Happiness Advantage

Illuminating Minds The Lamp of Compassion Fueled by Love
March 10, 2024
Oru Puliyamarathin Kathai
March 10, 2024
Illuminating Minds The Lamp of Compassion Fueled by Love
March 10, 2024
Oru Puliyamarathin Kathai
March 10, 2024

There are only few self-help books that can resonate deep into our wants and needs of life. Happiness and Success are something all of us wants, though the degree of success and happiness can be very specific to each individual. We always love to associate our happiness to certain outcome i.e., success. But this outcome driven happiness is short lived, as humans we always want more and more and more, so wait for happiness is eternal.

MS Dhoni generally says outcome is the by-product of your process. James Clear in Atomic habits talks about having a healthier system in place for consistent progress. All these are connected in way that having a mindset that enjoys what we do will yield the results we desire.

“The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor

  1. The Happiness Advantage: The author argues that happiness is not just a result of success, but also a cause of success. When we are happy, we are more motivated, creative, and productive, which in turn leads to greater success in our personal and professional lives.

Achor presents seven principles that can help individuals cultivate happiness in their personal and professional lives. He also provides practical advice and actionable steps that readers can take to apply these principles to their own lives.

  1. The Fulcrum and the Lever: How a Positive Mindset Raises Your Success
  • Happiness leads to success, not the other way around
  • Positive emotions improve cognitive function, creativity, and resilience
  • We can train our brains to be more positive through simple practices

How to train our brain to be more positive through simple practices as per the book

Write down three things you are grateful for that occurred over last 24 hours. It could even be a good cup of coffee or a smell of a flower that you enjoyed and cherished.

The Doubler : Take one positive experience from past 24 hours and spend 2 minutes writing down every detail about that experience. As you recollect the brain lables it as meaningful and deepens the impact of that experience.

The Fun 15 : Do 15 minutes of a fun cardio activity everyday. The effects of daily cardio can be as effective as taking an antidepressant

Meditation : 2 minutes of meditation or simply sitting quietly and concentrate on your breathing. Even a short mindful break can result in calmer happier you.

Conscious Act of Kindness: At the start of everyday send a short email or text praising someone you know. Our brains become addicted to feeling good by making others feel good. Even opening the door for someone or holding the lift for extra few minutes to let others on a busy morning will do.

Deepen Social Connections : Spend time with family and friends. Our social connections are one of the best predictors for success and health and even life expectancy

  1. The Tetris Effect: Training Your Brain to Capitalize on Possibility

Chart

Description automatically generatedOur brains are wired to notice patterns, and we can use this to our advantage. Focusing on opportunities rather than obstacles helps us see more possibilities. We can train our brains to see the world in a more positive light by intentionally seeking out positive experiences

The Tetris Effect which occurs when people become so engrossed in a particular activity that they start to see patterns related to that activity in the world around them.

After playing Tetris for a long time, people may start to see patterns of shapes and colours in everyday objects. We can use this effect to our advantage by intentionally focusing on positive patterns in our lives. For example, we might make a habit of noticing and appreciating moments of kindness, beauty, or joy in our day-to-day experiences.

Ways to develop positive reframing of your mind

Positive Visualization: Another way to use our brains’ pattern-recognition abilities is through positive visualization. By imagining positive outcomes and experiences, we can help train our brains to notice and seek out opportunities that align with those patterns. For example, if we imagine ourselves succeeding in a particular area of our lives, such as our career or personal relationships, we may start to notice more opportunities to make that vision a reality.

Cognitive Reframing: We can use our brains’ pattern-recognition abilities to reframe negative situations in a more positive light. By intentionally seeking out alternative interpretations of events, we can change the way we perceive and respond to them. For example, if we experience a setback at work, we might reframe it as an opportunity to learn and grow, rather than as a failure.

Falling Up: How to Use Setbacks to Propel Yourself Forward

Setbacks and failures are inevitable, but how we respond to them makes all the difference. Reframing setbacks as opportunities for growth can help us bounce back stronger. Cultivating resilience and a growth mindset can help us turn setbacks into successes.

The Zorro Circle: How Limiting Your Focus Can Expand Your Sphere of Influence

Starting small and focusing on areas where we have control can lead to bigger successes

Breaking tasks into manageable chunks helps us feel more in control

Small wins can create a positive spiral of success and build momentum

The 20-second rule

A concept that can help us turn bad habits into good ones. The idea is that we can make it easier to engage in positive behaviours by reducing the amount of time and effort required to start them. Here’s how it works:

Identify the bad habit you want to change: The first step is to identify the habit that you want to change. This could be anything from watching too much TV to procrastinating on important tasks.

Create an obstacle to the bad habit: Next, you want to create an obstacle that will make it more difficult to engage in the bad habit. For example, if you want to watch less TV, you might unplug the TV or remove the remote control from the room.

  1. Social Investment

Make the good habit easier to start: Finally, you want to make the good habit that you want to replace the bad habit with easier to start. This could involve something as simple as placing a book you want to read next to the couch, or laying out your workout clothes the night before.

Our social connections are crucial to our well-being and success

Building strong relationships requires intentional effort and investment

We can leverage our social networks to support our goals and well-being

Strength of this book is its relevance to a wide range of people and into their day-to-day life. While most of the research was focussed at workplace settings, the concept is common and applicable in all areas of our life.

If we want happiness as our goal, then this book can help you to lead a fulfilling and successful life.

About the Author

Shawn Achor, the author of “The Happiness Advantage,” is a positive psychology researcher and author who has spent over a decade studying the connection between happiness and success. Achor is a graduate of Harvard University, where he studied under positive psychology founder Martin Seligman. He has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies and has delivered talks to millions of people around the world. His work has been featured in various media outlets, including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal.

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