What’s in a company name? Grow From Goodness is meaningful to me and might seem a little odd to you.
“By taking just a few extra seconds to stay with a positive experience—even the comfort in a single breath—you’ll help turn a passing mental state into lasting neural structure.”
― Rick Hanson, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence.
Did your eyes roll at the mention of “good” and “goodness”? Trust me, I get it. There are days I feel the same. Questions like, “Why does everything have to be ‘good’? Isn’t that just toxic positivity? And how does this address genuine organizational challenges?” might pop up in your mind. I’ve been there, thought that. But before you navigate away, I urge you to linger a little longer. If you resonated with the name or even felt a hint of curiosity, you’re in the right place.
“Grow from Goodness” stems from two significant influences in my life. First, let me introduce you to Dr. Rick Hanson, a scholar whose work on positive neural plasticity has been transformative for many, including myself. His HEAL model leverages beneficial experiences to promote growth and healing. It’s grounded in neuroscience and is genuinely enlivening.
Secondly, I believe we place too much emphasis on learning solely from hardships and failure. I’ve navigated childhood trauma, faced deep disappointments, divorce, loss, layoffs, infertility, and toxic workplaces. While they’ve shaped me, I’ve also been profoundly impacted by the positive aspects of my journey. I champion an “assume love first” approach in my marriage, have experienced profound shifts in my worldview due to positive experiences, and have realized the power of positive emotions arising from heartwarming experiences.
While concepts like Post Traumatic Growth and Transformative Learning emerge from adversity, we rarely discuss the enlightening shifts positive experiences can bring.
Life is undeniably challenging. Yet, it’s filled with opportunities for growth. Beyond the adversities, let’s also explore the idea of growing from the goodness in our lives. Remembering Dr. Rick Hanson’s words, that “Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones,” let’s actively remind ourselves to tilt toward goodness just a bit more.