## Outcomes --- Daily meaningful activities using skills you already have gets you into flow. --- Flow frequently brings **outcomes**: - emotional outcomes (makes us happy) - material outcomes (fruits of our labour) --- Outcomes keep us going. --- ### But sometimes... we get derailed by bad mood - by negative events or emotions around us - due to our own failing - by recalling a negative past and lose our flow. --- Negativity captures our attention more than positivity. --- #### So we stay down due to the negative feedback loop: Negativity and pessimism reinforce themselves. --- We need **emotional stability** to keep us going. --- ### Negativity hinders progress --- #### Hamster in a box

 

-V- #### Hamster in a box - when put in a box with a lid, it will try to jump out - and after a day or two it will give up and never try again - even once the lid is removed -V- --- #### Learned helplessness [Martin Seligman] -V- #### Baby Elephant Syndrome ... --- #### Hamster Procrastination Cycle 1. Do nothing 2. Have regrets 3. Doubt yourself 4. Feel helpless 5. GOTO 1 --- #### How to break out? --- ### Time Perspectives [Philip Zimbardo] - positive past - negative past - present - future --- Focusing on - ~~positive past~~ - **negative past** - **present** - ~~future~~ results in a hamster, depressions. --- Refocusing on - **positive past** - ~~negative past~~ - ~~present~~ - **future** breaks out of the hamster. --- #### Positive Cycle of Flow 1. Do meaningful actions 2. Feel good 3. Growing skills 4. Believe in yourself 5. GOTO 1 --- #### How to orient yourself towards the future? Personal Vision --- #### How to perceive your past positively? Choice of attitude --- We are free to choose our reaction to events. [Viktor Frankl] --- We choose **how we interpret** our past. --- ### TOOL: Choice of attitude (originally named *Inner-game*; not related to Timothy Gallwey's work) --- Interpreting seemingly *negative events* as **neutral** or even **positive**. --- Event → 😟/😐/😀
#### Default: Failure → 😟
#### Choice: Failure → 😐/😀
Micro-habit that can be trained. --- ### TOOL: Three Good Things [Martin Seligman] --- At the end of every day, think about 3 things that went well for you. --- #### Why? Increases positive emotions, hope and optimism. Strengthens your focus on positive past. --- #### Learned optimism [Martin Seligman] --- ### My Journey ...