Breathe
By Arlen Solodkin
A study conducted at Columbia University showed that one of the reasons behind many students deciding not to take science classes or pursue a STEM career is because they "believe" that the exceptional scientists who have made history, such as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie or Michael Faraday, had an innate ability and that it was effortless for them to get where they did or achieve what they did.
In the experiment conducted, they made the young people not only learn about the work of these scientists, but also about the process they went through to get there, the obstacles they faced and the conditions under which they did it. By realizing that they also failed, that they had intellectual struggles, that they were questioned and that they experienced personal difficulties such as poverty, war or discrimination, the young people saw these great geniuses from their human side and this helped them to realize their potential.
Students' beliefs about talent, intelligence and effort have a great effect on their motivation and performance. Seeing scientists as human beings, not as perfect individuals, understanding that their success is not innate and is related to their personal, professional process and their ability to persevere and overcome failure helped to bridge the gap.
The same is true when we think that only special people can transform the world. At the Institute for Integral Wellness and the Hope Circuit international meeting, we make the point that leadership is a choice and that history offers many examples of how "ordinary" men and women around the world have risen to the challenge and become agents of change.
The belief systems we have are a key factor in determining whether we become active agents of change or not, passive victims or architects of our reality. Thus, if we believe that we can influence the world and make it fairer, improve our living conditions and the community in which we live; we can develop greater effectiveness, resilience and cooperation.
These characteristics are related to those mentioned by Dr. Martin Seligman in his research on the sense of agency (being active agents in the construction of our reality) as a determinant of human progress. He states that progress depends on the beliefs that people have in recognizing that they can make changes in their lives and community and have an impact on the world around them. Human progress includes building an optimistic vision of the future, the possibility of imagining different courses of action to achieve it and fostering our sense of self-efficacy.
There is no better example of this than Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. But the incredible thing was not his speech but his dream itself. One that filled him and others with hope and inspiration, that ignited their imagination and motivation to turn that dream into action. It inspired millions of people to take action to build a new reality. This upward cycle continues once dreams become actions that transform the world around us.
How to cultivate optimism, imagination and self-efficacy to turn our dreams into reality?
A fundamental exercise for change is to visualize a different reality. This technique, known as positive prospection, motivates us to imagine a better future. If we are also able to visualize that reality together with other people and explore the various ways to achieve it, we are talking about imaginative experiences: projecting ourselves into the future we want to achieve.
It is equally important to believe in our self-efficacy, that is, to trust that our actions can generate the results we seek. An example is the film "The boy who tamed the wind" by William Kamkwamba, where against all odds, without education, good nutrition and living in extreme poverty, he manages to create windmills from waste, bringing water to his community.
Self-efficacy requires several ingredients:
Intentionality: People form intentions that include action plans and strategies to achieve them.
2. Foresight: plans for the future, setting goals, anticipating possible obstacles and outcomes. A forward-looking perspective provides direction, coherence and meaning to one's life.
3. Self-reactivity. The ability to self-regulate and construct appropriate courses of action to motivate and regulate their execution.
To be an agent is to intentionally influence the functioning and circumstances of life; to be able to self-organize, self-regulate, be proactive and self-reflective; rather than simply being an observer of our behavior.
We live in an era where access to technology, information, knowledge and our capacity for social impact has never been so great and yet we feel insignificant. Today more than ever, people have the power to transform our reality and, as suggested by Martin Seligman, speaker at the Hope Circuit meeting in Mexico City and father of positive psychology, to achieve that 51% of the world's population is flourishing by 2051.
Being agents of change and seeking the common good leads to a meaningful life, fosters connection and empathy, ignites hope and helps us open ourselves to the extraordinary. Helping others allows us to realize that, regardless of our circumstances, the potential we have to affect the community is immense.
We need to choose to add value in order to feel valued. We need to put ourselves at the service of the whole. It's time to change our question of "Why me?" and ask: Why not me? Some see their names written in the annals of history, but we all make history.
*Founderand director of the Instituto de Bienestar Integral and the Hope Circuit meeting.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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