Today in class we read "Happiness Revisited". There are some follow up questions (in relation to our projects):
What do you feel most happy?
I am most happy when I am doing hands on research, and interviewing people. I like talking to people, and when you are in front of people talking there are things that you can talk about that you are unable too when it is, say, over the phone or e-mail. Surprisingly! I also really enjoyed myself when I have been going to the library to do hands on research. I have always thought that doing doing research was horribly boring, but the fact that I actually enjoy myself doing research for my project makes sense (as it should! I am doing this project because I want to, right?) There were oodles of references at the library that I did not expect, and still see myself going back at least a few more times.
React/Respond to this article.
This article was very thorough. "We feel a sense of exhilaration, a deep sense of enjoyment that is long cherished and that becomes a landmark in memory for what life should be like. This is what we mean by optimal experience." (Pg. 3) This quote was particularly intriguing for me. Of course, I want to live my life to the fullest and enjoy it every second I can get. I have felt optimal experience before, and it is a great feeling. In relation to my project, I believe I can obtain optimal experience from it if I keep up with my work, and reward myself with the things I love doing with it (talked about in Question 1).
Where are you on the flow chart? How has this changed/remained the same throughout your project?
At this current moment, I would say I am closer to the anxiety side of the flow chart, but not by much. I tend to get ahead of myself, and worry about the WHOLE picture at a time, not by steps. This is a matter of perspective I think. I created a WISE planner for myself which I think is very helpful, it allows me to look at goals I have for my project broken down into smaller pieces. This way, I can focus on one thing at a time, and it is helping me see that step by step the whole picture comes together, it doesn't happen in one fell swoop. This is completely opposite from where I was in my project a month or so ago. I was deep in the boredom section of the flow chart, abusing my responsibilities and robbing myself and my ability of "flow". I have come out of this now, and have been keeping up on all my work, and have been doing the things I enjoy doing with my project. All in all, I would much rather be anxious about my project then bored. However, I think it would be a good idea to keep flow in my mind as I continue my project, and try to find my happy medium where anxiety and boredom are not involved.
How can you achieve flow?
As I have already mentioned, I created a WISE planner for myself so that I can step back and work on things one at a time. I think this will also help me not leave things for the last minute. I put myself under unnecessary stress when I wait until the last minute to do things, and also cause boredom for myself when I'm not doing anything. Ms. Lord talked today about how some of us have to fall before we really know what it means to conduct an independent project. She was right, I can say that I fell before I knew what it meant. Having said that, I believe I am at an advantage for knowing when I achieve flow. I'm not there yet, but I am certainly working on it.
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