1,455 Matching Annotations
  1. Oct 2024
    1. fabulous connection (and a really good resource!)

    2. In a fashion similar to Western Zen’s ontology of the self, the entrepreneurial person engages in a twin project of subjectification and desubjectification, i.e. deconstructing an illusionary understanding of the self and making room for a more flexible and even foundationless identity

      ok - now the connection is explicit!

      The question remains, though: how much desubjectification is necessary?

    3. celebrate the ability to say ‘yes’ to the world

    4. higher aspects are often depicted as spiritual experien

      whew - spirituality and business/entrepreneurship. Interesting...

      (in a previous year, a student shared the following link -- memes about spirituality -- which definitely connects with entrepreneurship discourses too!)

      https://cajspirituality.com/2018/04/09/warning-7-hilarious-spiritual-memes-guaranteed-to-make-your-soul-smile/

    5. emancipatory promise of cultivating positive thinking, the joy of creating, and consciousness of the present moment.

      both western zen and entrepreneurial practice =

    6. the entrepreneurial self is a figure who is perfectly liquid

      DING! --This relates explicitly to the claims made about “liquid society” in the “Unconventional entrepreneurship” article. It also relates implicitly to the claims made about entrepreneurship in the article, “‘Don't forget to like, share and subscribe’: Digital autopreneurs in a neoliberal world.” But whereas this latter article discusses “figures” that do not appear perfectly content in their management of their entrepreneurial selves, Saari and Harni seem to suggest mindfulness and a ‘spiritual’ relationship to one’s environment as a transcendent (or tactical) move that empowers entrepreneurial, flexible individuals in their journeys toward self-fulfilment. Clearly, there are many links between entrepreneurial adult education and the “world-affirming” insights it offers and the themes of the previous weeks we’ve examined in this course.

    7. mindfulness meditation

    8. t has become a commonplace, for example, to say that if a person thinks positively, he/she actually becomes positive, happy person.

      somewhat redressed by last week's content...

      And how does this incessant happiness gel with the zen-like attitude of the following:

    9. mindfulness as a meditative practice of non-judgmental focus on the present moment

    10. world-affirming action in everyday life. Acting in the Zen way in quotidian life is always effortless and flexible,

    11. . Learning to foster a calm mind will help you become a better entrepreneur.

      Fostering a peaceful disposition:

    12. ntrepreneurial ethos, therefore, deals with idea of a person who is self-satisfied, and more specific, someone who produces her own satisfaction and happiness

      ok... but the zen-like peace gets displaced by the entrepreneurial ethos that says you always have to be working (in order to produce your own happiness):

    13. Drawing from Zen Buddhism, the entrepreneurial celebration of mindfulness highlights its ability to cultivate creativity, intuitive and flexible action and learning to learn. I

      meta-cognition!

    14. oth Zen and entrepreneurial discourse in general can be traced back to a tradition of criticism of the nexus of positivist psychology and Taylorist management practices

      context...

    15. seeks emancipation from standardizing external conduct, and organizing the creative powers of the human mind

      mindfulness as emancipating...

    16. capitalism does not only ‘repress’ in the sense of suffocating human life, but creates human reality and cultivates it productive forces

      ends off with a strangely positive-sounding note...

    17. the way Zen spirituality is used in entrepreneurship education shows the inventive sweeping logic of capitalism:

      ...

    18. person practicing mindfulness is not attached to the future nor the past, but focuses stringently on the present moment only.

      how do you think this accords with entrepreneurial thinking? Clearly, one ought not be wrapped up in the past (either failures or successes), but what about a future-focus? A fixed mindset is clearly bad, but is a growth mindset also (especially if the pressure to "grow" and "develop" takes one away from a present focus)?

    19. Through learning to control one’s self through mindfulness meditation, an entrepreneurial person can have a deeper, healthier relation to her own affects and bodily well-being

      ok... last week's emphasis on (happiness and subjective) well-being blends with this focus on wellness and bodily well-being

    20. lements from Western Zen Buddhism have also been added to limn the contours of the spiritual aspects of work.

      to limn = to depict/describe (from the root word "illuminate")

    21. e countercultural and at times decidedly anti-capitalist ethos of Zen Buddhism was deterritorialized and annexed to the very conditions of productive work in general economy.

      this isn't the original "zen"

    22. e very notion of subjectivity now assumes a liquidity or ‘emptiness’, as there is seemingly nothing stable and unchanging in the ideal entrepreneur.

