From Thought to Action

Yesterday's post featured a helpful tip in dealing with negative thoughts that came from Russ Harris and his book "The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living." Based on ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) principles, Harris also featured a term that resonated by way of adding a layer to action. We know and can appreciate the importance of movement forward in order to live a life fulfilled. We can sense when we are feeling stuck or lost, or when we have chosen to feed the dysfunction. Action, then, is an important element in our growth. Harris features the term "effective action" when speaking about improving the quality of life. He notes that effective action is based on values and when we can live from the position of what brings us integrity, we build character. Essentially, it isn't enough to simply choose something, but rather to choose it based on the question "Is this action effective in living up to my values?" It is only from this question can we begin to set goals that line up to our values; thereby creating a more decisive and confident structure to our own sense of contentedness; to a sense of being grounded and safe in ourselves. "The Happiness Trap" by Russ Harris is filled with many thoughtful principles and has exercises to better cement the material. It is a book not just worth reading, but worth doing :) Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash