JERALD FORSTER, "THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS"

Jerald Forster, Professor Emeritus, College of Education, University of Washington, collaborated with Bernard Haldane in 1987 to establish the Dependable Strengths Project at the University of Washington. He, along with Bernard Haldane, Jean Haldane, and Allen Boivin-Brown, later developed and implemented 5-day DSP Workshops designed to prepare professionals to help others articulate and use their Dependable Strengths. Jerald was one of the founding members of the Board of Directors for the Center for Dependable Strengths.

This Spring I was asked to give a sermon at a Unitarian Universalist church, so I decided to talk about happiness. I titled the sermon, “The Secret to Happiness.” That title had at least two levels of meaning for me. One meaning was intended to be humorous, in that most people know that there is no single secret to happiness, and most in the congregation would know that I had my tongue in my cheek when announcing the title. At a different level of meaning, I was serious about having some information and insights about the topic of happiness that many people might not know. While this information was not really known by many people, it wasn’t really a secret being kept from anyone on purpose. So calling it a “secret” was sort of a marketing device intended to create interest in hearing more. In any event, the title did create some chuckles and some curiosity. I actually had fun writing and delivering the sermon.

The main purpose of the sermon was to describe some of the growing body of research demonstrating that optimism, hope and happiness are clearly beneficial to the people who have experiences characterized by these concepts. I really wanted to present a case for being optimistic, hopeful and happy, and I passed along some of the suggestions found in the literature, as well as in my own personal experiences working with the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process (DSAP). My work with DSAP has convinced me that all people would benefit from articulating their own strengths and helping others articulate their strengths. When people think about themselves and others in terms of their strengths, they can not help but focus on the best aspects of the people with whom they are interacting. Cooperative collaborations flow from these interactions and everyone benefits. Teams become more effective and individual motivation increases. People in organizations who have tried the methods and philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry will attest to the value of focusing on what works in an organization. Many people in health fields know that positive people are healthier and they live longer. Most marriage counselors know that positive people create stronger marriages that last longer. The mystery is: Why is knowledge about these benefits somewhat of a secret that most parents do not seem to know?

If you are interested in the topic of happiness and you want to learn more about the advantages of being optimistic and happy, you might buy or obtain a library copy of Seligman’s 2002 book, Authentic Happiness. Or if you want to read the paper I wrote to support the sermon mentioned above, contact me at counsel@u.washington.edu and ask for an electronic copy sent as an attachment. After all, one of my purposes in life is to help others develop in more optimal ways. One way I can realize that purpose is to share information and personal insights about the benefits of being optimistic, hopeful and happy. It makes me happy to do this.