[Excerpted from, 9 Keys to Creativity: Positive Psychology ©2023]

Our third tool for increased creativity may seem counterintuitive. Staying within the framework of 6 virtues and 24 character traits, specifically that virtue of wisdom within which creativity lies, judgment – critical thinking, discernment, decision-making, as in, using one’s best judgment – is our next key.

In the Wisdom virtue, that is, how we acquire and understand knowledge, judgment is sometimes deemed “open-mindedness” – but we’ll actually see that as our next key instead, as it’s worthwhile for our purposes to separate them out. This is reflective judgment, in which one thinks deeply, considers and reconsiders rather than jumping to conclusions or going with first impressions, and assesses one’s own decision-making past and present while avoiding rumination. What it’s not, is criticism, neither of self nor of other people.

The VIA Institute on Character defines this strength of judgment as “making rational and logical choices, and analytically evaluating ideas, opinions, and facts.” If we think of a judge in a courtroom, he or she impartially examines all possible evidence, weighing it fairly, thinking it through, and finally reaching a conclusion – and changing that conclusion if new evidence comes to light. In the virtue of wisdom, this is also how we must function, as we try to see things from as many angles as possible, consider opinions or ideas that differ, perhaps drastically, from our own, and generally think as broadly and as deeply as we can.

This doesn’t require one to be an intellectual. Naturally, some have a greater capacity for deep thinking than others; however, this simply means that we don’t make rash or light decisions but try to consider as many possibilities as we can before making our determination – and to be willing to change our minds should new evidence arise.

And how could this very cerebral, frontal lobe, analytical quality possibly relate to creativity?

Our strength of judgment is meant to counteract faulty thinking, by allowing us to also think creatively. To wit: we all tend to stick with our favorite ideas, or mainstream views, or the ideology of our family or political party, or even the doctrine of our religion. There isn’t anything wrong with this per se – except that we aren’t thinking, nor are we all that engaged in the making of our own life and self; we’re operating instead by rote, and following.

Creativity requires thinking outside of the box, away from the norm and free from stereotype. It doesn’t necessitate that we doubt our religion or change our worldview, but that we be willing to or at least capable of doing so. In this strength of judgment, we consider all views, sides, biases, beliefs; we actively seek out ideas other than or even counter to our own. This is extremely creative thinking, even as it’s also analytical. Thus, strengthening our ability of judgment, being willing to courageously consider views counter to our own, is a creative act.

Judgment is also about good decision-making, having first considered all options. To make thoughtful decisions in life, we must be able to imagine all potential results including the consequences of our own actions. This is the peak of creativity. Poor decisions are often made quickly, without considering all evidence, and without envisioning all possible outcomes to their end.

Like all other of the character strengths, our judgment is developed over time as a process of maturation. We learn from our life experiences and our mistakes, we hone our skills of predicting outcome and considering all options, and we refine our judgment – and our creativity – throughout our lifespan.

Research conducted by Wagner et al. (2021) indicates that the character strength of judgment is strongly associated with flourishing, or thriving, as is creativity, while fairness and several others are also related but less strongly. Judgment was also strongly correlated with the domains of both work and education, and the authors have determined that the significance of judgment, creativity, and fairness to flourishing, a term used to summarize the PERMA model, has been previously underestimated.

Huber et al. (2020), in their study of physicians, demonstrated that judgment, along with fairness, honesty, and love, were essential for wellbeing and work engagement, while judgment alone, of the 24 character strengths, indicated a protective quality against burnout. In an education-related study of secondary students, Wagner et al. (2020) showed that judgment, along with several other strengths, facilitated the flow state across various learning situations – a direct link between judgment and creativity — and was also conducive to self-rated achievement.

So how can we strengthen our ability of judgment, in order to enhance our creativity?

We can seek out alternate viewpoints, for a start. Social media, and Internet generally, has often been referred to as a ‘silo’ in which we only have those publications, organizations, groups, or individuals in our newsfeeds that support our worldview. Seeking out contradictory views is uncomfortable – and, it makes us reconsider, think more deeply, make better decisions, and think outside of our norm, i.e., creatively.

