As a child, I was always reminded that every cloud had a silver lining.  Of course, this statement has little or no meaning for a six year old, but that never stopped my dad from reminding me. He was one of those optimists that really could see the good in any and all situations, events, and people.  That, I have grown to learn, is a gift in and of itself.  To continue his legacy of bright eyed positivism, I have come to love the work of Dr. Marty Seligman and his brainchild, Positive Psychology.  Dr. Seligman is one of those rare geniuses (he is a tenured prof at UPenn-and last I checked, it was still an Ivy League institution which churns out quite a bit of interesting research).  If one knows about the history of psychology in the United States, one knows that funding for research orbited around psychopathology for the better part of half a century.  The fact that research on happiness-authentic happiness at that!-was pursued at all in a legitimate sense can be attributed to the work of Dr. Seligman (IMHO).  So what of this body of work? Well, it suggests what my dad knew all along.  That optimism can be learned, and that your perception is really important.  So what of this economic downturn?  To be honest, my family seems to have benefitted from this crisis in that we all spend much more quality time together.  I mean, when was the last time you saw teenagers actually engaged in conversation that didn't involve a handheld device? Exactly.  So when people come to me complaining about how terrible it is now that their satelite tv has been canceled, I invite them to craft a game of charades with their kids.  Some people I have suggested this ti have taken my advice and reported to me that they are having more fun with their families than before.  Kudos to them!  Their kids are better off with their parents spending more creative time with them, no doubt about it.  Seeing the upside of this downturn is one part of the learned optimism I teach clients.  Seeing the glass half full is seeing more closeness out no Dish Network.

 


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