PERMA

P represents Positive Emotion- in my opinion to flourish in this category is to have a general positive outlook on life. Right now, in my life very minuscule events that didn’t go my way tend to ruin my mood. When an interview, golf match, or an exam in school goes poorly, I always think about what went wrong, what were my mistakes. Although you must realize and learn from your mistakes, it definitely worsens my mood thinking about them. If I were to be flourishing I would take the experience and think about what did I do correctly. Look at those strengths and work to build upon them.

E is for Engagement- in the book, the author, Martin Seligman, equates Engagement with what is known as Flow. Flow is a period when time seems to stop around you and you concentrate on the single moment, nothing else. Currently this is an element in my life that I struggle with. I tend to think about everything that I need to accomplish whether it be for the next day or in the future. I get too caught up on thinking about how much needs to get done, rather than actually doing it. If I were to be flourishing in the Engagement element, I would have hopefully found an activity or even a job where I am able to focus only on doing the task and nothing else in the world matters at that point aside from what I was doing. One activity where I have feel as though I have found flow is when I ski. Nothing else seems to matter and I am free in my mind, only focusing on the snow beneath my feet.

R stands for Relationships- if I were to be flourishing in my relationships I would be involved in positive and healthy relationships with friends and family. Hopefully I have strong relationship with my future wife and kids someday. In terms of friendships I would choose friends who stick with me through the good and bad times and are always there for each other.

M represents Meaning- Currently I ask myself the question “What is my purpose, what will I accomplish in life and what is God’s plan for me?” I am not sure when I will find the answer to these questions, but if I were to be flourishing in the element of Meaning, hopefully I have found the answer. I feel as though mastering meaning in one’s life would be the greatest feeling to be realized. When you realize your own meaning or place on this earth, you have direction and a path with the tools to follow it.

A is for Accomplishment- If I were to be flourishing in the element of Accomplishment I would want to feel accomplished by my own standards. Usually I feel a sense of accomplishment when earn some sort of award, get a high grade on a paper, or when someone says, “nice job”. All of those examples make me feel awesome, but they are not self-validated, someone else had to recognize it. To be flourishing in accomplishment I wouldn’t need anyone else to validate what I view to be accomplishments in life except for myself.