      **

    23. y practicing mindfulness, one supposedly learns not to falter into emotional reactions to surprising adversities, but retain clear-headedness and self-control

      !

    24. Being a holistic entrepreneur means there is no separation between your love, life, work and spirituality.

      whoa!

      This is a whopper of a statement.

      Thoughts?

    25. Instead of presenting a fixed set of skills

      ...

    26. One should remain in a state of alert passivity.

      ...

    27. self-regulation, but also as helpful in coping with an increasing uncertainty and complexity of society. They offer tools to increase person’s resilience and flexibility

      linking the first week to grit etc.

    28. goals of adult education: self-esteem, authenticity and self-realization.

      ...

    29. ne should even let go of the very notion of trying to achieve something through mindfulness practice.

      Wow - this sounds, at first, like it's antithetical to entrepreneurial undertakings. Shouldn't one want to achieve something and invest oneself wholly in it?

    30. mindfulness can enable entrepreneurs to minimize errors and remain vigilant. F

      *

    31. the dynamics of cognitive, conative and affective constructs and meta-level self-regulating abilities are crucial in achieving entrepreneurial behavior and an entrepreneurial mindset.

      indeed - this is a summation of the relevance of the last number of weeks, connected under the rubric of "mindset."

      FYI - cognitive relates to thinking, affective relates to emotions, and conative relates to behaviour, specifically the inclination to act 'on purpose'. It's an effort or a drive to do something, but this isn't entirely rational...

    32. This resonates well with the aforementioned ontological ramifications of spirituality in Western Zen Buddhism, where the self is decidedly empty, i.e. not fixed in its delusions of stable identity.

      what a link - liquid selves in an entrepreneurial context = zen-like...

    33. Entrepreneurial mindfulness discourses entail meticulous descriptions on how to calm the mind by focusing on the present moment.

      ...

    34. self-regulation refers to an individual’s active participation in his or her own learning process

      very eudaimonic!

    35. There is a large amount of self-help literature, websites, courses and self-evaluation measurement tools in which entrepreneurs and those who strive for an entrepreneurial mindset in their everyday lives are encouraged to develop themselves as persons, to seize the day, to learn to rule their thoughts and to cope with increasing uncertainty.

      zen is awfully implied here - not at all explicit.

    36. entrepreneurial meta-abilities

      INTERESTING LINGO

    37. A manifesto in the self-improvement site Createapreneur mentions mindfulness as a possible way to find one’s true, creative and flexible identity through transforming the relationship a person has to his/her own body and emotions: Clean The Mind, Clear The body and Connect With Your Inner ENTREPRENEUR. How? Through yoga, healthy habits and mindfulness techniques

      whew!

    38. personal entrepreneurs’ or ‘intrapreneurs’ who act as if they were entrepreneurs in every area of their lives

      !!

    39. iscover how they can create new energy by discovering that much of what they previously believed in was not true’

      reminds me of Richard Branson's story...

    40. hese kind of personal entrepreneurs denote a new era of mankind ‘comprising all those people who make things happen

      ironically, this is a motto of Home Depot too -- How do-ers get more done!

    41. mindfulness is a therapeutic practice for treating experiences of stress, anxiety and pain that admits a Buddhist influence while being completely secular and resting on a Western scientific foundation

      ok...

    42. he increasing uncertainty and complexity in contemporary societies has created a demand for entrepreneurial and enterprising behavior at global, individual, societal and organizational levels

      ok...

    43. You don’t need to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial. You just need to cultivate the entrepreneurial attitude.

      **

    44. neffable experience, world affirmation, and effortless and flexible action in the present moment

      !!

    45. e argue first that many of the values and ways of characterizing the entrepreneurial self and entrepreneurial behavior are commensurable with those depicted in the spiritual experience of Western Zen.

      now we're getting somewhere!

