positive psychology

On Motivation (Daniel Pink) Tip #2

After identifying your “flow” activities and optimal times, Daniel Pink suggests strategy #2:

Ask a Big Question

Clare Boothe Luce (one of the first women to serve in Congress) advised John F. Kennedy to create his sentence. For example, Abe Lincoln: “He preserved the Union and freed slaves.”

One way to focus your life to serve a greater purpose is to create your sentence.

“He raised four kids who became happy and health adults,” is one example.

Or, “She taught two generations of children how to read.” (Drive, pg. 155).

What is your sentence?

 

 

 

Motivation (Daniel Pink) Tip #1

Tip #1 of 9 for Awakening Your Motivation: Give Yourself a Flow Test

In flow, people live “so deeply in the moment, and feel so utterly in control, that their sense of time, place, and even self melt away.”

If you haven’t identified what kind of activities engage you in this way, Pink suggests you set a timer for several random times throughout the day. When it goes off, record what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. You’ll soon find your “flow.”

This exercise can help you determine your optimal time of work and the “true source of your intrinsic motivation”!

Motivation: Daniel Pink

My co-workers and I discuss motivation of our students on a daily basis. So-and-So is simply unmotivated…if only he would find his motivation, he’s smart enough to pass, etc. We

teachers agree that we cannot give our students motivation. We can only inspire. But that’s often not enough.

 

Everyone has experienced the lack of motivation to create or pursue a dream. What is it that creates the “click”? The decision to act and work toward a goal?

Daniel Pink of Drive asserts that our businesses are operating under an outdated and unproductive system of carrots and sticks. Bonuses simply do not work long-term. What works, then? His research shows that there are 3 essential elements for enhancing motivation:

  1. Autonomy – “the desire to direct our own lives”
  2. Mastery – “the urge to make progress and get better at something that matters” and
  3. Purpose – “the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.”

Essentially, extrinsic motivators do not work. Treats or rewards for good grades, reading books, practicing piano…they can actually undermine intrinsic desires.

Tomorrow, I will cover the first of nine strategies Daniel Pink identifies to awaken your motivation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-Publishing: Illustrations

I had to download all of my images (which I had scanned) from my hard drive to my Google Drive for security purposes. I would hate to lose them should my computer die! This took awhile. I then placed half of those images into my CreateSpace Dashboard. It’s been a super long day/night and that’s all I can get done for now. It seems silly to create a whole blog about it, but I am (hopefully), I’m inspiring you to do even just a little (whenever you can) toward reaching your goals.

When you’re tired and just want to veg with Netflix…

When you just want to take a bath and go to bed…

When you just want to surf the Internet reading mindless junk…

do one small thing towards your goal instead.

Good night!

 

Self-Publishing: Formatting Your Pages

It’s a Saturday night. Hubby’s watching TV, girls are on their phones and I’m at my desk again.

Tonight, I’m starting the process that stopped me before: formatting my pages! I got overwhelmed in March. I’m determined to see this through! So here goes.

interior_2

CreateSpace has a template you can use in Word! How easy is that? The first is the interior cover page and then a dedication:

dedication

…a blank page follows that and then the Table of Contents.

Note: I started this whole process with Udemy.com and I enrolled in the “Self Publish Your Children’s Book” course given by Tim Johnson. He has a very warm, enthusiastic manner and makes the process less intimidating. Check him out!  I got 62% of the way through. I will be completing that course in tandem with the CreateSpace.com website going forward.

I’m going to upload my content and update my blog tomorrow.

And to all….a good night!

Esther and Mia on a blanket
Illustrated by Josie Wipff  March 2016

 

 

 

Self-Publishing “Esther, Mia and the Stars”

 

I’m a newbie to self-publishing. I wrote about my children’s book a couple nights ago and I’m going to share my learning process with you in this blog. My hopes are two-fold:

  1. This will hold me accountable and make me DO IT; and
  2. You will follow along with me and get your book published too!

Coincidentally, (and doesn’t the universe provide when you with what you need when you express your desires out loud?), I was reading Choose Yourself by James Altucher and he has a chapter on self-publishing! He recommends using CreateSpace.com. I know there are a kajillion other sites and ways to do this. I’m going to try this first. They have a step-by-step process built in for you and you can then sell through Amazon.com.

