I attended the London Regional day conference on Sat 29 Oct so here is a brief report of an excellent meeting.
75 members from all over the country and some guests enjoyed two speakers on the theme of ‘Pursuit of Happiness’.
Prof Mike Ferguson (Universities of Greenwich and Cambridge) spoke first and advocated that we ‘fake it to make it’ and become ‘teleological’ I.e. Move forward and become like that which the mind dwells upon’. Most of our actions are governed by the unconscious mind and when we think conscious we often are unable to function well. His message for success was entertainingly delivered with lots of illustrative stories and also inspiring. It focused on two points – know exactly what you want and everything we need for success is there, we just haven’t seen it yet. I have some handouts if anyone wants to know more.
After a delicious lunch Miriam Akhtar, a positive psychologist, led an interactive session to demonstrate that happiness is not a spectator sport and encouraged us to recognise and appreciate what we have. One idea was to keep a gratitude journal or jar. We all spent some time really savouring some fresh ripe strawberries and raspberries.
The venue was the NCVO offices which overlook the Regents Canal. Well done Natalie for organising such an informative and entertaining day.