Party With Marty

The Party Started with the Ricky

I’m a regular Rohr reader. Richard Rohr is a contemplative teacher that I greatly admire and respect, and he piqued my interest when I first heard him speak about the enneagram. This is a personality typology tool that uses ancient wisdom and modern science to help us better understand ourselves and how we relate to others. It’s an interesting and practical tool that has given me a lot of insight into myself and others.

Then Frank and Izzy Joined the Party

As I read and learned more about the enneagram, I also began watching videos to learn more. One fun treasure I found was the work of Frank James (a YouTuber, not Jesse’s older brother). Frank makes fun sketch videos that show personality types in different scenarios. His enneagram videos were funny, but I noticed he actually had more videos about Myers-Briggs personality inventory, a personality type indicator developed by Isabel Briggs-Myers and her mom. So of course I took time to learn more about MBTI and gained a little more insight into my personality.

It Wouldn’t be a Party Without Marty

Then, in walks Marty, the father of modern positive psychology. Martin Seligman, along with fellow psychologist and researcher Neil Mayerson, identified twenty-four character strengths. On my continued path of better understanding myself and my search for happiness and well-being, it was clear that I would cross paths with Marty and his work. His work on living life well is beautiful. He has authored several books, but Authentic Happiness and Flourish are tops on my list. I like how he puts an emphasis on refining our strength in pursuit of a good life.

Flipping the Party

I enjoy gaining a better and deeper understanding of myself and others. This insight allows me to get a clearer picture of my strengths and areas that need attention. What I appreciate about Seligman’s character strengths is the focus on refining our strengths. It’s easy to recognize and dwell on weakness, but I love flipping this perspective on its head. When we focus on our strengths, according to Seligman, we are more likely to flourish. We are more likely to live healthier, happier lives. And that’s pretty awesome.

Come Join the Party

So if you feel so inclined, why don’t you join the party? Take a few minutes and complete this survey. I challenge you to go to https://www.viacharacter.org/ right now and take the free survey. Really. Do it now. Get to know your strengths and bring your strengths to life. It took a little guidance for me to get to find this party. Thank Ricky, Frank, Izzy, and Marty. I’m enjoying this never-ending path and this never-ending party. I encourage you to drop in and join in the fun.

Photo by Keith Luke on Unsplash