Happiness is a slippery concept.
Sometimes it seems to us like the Holy Grail: mythical, wonderful, but probably unobtainable.
Positive Psychology suggests that happiness is more than obtainable. It is the natural result of building up our well-being and satisfaction with life.
Professor Martin Seligman spent many years developing a theory of happiness. He wanted to identify the building blocks of well-being. He drew up a five-sided model of well-being called the PERMA model.
These are the five elements Seligman found essential to human well-being:
Each of these elements is essential to our well-being and satisfaction with life. Together, they form the solid foundation upon which we can build a happy and flourishing life.
As a coach trained in positive psychology the PERMA model is a concrete and research based tool I like to use to build well-being, joy and fulfillment in my clients' lives.