Motivation & Goals 

Motivation refers to the psychological processes responsible for initiating and continuing goal-directed behaviors. A crucial element in attaining one’s objectives is the intensity of motivation experienced at any given time, which is partly dependent on an individual’s ability to generate mental images of their future selves.
 
The mental representation someone has of a possible future self will positively influence the motivational factors needed to attain specific goals.

One way to get this momentum started is to introduce creative approaches, such as guided imagery and visualization, powerful techniques to envision what one can achieve.

Inner Critic

Many clients believe that a harsh, critical voice is needed to mobilize enough motivation. It is a common misconception that self-compassion equals self-pity.

Clients may believe that self-compassion can cause inactivity, passivity, a lack of motivation, or self-indulgence. Research findings suggest that this is not the case. Self-compassion is associated with greater personal initiative to make needed changes in one’s life.

Self-compassion is also positively associated with mastery goals and negatively associated with performance goals.

Strenghts

In traditional psychology, problems tend to be approached with a weakness-focus, meaning that the client and practitioner seek to extract what the client is doing ‘wrong’ to correct and solve the problem at hand.

In positive psychology, a strength-focus is assumed, meaning that the client and practitioner seek to identify what the client is doing ‘right’ in a given situation and how these positive attributes can be utilized to solve the problem.

The value in this approach is that the client views the problem more positively and constructively, which not only buffers against self-criticism but also promotes a growth mindset

Meaning & Values

Mahatma Gandhi once said that happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Regrettably, many people become overwhelmed and entangled in matters that do not align with their values and are largely unaware of the harmful effects of caring about things that, upon closer inspection, simply do not matter.

Caring about things that are not truly valued may prompt over-attachment to the superficial and fake, leading individuals to chase an illusion of happiness and satisfaction.

Self-Acceptance

Self-acceptance refers to the relationship that an individual has with him/herself and is conceptualized as the acceptance of self despite weaknesses or deficiencies.

Many scholars have added the term “unconditional” to the concept of self-acceptance to stress the fact that self-acceptance is not based on self-evaluation against some standard but a relational stance in which the individual accepts him/herself at a very fundamental level.

A person with a high level of self-acceptance does not feel “less” compared to others because of his/her weaknesses and failures and does not feel “better” than others because of his/her strengths and successes. Self-acceptance is the hallmark of a healthy relationship with the self.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness practice is the ability to observe thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Rather than being completely immersed in them, individuals learn to see these thoughts, emotions, and sensations as transient states.

Through observing states, one can notice a difference between the states themselves and the person observing them. By entering this observer mode, one can “step outside of one’s immediate experience, thereby changing the very nature of that experience.”  

This process has been referred to as de-centring, re-perceiving , and de-automatization  to help clients enter this observer mode.

This shift in perspective can generate a brief but powerful psychological state in which there is a sense of transcendence and continuity at the same time. One may experience a self that is aware of sensations and thoughts but not defined by these sensations and thoughts.

Communication 

Feedbackers often worry about hurting the other person’s feelings, coming across as authoritative and not wanting to demotivate or discourage them.

On the other hand, receivers can perceive feedback as personal criticism and a threat to their self-efficacy and self-worth.

Considering emotions and point of view (empathy) of the person receiving the feedback, as an opportunity for growth and learning will instill a sense of hope and faith in the receiver’s capacity for change and improvement (growth mindset).

Relationships 

While developing functional-emotional intelligence skills can assist clients in managing their negative responses to the perceived difficult behavior of others, it is particularly beneficial to negate those negative responses.

To better understand and respond to difficult people, it is important to assess the behaviors that are perceived as problematic and discover the strength behind them.

By looking for the strengths behind difficult behaviors and increasing awareness of negative thinking patterns about a particular person, clients can begin to positively reframe those behaviors in a gentle, honest, and accurate way that offers a fresh perspective.

Bonus: Mastermind Group