Hope helps you look beyond the horizon of your present circumstances.
ABOUT US
About Us Sections
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Mission & Values
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We exist to help people increase their intrinsic motivation by helping them develop their values, self-compassion, and self-efficacy.
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Our core values are:
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Transparency – We have no hidden agendas and we speak our minds in an environment of safety, neither seeking conformity nor conflict. We are always ready to offer an alternative perspective in constructive ways.
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Trust – Trust is a two-way street I both have to offer it and be worthy of it. This entails that each communication and action is clear in intent and willingness to be vulnerable.
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Selflessness – This is reflected in a sincere desire to accomplish the mission and vision of the organization with a spirit of generosity, balance, and genuine caring.
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My story is your story
Hi, Dave Edwards here, founder and CEO of HVASF. I have worked in health care, mostly serving lower income individuals and families, since 1983. Having served in 5 states and on three continents and in very different settings the common challenges of people everywhere became evident. My colleagues and I recognized the physical, financial, and structural barriers to people achieving their goals and becoming their best selves. It became clear, however, that the greatest barriers were those of the mind that kept people from engaging, achieving, and moving forward – whatever their outward circumstances.
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From 2007 through 2018 I primarily focused on creating integration between medical, dental, and behavioral health services. I was dedicated to meeting the “whole person” needs of people and creating a system that consistently met those needs. During this time, I learned a great deal more about motivation, systems, and behavioral health. In 2018 I had an epiphany (My WOW moment) that at the core of any successful change effort is personal motivation, what psychologists refer to as intrinsic motivation. This kind of motivation cannot come from a rousing speech, someone else's goals, or any other outside sources. This motivation is personal and comes from inside of each person. It is directly tied to what is important to each person.
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After further research I discovered that the core elements of personal motivation are values, self-efficacy, and self-worth. The focus on self-worth, however, is fraught with challenges and efforts to influence it often leading to excesses like narcissism or hubris. Tightly related to self-worth is self-compassion which science has shown we can influence without the negative consequences of self-worth interventions.
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Estimates vary widely but most agree that millions of people suffer from low self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-compassion, and as a result struggle in ways that are common but not necessary. The challenge with personal motivation is that you cannot bolt it on, it must come from within. So how do we help people do something that only they can do? First, it must be affordable. Then it must be easy to start and sustain. Finally, it must be effective. It became obvious that using some form of affirmations using the power of technology and current behavioral science would be the best way to help the most people, Thus HVASF was born. Want to know what HVASF stands for, see our FAQ. Thanks for reading about my journey. If you would like to participate in this amazing journey of becoming your best self, you are invited to become a member and participate in the powerful affirmations.
B-Corporation
“Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. This is a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good.”
That quote is from the B-Corporation web site https://bcorporation.net. While we are still very small today, we aspire to be this balanced company using business as a force for good. When we grow up, we will incorporate and certify as a B-Corporation.
Research Basis
As we note on the website, we strive to use a good evidence base to make our work more effective. The following are some key sources and other sites where you can dig a bit deeper and better understand the core concepts.
Values
Emmons, R. A. (1989). The personal strivings approach to personality. In: L. A. Pervin (Ed.), Goal concepts in personality and social psychology (pp. 87–126). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
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Kasser, T. (2002). Sketches for a self-determination theory of values. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 123-140). Rochester, NY, US: University of Rochester Press
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Affirmations
Self and Identity, Volume 8, 2009 – Issue 1 - “Developing and Testing a Self-affirmation Manipulation”, Lucy Napper, Peter R Harris, and Tracy Epton.
“Self-affirmation and the self-regulation of health behavior change”, Peter R. Harris, University of Sheffield, June 3, 2011.
“Can the effectiveness of health promotion campaigns be improved using self-efficacy and self-affirmation interventions? An analysis of sun protection messages”, Anna good & Charles Abraham, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton NB1 9RH, UK, March 23, 2011.
Archives of Internal Medicine, 2012;172(4):327-328, “Positive Affect and Self-affirmation are Beneficial, but Do They Facilitate Maintenance of Health-Behavior Change?”, Geoffrey C. Williams MD, PhD; Christopher P. Niemiec, PhD.
“Self-Affirmation", Stephen R. Covey, in Personal Excellence, February 1996.
Self-Compassion
“Self-Compassion – The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself”, Kristin Neff, PhD, 2011,
www.selfcompasion.org
Review of General Psychology, Vol. 15, No. 4, 289-303, “Self-Compassion: Conceptualizations, Correlates, & Interventions”, Barnard, L & Curry, J.F., 2011.
Self-Efficacy
Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, 82-91, (2000), “Self-Efficacy: An essential Motive to Learn”, Barry J. Zimmerman.
“Self-Efficacy – The exercise of Control”, Albert Bandura, 1997 by W.H. Freeman and Company
“Self-Efficacy”, Albert Bandura and V.S. Ramachaudran, 1994 Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Vol. 4, pg. 71-81).
Motivation & Change
The Journal of Politics, Vol. 71, No. 1, January 2009, Pg. 178-191, “Descriptive Social Norms and Motivation to Vote: Everybody’s voting and so should you”, Alan S. Gerber and Todd Rogers.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Vision to Action Framework (available online at www.RWJF.org.
“Influencer - The Power to Change Anything”, Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Ron Switzler, 2008
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