Surely you have heard the saying "to foolish words, deaf ears".
Positively decides to turn this saying 180 ° by creating a section on his website called "Words that create beautiful realities." Section where words of encouragement are highlighted from different people who are in different parts of the world with different professions and who have kindly taken a few minutes of their time to write words of support to the Positivetly project. Project that seeks on a global scale, to sensitize and promote the self-knowledge of students and veterinary doctors regarding their wellbeing and share tools to improve their levels of happiness, using the base of scientific evidence in this field, Positive Psychology.
From the field of Positive Psychology, we received words of encouragement from 2 experts whom we want to thank in a special way: we refer to Martin Seligman and Tal Ben Shahar.
Martin Seligman is an American psychologist, educator, and writer, known as the Father of Positive Psychology, currently Director of the Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), and a Zellerbach Professor of Family Psychology in Penn's department of psychology. He is also the director of the Penn “Master of Applied Positive Psychology” (MAPP) program. He was president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, during which one of his presidential initiatives was the promotion of Positive Psychology as a field of scientific study. He is a leading authority in the fields of Positive Psychology, Resilience, Learned Helplessness, Depression, Optimism, and Pessimism. He is also a recognized authority on interventions that prevent depression and build strengths and well-being. He has written more than 350 academic publications and 30 books. He today he is known as one of the most influential psychologists in history.
Seligman, upon learning of the initiative and the project, shares these beautiful words dedicated to Positivetly as well as to the entire veterinary community through a long-awaited email:
"My best wishes from maximum PERMA * to all veterinarians and all those who value the life and welfare of animals."
His words were received with amazement, joy and happiness by the Positivetly team, thus joining the words of support received a few days before from another recognized figure in the field of Positive Psychology: Tal Ben-Shahar ...
Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer. He taught two of the most important classes in Harvard University history, Positive Psychology and Leadership Psychology. Today, he consults and lectures around the world to executives of multinational corporations, the public, and at-risk populations. Topics he lectures on include leadership, happiness, education, innovation, ethics, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, and mindfulness. His 7 books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages and have appeared on bestseller lists around the world. He is a serial entrepreneur and is the co-founder and director of learning for Happiness Studies Academy, Potentialife, Maytiv, and Happier.TV.
Ben-Shahar upon hearing about the Positivetly project decided to share the following beautiful sentences:
“When we take care of others--whether people or animals--we need to remember to also take care of ourselves. This means taking care of our body and our mind--exercising regularly, getting sufficient rest, eating healthfully, and cultivating supportive relationships. By doing so, we don't just become happier and healthier, we also recharge ourselves so that we have more to give and hence can better take care of others."
Positivetly hopes that these words will be of support not only for the project, but also for all veterinary doctors who seek to be happier.
"To beautiful words, grateful hearts! Phrases like those of Martin Seligman or Tal Ben-Shahar allow initiatives like Positivetly to continue alive and stimulate us to achieve our dream of having new generations of happier veterinarians”, express Iván López and Eileen Fell, Positivetly team
* PERMA: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment.
Bibliography:
- Rubin, Alberto. (2019). The 51 Most Famous and Important Psychologists. Lifeder. Retrieved June 7, 2021 from https://www.lifeder.com/psicologos-famosos https://www.lifeder.com/psicologos-famosos
- MARTIN E.P. SELIGMAN. (2021). Retrieved June 7, 2021, from Positive Psychology Center website: https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/martin-ep-seligman
- TAL BEN-SHAHAR (2021). Retrieved June 7, 2021, from Talbenshahar website: http://www.talbenshahar.com/?CategoryID=161
