Summary:  (1) Chris Peterson writes about Randy Pausch in "The Last Lecture: A Positive Psychology Case Study."  (2) Our August Foundations Program has a first-time-ever, one-time-only, $350 tuition discount.  Plus much more.
 
In this Issue:

1. Ben's Note--
2. $350 August Discount on Foundations MCP 124 Foundations Training Program
3. Ben's TeleWorkshop on Coaching
4. Main Essay: "The Last Lecture: A Positive Psychology Case Study" by Chris Peterson
5. Anthony Grant Interview Friday, August 15, 2008
6. Upcoming Interviews and Classes

 

1.  Ben's Note:
 
August 12, 2008
 
Dear CTH Readers,

 

Five quick points:
 
(1)  Martin E. P. Seligman:  Your responses to the July CTH Newsletter about the false allegations that Marty Seligman "provided assistance in the process" of torture to the CIA have been overwhelming. Thanks so much.
 
(2)  Special August $350 Discount.  If you click here you'll see something we've never done before.  Launch an MCP Foundation class, our flagship program, in August.  All students will receive a $350 discount off the class tuition.  This is a one-time, never-to-be-repeated program based both on the August start and as a bow to the general economic climate in the US.  We apologize in advance.  This discount will apply to MCP 124 only and is not retroactive.
 
(3)  Ben Dean No Fee TeleWorkshop.  And on August 21, I'm giving a free two-hour workshop on coaching at which one participant will win a 100% fellowship to MCP 124 or any subsequent Foundations class as well.  Click here for info.

 

(4)  Anthony Grant Interview:  We're having a special Q&A by Anthony "Tony" Grant on Friday, August 15, 2008.  Tony is the Founder and Director of the Coaching Psychology Unit at the University of Sydney and a central figure in the field today.
 
(5)  Future Interviews:  P. Alex Linley (8/22/08) and a September Interview with Ed Diener and Sonja Lyubomirsky.

 

Until next time,
Ben
 
2.  August Summer Foundations Discount
 
You are invited to become a coach through MentorCoach® starting August 21, 2008.  Kim Kirmmse Toth will be leading our August MCP 124 Foundations Program.  She is an extraordinary coach and teacher.

31 Thursdays
7:00 pm - 7:59 pm Eastern (New York Time)
International Time (UTC/GMT) add four hours
Starts Thursday, August 21, 2008

Faculty: Kim Kirmmse Toth

For Info click here
 
 
 

Because it is our first class ever to launch in August and in recognition of the economic news in the US, it will have a one-time only $350 discount for any payment plan.  We apologize in advance; the discount will apply to MCP 124 in August 2008 only and is not retroactive.
 
3.  Ben's No Fee TeleWorkshop About Coaching

 

 

You can join me for a two-hour, free teleclass Introduction to Coaching Workshop.  One participant will win a fellowship to complete the MentorCoach Flagship Program--Foundations, the 31-week coach training program.

 

 

DATE: Monday, August 18, 2008
TIME: 7:00 pm to 8:59 pm EDT (New York)
6:00 pm CDT (Dallas)
5:00 pm MDT (Denver)
4:00 pm PDT (San Francisco)
Global times
11:00 pm UTC/GMT
12:00 am BST Tuesday (London)
9:00 am Tuesday (Sydney)
To Register:  Click here.   

4.  The Last Lecture: A Positive Psychology Case Study
By Chris Peterson, Ph.D. 

Chris Peterson's New Blog: "The Good Life."  As you know, Chris Peterson is a positive psychology luminary who is internationally known for his research, teaching and writing.  His most recent book, A Primer in Positive Psychology, is being read and used throughout the world.

 

As if that is not enough, he now writes a superb blog, "The Good Life."  For my money, it contains some of the best writing in the blogosphere. 

 

Our main essay today is his June blog post on Randy Pausch who died of pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008.  Chris wrote this essay six weeks before Randy died.

 

Chris has been kind enough to allow us to publish his blog on the CTH and MentorCoach sites in addition to it's location on the Psychology Today website.  [You can watch Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" here.]

 

~=~=~=~=~=~=~

 

The Last Lecture: A Positive Psychology Case Study
Christopher Peterson, Ph.D.

 

My colleague Ben Dean and I recently conducted an Internet survey of 1464 adults interested in positive psychology that asked what they would most like to know about this new field. A large number wanted compelling case examples of actual people who lived life well, who embodied the strengths of character that we have been studying with quantitative methods.

The world's greatest teachers, from Socrates and Jesus to the present, have always used parables to instruct and inspire others, and in the disciplines of business and law, the detailed examination of particular cases is the preferred method of teaching. Psychologists have also relied on cases, but these have been psychiatric histories that centered on people's problems.

With exceptions, such as Howard Gardner's psychobiographies of exceptionally talented historical figures and Anne Colby and William Damon's multiple case studies of contemporary people of striking moral commitment, positive psychologists have made insufficient use of cases to understand what makes life most worth living.

Here is another exception, a marvelous example of what it means to live well: Carnegie Mellon Computer Science Professor Randy Pausch, whose "last lecture" is all over the Internet (e.g. www.randypausch.com). Lots of universities, including my own, feature an annual "last lecture" in which award-winning teachers are asked to imagine that they are near death and to convey their final thoughts to students. I hope we all have the decency to retire the title, because now there is but one last lecture, the one by Professor Pausch.

