THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE

“Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” Rumi

I realised today that I am well equipped to spot new ideas, new concepts, new notions, new strategies or better, to handle them in a realistic way, however, I find that most of the times, some of those new things that I would like to implement are ahead of their time. They are from the future, and I discover that people are not ready for massive changes as I was expecting or hoping that they would want to put into practice to also enjoy its benefits, and together to actually create the world that we love living in. The example in this case consists of me discovering the concept of character strengths belonging to Martin E.P. Seligman and the concept of PERMA for well-being.

The contribution Seligman brought to the field of psychology impacted it a lot, reminding us all that people are not just labels of mental illnesses but also humans who display their character in the world and who have emotions and lots of strengths. The volume “Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification” written by the founder of positive psychology, Martin E.P. Seligman and researcher Christopher Peterson presents 24 character traits which consist of 6 groups of virtues classified in 24 character strength. You probably know by now that my core character strength is appreciation of beauty and excellence.

When I discovered these character strengths it was the summer of 2012, and it had passed up until that moment 8 years since their discovery and lots of sources to apply the survey or read about them and understand yourself better. And still, that was such a brand new thing that people should focus more on their strengths than their weaknesses. I remember I wanted to get involved in the HR Department for the company I was working at the time to have an influence over how the company was selecting its employees at the time, but the concept was so innovative and different and scary to only care about the strengths and not put such effort into discussing the weaknesses, that my idea failed as ecstatically as it emerged in my head. But just because people were not ready to use an idea at one point in time, it does not mean it is a bad idea or that you should stop pursuing what you wish to become in life. Many years after this incident, and I find myself at my new job toying with the way to handle it so that it gets the real attention and it truly impacts not just me and my well being, but all my colleagues and other colleagues who probably need this but they do not have a voice yet or are quietly waiting for someone to promote it for them.

This is one example that I can think of now. But obviously I reached this conclusion because I have payed special attention to my needs and to my self over the years and I know who and how I am, even though I might play it around that I am not entirely sure, just to have game ahead when confronted with enemies. I am a creative strategist in life and in all life’s small tasks. This thing that I can do something ever so small as to promote the information I come across brings me excitement and I do not really remember when was the last time I experienced this in a workplace environment. This is the first sign that you owe it to yourself to chase the fire that ignites your spirit. Because this exploration and pursue of interests will likely bring more inspiration to you, as it does to me, and not just inspiration but insight into who you really are. It will guide you to forge your determination to plant the seeds and expect the flowers. To smell the blooms and to celebrate the colour that’s arrived in your life.

This appreciation of beauty and EXCELLENCE is actually a strength which contains this skill I have to foresee the possibilities of changes. I am always looking for the novelty, I am always in the run for the newest information with regards to my passions and hobbies. Always seeking new horizons where I can glance over. Where I could be alive. The appreciation of EXCELLENCE is portrayed through my constant vibrant calling towards avant-garde-ist notions, products, services and abstract information or knowledge.

When you let your passions show and you work with them, you experience well being. When you know your core character strengths, you are able to cope with making every single second a powerful well being act show, because you know what to focus on. You know what you need. And when you know what you need, you will find yourself in the position of the author holding the pen to his life being written down. It’s not someone else holding it, it is YOU.

PERMA concept stands for this new theory of well being – Positive emotions, Engagement, Positive Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment. Now, the path to this well being is reflected through feeding your spirit with character strengths activities that bring you more in connection to your soul and boost your self esteem and self confidence to the point that your overall productivity gets enhanced and this mirrors back in your workplace, your accomplishments and eventually your well being.

To nurture your character strengths you need to first discover them. Do the free survey online here and find ways to incorporate activities to feed your character strengths in your work environment. Since my core character strengths is appreciation of beauty and excellence, it would not mean I will start collecting art at work, unless I am working for an art gallery, it means I focus my attention on developing further this skill in recognising excellence in everything that is new, futuristic maybe even, and beautiful through its significance, in the meaning it plays out in the world. And that’s true sharing knowledge and wisdom through posts, feeding in ideas to improve services, products or businesses or getting involved in any activity that makes me express my appreciation of beauty and excellence.

One way of taking responsibility means to take action by taking small steps every day in order to make your dreams come true. Your first small step is figuring out what are your character strengths. Your second step depends on what those strengths are and how you feel you can become that which the strength is calling you to become. Then, all the other steps will fall into place.

