As professional women, we often juggle many demands on our
lives. Couple this with the tendency of many smart, high
achieving and articulate women to be extraordinary hard on
themselves and you have the makings of top-grade stress. This
observation led us at Professionelle to believe that we need to
take time out to think about things that really work and really
matter.
To us, the fields of Positive Psychology and of Values are unique
in that they offer us the opportunity to learn researched-based
techniques and approaches that really make a difference.
Pioneered by Professor Martin Seligman, Positive Psychology
fosters and builds the things that make us flourish, rather than
merely function. It focuses on strengths rather than
weaknesses, asserting that happiness is not the result of good
genes or luck. Positive Psychology is shifting psychology away from
a narrow-minded focus on pathology, victimology, and mental
illness, to positive emotion, virtues and strengths, and to
positive institutions that support these.
And Values? They are things that really matter, the things
that are GOOD to have. They are the essence of what we stand
for, and should underpin our behaviors, decisions and actions. So
often, we sense that little nagging voice telling us
something's not quite right - more often than not it's because
our career, organisation or business are not well-aligned with what
we hold most dear. This is a theme that we have seen really
resonate with many professional women, who are keen
to clearly articulate their values so as to set a
path forward in line with who they are as people.
We hope you enjoy this section and find it thought provoking,
stimulating and challenging, in a good way.