We can reflect on past decisions we’ve made, not obsessively (i.e., rumination) but simply to check in with our own psyches to see if we’ve matured since then, if we might make a different decision today. We can regularly assess our self-awareness, learn from others, and ask for feedback. We can engage in collective decision-making, in which we may face alternate and contradictory viewpoints as a matter of course. And we can become increasingly comfortable with dissent, conflict, and uncertainty as a result.

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Exercises:

It’s best if we practice hypothetical judgment and decision-making, that we may refine our skills prior to our having to engage them in any major circumstance. One of the ways to do this is to consider a controversial topic, write it down, and then write as many arguments for and against as you can imagine, in detail.

A similar exercise begins with a challenging issue in your own life, either now or imagined as a possibility in the future (e.g, getting married or not, having a child or not, a career change, or changing political parties). Using a brainstorming technique, fill a blank sheet of paper with all the arguments in favor of the issue; then, flipping the paper over, do the same on the reverse for all the possible arguments against. (The act of using 2 sides of the same sheet, rather than 2 separate sheets, is deliberately chosen for its subconscious impact, i.e., 2 sides of the same issue.)

In another practice, you can write down a decision that you know you’ll need to make in the near future. Then try to imagine all possible actions or decisions you could make. And as a third step, consider the potential outcomes of each of those actions or decisions. There is no need to choose one – just to paint the big picture for now, in as much detail as you can, considering all possibilities.

To develop collaborative judgment, gather a few friends or colleagues, divide into two groups, and following general debate principles, have one team develop an argument for a highly controversial topic, while the other team does the opposite – and work it through together. Conversely, you and a few others can remain as one team, imagine that you’re facing a difficult situation (e.g., having to cut company costs by laying off workers), and work through the issue together from as many angles as you can collectively imagine.

Finally, a reconsideration of past decisions: think of a decision you made, and consider whether you would make the same judgment today – and your reasons why, or why not. Alternately, think of a time when someone treated you in what you thought was an unjust manner – and imagine several reasons why they may have considered their behavior correct or acceptable; try to see the issue through their eyes.

And on we go to the related quality of open-mindedness.

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References:

Huber A, Strecker C, Hausler M et al. (2020). Possession and Applicability of Signature Character Strengths: What Is Essential for Well-Being, Work Engagement, and Burnout? Applied Research Quality Life 15, 415–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9699-8

Wagner L, Holenstein M, Wepf H et al. (2020). Character Strengths Are Related to Students’ Achievement, Flow Experiences, and Enjoyment in Teacher-Centered Learning, Individual, and Group Work Beyond Cognitive Ability. Frontiers in Psychology 11:1324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01324

Wagner L, Pindeus L, and Ruch W (2021). Character Strengths in the Life Domains of Work, Education, Leisure, and Relationships and their Associations with Flourishing. Frontiers in Psychology 12:597534. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.597534

[Excerpted from, 9 Keys to Integrative Wellness: Personal Growth ©2023]

And now: exercise, including forms that balance the body’s qi or prana. (More on this soon.)

And, whenever possible, doing so while immersing ourselves in nature: our natural home.

Again, we all know that exercise is good for health, though we surely can’t omit it from a book on integrative wellness, can we? And how does it fit into that more comprehensive view?

This is another area often little understood by medical doctors, well researched but still too often overlooked as a contributor to health. Especially rare is the psychiatrist who tells his patient to get more exercise, or to get out into nature.

As to the latter, the benefits of nature to mental health are only recently in active research, including nature-based therapies. The effects on subjective wellbeing are clear: those who regularly engage with nature report higher levels of happiness, contentment or life satisfaction, meaning in life, sense of purpose, community or connectedness, and overall wellbeing. Additionally, time spent in nature is associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety. We’re literally more grounded or rooted, with improved focus and attention as well.

