What drew you to study the Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing?
“During what was the most difficult period of my life, a work colleague at the time coincidentally sent me Shawn Achor's TED talk.”
Just months before commencing my Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing in September 2015, I was in the middle of packing up my life in Los Angeles where I’d been living for ten years. I’d somehow developed a career in music licensing and copyright for the past twelve years without having made any real conscious choice.
I felt directionless. I didn’t love Los Angeles nor ever really felt connected to it. I’d finally given up my childhood dream as a performing musician (which in hindsight I’m unsure was the right fit for me anyhow) and I didn’t love the work I was doing. However, the real catalyst for change was the separation (and two years later, divorce) between my wife and partner of fifteen years.
To say I was at a crossroads would be a huge understatement. That was my introduction to Positive Psychology and I was immediately fascinated.
Amidst all the changes going on, I knew I needed to put my focus on something positive to stay afloat. After being separated six months from my wife and with seemingly no possibility of reconciling our marriage, I decided to return to Australia to get the support of family and friends. While planning my return to Australia, I stumbled upon The Langley Group and the Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, which was literally due to commence the week after I was flying back to Australia.
At the same time, my grandfather (who would go on to fund this course for me), who had been an incredible influence in my life, suddenly became very ill and passed away on the eve of my return. This diploma feels like his final gift to me.
How was your experience studying this course?
“The course, and specifically the R2 profile, was like being handed a blueprint of who I am.”
What the diploma gave me was more profound and powerful than I could have ever expected. The course required deep excavation and exploration of my strengths, and my values.
I discovered that Moral Compass was my number one strength and I could see, based on this, why I’d been unsatisfied in my work. Exploring how and where I could find meaning in work was incredibly profound. The insights I gained about my strengths and how to use them is one of the greatest discoveries I have ever made.
How are you spreading positive ripples in your world?
“Not a week goes by when I don’t reflect on how lucky I am to have completed the diploma and how much it changed the course of my entire life.”
I completed the diploma in six months and spending several years directionless, I felt more excited and optimistic about my next steps than I could ever imagine. My life does not resemble anything like it did only two years ago but, finally, I feel authentic and proud, and I have meaning and purpose.
In addition to the diploma itself, I had another lifeline which I focused on, Sweden. Twelve months before leaving L.A. and starting the diploma, I’d made my first trip to Scandinavia, which had been a fascination of mine since I was 15 years old. While I was in Stockholm, Sweden I had a couple of small but very significant exchanges and after being there just 3 days, I felt like I came home and I saw glimpses of what my life could be and vowed to return.
I completed my diploma in March 2016 and I booked a trip to Sweden to see what it would be like to live there. For the next nine months, I flew back and forth to Sweden on a tourist visa where I did an internship of sorts for a startup company writing articles about strengths finding, goal setting, motivation, and wellbeing. I got to see my strengths in action and received further clues into what I might like to do.
Finally, in March 2017, I met with over ten companies in Sweden and was offered a couple of positions before signing on the dotted line in May 2017. While I had an idea that I enjoyed communicating and expressing through the written word (which was my first love when I was kid), I found the right employer in Sweden who secured a work permit on my behalf and employed me as their Copywriter. I finally made the move to Sweden in June 2017. It feels quite fitting to be living in a country that ranks so highly in The World Happiness Report and that is congruent with my ideals.
The idea of being a Copywriter is something previously I could have only dreamed of. I love the work I do and every single day I get to utilize my passions and my strengths. I write texts for mobile apps, ad campaigns, websites, articles, email blasts, marketing materials, and blog posts. The topics I write about draw upon all my learnings from the diploma and to say I utilise the diploma every single day is an understatement. I market the company’s products using positive psychology and I live and breathe the diploma. I love my work, I love my new home, and I love the lens in which I see the world.
Every day I can see how my work makes a difference to the company. I get to promote positive messaging in all my work and I get to see the fruits of my labour and how much it is connecting with people and impacting the company.