In HAPPINESS FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT, Jeremy McCarthy asks the question “Whose responsibility is happiness?” If we believe that the source of happiness is solely from within, we have only ourselves to blame when we feel unhappy.
Conversely, if happiness is driven only from external sources, we have no responsibility for improvement or the pursuit of happiness.
In coaching, we value the Constructionist Principle – the belief that positive energy and emotion come from positive conversations AND interactions. In other words, it is our beliefs about the environment and the environment itself that shape us. A powerful coaching conversation examines the real frameworks, and the imagined ones, to uncover strategies for increasing happiness.
Coaching inquiries: What “truths” have you invented? What in your environment supports your well-being? How could your environment shift to better support well-being?