Feb 25, 2016
If you’ve ever wondered what the most successful people in the
world know that the rest of us don’t, then do we have the show for
you!
Today we’re going to talk with one of the most positive
researchers in the world! * Bio at bottom. His name is Shawn Achor
and he’s one of the world’s leading experts on the connection
between happiness and success.
His research on mindset made the cover of Harvard Business
Review, his TED talk is one of the most popular with over 11
million views, he’s lectured or worked with over a third of the
Fortune 100 companies, as well as the NFL, the NBA, the Pentagon
and the White House.
Shawn is the author of New York Times best-selling books The
Happiness Advantage (2010) and Before Happiness (2013) and he
recently did a two-hour interview with Oprah at her house to
discuss his mission to bring positive psychology to the world.
Today we’re going to talk using positive psychology to rewrite
your own maps, and completely transform your life. This means
greater success at work, happiness at home, and new outlook, for a
new you.
It’s come at an incredible time too. Our show hits our one month
anniversary, tomorrow. At present we have thousands of listeners in
at least 78 countries, we’re growing exponentially with today being
our highest growth day ever, and this morning, we woke up to find
we’re the #15 self-help show in the world…all in under one
month.
I want to talk with Steve about this, about how our mindset and
our maps truly create our reality -> and how to use that to our
advantage!
So what’s the goal of today’s show: To give you the advice you
need to become a “positive genius” and bring tremendous success
into your life!
Topics include:
- What creates greater levels of happiness.
- Why when you’re happy first, everything improves –
- How happiness is really is first step before success.
- Most important: First have to believe change is possible –
- Understanding this is the biggest change in positive psychology
movement
- Understanding why happiness must precede success and why
success does NOT bring happiness
- This is why “successful” movie stars, musicians, professional
athletes, and even tenured professors are not happy.
- And is why Oprah was depressed at the height of her career
- And why Shawn Achor himself was depressed while at Harvard
- Understanding that it’s not about your genes, even if you’re
“pre-disposed” toward something
- May have genes that predispose you, but it’s not about your
genes.
- Making small changes in your life on a daily basis can have
major impact on rewiring your mind.
- Small changes have macro-level affects on our intelligence
creativity and ability to be positive.
- Big question is: What’s the smallest intervention
possible?
- Key Exercise: For 21 days in a row think of 3 things they’re
grateful for each morning or each day you get into work (CHECK OUT
OUR HAPPINESS MEDITATION FOR A SIMILAR GUIDED MEDITATION EXERCISE)
- This activity of scanning the world is extremely powerful. It
can take people who have been genetically low-level pessimists, and
in 21 days turn them into life-long optimists!!!
- Doing this exercise with 4 year olds at the dinner table,
having them scan for things to be grateful for, can turn them from
lifelong default pessimist to lifelong optimist.
- Every outcome improves when human brain is positive first
- As important children practice this as brushing their teeth or
eating breakfast.
- An extremely important habit for both kids and adults alike –
for adults important to practice this before going to work, or
first thing when they get in to work.
- Important note on this exercise: Must be things are grateful
for that are NEW (that’s occurred over last 24 hours and why)
- Rewires the brain to start to scan for the positive and see the
opportunities that are around you.
- Without exercises like this, your ability to focus on the
positive can atrophy.
- 5 HABITS THAT CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE
- Every day when get into work, first job to write 2 minute
positive email praising or thanking someone they know.
- Do this for just 3 days in a row and people literally get
addicted to it, and others write great emails back.
- 21 days later on your social connection score is off the chart
in social support, because you have 21 people you’ve meaningfully
activated.
- The Single greatest predictor of long term happiness is
breathe, depth, and meaning of social networks.
- Social connection is as predictive of life expectancy as the
food you eat, how much exercise you do, and even whether you smoke
or not.
- Social connections are why western males don’t live as long as
their female counterparts, and why western males are so much more
likely to have heart-attacks.