    46. can also be understood as informal adult education, e.g. as entrepreneurship coaching or entrepreneurial self-education, more particularly by means of self-help literature.

      !!

    47. entrepreneurship

      ...

    48. possible or impossible

      interesting - how do you relate this to the entrepreneurial quest that motivates entrepreneurial personalities -- to turn the impossible (dream) into the real? To not be held by the bounds of the ordinary and others' expectations but to transcend them and become extraordinary...

      thus, we get things like this:

    49. en ideas and practices are explicitly mobilized in entrepreneurship education as techniques to fabricate a resilient, flexible and creative adult learner.

      interesting

    50. he core of spiritual experience is expressed as Zen Buddhist meditation

    51. his experience also conveys ultimate satisfaction and disappearance of personal problems and fears of future events,

      *

    52. he ultimate aim of this practice is a spiritual enlightenment experience (satori), in which one realizes the impermanence or ‘emptiness’ of all existence,

      does this sound wise (or good/meaningful) to you?

      Your response will locate you relative to spirituality/mindfulness/mediation as a lens for self-actualization ...

    53. the use of Buddhism

      ...

    54. enlightenment

      ...

    55. Zen Buddhism as a model of finding abundance in the present moment as well as a liberation from the greed and illusion cultivated by capitalist societies

      background...

    56. e essential part of Zen is the practice of meditation

      ...

    57. what used to be subversive and countercultural, now became a part and parcel of the pact between the human sciences and an emerging post-industrial economy

      ...

    58. hat seems to enable this overcoding is spiritual experience as a loose signifier of the highest faculties of human beings

      aha

    59. n meditative experience all existence seems to be focused into the present moment:

      *

    60. For Watts, the core of Zen lies in the fact that wisdom can be found in the most ordinary aspects of living,

      *

    61. person can witness his/her own sensations, emotions and thoughts without judgment. T

      mediation - a process (or a state of being) whereby ...

    62. For Maslow, religious experiences were ‘peak experiences’ of creative, individualist minds that shunned organized and hierarchical forms of work and religion

      good reminder

    63. capitalism does not only repress people,

      ...

    64. an attempt to harness the most general and flexible human capacities for production.

      this seems like a critique rather than something to be celebrated...

    65. s also to slip beyond time as a measurable, chronological succession of events (

      !

    66. The organization of immaterial production

      !

    67. it produces flows of desire, autonomy and freedom

      !

    68. standardized and disciplined work in the Taylorist regime has been assimilated to the current ethos of organizing work in general economy.

      part of their overall argument

    69. eleuze and Guattari (1987) use the terms deterritorialization and reterritorialization. Deterritorialization functions as a withdrawal or expansion from the current system. Reterritorialization functions in the opposite way.

      (fancy) theoretical framing...

    70. igher faculties’ of human existence, such as mental resilience, flexibility and creativity, have now become objects of contemporary government of work

      should sound very familiar...

    71. by setting expectations, moods, opinion climates,standards of communication and cooperatio

      sounds like being led (motivated) by love instead of fear.

    72. apitalism is an inventive and productive system which ‘progressively leaves the factory and invades, like a parasite, all spheres of life and the life-world itself.

      Yowza!!

    73. work is no longer the simple ‘production of necessities of life’ (Arendt, 1958) but rather that pivot point where the self is constructed (

      even if we're not always working (at our jobs), we're always working on ourselves ...

    74. he concept of a general economy refers to a stage of capitalism where subjectivity has become capital

      Whoa!

    75. overning life itself refers to a ‘power over mind’

      hmmm

    76. context of the inherent tensions of post-industrial capitalism.

      ...

    77. work is not seen as a constraint of freedom, but as a realm in which entrepreneurial subjects can express their autonomy and confirm their identities (

      Szeman again

    78. piritual experience is located neither in the body nor in the soul, nor is the experience of mindfulness traceable in conventional notions of subjectivity and time.

      interesting

    79. n contrast to Taylorist management of work, a worker and an adult learner as an affectual and cognitive being are no longer external in relation to work process.

      interesting... liquid times...

