According to the book, "The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Achor, of TED talk "Happiness Secret" fame, scientific answers point to a resounding YES!
Research shows that contrary to popular belief and endless reinforcement by EVERYONE, from parents, teachers, popular media and advertisers, success does not guarantee happiness.
But all is not lost! The research goes further to show that happiness guarantees success!!!!
Isn't that great????
This is from the growing field of positive psychology and these research studies were not conducted by some woowoo obscure fringe organization cloistered on Mt. Shasta. These are outcomes that have been replicated over and over again by respected research institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.
These studies have shown time and time again, that brains that are primed for positivity perform better and grasp more opportunities than brains that are primed for negativity.
I encourage you to read the book and start today to prime your brain for happiness and success.
Here are some actions that I gleaned from the book that you can start using today to start rewiring your brain(it’s just the tip of the iceberg but enough to get you started).
Everyday for the next 60 days(at least) do at least ONE of the following things:
-exercise
-meditate
-do 2 minutes of appreciation-write for 2 minutes about something you appreciate or have gratitude for
-write down 3 things about yourself that you like/appreciate
-send a short email/write a note to someone in your social/family circle appreciating them for something that they’ve done--a good job, a quality about them that you like or that has had an impact on you in some way
-journal about one thing that has happened in the last 24 hours that you are thankful for
Done consistently, these actions will start to prime your brain for positivity, which will have a positive impact on your health, sense of well-being, and success.
Have you tried this before and it hasn’t really worked or you’ve had a hard time keeping up with it?
You are not alone.
One of the most important things that Shawn talks about in his book is community.
This is where one of our erroneous beliefs also come to pass a lot, where we feel like we have to first be happy before we can be in community with other people. But science shows that this is backwards. Rather than buckling down and isolating yourself, the best way to get happy and ensure your success is to enlist a friend, colleague, or family member.
You have to of course choose a partner that is on the same page as you, but this is a way to help with accountability, but more importantly to make the activity FUN!
It was heartening for me to read these suggestions in Shawn’s book because intuitively, I was already doing most of the things that were listed in his book. The one thing that I WAS NOT doing, which I realized in reading this, was to have a community of people to share it with.
I kept saying to myself, “Once I reach this level of happiness, then I will be acceptable enough to be happy with other people” or something to that effect.
That has changed in the last few years, but I feel that if I had gotten myself some support with peers, then the process of growing my life and work would have been way more fun.
So I encourage you to try the steps I have outlined above. They are easy to implement and they DO work.
Please like this message if you did, and share it with your friends!
If you tried some of these techniques and they worked for you, please share your successes in the comments below!
Research shows that contrary to popular belief and endless reinforcement by EVERYONE, from parents, teachers, popular media and advertisers, success does not guarantee happiness.
But all is not lost! The research goes further to show that happiness guarantees success!!!!
Isn't that great????
This is from the growing field of positive psychology and these research studies were not conducted by some woowoo obscure fringe organization cloistered on Mt. Shasta. These are outcomes that have been replicated over and over again by respected research institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.
These studies have shown time and time again, that brains that are primed for positivity perform better and grasp more opportunities than brains that are primed for negativity.
I encourage you to read the book and start today to prime your brain for happiness and success.
Here are some actions that I gleaned from the book that you can start using today to start rewiring your brain(it’s just the tip of the iceberg but enough to get you started).
Everyday for the next 60 days(at least) do at least ONE of the following things:
-exercise
-meditate
-do 2 minutes of appreciation-write for 2 minutes about something you appreciate or have gratitude for
-write down 3 things about yourself that you like/appreciate
-send a short email/write a note to someone in your social/family circle appreciating them for something that they’ve done--a good job, a quality about them that you like or that has had an impact on you in some way
-journal about one thing that has happened in the last 24 hours that you are thankful for
Done consistently, these actions will start to prime your brain for positivity, which will have a positive impact on your health, sense of well-being, and success.
Have you tried this before and it hasn’t really worked or you’ve had a hard time keeping up with it?
You are not alone.
One of the most important things that Shawn talks about in his book is community.
This is where one of our erroneous beliefs also come to pass a lot, where we feel like we have to first be happy before we can be in community with other people. But science shows that this is backwards. Rather than buckling down and isolating yourself, the best way to get happy and ensure your success is to enlist a friend, colleague, or family member.
You have to of course choose a partner that is on the same page as you, but this is a way to help with accountability, but more importantly to make the activity FUN!
It was heartening for me to read these suggestions in Shawn’s book because intuitively, I was already doing most of the things that were listed in his book. The one thing that I WAS NOT doing, which I realized in reading this, was to have a community of people to share it with.
I kept saying to myself, “Once I reach this level of happiness, then I will be acceptable enough to be happy with other people” or something to that effect.
That has changed in the last few years, but I feel that if I had gotten myself some support with peers, then the process of growing my life and work would have been way more fun.
So I encourage you to try the steps I have outlined above. They are easy to implement and they DO work.
Please like this message if you did, and share it with your friends!
If you tried some of these techniques and they worked for you, please share your successes in the comments below!
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