Phlogiston
And so it begins.
I was reading an article a few days ago which talked about some studies on happiness. These psychologists found that happiness depends on three basic needs being met - autonomy, competence and relatedness. (We clearly don't see eye to eye , me and the psychologists, 'cause I think the basic needs are 70 degree weather, dark chocolate and high speed internet). So I spent some time ruminating on this. I don't think I would have picked such a mundane set of words but it actually makes a lot of sense. At least, when I think of it in the context of work. You see, I've been spending a lot of time wondering what it is that I want out of my work life/career - mostly because I need to be in unending meetings with excruciating people who's only agenda seems to be to get me to snap. And now that I think about it, these precisely are the characteristics I'd look for in any endeavor that I need to spend 8 hours of my day on :
- Autonomy : I want to have good control on the things that I do and how I do them and when I do them. At least, I need to believe that I do.
- Competence : Let's face it - no one likes doing something that they suck at for extended periods of time. So yes, I'd like to be competent at what I do and I'd like to be around others are also competent. In general, people tend to be happy when they think they are doing a good job and happy people smile a lot and I like people who smile.
- Relatedness : This is a big one. Most of us like to feel like we belong - in some group, in some community. And I'd like to feel like I'm part of the greater human endeavor. I'd like to feel like my work does more than afford me an allowance to go to Chipotle whenever I feel like it or buy more throws than I know what to do with.
There you go. That's my wisdom for the day.
In other news, I've come up with my List for the Year. That's right. Instead of noble resolutions like I need to lose that extra 10% of body fat I gained over last year and floss more, I decided to do something fun and make a list of all the fun things I'd like to do this year. You know - the kind that doesn't wrack you with guilt every time you remember it. So here goes :
1. Visit India with C
2. See the Taj
3. Hike Mt. Washington
4. Hike the Grand Canyon
5. Run a 10K
6. Go swimming 10 times in the year
7. Watch a Broadway show
8. Cook 10 new recipes
9. Do a couple of art projects
10. Plant a garden
11. Go to the gym 10 times every month ( yeah, yeah - this one snuck in there)
12. Furnish basement ( help finish it first, of course)
13. Read 10 books (including at least one by an author who I haven't read before)
That's my 13. Maybe I should drop the one about going to the gym and then I'll have an even dozen - one for each month. Hmmm.
And so, pondering, to bed.
I was reading an article a few days ago which talked about some studies on happiness. These psychologists found that happiness depends on three basic needs being met - autonomy, competence and relatedness. (We clearly don't see eye to eye , me and the psychologists, 'cause I think the basic needs are 70 degree weather, dark chocolate and high speed internet). So I spent some time ruminating on this. I don't think I would have picked such a mundane set of words but it actually makes a lot of sense. At least, when I think of it in the context of work. You see, I've been spending a lot of time wondering what it is that I want out of my work life/career - mostly because I need to be in unending meetings with excruciating people who's only agenda seems to be to get me to snap. And now that I think about it, these precisely are the characteristics I'd look for in any endeavor that I need to spend 8 hours of my day on :
- Autonomy : I want to have good control on the things that I do and how I do them and when I do them. At least, I need to believe that I do.
- Competence : Let's face it - no one likes doing something that they suck at for extended periods of time. So yes, I'd like to be competent at what I do and I'd like to be around others are also competent. In general, people tend to be happy when they think they are doing a good job and happy people smile a lot and I like people who smile.
- Relatedness : This is a big one. Most of us like to feel like we belong - in some group, in some community. And I'd like to feel like I'm part of the greater human endeavor. I'd like to feel like my work does more than afford me an allowance to go to Chipotle whenever I feel like it or buy more throws than I know what to do with.
There you go. That's my wisdom for the day.
In other news, I've come up with my List for the Year. That's right. Instead of noble resolutions like I need to lose that extra 10% of body fat I gained over last year and floss more, I decided to do something fun and make a list of all the fun things I'd like to do this year. You know - the kind that doesn't wrack you with guilt every time you remember it. So here goes :
1. Visit India with C
2. See the Taj
3. Hike Mt. Washington
4. Hike the Grand Canyon
5. Run a 10K
6. Go swimming 10 times in the year
7. Watch a Broadway show
8. Cook 10 new recipes
9. Do a couple of art projects
10. Plant a garden
11. Go to the gym 10 times every month ( yeah, yeah - this one snuck in there)
12. Furnish basement ( help finish it first, of course)
13. Read 10 books (including at least one by an author who I haven't read before)
That's my 13. Maybe I should drop the one about going to the gym and then I'll have an even dozen - one for each month. Hmmm.
And so, pondering, to bed.
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