The value of such interconnectedness cannot be overstated; when in nature, we feel more connected with the world around us, including other species and the elements, and this is essential to our wellbeing.

Each week at sunrise, I board a ferry bound for my favorite tiny island in Istanbul’s archipelago; an hour across the Marmara Sea, my first nature immersion a watery one as I sit out on the ship’s deck and stare out over the waves (often enough, spotting dolphins), and eventually, I’ve arrived. A few hours of solo trekking (aka, moving meditation), singing to crows, cuddling stray cats, walking along the shore and through a forest (where I often encounter a young black bull I call Henry), maybe meeting my 2 horse friends as they wander, climbing the island’s peak where ruins of an ancient Greek Orthodox monastery sit atop an even older temple to Zeus, and where I engage in sitting meditation and a bit of personal ritual – and I am, in every sense of the word: home.

An old adage, included in our introductory vignettes: Move a muscle, change a thought. When we’re stuck in negative thought patterns, or a challenging mood state, taking a walk or doing any type of exercise at home will often result in a mental shift. As well, we know that moving meditation engenders creativity, so when a writer or artist is blocked, he/she will often engage in something physical instead. As we age and cognitive capability or memory become compromised, the number one method for countering this isn’t learning a new language or solving puzzles or writing haiku (though these too help): it’s physical exercise, to improve blood flow to the brain. (I recommend singing and dancing, in particular.)

Naturally, exercise is also good for our bodies, rendering it particularly integrative. It can also be done with others, for the social aspect of health, especially fun types such as sports, or dancing; exercise that’s also joyful, as well as that performed out in nature, can also be said to support our spiritual health.

As well, we want to contribute to the balancing of energy or life force, our vitality or essence, known as qi in traditional Chinese medicine (with related exercise of qigong or makko ho) and prana in India’s ayurveda (which includes yoga).

Ideally, we include forms of exercise for flexibility, strengthening, cardio, and energy balance, plus those that are fun and ideally social. But who has that kind of time?

The good news is, some of this can certainly overlap.

I begin each morning with 12-15 minutes of makko ho meridian stretches, thereby improving flexibility while also contributing to the balance of qi. Another 12-15 minutes of strengthening, and my day has begun. At midday, just before lunch, I engage in 10 minutes of cardio, typically in a brisk circle walk, forward then reverse, around a central structure in my home. In the evening, just before dinner, it’s 10 minutes of dance – more cardio, and joyful at that, often combined with singing. And then, there’s the weekly 3-hour trek on the island.

For general health (as opposed to, say, preparing for a marathon), 30-45 minutes a day is sufficient – and can be easily divided into segments of 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. (I begin with 30 as my energy is freshest then – while the midday short-burst cardio serves to pick up my energy again, yet the evening cardio burst helps with sleep.)

Just a few weeks following this writing, I’ll reach 60 years of age. A year ago, I asked myself: how do I want to enter this third-third of life? – or as the French say, le troisième âge. Never being particularly sporty, though I’ve practiced the makko ho meridien stretches for decades and engaged in nature immersion throughout my life, it came to me: strong. Among other goals for this Third Act, I want to remain strong through my senior years – allowing for the realities of an aging body but relatively strong nonetheless – and I began a daily exercise commitment. A year later, still consistent, it’s become a cherished part of my life.

Perhaps you’re differently abled, or challenged by a chronic pain pattern of some sort, and physical exercise is limited or not possible. Whatever may be within the capability of your own body, it remains essential to health; this includes having someone else exercise your muscles for you. We each have a different approach. Singing, for example, especially with great enthusiasm (and no need for talent), is exceedingly cardio, and doesn’t require us to move our bodies at all. The balancing of qi or prana is most often approached through deep breathing, as we circulate air through our bodies. We must seek out what is possible, what we are capable of, and engage in that regularly.

