In the book “The Happiness Advantage,” Shawn Achor explores how happiness can significantly affect our success in the workplace.
Here are the four main takeaways from the book:
The Happiness Advantage:
Achor argues that happiness isn’t the result of success; it’s a precursor to it. When we’re happy, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work.
Action: Start your day with a positive activity like exercise, journaling, or meditation to prime your brain for success.
The Fulcrum and the Lever:
This concept explains how our mindset can change our perception of the world and our interactions within it. By adjusting our mindset (the fulcrum) in a positive way, we can leverage more power and accomplish more (the lever).
Action: Shift your thinking to focus on the positives in any situation, which will help amplify your potential outcomes.
The Tetris Effect:
Named after the game, this takeaway highlights the power of habituating our brains to look for patterns of possibility rather than focusing on the negatives. This can lead to spotting opportunities more readily and navigating the world more effectively and optimistically.
Action: Spend a few minutes each day noting the positive experiences and opportunities you encountered to train your brain to spot them more naturally.
The 20-Second Rule:
To help form positive habits, Achor suggests making positive behaviors as easy as possible and negative behaviors as hard to reach. By reducing the barrier to a good habit to just 20 seconds, we can more consistently steer our behaviors toward productivity and happiness.
Action: Identify one positive habit you want to develop and rearrange your environment to make it as accessible as possible—for example, if you aim to work out in the morning, place your gym clothes next to your bed.
These principles aren’t just theoretical; they’re actionable. By incorporating these ideas, individuals and companies can thrive, creating environments where productivity and happiness go hand in hand.
Want more great reading resources? Check out my Resource Reading List!
I would welcome a discussion with you to learn which takeaway you will implement in your daily life and business? Schedule a call to share your takeaway!
David Weaver is the Founder of Franchise Your Freedom and a senior consultant with FranChoice, the premier national network of franchise consultants. David helps people all over the country find the right franchise fit by sharing his personal experience and philosophy on how to select the right brand. He shares proven strategies and over a decade of experience growing franchise companies for himself with those that are doing it for the first time.
