“Ones own self is well hidden from one’s own self. Of all mines of treasure, one’s own is the last to be dug up.” Friedrich Nietzsche.

Building a Positivity Portfolio can be a fun activity for the whole family to get involved in. It is an activity that can help you to savor the moments, pay attention to your surroundings, live in gratitude and capture the moments that have the most meaning to you personally. The way you begin is by finding a beautiful box to store your positive memorabilia in. Than you can take photos of places, persons, objects and find past memories that give you a heartfelt connection. You may add letters, lyrics, quotes, scents of objects that carry a personal meaning to you. I love to add songs too since they often bring me back to a time that was meaningful and enjoyable so easily.

You can make one Positivity Portfolio or choose to make ten different ones for each of the emotions researched by Barbara Frederickson: joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love.

Ten tips for creating and using your Positivity Portfolio.

1. Be sincere. This should be a heartfelt experience.
2. Put in all sorts of items i.e.. photos, music, memorablia
3. Consider all of your emotions: joy, gratitude, interest, hope, awe, amusement, inspiration etc.
4. Keep adding to them.
5. Keep your portfolio nearby to look at often
6. As soon as you feel a tug of a downward spiral pull out your positivity portfolio
7. When you look at your portfolio do so with an open heart and mindfully to get the most impact
8. Enjoy the experience
9. You can have several different portfolios so you can rotate them when one loses its charge
10. Think about what you can do right now to continue to cultivate this wonderful feeling

The time you are taking to do this is well spent. Each time you pick up your portfolio and redirect your brain to a positive experience you initiate an upward spiral step toward flourishing. It will put you on the path of making every day a treasure hunt for hidden sources of positivity. ( paraphrased from Positivity by Barbara Frederickson)

As you continue on this path of positivity your heart opens even more than it is now. You become more open and receptive to all that surrounds you. Your creativity opens and life begins to have more possibilities. We become more receptive to all that it has to offer us and it transforms us for the better. There is scientific proof that positivity can change your life. Enjoy the journey!

“One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” “The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed the most.”

Which one do you choose to feed?

Works Cited
Barbara I. Fredrickson PH.D. (2009), Positivity: Groundbreaking research reveals how to embrace the hidden strength of positive emotions, overcome negativity and thrive. New York: Crown Publishers