Welcome to the Coaching Toward Happiness™ eNewsletter!
Coaching Toward Happiness is a free monthly e-mail newsletter on applying
positive psychology to your coaching, work and life..
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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:
-
Ben's
Note--
-
$350
August Discount on Foundations MCP 124 Foundations Training Program
-
Ben's
TeleWorkshop on Coaching
-
Main
Essay: "The Last Lecture: A Positive Psychology Case Study"
by Chris Peterson
-
Anthony
Grant Interview Friday, August 15, 2008
-
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.
New Positive Psychology Master Class
 "The
How, What, and Why of Happiness"
The Positive Psychology Master Class
 with
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D.
Launching September 11, 2008
Learn more and register here: 
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