Breathwork. There are various types, and this too is extremely beneficial to our integrative health. Each day when I complete my makko ho meridian stretching routine, I engage in a brief meditation in warrior pose – standing, arms raised above my head, fists clenched – with deep, forceful, cleansing breaths. This is meant for empowerment, physical as well as psychological, and a good way to end my exercise routine and begin my day, I’ve found. Breathwork is accessible to most individuals, carries extra oxygen through the blood to all the body’s tissues including the brain, and is thus beneficial to many areas of the body – above all, heart and lungs. Excellent for increasing energy, too.

In fact, those of us who live a life primarily of intellectual or spiritual pursuit may largely ignore our bodies and need daily reminding – and grounding – of our wholeness, through physical exercise. For those differently abled, or challenged by a health condition, one’s body may represent a battleground or betrayal – and again, whatever forms of exercise remain possible will help one to befriend and cherish one’s body. In any case: for an integrative approach to health and wellness, physical exercise in any form possible is an essential component.

If you aren’t currently engaged in such: begin with just one activity that takes not more than 10 minutes each day. Following a week of consistent engagement (not more than 1 day off), add a second component that’s also a maximum of 10 minutes. Continue adding small components, only after each new one has become integrated into your daily routine, until you reach a level that’s comfortable for you. (And then: add just 1 more, so that you move a step beyond comfort and into challenge.) If you only have that 10 minutes a day, so be it. (And, consider doubling up: engaging in mindfulness meditation in tandem with stretches designed for both flexibility and energy rebalancing is a very common approach to Eastern disciplines, yoga or qigong for example.) As your life goes through adjustments and you have a bit more time, consider adding something more.

And so: exercise, and energy balancing.

[excerpted from, 9 Keys to Befriending Stress: Personal Growth ©2023]

In our previous key, we touched on a few elements that lead us now to a practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness, extracted from Buddhism for secular application a few decades ago, has received plenty of attention, even as many may still not fully understand what’s meant by this term.

I like to say: focus and notice, but don’t attach.

Mindfulness is viewed as a form of mental training, within Buddhism as well as without, and as emotional regulation. We don’t aim to control our emotions; rather, we cultivate a state in which our emotions don’t control us. All the while, we engage in deep compassion toward the self as well as others – and an understanding that the self/other separation is false.

So: focus and notice.

Mindfulness invites us to notice all the detail, the nuance of our life, which brings a richness of experience along with time affluence. Having practiced mindfulness for 40 years now, when in late December there are cries of ‘where has the year gone?!?’ I smile to myself; I know my year not to have flown by unnoticed but to have been one of daily engagement, filled with so many moments of beauty and joy, from the smile of a baby to the stranger who wished me a good morning, to the sunbeams on my desk as I write this and the rainbows that dance all around me from the prisms hanging in my windows. Life is very rich and time is endless.

And how does this apply to our quest for making stress our friend?

If you engage no other tool than this, you’ll be well ahead. (I do strongly recommend those previous two tools as well, however.)

Mindfulness is trait, state, and practice. We can be mindful individuals, be in a state of mindfulness, engage in a daily practice such as mindfulness meditation. In building this core of quietude, as we increase our attention and focus alongside emotional intelligence, we are far better prepared when stressful events arrive, or the chronic stressors of daily life.

As a practice, meditation is one aspect; in a quiet space, focusing on our breathing and the present moment, redirecting our focus whenever it drifts, we simply take note of whatever feelings may arise, look beneath them, then let them gently drift away again. This isn’t a suppression of emotion; instead, we look at what we’re feeling quite carefully, seeking its source, yet we then have no need to let it define us but can let it go again.

With practice, this skill becomes refined and strengthened, and increasingly a state in which we live throughout each day. By learning to regulate our emotions in this way, we remain the calm point in any storm. When stressors come, we see them, look at our feelings about them, but are not devastated, and can consider the worth of such instead.

Research shows that just ten minutes a day of mindfulness meditation has marked benefits both psychologically and physically. It’s a very small investment to make, and a far richer life as a result.