    80. he ‘spiritual’ is an index for a celebration of authenticity, and self-realization,

      beyond religiosity (but inherently connected to eudaimonia)

    81. he ‘new capitalist spirit’ today deals with the strong tie between individual self-fulfilment and corporate productivity (

      context

    82. ork is becoming increasingly immaterial: spatially boundless and temporally endless. It is difficult to make a distinction between working time and free time. I

      !!

    83. spiritual experience then indicates a grid of intelligibility for a holistic understanding of learning with a special sensitivity to experiences that represent the noblest aspects of all humanity

      (see my last comment)

    84. the nexus between entrepreneurial learning and spiritual experience in mindfulness

      ...

    85. e will analyse the uses of mindfulness in recent entrepreneurial learning discourses as a case in point in discussing the role of spiritual experience in late post-industrial capitalist societies.

      ok

    86. indfulness seeks to provide a deeply personal and authentic, yet at the same time universal basis for fashioning entrepreneurial lifelong learners.

      ok!

    87. A Westernized and psychologized form of mindfulness highlights the ability to pay non-judgmental attention to the present moment.

      connection to other article!

    88. scourses of a self-fulfilment and flexibility are commonplace.

      (link to Szeman)

    89. we analyse spiritual experience as an indicator of the inherent tensions in a so-called general economy in which the highest forms of human existence are used as a means of producing profit

      interesting

    90. aking over the ‘emancipatory’ strategies of Zen Buddhism

      !

    91. a universal, ‘astonishing moment of insight’,

      ...

    92. Entrepreneurial behaviour is not simply a rational and economical means-end calculation, but, rather, a way of living in which a person renounces his/her old self and becomes a new person

      !!

    93. apitalism works as a ‘sweeping machine’

      ...

    94. pirituality as the source of profit,

      !

    95. earning and professional development should touch the ‘deeper’ or ‘higher’ recesses of human existence instead of mainly focusing on learning technical skills or attaining preset standards

      ok!

    96. No thoughts or outer obstacles ‘stick’ in the person who acts effortlessly:

      *

    1. Interestingly [NSFW language alert!], as Tim Desmond argued in his 2019 book “How to stay human in a fucked-up world: Mindfulness practices for real life,” one can be “too” compassionate: “The challenge of staying human in a fucked-up world comes down to how we respond to the immensity of suffering that confronts us from every direction. [one has] to find a way to take care of the compassion in me so that I don’t end up overwhelmed. If I can’t I’ll find myself in despair.” One must be mindful in order to not drown in anger or bitterness.

    2. own emotions and detach from those emotions

      food for thought - seeing one's own emotions and detaching from them is posited as good (but doesn't this assume that those emotions get one into trouble?) -- The idea is that over-identifying with feelings is bad. But does this apply to "good emotions" (like compassion)?

    3. daily meditation practice

      possible route #2

    4. It is a significant limitation of this paper that we do not yet have empirical evidence.

      hah!

    5. Not all entrepreneurial opportunities should be pursued if, for example, they are violating basic moral precepts.

      whoa - what do you think of this? It's rare to see language that recommends not taking advantage of opportunities...

    6. lack of compassion in the ethical decision-making could be remedied by increased regulation of emotions such as greed and aggressiveness.

      good examples, but maybe a little too manichean -- compassion = a good emotion and greed/aggresiveness = a bad emotion. Can you have a well-functioning mix of the two?

    7. There is empirical support for the relationship between mindfulness and compassion

      ...

    8. self-compassion is a mindfulness of self-kindness (Neff, 2009), crucial for self-care

    9. metacognition as a mediating variable between mindfulness and opportunity recognition and evaluation. Also emotional self-regulation, which is closely associated with mindfulness, may have a further positive impact on the opportunity recognition and evaluation process.

      *

    10. With greater mindfulness, individuals can become aware of choices that they were not aware of previously. Mindfulness can create an increased awareness of multiple perspectives by allowing the entrepreneur to look at things from others’ points of view, which creates more empathy, and in turn can lead to more compassionate and ethical decisions.

      in other words...

