Entrepreneurs Can Be Happier

Inc.:
Many psychologists believe that entrepreneurs have a greater potential for happiness than the average person. That's because they can set challenges for themselves in their jobs that best suit their own skills and goals, explains Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychology professor at Claremont University and author of Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning. "Clearly," he writes, "entrepreneurial leaders find as much satisfaction in their jobs as any person can hope to achieve." For entrepreneurs, this sort of job satisfaction carries a lot of weight, says Kelly Shaver, a William & Mary psychology professor. He has found that it's often the sense of accomplishment that makes an entrepreneur truly happy in life -- not the monetary rewards those accomplishments bring.
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In other words, says Csikszentmihalyi, to achieve happiness, you must enjoy doing your best while contributing to something beyond yourself. This can take many forms. To set goals that will be meaningful to you, he says, you must begin by defining your priorities -- the things you believe make life worth living.
via Business Opportunities Weblog

Create a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Prosperity

Recently, Michael Simmons emailed me asking if I was interested in reading his book, The Student Success Manifesto. Unfortunately, upon receiving Michael's book in the mail I was extremely busy with work and the StartUp Challenge. However, this week I was able to sit down and read the whole thing cover to cover.
I highly advise any student to read this book early in their collegiate career. It has the potential to change the way you view yourself and your future career.
In the first part of the book Michael defines his Extreme Entrepreneurship model and how to best apply it. "Put simply, Extreme Entrepreneurship is a framework for maximizing the value you add to yourself and others." Michael outlines major concepts from popular books like 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Rich Dad Poor Dad and the Millionaire Mind (to name a few). While I do think that Michael does a good job of marrying the philosophies found in these books with his own philosophy, I don't believe his summaries fully explore said philosophies (I don't think they were intended to do).
The second half of The Student Success Manifesto focuses on specific things students can do while in school to improve their brand. He explores things like finding mentors, competing in competitions, attending conferences, etc. While all common sense stuff, I find that most students do not take advantage of such opportunities or focus their education outside of the classroom much at all!
I think that Michael, could have improved it by talking more about developing a life plan/mission before going into his "Extreme Endeavors".
Michael's Student Success Manifesto does a good job of setting the reader up with a jumping off point to further explore entrepreneurship, their personal mission, beliefs, as well as professional, personal and spiritual growth.
The Student Success Manifesto is available for FREE download at his website.
Thank you, Michael, for giving me the opportunity to read your book. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to provide you with constructive criticism.