Hanging on to Hope
From Acknowledgement to Action
“Hanging on to Hope” is 1 year old!
In September of this year, the “Hanging on to Hope” website and Blog will be celebrating its first year and we want to especially thank you for both your encouragement and support throughout this initial year. Our website remains, and will continue to remain, as a free resource for anyone dealing with adversity in their lives or individuals who are simply looking for resources to increase their life experiences. We do not advertise or charge any fees and we value and promote freedom of thought, expression and open discussion.
After one year, it’s time to celebrate! And what better way than to include a 1-year photo of an adorable puppy dog by the name of “Hope” whose owner is a friend and former colleague of mine. (Please note: Hope, the puppy dog is not to be confused with our cartoon cat named “Hope”). Hope, the puppy dog, turned 1 year old in May and the candle on her cake can serve as a beacon of light to a better and brighter future!
Happiness Still Matters!
As I emphasized in our previous blog message in June, Happiness still matters in our lives…perhaps now, more than ever as inflation continues to rage on globally and trust in our political leaders and the media has come in to question.
It seems to me that restoring hope in the future and happiness in our lives needs to become a priority for all of us. But how do we do that?
Fortunately we have some competent guides…
For several years, Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of several books, including Authentic Happiness, and Flourish and his colleagues have been researching the subjects of happiness and positive psychology. They have much to say about maintaining a hopeful and happy outlook in spite of the circumstances we face.
In his book Flourish: A visionary new understanding of Happiness and well-being, Seligman provides several examples and exercises which can help guide us toward greater happiness and well-being. These include:
The Kindness Exercise
“Find one wholly unexpected kind thing to do tomorrow and just do it. Notice what happens to your mood.”
Seligman goes on to have us consider the relationships in our lives and asks if there is someone in our life whom you would feel comfortable calling at four in the morning to tell your troubles to? We need to consciously remember that this individual or these individuals exist in our lives and we need to continue to cultivate and cherish these relationships. They contribute to our well-being.
From: Seligman, Martin E.P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Atria Paperback, Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York, NY. Pages 21-26.
The Gratitude Visit
“Close your eyes. Call up the face of someone still alive who years ago did something or said something that changed your life for the better. Someone who you never properly thanked; someone you could meet face-to-face next week. Got a face?
Your task is to write a letter of gratitude to this individual and deliver it in person. The letter should be concrete and about three hundred words: be specific about what she did for you and how it affected your life. Let her know what you are doing now, and mention how you often remember what she did. Make it sing!
Once you have written the testimonial call the person and tell her you’d like to visit her, but be vague about the purpose of the meeting; this exercise is much more fun if it is a surprise.”
Seligman goes on to say that when we express our gratitude to others, we strengthen our relationship with them, but we sometimes express our gratitude so casually or quickly that it is nearly meaningless. We should try it….especially since Seligman claims that we will be “happier and less depressed one month from now.”
From: Seligman, Martin E.P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Atria Paperback, Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York, NY. Pages 30.31.
What-Went-Well Exercise (Also called “Three Blessings”)
“Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well. The three things need not be earthshaking in importance, but they can be important.
Next to each positive event, answer the question “why did this happen?’ For example: if you wrote, ‘My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy,’ you might pick the cause ‘God was looking out for her’ or ‘She did everything right during her pregnancy.’ ”
Seligman acknowledges that writing about why the positive events in your life happened may seem awkward at first, but stick with it for the week and you may decide to continue it thereafter.
From: Seligman, Martin E.P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Atria Paperback, Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York, NY. Pages 33-34.
I would encourage you to pick up copies of Martin Seligman’s books at your local or on-line libraries or order from Amazon.com. Seligman writes in a “language” that is understandable to those of us who are not necessarily skilled in scientific evaluation and verbiage.
I emphatically believe that Happiness still matters in our lives and relationships and that we need to continue to pursue it. Don’t Delay!
Updates for August/ September, 2022
Updates for August / September, 2022 have been included on the following “Hanging on to Hope” web pages:
- Punchlines
- Resources
The Punchlines page this month includes the normal segments, but I would especially like to highlight a poem from a little-known poet by the name of Frank L. Stanton entitled: “Keep a-goin’!”. I think it is especially appropriate as we deal with the current circumstances in the world today.
Uplifting Expressions
Keep a-Goin’!
“If you strike a thorn or rose,
Keep a-goin’!
If it hails or if it snows,
Keep a-goin’!
‘Tain’t no use to sit an’ whine
When the fish ain’t on your line;
Bait your hook an’ keep a-tryin’ –
Keep a-goin’!
When the weather kills your crop,
Keep a-goin’!
Though it’s work to reach the top,
Keep a-goin’!
S’pose you’re out of every dime,
Gittin’ broke ain’t any crime;
Tell the world you’re feelin’ prime –
Keep a-goin’!
When it looks like all is up,
Keep a-goin’!
Drain the sweetness from the cup
Keep a-goin’!
See the wild birds on the wing,
Hear the bells that sweetly ring,
When you feel like sighin’, sing –
Keep a-goin’!
Frank L. Stanton (1857-1927)
From Frank Libby Stanton: Georgia’s First Poet Laureate, ed. L.L. Perry, Wightman F. Melton, & M.D. Collins (Atlanta: Georgia State Department of Education, 1938). Page 6.
On the Resources page of this website, I have expanded the Happiness section to include Martin Seligman’s books as noted below:
Happiness: Books, Articles and websites:
Websites:
What Is Happiness and Why Is It Important? (+ Definition in Psychology) (positivepsychology.com)
Books and Articles
Achor, Shawn. (2010). The Happiness Advantage: the seven principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work. The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Diener, Ed and Robert B. Biswas-Diener. (2008). Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth. Blackwell Publishing. Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
Meurisse, Thibault. (2017). Life-Changing Habits Series: Your personal blueprint for success and happiness.
Moore, Karl. (2016). The Secret Art of Self-Development: 16 Little know rules for happiness and freedom. Inspire 3 Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Rao, Srikumar S. 2010). Happiness at Work: Be resilient, motivated and successful – no matter what. McGraw Hill. New York, NY.
Robertson, Donald. (2018). Stoicism and the Art of Happiness. Teach Yourself. London, UK.
Seligman, Martin E.P. (2002). Authentic Happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Atria Paperback edition (2013). Atria Paperback, Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York, NY.
Seligman, Martin E.P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Atria Paperback, Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York, NY.
Tal Ben-Shahar (2012). Choose the Life You Want: The mindful way to happiness. The Experiment. New York, NY.
Warren, S. (2010). 7 Ancient Keys to Happiness. Amazon Kindle
I welcome any questions and comments you might have regarding the “Hanging on to Hope” website and blog. Enjoy the remaining summer and early fall months and…
Continue to find the Courage to Pursue Happiness – Don’t Delay!
And remember…
Adversity in life is NOT optional, but your response to it is! Hang on to Hope!
Gregory Charles Reynolds
Hanging on to Hope! 
Greg, thanks for all the tips and resources to help focus on happiness! Indeed, we need to focus on the positives in our lives and share happiness with others!
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Thanks, Karen! It’s so easy today to focus on what is wrong in our lives and forget the many blessings that we have.
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Awesome, I needed to hear this.
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