    11. entrepreneurs who are interested in improving their opportunity recognition and evaluation ability would do well to pursue mindfulness training.

      recommendation...

    12. Decision-making is a critical entrepreneurial activity in opportunity recognition and evaluation, and there are suggestions that mindfulness can enhance this aspect of entrepreneurship.

      ok...

    13. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

      possible route #1

      (as another article put it, this is an attempt to offer ‘the wisdom and the heart of Buddhist meditation without the Buddhism’)

    14. one area that deserves attention is ethical decision-making.

      funny - we haven't really focused on ethics at all this year...

    15. Mindfulness has been linked to increased self-compassion and compassion for others

      the basis for the aforementioned hope

    16. present research integrates multiple research streams: the mindfulness research on the benefits of mindfulness practice for psychological health and resilience, the entrepreneurial cognition literature on the process of opportunity recognition and evaluation, and the work on compassion and entrepreneurs. Integrating these three streams of research have brought new insights into some of the intervening variables between mindfulness and opportunity recognition and evaluation. T

      bringing the different parts of the literature review together...

    17. Improved attention, focus, and increased compassion as well as awareness of opportunities and one’s own biases all result from increased mindfulness.

      !

    18. Compassion is described as an awareness of suffering and a genuine desire to end that suffering

      compassion (defined)

    19. greater mindfulness would result in more creative and productive entrepreneurs who integrate ethics and sustainability into their worldview and choices

      the hope...

    20. This conceptual paper takes the research on compassion that is developing in the social entrepreneurship area and extends it into the general entrepreneurship process

      implications...

    21. High levels of emotional regulation are associated with greater social competence

      link to social intelligence

    22. entrepreneurial emotion—the affect, emotions, moods, and feelings that are concurrent with or a consequence of the entrepreneurial process

      nice term.

    23. Improved attention, focus, and increased creativity as well as awareness of both opportunities and one’s own biases result from increased mindfulness

      ok

    24. intention leading to clear intention for the business, attention leading to focus and creativity, and the attitude being one of non-judgment, fostering potential opportunity recognition and recognition of biases

      to review...

    25. There is an argument that a significant aspect of the entrepreneurial labor is emotional (

      one of the reasons we've been focusing on affect just as much as effect, recently...

    26. Emotional self-regulation is a key component of emotional intelligence

      link to emotional intelligence

    27. the process of self-observing, which entails objectivity, is inherent in mindful awareness

      hah! easier said than done

    28. potential mechanisms of mindfulness by adding self-management, values clarification, exposure, and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral flexibility.

      widening the aperture!

    29. a new paradigm of ethics that can be predicated on the idea of a sustainable society and that this sustainability can only be achieved by training individuals to achieve humility and personal mastery.

      interesting. What do you think of this (and how this idea connects to this course in general, or this week in particular)?

    30. Emotional self-regulation is the ability to respond to the ongoing challenges of life and regulate one’s range of emotions in a way that one’s behavior is acceptable within society’s norms but also spontaneous

      that's a tall order!

    31. metacognition as a key mechanism of mindfulness also known as re-perceiving, which is described as a “significant shift in perspective” (Shapiro et al., 2006, p. 377). Perspective-taking enables us to dis-identify from thoughts and feelings in order to engage in the present moment with increased objectivity.

      interesting. akin to re-framing

    32. a mindful approach means entrepreneurs can regulate their emotions and thereby succeed in looking at the evidence, including failure, in a curious and nonjudgmental way

      (link to experiencing failure too)

    33. These feelings can help significantly in the opportunity recognition and evaluation stages. However, they need to be modulated through a process of emotional control

      ! with great power comes great responsibility...

    34. Greater metacognition will increase the entrepreneur’s ability to become aware of an opportunity and then to evaluate that opportunity in a way that corrects for their biases and emotional reactions.

      to recap...

    35. research has established a link between self-compassion and compassion for others, psychological well-being, optimism, curiosity, and connectedness in addition to decreased anxiety, depression, rumination, and fear of failure

      link to previous weeks' focus on psychological capital and well-being... (but paying it forward...)

    36. mindfulness enhances the pattern-recognition process

      ...