And remember this:

“Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” Rumi

NOURISH YOUR MUST – DID YOU READ THIS?*

*should and must in the pursuit of happiness

CREATIVE VS. ARTISTIC

I just realized that whenever I was thinking of myself on how to be more creative, my mind was actually taking the notion of “creative” as the synonym to “artistic”. These 2 concepts are different. They integrate themselves, they collide into each other, however they are not the same thing. The reason we hold a specific definition to a concept is in my opinion based on our motivations, desires and personal values. The fact is that I wish to be artistic because I value art, I see it as a form to pinpoint cultural aspects or society trends or different personality traits or aspects we all must work on to improve not just ourselves and our lives, but our society as well. I realized that I am actually drawn to wish to become artistic, to have something of value to offer, to bring something to change people’s lives. To offer support and help and be someone that is looked at for insights, wisdom, purpose, beauty, creativity and lifestyle. But that they are all under this umbrella of “artist”. I want to be an artist of life.

I always misunderstood the concept of being creative to being artistic. Being creative is showing our originality to the world. Being artistic is showing that originality but teaching something through it. Impacting society, people’s lives. Impacting. Like magic.

The 3 secrets of magic according to magician Ferdinando Buscena are:

1. Reality is not always what it seems to be
2. Imagination creates reality
3. Reality is made up of words

I should be a magician. I want to offer my magic to the world. Through writing. But artistic writing.

To imagine something different, something better or something more interesting is to push the existing world into a state of change. Some of the greatest revolutionary acts of time came to be because someone had the courage to imagine something new. It’s not that I do not have the courage to imagine something new. I want to showcase that as an act of avant-garde, as something artistic, as something totally different than ever before. I am unique.

However, there are times when it’s easy to be distracted and forget about your “magic”. It’s too transforming. Too life changing probably. Or too artistic to be understood. Too dramatic maybe? I have realized this need in myself to explore this creativity that wishes to be artistic. To be an artist of something. I have not discovered that yet.

If it is true that imagination creates our reality, then we can view ourselves as alchemists (Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist, if you read it, you understand this in full), *let's pause and read some beautiful excerpts from The Alchemist

but weren't , or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands. Because when these things happen, we suffer terribly."

"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer", the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

"Every second of the search is an encounter with the divine.", the boy told his heart. "When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I have known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it. When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I have discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve."

So his heart was quiet for an entire afternoon. That night, the boy slept deeply, and, when he awoke his heart began to tell him things that came from the Soul of the World. It said that all people who are happy have it within themselves. And that happiness could be found in a grain of sand from the dessert, as the alchemist had said. Because a grain of sand is a moment of creation, and the universe has taken millions of years to create it.

"Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him." his heart said. "We, people's hearts, seldom say much about these treasures, because people no longer want to do in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, towards its own fate.

But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them - the path to their personal Legends, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.

"so, we, their hearts, speak more and more softly. We never stop speaking out, but we begin to hope that our words won't be heard: we don't want people to suffer because they don't follow their hearts".

Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their dreams? the boy asked the alchemist.

"Because that's what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don't like to suffer."

From then on, the boy understood his heart. He asked it, please, never stop speaking to him. He asked that, when he wandered far from his dreams, his heart press him and sound the alarm. The boy swore that, every time he heart the alarm, he would heed its message.

That night, he told all of this to the alchemist. And the alchemist understood that the boy's heart had returned to the Soul of the World.

"So what should I do now?" the boy asked.

"When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom you are believed."

They continued across the desert. With every day that passed, the boy's heart became more and more silent. It no longer wanted to know about things of the past or future; it was content simply to contemplate the desert, and to drink with the boy from the Soul of the World. The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other.

When his heart spoke to him, it was to provide a stimulus to the boy, and to give him strength.

When will you become friends with your heart?

as alchemists are able to transform society and the culture at large with our words and ideas. We have the power to heal our lives and those of our dears ones with the magical energy that comes from our imaginations. Just by documenting our ideas, we can begin the process of change. It’s time to begin. This is a manifesto for myself. But you might find yourself involved in it as well. And I invite you to begin this journey of finding out what your artistic skills are with me.

Sir Thomas Browne said: “We carry within us the wonders we seek without us.” This is probably going to be the first post in a series of articles based on discovering our true wonders.

Do you do the same? Do you secretly wish to be magic, an artist of life like me?