I recently finished an audiobook by Shawn Achor entitled The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. This book has changed my life and how I view the world. Shawn Achor is a psychologist who takes his own studies and other prominent studies and puts them into seven principles that readers could use to make themselves more happy. It takes hard work and diligence, but it is well worth it!
Main takeaways:
- While there is a lot of negative in the world, there is so much more good. However, things in our life program us to view the world in a negative way, so we tend to only see the negative. We must retrain our brain to see the positive.
- Principle #1: The Happiness Advantage -- Find things that make you happy and cling to them. Now, happiness will look different for everyone, so you must find something that makes you happy. Examples could be random acts of kindness, exercise, finding something to look forward to, and so on.
- Principle #2: The Fulcrum and the Lever -- The fulcrum is our mindset, and the lever is our power. If we change our mindset to being more positive, we will automatically acquire more power. This is similar to the phrase "mind over matter". If you believe it can happen, it could very possibly happen.
- Principle #3: The Tetris Effect -- Like I mentioned earlier, our brains are oftentimes programmed to see what is wrong in the world. For example, when your students are working quietly, are you staring intently across the room irritated? Probably not. You are probably working hard at something on your desk or assisting a student at their desk. However, as soon as something is wrong, our brains pick it up and run with it. How many nights have you laid away watching the clock taunt you as you thought about that mean thing Jimmy said about your lesson? Too many. This step asks us to take a step back and slowly train our brains to see the positive.
- Principle #4: Falling Up -- This section takes us through seeing even the worst as a potential to get better. Achor references the stock market plunge. Many companies saw this as an opportunity for improvement and got better at what they do. They never would have done this without the impact of the crash. When something bad happens to us, do we see it as an opportunity or do we dwell on it, our thoughts running on a never-ending hamster wheel? He encourages us to see it as a good thing, reflect, change and move on.
- Principle #5: The Zorro Circle -- Who here has ever felt overwhelmed at work? I'm sure that if I could see all of you, I'd be a millionaire. This concept encourages us to take thing small step at a time. You don't need to grade ALL those exams right now. Break them into manageable chunks. Set reasonable goals for yourself until the task is finished.
- Principle #6: The 20-Second Rule -- Okay, if given the choice of watching TV or reading a book at the end of the day, probably most of us are so ready to give our brains a break, we would happily take the TV over a novel. However, TV can have adverse effects on our health if we watch too much of it (Morton). Better options are socializing, reading, exercise, or an active activity because they engage your brain. In order to start some of these positive habits, Achor suggests that we kept positive options closer than 20 seconds away from us. For example, if the batteries in the remote were placed upstairs, but a novel was right in front of you, what would you be more willing to do watch TV or read? :)
- Principle #7: Social Investment -- We all want to believe that we can handle things on our own, and many of us do every single day, but you don't have to, and it is healthier if you don't. This principle finds that people who share their time with others and have positive interactions with others find more joy and satisfaction than those who do not.
- Happiness is not something that just happens. You have to work for it, but it is well worth it in the end.
These are the main takeaways. I totally suggest reading the book if you can find time. Since I have embraced Audible.com and started listening to audiobooks, I have found that I can consume so much more information throughout the day, which makes me happier. :) Just a suggestion.
Have an awesome week!
Thank you,
Elise Chandler
Works Cited
Achor, Shawn. The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance At Work. First edition. Broadway Books, 2010.
Morton, Aaron. "How Much TV Is Too Much?" Greatist.com, https://greatist.com/happiness/how-much-tv-too-much. Accessed on 3 January 2017.