    37. metacognition is particularly needed to deal with evolving situations where there is significant uncertainty

      and as the very first reading of the year stated, we're all living in an environment of perpetual uncertainty now, having to all be entrepreneurs and assess risk and make our own opportunities...

    38. Metacognition is a term used to describe self-awareness and understanding of one’s own thinking. Haynie and Shepherd (2009) define metacognitive knowledge as the degree to which the individual can reflect on their own thinking process.

      quite frankly, this has been one of the "hidden agendas" of this course - how do we think about thinking (often by thinking about ourselves first)

    39. This ability to be present, pay attention, and avoid distractions is related to mindfulness.

      !

    40. the core components of mindfulness. “The Axioms” (Intention, Attention, and Attitude

      !

    41. “empathic witnessing,

      interesting concept!

    42. Mindfulness enhances the metacognition of entrepreneurs, which aids in opportunity evaluation under risky conditions

      mindfulness ought to help us eliminate cognitive biases and see things the way they are (not the way we want them to be, or to be trapped in vicious circles of judgement)

    43. Attention is thought to have a mediating role between mindfulness and self-efficacy

      interesting

    44. unduly swayed by one’s own biases

      to see things clearly means to not be ...

    45. The very definition of mindfulness delineates an attitude of non-judgment and openness. By cultivating an attitude of non-judgment, we generate acceptance

      attitude

    46. When we consider the entrepreneurial process, there is a need to look at idea creation, entrepreneurial action, entrepreneurial discovery, and opportunity recognition and evaluation

      (with the idea that mindfulness can help us with this task)

    47. : “On purpose” or intention, “Paying Attention” or attention, “In a particular way” or attitude.

      connecting the axioms to the definition

    48. Successful entrepreneurs speak of “being in the zone,” the same way that athletes and artists can be while working

      "flow"

    49. Mindfulness refers to the state of actively having one’s attention on experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment. T

      good - starting out with a definition (kind of ... more of a prefatory comment)

    50. Empathy is defined by Rogers (1980) as one’s ability to understand another’s feelings moment to moment.

      Empathy

    51. Attention, the second axiom, is at the core of mindfulness (Shapiro et al., 2006). Maintaining an attentive presence is essential to successful opportunity recognition and scanning of the environment (

      attention

    52. Intention involves the “why” you are practicing.

      intention (including the entrepreneurial type...)

    53. the positive entrepreneurial attributes such as energy, self-confidence, need for achievement, and independence may sometimes devolve naturally into aggressiveness, narcissism, ruthlessness, and irresponsibility, all of which can lead to unethical choices by entrepreneurs

      entrepreneurial traits/actions can be bad (for the entrepreneurial agent, and for others) ... but mindfulness can avert that (or re-center one while on an entrepreneurial journey)

    54. A non-judgmental, accepting attitude sets the stage to develop empathy

      an attitude of non-judgement

    55. Through mindfulness courses, thousands of attendees have learned to focus their attention and free up mental space for creative thinking (

      more background, linking it to the need of all entrepreneurs to be creative ... creating opportunities, creating change...

    56. Mindfulness training has been shown to have many benefits. It not only reduces stress and elevates well-being (Baer, 2003), but it also increases awareness, empathy, compassion, and the ability to self-observe

      link to EQ!

      I appreciate Tim Desmond's observation that mindfulness is a very conscious exercise of relating to the world (in a way that many think meditation is not): Mindfulness does not mean taking deep breaths, sitting on a cushion, watching your thoughts and feelings with disinterest (like you’re watching a boring TV show). RATHER, mindfulness = a way of relating to the world (and specifically to suffering) that contains compassion, joy, equanimity, and wisdom. It is precisely the quality that allows us to stay human in fucked-up situations – to stay open, caring, and able to relate.

    57. . Meditation is the formal expression of mindfulness

      meditation...

    58. mindfulness in business generates a more resilient and sustainable approach to quality and reliability issues in organizations

      background

    59. Opportunity evaluation is a challenging cognitive task for the entrepreneur (

      d'uh

    60. “Mindfulness involves intentionally bringing one’s attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment,

      implications of mindfulness - connecting the internal to the external

    61. One definition of mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience, moment by moment” (

      a better definition

    62. Th e purpose of this conceptual paper is to integrate two previously disparate areas of research: mindfulness and the entrepreneurial process.

