1.

Best Possible Future

This is an exercise for increasing your optimism. Think about and visualize what you will
be doing and what you would have accomplished one year, five years, and ten years from
now. Spend 20 minutes writing down details of these fantasies to capture positive
pictures of your best future. Repeat this activity frequently.

2. Comparing Fun and Philanthropy

Think of fun activities that you would enjoy (such as eating ice cream or playing card
games with friends). Select one of these activities. Now think of activities that would be
helpful to others (such as volunteering to baby sit for your neighbor or picking up trash
in a playground). Select one of these activities and set aside two days for performing
them. On the first day, flip a coin to select whether you would do the fun activity or the
philanthropic activity. Do the other activity on the next day. After completing both
activities, think of your reactions: how happy did you feel during and after completing
each type of activity.

3. Gift of Time
Give someone a gift of the most valuable asset you have: your time. Spend time for your
friend and with your friend. Do not keep track of how much time you are spending. Do
not tell your friend that you are spending time with him or her. Spend as much time as
needed to create an impact.

4. Gratitude Letter
Think of different people in your life (such as your teachers and childhood friends) who
have helped you. Write a gratitude letter to a one of these people. Don’t make this a short
thank-you note, but create a heartfelt outpouring of your gratitude for the different ways
in which this person has helped you. Be specific in identifying what this person did for
you and how you benefitted from these acts of kindness. Have a meeting with this person
and read the letter. Or read the letter over the telephone. If this is not possible, mail the
letter to the person. Repeat this activity for a different person each month.

5. Gratitude Journal
At the end of each day, identify three good things that happened to you. Jot down these
things (for which you are grateful) in a daily journal. Make this a ritual before going to
sleep at the end of each day.

6. Hardship Debrief
Think of a crisis that you faced or a loss that you endured. Write down details of this
incident, including all things that caused you pain and suffering. Without disregarding or
downplaying the painful aspects of this incident, think of some positive outcomes.
Consider how this crisis made you stronger, more resilient, and more appreciative of
other things in your life. Think of the new doors that have opened when some door closed
on you during this crisis.
7. Have a Good Day
Take this usually mindless remark seriously. For the next two weeks (or the next month),
rate how good each day was. Identify patterns among your good days and discover the
factors that contributed to your positive feelings about those days. Then deliberately set
about planning and achieving a great day.

8. Let Someone Else Shine

When you are working with someone else or with a team, do your best to support your
partner or teammates. Without calling attention to what you are doing, help the other
people take a major role in accomplishing the goal and feeling good about themselves. Be
generous and genuine in publicly giving credit and praising others for their contributions.

9. Meaning, Pleasure, and Enjoyment

Make a list of activities and goals that are meaningful to you (things that increase your
sense of purpose). Make another list of items that are pleasant (things that increase your
enjoyment). Finally, make a list of your strengths (things you are good at). Compare
these three lists and discover overlapping items. Use the information to create your
Calling Specification (similar to a Job Specification). Plan to spend your work and family
time incorporating various aspects of this specification.

10. Signature Strengths

Use a valid online instrument to identify your strengths. Take the free VIA (Values in
Action) Survey at http://www.viastrengths.org/ and receive personalized feedback on
your top five signature strengths of character (from among a list of 24 strengths). (More
than a million people from around the world have taken this survey, which was
developed by Seligman and Peterson.) Alternatively, buy a copy of the book,
StrengthFinder 2.0 (by Tom Rath, published by the Gallup Press) and take the online
assessment associated with it. Receive personalized feedback about your top five
strengths (from among 34 themes). Write down your top strengths and refer to them
frequently. Discovering your strengths is the first step in leading a more engaged life.

11. Using Your Signature Strengths

Once you have identified your signature strengths as suggested above, reflect on each one
of them. Select one of your strengths and brainstorm strategies for using that strength in
new and different ways. Then spend a day (or a week) maximizing the application of this
strength. Repeat the process with each of your other strengths.

12. Constructive Immediate Active Responding

When a friend shares some happy news, respond immediately and enthusiastically with
active and constructive comments. Communicate how happy you are both verbally and
nonverbally.

13. Setting and Accomplishing Goals

Prepare a list of personal goals that are intrinsic and continuous without the goals
interfering with each other. Select one of these goals and list specific, tangible, and
timely steps. Complete each step and accomplish the goal.

14. Disputing Negative Thoughts

Whenever a situation makes you feel negative, logically analyze the antecedent, behavior,
and consequences. Gather evidence against your interpretation of what happened. Come
up with a more positive alternative interpretations.

15. Savoring Happy Moments

Savor present positive moments by enhancing the enjoyment. Reminisce past positive
moments by looking at souvenirs and talking to others about them. Enjoy future positive
moments by fantasizing nice things that are likely to happen.

16. Getting into a Flow State

If an activity bores you, increase its challenge level and make it more complex. On the
other hand, if the activity frustrates you, reduce the change level and simplify it. Match
the task difficulty with your competency to maintain yourself in a flow state.

17. Reflected Best Self

Identify a variety of trusted people (family members, friends, and colleague) and ask
them to provide feedback on your strengths, each supported by a concrete example. Study
the feedback and identify key patterns. Create a portrait of your reflect best self. Re-
design your job to make better use of your strengths.

18. Tracking Positivity Ratio

Go to Barbara Frederison’s Positivity Ratio http://www.positivityratio.com/ website. Take
the self-test to score the positive and negative emotions that you felt during the previous
24 hours. Let the program compute and chart your positivity ratio. Repeat this activity
every day and monitor your chart to discover patterns. Increase your positivity ratio by
using activities that raise positive feelings and reduce negative ones.

19. Distract Yourself

Use healthy distractions to stop ruminating on negative thoughts. Select activities that
demand your full attention such as riding a bike, playing with children, rearranging your
folders, solving word puzzles, or learn a magic trick. Keep the resources needed for these
distractions handy so you can distract yourself at a moment’s notice.