The Power of Being Purposeful with Positive Primes

I recently completed a virtual course on Positive Psychology. It is a rising area of study that is making waves, especially in the coaching world. Caroline Adams Miller, MAPP, offered the course during which she shares an evidence based approach to being positive and flourishing. One of the most critical learnings I took away from the training is the importance of positive primes.

I recently completed a virtual course on Positive Psychology.  It is a rising area of study that is making waves, especially in the coaching world.  Caroline Adams Miller, MAPP, offered the course during which she shares an evidence based approach to being positive and flourishing.  One of the most critical learnings I took away from the training is the importance of positive primes.

How many of you smile at a favourite song on the radio that takes you back to a moment of joy?  How many of you laugh at old photos when you come across one that is particularly funny or embarrassing?  How many of you feel comfort at the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking?  These are all examples of positive primes and I am sure many of you have experiences like this often.   So what makes the knowledge of positive primes useful?  The concept of being purposeful with your positive primes.  I, for one, love looking through photos, remembering a moment in time, but I certainly am not purposeful about this.  I do not bring it into my daily routine as a positive prime but, if you think about it, how hard would that be?  If I was more purposeful, I could positively prime my days easily!

So what can you do to be more purposeful with positive primes?

First you need to find out for yourself what your positive primes are.  Capture during the day how you feel at certain moments.  Be aware of the different positive primes that bring a smile to your face.  Keep track of those positive primes in a journal or to-do list.  Once you know some of your positive primes, you just need to put them to use.

So how might put your positive primes to work for you?  What if instead of waiting for your favourite song to come on the radio while you drive, you programmed it as your wake-up alarm? What if instead of using boring, typical passwords (we all have them) you think of one or two words that have a special meaning to you, a word that sparks a positive moment.  A word that is your positive primer.  A wonderful example that Caroline Adams Miller shared is when she painted a large wall in her home with magnetic paint and bought hundreds of magnetic frames, so she could quickly place key photos that sparked positive thoughts.

Being purposeful about your positive primes does not need to be a lot of work.  Just consider all the possibilities (updating your ring tone, finding the perfect, positive priming key chain, choosing a watch that holds good memories, updating the picture in your wallet more frequently, changing the smell in your car, etc.).  All of these positive primes done purposefully will have a positive impact on your day.

If you don’t believe me then check out some of the research that supports the notion of positive primes (http://seschmid.org/IP/SubconciousBrain.pdf) or just give it a try and feel the power of being more purposeful with your positive primes!