In 2011, psychologist Martin Seligman introduced the PERMA model.
You can hear him describing the concept in this video.
PERMA is an acronym for five dimensions of wellbeing that leads to a flourishing life.
Below is an overview of each:
- Positive Emotions: The experiences that bring us positive feelings and emotions. The activities that bring one person joy and satisfaction will be different to those of another.
- Engagement: When we are engaged, we experience flow and lose track of time as we are “in the zone”. Again, the activities that bring each of us engagement are unique.
- Relationships: The quality and quantity of our social connections in all areas of our life enhance our wellbeing. We need others to really flourish.
- Meaning: We need a sense of purpose or meaning in our life. This can be either a lofty life-long purpose or as simple as a sense of purpose for the day ahead.
- Accomplishment: Accomplishment here doesn’t need to be the recognition of something by others but rather experiencing movement toward our personal goals.
Each dimension is important in the mix of creating a flourishing life.
While we can work to grow each one individually, there is also magic as they work together.
Finding meaning in activities that engage us.
Experiencing positive emotions while deepening a relationship.
Feeling accomplishment after a day engaged “in the zone” of a project.
I believe we could work to design our personal “PERMA Blueprint”.
A table with the attributes on the left and a running list of activities and events on the right.
Starting to recognize and understand activities we would personally put on the list.
Your Turn
Have you ever heard of the PERMA model?
Do you think a focus on these five areas could move you toward a flourishing life?
When you consider creating a PERMA blueprint, what would you put on your chart?