Do you believe that achieving success – monetarily, socially, or otherwise – will make you happy? Actually, American psychologist, Martin Seligam, presented a new area of psychology in 1998 that signals the exact reverse – happiness leads to a successful life. And don’t we all need some happiness right now?
CTE teacher and head varsity basketball coach, Chris Snyder, and I have been collaborating monthly with the administrative team at Lakes to study positive psychology and its potential impact on the entire Lakes Community. Over the summer, we all read The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor and will spend the school year examining how to bring the principles to our practice. The message is not about ignoring reality and faking happiness but shifting one’s perspective to have a more positive mindset.
Mr. Synder and I have a goal to bring this attitude and the seven principles to the students and staff at Lakes so we can all thrive, inside of just survive. Shawn Achor explains the vision best, “It’s not reality that shapes us. Rather, it is the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.”
Jori Bowen
Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction
Lakes Community High School