Shan’s thoughts on YOU, recession, depression and Facebook

I just got onto Facebook yesterday and it was a phenomenal experience! Wow!

Now I know why people can get addicted to Facebook. It is a social networking tool that relies a lot on psychological principles.

It’s addictive because:

1. You know that there are people behind the screen who are clicking and moving their mouse for YOU.
2. They are doing this because they are THINKING of you.
3. If they are thinking of you, it means that they FEEL some sort of emotions for you, be it LIKE or LOVE or CURIOSITY or HATE, etc (I think hate will not come into the picture because you can ignore them)
4. This makes you feel LOVED, WANTED, NEEDED, IMPORTANT, VALUED, FAMOUS, ESTEEMED, which is vital for the emotive side of people.

Some other powerful uses of Facebook: [Read more →]

What’s the difference between a motivational speaker and an inspirational speaker?

I was asking myself this question and discovered two things.

Motivate (n.d.) is to stimulate toward action and inspire (n.d.) is to influence or to arouse thoughts, feelings, etc.

A call to action is great.  However, without the intrinsic motivation, action loses its meaning.

How can we obtain intrinsic motivation?  It is through our emotions that are fired off from inspiration.  Consistent doses of inspiration will propel our motivation to higher planes.

Am I an inspirational speaker or a motivational speaker?  With this definition in mind, I can surmise that I am not only an inspirational speaker, but an inspirational motivational speaker.  Touching people’s hearts and lives with a conviction, that is a facet of the sunshine within me.  Motivating through inspiration, that is yet another facet of the sunshine in me.

References

Inspire. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inspire

Motivate. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/motivate

Zest for LIFE!!!

Do you have zest for life?  Zest is the last of the 24 strengths in the VIA, and is categorised under Transcendence.  Vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment encapsulates zest (Zest, n.d.)!

September 13th is my first performance on the big stage in a grand theatre.  Having been to Victoria Concert Hall several times as a spectator, it is a dream come true not only to intimately experience the performance area, but also to experience first hand a live performance on stage, with a 500-strong audience!

Awesome is the word, zest is my feeling!  Have you experienced totality in your encounters and activities?  Do you experience the passionate drive that fires up your engine for the entire 24 hours?

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Is authenticity vital today?

Yes, and if so, even more important in today’s context.

What is authenticity? Authenticity, one of the VIA‘s strengths, is defined as “owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, preferences, or beliefs, processes captured by the injunction to know oneself” and “behaving in accordance with the true self” (Harter, 2002, p. 382). In essence, authenticity is being real and true to yourself.

Definitely, authenticity is vital in the extrapersonal (dealing with groups of individuals), interpersonal (dealing on a one-on-one basis) and intrapersonal (dealing with yourself) domains. However, the crux of the issue lies not in being authentic, but in daring to be authentic.

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On 20 February 2008, I wrote on What is the secret to a meaningful life? I was, and still is, enamoured with Seligman’s (2002) idea of what comprises meaning in our lives. Meaning is created when there is furtherance in knowledge, power and goodness.

I believe there is an abundance of knowledge and power, and ever increasing goodness as well. The crux lies in using our signature strengths, and in particular, how well we use our signature strengths. The flow diagram below details the stages of signature strengths.

[Read more →]