5 Day Happiness Project: Using Your Strengths in New Ways

Here’s a happiness boosting technique that has been shown to produce lasting benefits over a period of 6 months.

Step 1

Take the VIA Signature Strengths Test to identify your top 5 strengths. (VIA stands for values in action).

You’ll need to register for the test but it’s free. Take the test here.

Participate: I plan on doing this as a community project starting March 1, 2012. Meaning you have a couple of days to take the test. You can share your top 5 strengths from the test as a comment below, on the Facebook page, or Tweet me @DrAliceBoyes. Since I know a lot of my blog readers are fellow therapists, I am quite happy for you to include your website addresss/Twitter username as advertising for yourself if you want to participate in the project.

Step 2

Every day for 5 days (March 1 to March 5), use one of your top 5 strengths in a way that is DIFFERENT FROM YOUR USUAL.

Since March 1 to March 5 includes a couple of weekend days, think about what activities will fit in best with what you have going on each of those days.

Here’s a list of 340 ways to use your character strengths to get your thinking started.

If there is enough interest I may do a Google Plus hangout or something like that to give people a hand with how to do Step 2.

Credits: This is one of the techniques recommended in The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions