First, Dr. MartinSeligman has devoted his life work to studying positive emotion, positivecharacter, and positive institutions, and how this focus can assist people—incontrast to counseling as a focus on what is wrong, on the problems.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology.html 

Second, Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, “What are the roots of happiness,what makes a life worth living?" For his answer, he looks toward “thecreatives:” artists, scientists, and any person who finds lastingsatisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow," as hecalled it. His eight qualities of flow are Challenge, Concentration, Clear Goals,Immediate Feedback, Deep Involvement, Sense of Self Disappears, Control, and Senseof Timelessness.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html