For the past several months, I have been studying a subset of Appreciative Inquiry called Appreciative Living. Whereas Appreciative Inquiry is focused on the business place, Appreciative Living is focused on the personal life of the individual. Cognitive science has shown that we are hardwired to be negative, to see the worst in most situations. This is a survival skill that we have developed throughout the history of humans. Appreciative Living, as well as Appreciative Inquiry, flips this paradigm to look at the good in life, the positive, and to appreciate what we have.
Some people think this is a Pollyanna outlook, but that is not the case. Looking at the positive does not ignore the negative, but rather changes our focus to see what is good around us while exploring how to deal with the negative. Instead of problem solving, which focuses on the negative, this method looks for the strengths which can be enhanced.
