Happiness Is Everything, or Is It? Explorations on
the Meaning of Psychological Well-Being;
Carol D. Ryff
University of Wisconsin--Madison
Second Chapter; Incubation Stage
Third Chapter, After Incubation Stage; Staying Motivated
When intelligent readers find a great book and finish it, they usually feel on the top of the world. The feeling is indescribable.
Here are many books that if your interest lies in this subject, will rocket you to the moon.
How to Survive in Your Native Land (Innovators in Education) by James Herndon (Paperback)
Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation by Edward L. Deci, Richard Flaste (Paperback)
Mindfulness by Ellen J. Langer (Paperback)
On Becoming an Artist : Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity by Ellen Langer (Hardcover)
The Power of Mindful Learning by Ellen J. Langer (Paperback)
The Psychology of Control by Ellen Langer
Mindfulness in Plain English, Updated and Expanded Edition by Dr. Bhante H. Gunaratana (Paperback)
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences [Paperback] By: Howard Gardner
Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi [Paperback] By: Howard Gardner
Acts of Meaning : Four Lectures on Mind and Culture (Jerusalem-Harvard Lectures) [Paperback]
By: Jerome Bruner
Awakening to Zen: The Teachings of Roshi Philip Kapleau [Hardcover] by Kapleau [Hardcover]
By: Roshi Philip Kapleau
The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment [Paperback] By: Philip Kapleau Roshi
A Path with Heart : A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life [Paperback] By: Jack Kornfield
Meditation for Beginners [UNABRIDGED] [Audio CD] By: Jack Kornfield
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry : How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path [Paperback] By: Jack Kornfield
The Inner Art of Meditation [Audio CD]
By: Jack Kornfield
Living Dharma [Paperback]
By: Jack Kornfield
How to Survive in Your Native Land (Innovators in Education) [Paperback] By: James Herndon
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry : How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield (Paperback)
Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness : Walking the Buddha's Path
Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom
Living in the Light of Death : On the Art of Being Truly Alive
Breath by Breath : The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom : The Path of Insight Meditation (Shambhala Classics)
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: Satipatthna : A Handbook of Mental Training Based on the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness, With an Anthology of Relevant
Experience of Insight (Shambhala Dragon Editions)
Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness( Rough Cut )
Mindfulness Meditation [ABRIDGED]
Wherever You Go, There You Are : Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Learning All the Time
How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development)
The Power of Mindful Learning
The Psychology of Control by
How Children Fail (Classics in Child Development)
Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling
Instead of Education: Ways to Help People do Things Better
The Mind and the Way : Buddhist Reflections on Life
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Teachings of a Buddhist Monk
Zen Meditation in Plain English
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, 2nd Edition
Calming Your Anxious Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Anxiety, Fear, and Panic
How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development) by John Caldwell Holt
Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior (Perspectives in Social Psychology) by Edward L. Deci, Richard M. Ryan (Hardcover)
A Practical Guide for Teaching Self-Determination by Council for Exceptional Children Division on Career Development and tr (Corporate Author), Sharon Field (Editor) (Paperback)
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: The Search for Optimal Motivation and Performance (Educational Psychology) -- by Carol Sansone, Judith M. Harackiewicz; Hardcover
The Handbook of Self-Determination Research by Edward L. Deci (Editor), Richard M. Ryan (Editor) (Paperback)
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Paperback)
Creativity : Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Author) (Paperback)
Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life (Masterminds Series) by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Paperback)
The Art of Seeing: An Interpretation of the Aesthetic Encounter by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Rick E. Robinson (Paperback)
The Relationship Cure : A 5 Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family, and Friendships by John Gottman
The Meditative Mind by Daniel Goleman (Paperback)
Creating Optimism by Bob Murray, Alicia Fortinberry (Paperback)
The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre by Stephanie Arnold, Stephanie Arnold (Paperback)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (Paperback)
VITAL LIES SIMPLE TRUTHS: The Psychology of Self Deception by Daniel Goleman (Paperback)
Learned Optimism : How to Change Your Mind and Your Life -- by Martin Seligman; Paperback
Authentic Happiness : Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment -- by Martin Seligman; Paperback
The Sources of Innovation by Eric Von Hippel (Paperback)
Eccentrics: A Study of Sanity and Strangeness (Kodansha Globe) by David Joseph Weeks, et al (Paperback - October 1996)
Appendix:
Intrinsic motivation theorists have provided a different perspective on curiosity (Deci & Ryan, 1985). They hold that learning is intrinsically enjoyable (Weiner, 1995); that is, curious people seek out learning activities in order to have fun. On the other hand, when students expect that school will be unpleasant—when they dislike their teachers, are bored by the curriculum, or feel anxious over grading practices—they lose their curiosity and their interest in school. Intrinsic motivation theorists advise educators to make school "fun" so that the students can rediscover the natural joys of learning (Lepper & Cordova, 1992).