- Success rarely leads to happiness
- However, if you can get someone to be positive, they rise to
the highest possibility within your band of potential
- Lucky vs. unlucky people
- Unlucky people are simply not focused on the positives and so
don’t see the potential around them.
- Amazing study about lucky vs. unlucky people – the “lucky”
people saw opportunity the pessimists or “unlucky” people did
not.
- In 21 days can make 1 positive habit
- Discussed why some army rangers (optomists) see a 600 foot hill
as 600 feet and scramble for safety, while other soldiers
(pessimists) see it as 900 feet, and give up under attack without
even attempting the hill.
- Shared a study about coffee shop reward cards and the lessons
learned.
- Never start goal from zero – instead anytime make resolution or
create goal, write down three accomplishments already had, or
resolutions you were already able to keep.
- Showing what you’ve already accomplished (aka not starting from
zero) fuel’s growth toward other activities.
- This is also power of journaling – share one positive
experience they had.
- Shawn Achor has started a 21 day O-course with Oprah to help
retrain people’s minds for happiness. It’s at
Oprah.com/happiness
- Many Fortune 100 companies are implementing these happiness
strategies including: CEO Habitat for Humanity, Buick, Mckenzie
company
- Worked with Google and Laszlo Bock as well.
- Showed how 2 minutes of sitting silently at computer / aka
meditating can make a HUGE difference on employees performance and
happiness.
- Realize the poison of a victim mentality
- It’s not about our genes, the market or what others have done
to us.
- It’s a fallacy that we can’t change other people. If we’re
positive we can have a big impact.
- We can greatly influence them and make them positive
- Focus on the low-hanging fruit, grass-roots, be a positive
influence on those directly around you.
- For instance, don’t go for your boss, but your co-workers
around you.
- California Wave campaign in extreme high-crime neighborhood.
- Officers went door to door – were not well received
- Officers then started smiling and waving to everyone.
- Officers became engaged with community and crime dramatically
dropped
- Shawn Achor worked with White House
- Suggestion made during Baltimore protests that a wave campaign
to build community could have a more positive impact than beefing
up police security
- Hospital campaign modeled after the Hilton.
- When patient comes w/in 10 feet make eye contact.
- At five feet see if there’s anything you can do to help
them.
- Dramatically improved people’s response to hospital, their
likelihood to recommend the hospital, the likelihood to return to
the same hospital, and quite possibly, their healing as well!
- Dramatically improved patient care!
- Importance you don’t ‘delay’ happiness
- You are not your genes and your environment, you can
change.
For more information and to find the Oprah Winfrey course and to
visit Shawn Achor’s website visit www.InspireNationShow.com
Shawn Achor Bio:
After spending twelve years at Harvard University, Shawn Achor
has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection
between happiness and success. His research on mindset made the
cover of Harvard Business Review, his TED talk is one of the most
popular of all time with over 11 million views, and his lecture
airing on PBS has been seen by millions.
Shawn has lectured or worked with over a third of the Fortune
100 companies, as well as the NFL, the NBA, the Pentagon and the
White House.
Shawn is the author of New York Times best-selling books The
Happiness Advantage (2010) and Before Happiness (2013). He has now
lectured in more than 50 countries speaking to CEOs in China,
doctors in Dubai, schoolchildren in South Africa, and farmers in
Zimbabwe. His Happiness Advantage training is one of the largest
and most successful positive psychology corporate training program
in the world.
Shawn’s research has been published in the top psychology
journal for work he did at UBS in partnership with Yale University
to transform how stress impacts the body, and he recently did a
two-hour interview with Oprah at her house to discuss his mission
to bring positive psychology to the world.
Discover How to Use the Science of Happiness for Your Greatest
Success Ever! Shawn Achor NYT Best-Selling Author, Happiness
Program Partner w/Oprah & Happiness Advisor to White House |
Inspiration | Motivation | Business | Career | Self-Help |
Inspire
For More Info Visit: www.InspireNationShow.com