One especially well-known mindfulness exercise is the Loving Kindness Meditation, to increase compassion toward the self and others. In a meditative state, again beginning with a focus on our slow and steady breathing, once our mind has downshifted to a quiet state we then focus on surrounding and filling ourself with compassion and love. After a couple of minutes, we extend that compassion to other people whom we love. In the third stage, we allow that compassion to flow further, including those about whom our feelings are neutral; the fourth, toward those whom we actively dislike (the hard part). In the final stage, we let our compassion flow outward into the whole: all of humanity, other species and our planet, the cosmos.

For cultivating a positive mindset regarding stress, and for befriending stress and viewing it as an ally, the benefits of mindfulness are enormous. We learn not to be ruled by our emotions, even as we carefully observe and acknowledge each feeling. We learn to notice the richness of detail in our life, as time stretches out before us; we have lived the moments fully and are all the more affluent for it. We learn to extend compassion to ourselves, others, the planet, and by this we understand that we aren’t separate from any of it.

Thus, in the midst of stress, we can be calm and remain objective. We can notice all the good that is still around us, rather than focusing solely on the stressful event. We can see that the present moment is manageable. We detach from outcome, while allowing for all possibilities. And we rely on our breathing as our constant source of grounding.

This may seem more like stress management, however, and it surely is also that. As to seeing stress and painful events as potentially positive, mindfulness shows us the impermanence of life; what we’re experiencing now, in this present moment, will be in the past just a moment later, while what’s to come is unknowable. This brings us an openness and sense of possibility that allows us to see stress for what it is: the passing emotion of the moment. The painful event occurred in the past; how we respond to it in the present is in our hands, and we let go of our unrealistic need to control the future.

At the same time, we surround ourselves with the protective quality of compassion, and we understand that we’re far more supported than we could possibly know – as we aren’t isolated from others but are fully interconnected with all sentient beings.

It’s also important to note that mindfulness, while mental training, is not a life of the mind. Instead, as Buddhism supports nonduality, there’s also no separation between mind and body; in mindfulness practice, we observe and accept our bodily function as well, whatever its state. We honor our body, and in this, we recognize its ability for self-healing and for rebalancing as needed – which includes its mechanisms for returning to a state of balance in the midst of stress.

Mindfulness. Our third and possibly most significant key.

[excerpted from, 9 Keys to Identity Crisis & Resolution: Personal Growth ©2023]

In psychology we speak of post-traumatic stress disorder (the war veteran who awakens each night in panic mode, for example) – and, of post-traumatic growth. Far from a superficial magical thinking that the trauma response somehow becomes positive instead, this is a deliberate process for making it so. We begin with the idea that crisis represents opportunity, in this case of identity crisis whether trauma or another trigger, and once our more disturbing and destabilizing emotions are within our ability to understand and regulate (see that previous chapter), we can then focus on finding meaning and opportunity in the major change that precipitated our crisis.

What we need for this is a growth mindset.

Developed by Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck, and a recent buzzword in both business and coaching, this concept applies to identity foremost. Do we approach this crisis as simply something painful that we need to get through, that our loss or despair or confusion will eventually be less uncomfortable (it will) and we must endure until then – or do we see challenge as an opportunity for growth?

This is easier if what precipitated your issue of identity was losing your job, for example, surely painful (especially if it was you alone who was fired, rather than a mass layoff) and disorienting, but ultimately a chance to retrain and hopefully get an even better position elsewhere. Much more difficult to apply a growth mindset to, say, the loss of a loved one; we simply miss them, and are consumed by that absence and loss, especially if tragic and unexpected. A growth mindset may not be applicable for a while, in that case; the initial pain needs time to subside. Then, however, we can indeed begin to see even this as a growth opportunity; by going through hardship, in experiencing deep pain, we either grow or remain devastated as a result. In growth, perhaps we become a stronger person, or a more sensitive one to others’ pain, or someone who finally begins to stand on her own. There are many possibilities for even the most painful situation to become an eventual stimulus for growth, as we find our way to that new identity.