Trait theorists have provided a third perspective on curiosity. As put forth by Reiss (2000, in press), trait curiosity is the usual strength of a person's desire for knowledge. People show significant and stable individual differences in the quantities of time they want to spend in intellectual pursuits. Some people, for example, have the potential to experience curiosity for only a few minutes at a time: When these people engage in effortful thought for more than a few minutes, they become frustrated even if they are smart and are successfully solving problems. Other people have the potential to experience curiosity throughout much of a day. The former individual rarely thinks about anything, whereas the latter person may seem to be always thinking about something.
Cacioppo, Petty, Feinstein, and Jarvis (1996) have put forth the concept of need for cognition. Sensitivity theory's concept of curiosity is very similar to Cacioppo et al.'s prior concept of need for cognition. They defined it as an "individual's tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive endeavors." The "need for cognition" is a motivational trait, or a stable individual difference in behavior evident in many different situations over long periods of time. People with a high need for cognition have an inquiring intellect (Cacioppo et al., 1996). "The need for cognition is thought to reflect a cognitive motivation rather than an intellectual ability" (Cacioppo et al, 1996, p. 199).
Intrinsic motivation theorists have embraced a variant of hedonism, holding that the inquiry process is inherently enjoyable except when extraneous factors, such as grades, turn "fun" into "work." Trait theorists hold that curiosity is a psychological "need" for cognition (Cacioppo et al., 1996) or knowledge (Reiss, 2000, in press). Satisfaction of this need produces happiness—curious people are happy when they pin knowledge—but the inquiry process itself (especially effortful thinking) is not necessarily fun and at times can be inherently frustrating. According to sensitivity theory, curious people persist in their inquiries even when it has become unpleasant to do so because they desire knowledge more than they desire fun.
Personal Satisfaction of Curious People; Findings by Steven Reiss and Maggi M. Reiss; Curiosity and Mental Retardation: Beyond IQ
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Happiness Is Everything, or Is It? Explorations on
the Meaning of Psychological Well-Being;
Carol D. Ryff
University of Wisconsin--Madison |
Perhaps these chapters might shed some lights as to what might be causing this unfortunate loss. Could it be that Chinese and/or Indian engineers are more mindfully motivated or perhaps even trying to be more creative? Could it be that they are more mindful? What is mindfulness anyway? We have dedicated a part of this book to mindfulness. This book will draw upon my last 25 years experience in motivation, self assessment, innovations, essence of entrepreneurship and creative process. After I finished writing the main parts of this book and researching into spiritual meditation and Buddha's teaching's, I realized that the book might sometimes be too harsh and rough on our innate qualities, especially regarding negative traits such as greed, hatred, delusions. After all, I do not believe, at this day and age, we could be suffering from all these barriers or hindrances to the extend that my research indicated. I, however, tried my best to keep the integrity of Buddha's teachings without any changes. I do, indeed, believe that sometimes the negative voice of judgment and self deprecation exist in all of us. So as you read, please keep in mind that harshness on our personalities and characters is not my intentions. If Buddha's teaching and tools are powerful enough to dismantle hatred, delusions, and greed, I am sure they are more than sufficient to dismantle our negative voice of judgments.
I worked for two great Indian creative minds and I learned many things about mindfulness from them, and also from my Japanese, Chinese and Indian coworkers in Silicon Valley. The purpose of this discussion is not to persuade the reader to change his/her religion to Buddhism, but to use the tools available to achieve creativity and mindfulness. I only hope I can bring to this discussion and activity what is perhaps the most important quality to creative endeavor and that is originality of a new system that can benefit all of us.