In case you have been living under a rock, at the time of the lecture and at the time of my writing, he is dying, the victim of an aggressive pancreatic cancer. His last lecture was not maudlin, not saccharine, not filled with false bravado. It was simply wonderful. Five minutes into my watching, I forgot that he was dying. What captivated me was how he was living.

I watched his last lecture wearing many hats. As a teacher, I was inspired. As a lecturer, I was filled with admiration.  As a human being, I was proud.

Watch it yourself. No summary I could offer would do it justice.

I do want to make a few observations. Positive psychologists, including me, intone that there are multiple routes to happiness and fulfillment: through pleasure, through engagement, and through meaning. If so, then Randy Pausch has scored the hat trick of happiness. He is wickedly funny; he loves his work; and he contributes mightily to the larger world.

Other people matter to him, and he to them. When he received tenure at his university, he took his entire research team to Disney World to express his gratitude. One of his colleagues later asked him, "How could you do that?" His response: "How could I not?"
All of us who are instructors should teach the "case" of Professor Pausch. The best known cases in psychology should not be Little Hans and Little Albert.
It has been said, by Elizabeth Edwards and by others, that living is what you do until you die. Randy Pausch shows us that that living well is the right way to do it. Yes, we encounter brick walls, sometimes frequently. But as Professor Pausch reminds us, brick walls are there to remind us how badly we want something.
 
5.  Q&A Interview with Anthony Grant, Ph.D.
Founder and Director, Coaching Psychology Unit, University of Sydney.

 

DATE: Friday, August 15, 2008
TIME: 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm EDT (New York City)
4:00 pm to 5:20 pm PDT (San Francisco)
International Times:
11:00 pm to 12:20 am UTC/GMT
9:00 am to 10:20 am Saturday EST (Sydney)

TO REGISTER: Click here.
 
In this interview, Tony will spend some time talking about his coaching research using power points that we'll post for those who enroll.

You can register for the interview here.  All who register will receive a digital recording of the interview.

About Anthony Grant, Ph.D.

In January 2000 Anthony ("Tony" to his friends) Grant established the world’s first Coaching Psychology Unit at the School of Psychology at Sydney University where he is the director.

The unit offers postgraduate degree programs to Master’s level in Applied Science (Psychology of Coaching) and the Master of Organizational Coaching.

 

Tony was instrumental in the development and introduction of these programs.

In addition to his academic work, Tony has coached many of Australia’s leading executives and CEOs and arguably has the largest coaching contract in the world. 
 His coaching research and practice has frequently been reported in the national and international media. He has co-written and co-edited five books on evidence-based coaching and has coaching-related publications in the peer-reviewed and professional press. His books on coaching have been translated into eight languages.

6.  Upcoming Interviews and Classes

 

A.  Sonja Lyubomirsky's The How, What, and Why of Happiness

 

Thursdays at 1:00 pm Eastern (New York time) starting September 11, 2008.

US TIMES:
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern (New York)
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Central (Chicago)
11:00 am - 12:00 pm Mountain (Denver)
10:00 am - 11:00 am Pacific (San Francisco)
INTERNATIONAL TIME:
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm UTC/GMT

Sonja is one of the world's leading experts on happiness, a gifted teacher, and author of the best selling book; The How of Happiness.

 

Her class launches Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 1:00 pm Eastern.  You can take the class and receive full credit.  You will hear the two July classes by recording and the have two special Q&A classes taught by Sonja to deepen your understanding of the two July classes.

 

You have full access to our password-protected class site with her PowerPoint's, notes, articles, and recordings of her classes.  You can hear her either by telephone (on your cell phone) or online by downloading her lectures onto your iPod or MP3 player.

 

The tuition will be discounted by $100 for new students!  For information, click here.

B.  Upcoming Interviews:

(1)  Anthony Grant, Ph.D.  Friday, August 15, 2008 7:00 pm EDT (New York Time) Click here.

 

(2)  P. Alex Linley, Ph.D.  Friday, August 22, 2008 11:00 AM EDT (New York Time) Click here.
 
(3)  Ed Diener, Ph.D. and Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D.  September date to be announced.
 
C.  Foundations Classes
 
Thurs at 7 pm Eastern, begins 8/21/08 (MCP 124).  One Time $350 Discount.

Fridays at noon Eastern, begins 9/12/08 (MCP 125)
Tuesdays at 8 pm Eastern, begins 9/16/08 (MCP 126)
Mondays at 7 pm Eastern, begins 10/20/08 (MCP 127)
Mondays at Noon Eastern, begins 10/20/08 (MCP 128)

 

Full information here.

D.  Upcoming Master Classes Open to All

• Positive Psychology and Strategic Career Design
• Ethics & Risk Management
• The How, What, and Why of Happiness
• Intensive Group Coaching
• Positive Psychology Immersion II--Advanced Applications in Action
• ADHD Coaching
• Executive Coaching
• Small Business Coaching

Full information here. 
 
 

 

 

 

 

About Ben Dean -- Ben, Editor of Coaching Toward Happiness, is a coach,  psychologist, founder of MentorCoach, and... MORE.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright 2006-2008. Coaching Toward Happiness.  All rights reserved.