      The purpose - bringing mindfulness into the entrepreneurial equation (how does it help with discovering opportunities...)

    63. increased compassion will translate into more ethical decisions that involve others.

      *

    64. Entrepreneurs could benefit from learning how to delay decision-making while experiencing strong emotions that could influence their actions

      whoa!

    65. be more open to the pain, suffering, or negative impact on others brought about by any given entrepreneurial decision.

      the point is that one ought to aspire to ...

    66. In order to cope with this high level of uncertainty and sometimes frustration or disappointment, the entrepreneur has to regulate their emotions.

      d'uh

    67. hese mechanisms, or axioms, act as the “building blocks of mindfulness”

      !

    1. at is the highest of allhuman goods?

      whoa! Big question. And something to consider for yourselves...

      Theoretically, your highest aspiration should (hopefully) coincide with what we would imagine others also seek to fulfill ...

      It basically boils down to your version of the "good life" (not necessarily good for others, or even only good for you, but what makes a life good or what makes one's life filled with well-being? What does it take to "be well"? Being good doesn't necessarily mean "doing" good...

    1. these enhanced resources, once acquired, are durable, and persist long beyond the fleet-ing emotional states that generate their original acquisition.

      link to EQ ... durability = significant!

    2. I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepre-neurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance."

      what's your take on this?

    3. high levels of passion may in fact increase persistence and aid in opportu-nity recognition

      but ... related to grit again...

    4. high levels of confidence, and the high degrees of positive affect with which they are associated, help entrepreneurs to develop an array of skills that contribute to their resilience and allow them to recover from failure when it occurs

      yes - check out Figure 4.3 (it's good!)

    5. These broadened perspectives (or "mindsets," as Fredrickson terms them) then assist individuals in building a wide array of personal resources, both intellectual (e.g., increased knowledge and intellectual complexity) and psychological (e.g., enhanced resilience, opti-mism, and creativity;

      this seems to suggest...

    6. entrepreneurs' passion is not as crucial as has often been assumed. Being well prepared may, in fact, be more important.

      ok!

    7. How do they cope with these devastating setbacks when they occur, and bounce back to try again?

      this sounds more like "resilience" than grit...

    8. invest substantial portions of their time and energy in efforts to pursue their dreams, and if the dreams evapo-rate they may take with them large portions of the entrepreneurs' self-esteem, reputations, and personal wealth

      ouch! Entrepreneurs (who face failure) have a reason to be bitter...

    9. very high levels of passion may be perceived as signs of insincerity or as efforts to introduce irrelevant and distracting elements into the situation

      Yep.

    10. It is a sad fact of life that many people resist change,

      hah!

      And entrepreneurs are just a means to explore this tendency of human nature ... act, or don't. Think about acting (entrepreneurial intention), or don't. But change is constant.

    11. there appear to be grounds for caution in terms of viewing entrepreneurial passion as a very central factor in entrepreneurs' success.

      caution...

    12. applicants can indeed easily "overdo it" in their efforts to make a good impression on interviewers

      truth

    13. helping entrepreneurs maintain their commitment even in the face of major setbacks.

      passion related obviously to grit here...

    14. Does entrepreneurs' passion influence their success in obtaining· support (financial, human) for their ideas?

      a fine question, but one with a seemingly obvious answer ... have you ever been "wow-ed" by an unenthusiastic pitch?

    15. he higher the ratings of preparedness, the greater the likelihood that the participants (i.e., the executive MBA students) would invest in the company. In contrast, outward signs of passion by the presenters were not significantly related to these decisions.

      ooh - a bit of a counter-intuitive finding! Love it. Does this resonate with you?

    16. the positive feelings entrepreneurs experience about their ideas and new ventures lead them to set challenging goals, to be deeply committed to them, and to work diligently to attain them. This, in turn, encourages the entrepreneurs to engage in vigorous efforts to deal with and resolve problems related to their entrepreneurial activities, to persist in these activities, and to be deeply and continuously absorbed in them. The overall result is that entrepreneurial passion, through these intervening processes, influences important out-comes ranging from opportunity recognition to efforts to attain high levels of growth and profitability.

      overall context...