In the short-term, a growth mindset means we aren’t going to allow the identity crisis itself to get stalled, or to take control of us in a harmful way. We’re going to go through the painful experience with our eyes as wide open as we can, neither ignoring nor wallowing in our pain but first genuinely experiencing it, and then ultimately looking beyond it. Everything in life, after all, provides potential for our personal growth, however unwanted the circumstance. Either growth or collapse are our options.

One of the ways to encourage our growth mindset, and of course as in all things we want to focus on and develop this view while we aren’t in crisis, so that we have it to rely on when we are, is to practice listening to our inner voice. That intuition, that gut instinct, that indicates what’s best for us and the right move to make, is often ignored; the more we listen to it, however, the more we become aware of our own inner wisdom, a deep well based on a lifetime of experience.

We also become increasingly aware of its counterpart – that inner voice that says, “Yes, but—” to our core wisdom. Our self-doubt, our inner critic, our mindset that would rather ignore problems or run away from the work of personal growth, is also ours to befriend – and to refute. When we hear, “I’m not good enough,” our ever-evolving growth mindset doesn’t necessarily say, “Oh yes, you are,” but may respond, “Perhaps not yet. But you will be.” A growth mindset doesn’t deny reality (for example, if we don’t yet have certain skills), but sees potential to change that reality. And so we begin to talk back, gently, to our inner naysayer, recognizing the possibility of value in our negativity yet also the capacity for change – and growth.

Get a mentor. No matter how old you may be (perhaps you’re more of the mentoring age – me, too), it isn’t so much about mentoring but about having someone who can cheer you on, who can remind you of your growth potential when you’re feeling less confident, with whom you can discuss those doubts and know that they won’t cajole you but will help you return to a more realistic assessment – that you are indeed capable of growth, and of change.

Another part of a growth mindset is in letting go of the need for others’ approval. This too often comes naturally as we age, and learn to listen more to our own inner wisdom than to others’ opinions. But in times of crisis, especially when our identity is in flux which brings self-doubt and a lack of confidence, we may need reminding; when we’re not at our best, and less than sure of ourselves, we tend once more to rely too much on the opinions and approval of others. Be on your guard against this, trusting in your ability to grow into your new self. (Social media has its merits but, predicated on the approval of others, also perpetuates this external locus of control. Again, beware.)

The opposite of a growth mindset isn’t so much an expectation of failure, or of victimhood; it’s a fixed mind instead. If you’re encountering an identity crisis, in which you no longer know quite who you are and are aware that your new and destabilizing circumstances are compelling you to become a new version of yourself, you’re already too familiar with the need for a flexible mind; yours is flexible almost in spite of you, as you change. Adopting a growth mindset now will help to support that process.

One of the ways to foster this mindset is to learn something new, something you haven’t done before and in which you don’t yet have any related skill. Learn a language, for example, or a musical instrument, in either case one markedly different from any you’ve studied previously. This isn’t only a way to help your mind become more flexible, though that’s certainly part of it; it also helps you to open to new areas of knowledge and skill, rather than relying on those you’ve already acquired, as we adults tend to do.

Along with that: make mistakes, learn from them, laugh gently at yourself. A fixed mindset wants to rely on tried-and-true largely to avoid making mistakes or looking silly. Learn to embrace this instead.

We can’t remain fixed anyway. Never could, and never will. We grow and change throughout our lives – even those described as ‘set in their ways’. Living equals changing, and life events will powerfully require that we change.

Think of the young child who says, “I can’t,” versus the one who demands, “Let me do it.” Imagine both of these voices inside each of our heads. No matter how you were as a child, or what type of adult you’ve become, I promise you: both of those small children are still in your unconscious, though perhaps one grew stronger, the other weaker. In times of crisis and flux especially, the one who says “I can’t” is likely to resurface. Quiet him or her, gently…and bring that other “can-do” child to the forefront instead.

And above all, remember that magic word: Yet.