How is your portfolio doing? If your 401K looks like mine, it has been severely reduced in the last few weeks. I am looking at a different kind of portfolio. This one is suggested in a brilliant new book, POSITIVITY, by Barbara Fredericks, Ph.D., who deals in research into positive psychology. That is right down my alley, since I am totally convinced that the Strengths-Based approach is the best way to go through life.
Year: 2009
80 YEAR OLDS GOING GREEN
I am so excited! This morning, I got our Civic Hybrid up to 40.1 mpg. And, I did it with my right foot. Just easing up on the gas pedal has brought us up from 38.0 mpg to 40.1. That’s right! The right foot is the culprit and the hero. Both Paul and I have been deliberately driving slightly below the speed limit, not accelerating on hills or when the light turns green. Just easy does it and we made a 2 mpg improvement. Turns out to be a lot of fun, watching the display that shows when we are getting 100 mpg or less, watching it change as we guide the gas pedal. I drove 55 mph this morning and felt very good about it. The car ahead of me, also driving 55, was a Prius. We were being passed by pickups and suburbans, but I just drove on and enjoyed the ride. Turns out to be a beautiful day.
New Year–New You
One more year has gone by. Today, I am thinking ahead to this same date next year. What will I be reviewing on January 9, 2010? What did I accoomplish in 2009? What was awesome and amazing? Did I follow my muse? Was I guided by my intuition? What are on the lists of experiences? The three main categories of lists are HAVING; DOING; BEING. As I look back in imagination over this year, 2009, what tangible items did I accumulate (HAVING); what did I accomplish (DOING); and what was my identity (BEING).