Comments on: How to Escape the Curse of Being Average http://www.alexshalman.com/2008/10/06/how-to-escape-the-curse-of-being-average/ Practical Personal Development Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:09:07 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Stuart http://www.alexshalman.com/2008/10/06/how-to-escape-the-curse-of-being-average/comment-page-1/#comment-80520 Stuart Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:01:06 +0000 http://www.alexshalman.com/?p=994#comment-80520 @Ben - I really see positive psychology as a set of tools. I actually belong to a positive psychology listserv (called Friends of Positive Psychology if you want to google it) and I'm constantly amazed at the variety of applications and research directions that are happening in the field that people talk about on the listserv. So you're right, a meaningful life and greater resilience are two important aspects of PP, but they're certainly not the only ones! @MrG - You might find this article enlightening, it has a lot to do with what you're talking about - http://www.ahpweb.org/pub/perspective/fearandanxiety.html @Alex - Thanks for letting me write for you, it's always a pleasure! @Ben – I really see positive psychology as a set of tools. I actually belong to a positive psychology listserv (called Friends of Positive Psychology if you want to google it) and I’m constantly amazed at the variety of applications and research directions that are happening in the field that people talk about on the listserv. So you’re right, a meaningful life and greater resilience are two important aspects of PP, but they’re certainly not the only ones!

@MrG – You might find this article enlightening, it has a lot to do with what you’re talking about – http://www.ahpweb.org/pub/perspective/fearandanxiety.html

@Alex – Thanks for letting me write for you, it’s always a pleasure!

]]> By: mrG http://www.alexshalman.com/2008/10/06/how-to-escape-the-curse-of-being-average/comment-page-1/#comment-80508 mrG Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:30:29 +0000 http://www.alexshalman.com/?p=994#comment-80508 You forgot one: <i>Exceptional people are largely unemployable.</i> How else do you suppose the top financiers in the US has led all the top investors into the current muddle? Because they were all <i>brilliant</i>? No, sorry, the brilliant ones are off driving hack somewhere, downsized because they could see through the plan and, well, nobody likes a smart-ass spoiling the fun. Name an industry, and note how few of the top employers valued the exceptional people. Even the IEEE recognizes that a sure-fire way to get yourself relieved of duty is to carry an engineering degree. So take my advice, folks, unless you have a rich spouse, <i>cultivate ordinary-ness</i>. Its for your own good. You forgot one: Exceptional people are largely unemployable.

How else do you suppose the top financiers in the US has led all the top investors into the current muddle? Because they were all brilliant? No, sorry, the brilliant ones are off driving hack somewhere, downsized because they could see through the plan and, well, nobody likes a smart-ass spoiling the fun. Name an industry, and note how few of the top employers valued the exceptional people. Even the IEEE recognizes that a sure-fire way to get yourself relieved of duty is to carry an engineering degree.

So take my advice, folks, unless you have a rich spouse, cultivate ordinary-ness. Its for your own good.

]]> By: How to Escape the Curse of Being Average | Improved Lives http://www.alexshalman.com/2008/10/06/how-to-escape-the-curse-of-being-average/comment-page-1/#comment-80300 How to Escape the Curse of Being Average | Improved Lives Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:02:43 +0000 http://www.alexshalman.com/?p=994#comment-80300 [...] There’s a post written by your truly over at AlexShalman.com called How to Escape the Curse of Being Average. [...] [...] There’s a post written by your truly over at AlexShalman.com called How to Escape the Curse of Being Average. [...]

]]> By: Ben http://www.alexshalman.com/2008/10/06/how-to-escape-the-curse-of-being-average/comment-page-1/#comment-80270 Ben Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:35:27 +0000 http://www.alexshalman.com/?p=994#comment-80270 Hi Stuart. This is a pretty good article but I think that you have missed what I take to be the core tenet of Positive Psychology - that the principles of Positive Psychology can help make the average person have a more meaningful life and cultivate a greater sense of resilience towards the ebbs and flows of life. Martin Seligman has said that Psychology's traditional pathology model hasn't really served those who are already optimistic and haven't had a need for Psychology's tools such as CBT (Cognitive Behaviourial Therapy). As someone who is not a psychologist but who has found Positive Psychology both helpful and a reinforcement of my optimistic and positive approach to life that I have developed of the past decade and a half, it's good to see others getting into Positive Psychology. Cheers Hi Stuart. This is a pretty good article but I think that you have missed what I take to be the core tenet of Positive Psychology – that the principles of Positive Psychology can help make the average person have a more meaningful life and cultivate a greater sense of resilience towards the ebbs and flows of life.

Martin Seligman has said that Psychology’s traditional pathology model hasn’t really served those who are already optimistic and haven’t had a need for Psychology’s tools such as CBT (Cognitive Behaviourial Therapy).

As someone who is not a psychologist but who has found Positive Psychology both helpful and a reinforcement of my optimistic and positive approach to life that I have developed of the past decade and a half, it’s good to see others getting into Positive Psychology.

Cheers

]]> By: Alex Shalman http://www.alexshalman.com/2008/10/06/how-to-escape-the-curse-of-being-average/comment-page-1/#comment-79730 Alex Shalman Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:18:58 +0000 http://www.alexshalman.com/?p=994#comment-79730 Thanks for contributing this great article <a href="http://www.improvedlives.com/" rel="nofollow">Stuart</a>. Thanks for contributing this great article Stuart.

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