly that human resiliency and adaptability triumphs. In times such as these, we reconnect to our universal human values and feel that which makes us alive.
So whether you are protesting to have your vote counted in Iran, for medical reform in the US, for a fair living wage in developing countries , or in support of your own personal challenges whereever you are, let passion be your power!
So “flourishing” is forefront of my mind lately- see earlier post about our workshop at the recent 2009 BAWB Global Forum (Business as an Agent of World Benefit). Therefore, it’s not unusual that the reticular activating system (RAS) kicks in and “everything”, speaks to me of “flourishing”. The antennae coming out of my temples are vibrating with increased frequency, picking up signals from everywhere focused on “flourishing”. And, I will concede, it could be my filtering system making it so.
I have reason to be excited. Our workshop “Flourishing Destinies: sustaining continuity for positive change” received media attention and was the lead story yesterday in Axiomnews , based in Ontaria Canada and whose mission is “to publish news, on behalf of organizations, that catalyzes meaningful contribution.” [click to continue…]