Tonight, I signed up. Each night, I will do something to get closer to publishing and share it here. But for now, I have to make lesson plans for the week. I spent most of today cleaning and taking my daughters to the mall. One had Girls Day Out (she had a fantastic time with three friends) and the other needed to pick out a Homecoming dress. Done!

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset
My Beautiful Fresh(wo)man

I also made progress in re-typing a short story I wrote over 13 years ago (I lost the Word doc, but had a hard copy).

As long as I make consistent progress in these areas, I’m happy. As a wise woman once said:

You can have it all, just not at once.

Oprah Winfrey

Esther, Mia and the Stars

I’ve written a children’s book. My daughters are my illustrators.

I’ve written the story.

I’m working on formatting it for publishing.

It’s about a girl who is bullied and how her best friend and teacher help her school turn it around.

Here is one of the illustrations:

Esther and Mia on a blanket
Esther and Mia, by Josie Wipff 

After the illustrations and stories were done, I just let it sit…for months. I need to take the next steps of getting it published.

Writing about it on my blog will make me accountable. Tell me to do it. Yell at me! I need a push.

 

 

When Your Past Comes Back to…

We were walking on our daughter’s high school campus during Open House. The schedule was set up as a truncated school day: we were to follow the students’ schedules and meet each teacher for six minutes. We were given five minutes between each class. Willey and I were a bit overwhelmed and we realized how Josie  (our first high school child)  must have felt on her first day: the buildings so far apart, the time to get to each so limited. It was also over 100 degrees outside, even though it was 6pm.

“Mrs. Chung-Wipff?”

I turned around. I didn’t see anyone I recognized. A petite “helper” student walked toward me. (The high school had arranged to have some juniors and seniors assist parents). I searched the girl’s face. And suddenly, I recognized her. Same cute nose and adorable freckles.

I taught Taryn second and third grade. It was the only time I looped in teaching, carrying my entire class over to a second year. It was over eight years ago. When I said goodbye to that class, it felt like I was saying goodbye to my own children. One girl, Taryn, was moving to Utah. She had an angel face and greeted me every day with an enormous smile and the best attitude! She – and the others – made me a better teacher. She and I wept together on the last day of school. I was surprised at the amount of emotion we had. I was going to miss her so much!

And here she was!

I can’t believe she remembers me, I thought. As if she could read my mind, she said, “I can’t believe you remember me, after teaching so many kids!”

 

No matter what your profession, you must realize that your kindness, love and attention mean the world to someone in your life. It can affect others for years to come, you just never know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the High Bar Becomes the Low Bar

Scarcity creates hunger. It’s good to be hungry. You’ll work hard if you need to eat.

Extreme pain can prove to be an effective deterrent, ask anyone who has survived a war or depression. They’ll do anything – anything – to avoid experiencing that again.

Tough competition pushes you to your limits.

But the very best competitor and source of inspiration is yourself.

Stand up comedians always save their best line for last. Louis C.K. played the same act for years, with mild success.  But he changed when he heard  George Carlin suggest that after performing a successful set, comedians should scrap it all and start over. Louis C.K. then started his act with what was his last (and best line), effectively pushing himself to reach even higher bars. He’s now worth $8 to 10 million and is lauded by many to be one of the best comedians of all time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heartbreak

 

 

 

When your child attempts something – and works so hard to prepare – yet doesn’t quite make her goal…

and then your child’s friend has a birthday party and doesn’t invite her…

…and THEN your child accidentally deletes all the photos on her phone and they are gone forever…

it’s tempting to want to solve her problems, to take her shopping and help her forget, to help her get happy again.

It’s tempting to tell her the girl is mean and not worth her friendship.

It’s tempting to get her a pedicure, to see those tears dry up.

Instead, hold her while she cries. Tell her it’s OK and that she can handle it. Because she can.

The key to a happy life is not to avoid problems (that’s impossible). The key to a happy life is to approach each problem with the attitude that you can handle it. This is what we must teach our children.