    17. entre-preneurial passion involves both a powerful emotional component (intense positive feelings) and important cognitive aspects

      both sides of the (psychological) coin, again...

    18. entrepreneurial passion as the "consciously accessible intense positive feelings experienced [by entrepreneurs] through engage-ment in entrepreneurial activities associated with roles that are meaningful and salient to the self-identity of the entrepreneur.

      a definition - giving a bit more detail as to how passion ought to be contextualized... re. positive affect...

    19. Being "upbeat" is indeed often a plus; but there appear to be clear limits to its benefits

      ...

    20. several roles entrepre-neurs play: inventor-someone who formulates ideas for something new; founder-someone who actually launches a new venture or takes other steps to convert these ideas into something real; and developer-someone who works long and hard to make these efforts successful.

      I like this parsing out of detail re. entrepreneurial self-identity. Different roles demand different skill-sets...

    21. it is first essential to figure out precisely what we mean by the term entrepreneurial passion

      ok!

    22. one characteristic widely viewed as making entrepreneurs "special" is their passion-their intense positive feelings about, and com-mitment to, their activities as entrepreneurs

      ok ... passion (again)

    23. entrepreneurs and the new ventures they lead may be at particular risk of experiencing the detrimental effects of very high levels of dispositional positive affect.

      *

    24. there may be discrete limits to the beneficial effects of positive affect. Up to a point, rising levels of positive affect generate mainly positive effects, but beyond some discrete point these benefits decrease and may be replaced by detrimental outcomes.

      nice diagram!

    25. "obsessive passion" led to rigid persistence in the task at hand-a tendency that limits individuals' ability to develop novel or creative solutions.

      obsessive passion = tunnel vision (which might actually cut off potential opportunities)

    26. "there is no such thing as an unmitigated good. All positive traits, states, and experiences have costs that at high levels may begin to outweigh their benefits

      !

    27. high levels of such passion can sometimes reduce individuals' capacity to persist

      tied to the Grit scale - passion is good, just not unregulated passion!

    28. self-regulation-the processes through which individuals direct or guide their own thinking and actions so as to achieve important goals

      great definition of self-regulation (tied back to goals)

    29. In sum, entrepreneurs' high levels of enthusiasm, confidence, and optimism may serve both as a source of personal strength and a source of potential danger.

      both sides of the coin...

    30. high levels of positive affect-especially forms of positive affect that are high in both positive valence and activation (e.g., enthusiasm, excitement) have been found to encourage impulsiveness-the tendency to act without adequate thought, abruptly, and with little or no regard for potential nega-tive consequences

      link to self-regulation again...

    31. passion that is too positive or intense can limit an entrepreneur's creative problem solving ... because the entrepreneur is resistant to explor-ing alternative options, fearing that doing so may dilute ... their intense positive experience.

      !!

    32. positive affect-especially at very high levels-may also have an important "downside."

      too much positive affect is not a positive thing!

    33. o regulate their own thoughts and actions, and that in turn can have det-rimental effects on their capacity to meet important goals or standards.

      too much positive affect (happiness pride, energy, joy, enthusiasm), can lead to lack of focus...

    34. state positive affect (i.e., positive affect produced by discrete events) and dispositional positive affect (i.e., stable tendencies to experience positive moods and emotions across time and situations).

      2 different domains of affect!

    35. Among the most consistently reported beneficial effects are the following: (1) increased energy, (2) enhanced cognitive flexibility, (3) increased generation of new ideas, ( 4) greater confidence and self-efficacy, (5) adoption of efficient decision-making strategies (e.g., satisficing), (6) increased use of heuristics that can reduce cognitive effort, and (7) improved ability to cope with stress and adversity

      well that sounds fabulous...

    36. gnoring negative input can be a very dangerous tendency for entrepreneurs

      dangerous for everyone, but perhaps mores with people risking all sorts of capital on an undertaking...