The Happiness Advantage

And really, this is rooted in the fact that happier people are more motivated, productive, and achieve more. (It’s science, literally.) Happiness fuels success, is the vehicle to get us towards our dreams. When we’re happy, we are magnetic. We attract. We open up mental capacity to work harder or differently than we were when we were unhappy, simply striving for more.

So how exactly do we make ourselves happy now so we get all the good things in life we’re dreaming of? Achor lays out a few central tenants to his theory:

1. Our mindset and beliefs are a massively important piece to happiness—as much as 90% of our happiness is dictated by these pieces. (Good thing we’ve been working on those, right?)

2. We can train our brains to be happier through intentional practice and the beautiful concept of neuroplasticity.

3. Failure is an opportunity for more happiness if we can cultivate resilience—an ability to bounce back and learn from the experience rather than allowing it to keep us stuck.

4. Habit formation is more accessible than sheer willpower. In fact, throw the idea of willpower out the window—we know that there’s really very little evidence that it has much to do with behavior. Instead, focusing on small habits that support our happiness provides more success

5. We simply cannot do it alone—we need people and relationships to be happy.

So even if this book is buried deep in your “to-read” bookstack, you can still walk away today with a few bite-sized nuggets of motivation. Focus on building happiness, and the rest will follow. How will you put these ideas into practice today?