Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology by Christopher Peterson


I took my time reading Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology by Christopher Peterson because it felt like the best way to read it. I even read some of the reflections more than once. Peterson explores what positive psychology is and what people think positive psychology is. I think of myself as a positive person, so I thought I'd just be reinforcing what I already believe; however, I found some surprises hidden within the short reflections. I really want to try what he describes as a "but-free" day. Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology is a great book to read one or two reflections a day allowing the words to sink in before moving on to the next reflection(s). Anyone interested in living a life based on positivity will enjoy reading Pursuing the Good Life. While I didn't always agree with Peterson's opinions, his overall message of focusing on positive psychology rather than always focusing on the psychology about what is "wrong" and why it went wrong is definitely worth giving some serious attention. He clears up the misconception that positive psychology ignores one's problems and points out that  while one must be realistic, noticing what is going right in life can be as important as finding what needs to be fixed. Peterson's reflections aren't a self-help book per se but more an exploration of the role positive psychology can have in improving life for everyone.

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