The 12 Steps of Positive Psychology¹

The positive psychology movement is surely gaining momentum². In a recent discussion with two of my colleagues we joked that positive psychology’s really about a type of recovery from negative thinking.

This got me wondering if a 12-step process might be worth identifying. So guess what…? I think it is.

Here is what I propose for the 12 steps of positive psychology.

The 12 Steps of Positive Psychology

1. We admitted we have more power than we realized over negative thoughts and that our lives can become more manageable if we deal with them directly.

2. Came to believe that a power greater than our current self, positivity, could be accessed and nurtured³.

3. Made a decision to help God as we understand him to bring forth⁴ a feeling of well-being⁵.

4. Made a searching and fearless inventory⁶ of our virtues⁷ and strengths.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our goodness, kindness and courage.

6. Were entirely⁸ ready to have God remove all these defects of character so that we can replace them with our signature strengths.

7. Humbly⁹ asked Him to remove our shortcomings — but not until we have learned to understand how these shortcomings might be opportunities to grow.

8. Made a list of all persons who have helped us and became willing to express our gratitude¹⁰ to them all.

9. Made direct effort to thank such people wherever possible, except when we are prevented from doing so. In this case we write a letter to them as if they were going to receive it and keep it as a reminder¹¹ of the gratitude we have for them.

11. Sought through prayer, meditation¹² and a daily gratitude list, to improve our relationship with others and our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual and psychological awakening¹³ as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to those not yet flourishing, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Of course there is always room for more. Let me know if there are ones you would like to see added to this list.