The must-read analysis of the key insights from "The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Achor — presented by Athena. The key to success and happiness isn’t hard work after all — it’s learning to switch your mindset from its default negative setting to embrace positive thoughts. We tend to believe that if we work hard, we’ll be successful, and when we have success, happiness will follow. But according to Shawn Achor, that formula is broken. A leading expert in the field of human potential, he should know: He’s the founder and CEO of Aspirant, a research firm and consultancy that uses positive psychology to enhance individual achievement and cultivate a more productive workplace. Thanks to a decade of research he conducted at Harvard, he’s come up with a different formula, one that starts with positivity and happiness, both of which fuel success, not the other way around. “We now know that happiness is the precursor to success, not merely the result,” he says. Building on that discovery, Achor translated his findings into seven actionable principles that he hopes will help you achieve your potential and improve your performance at work and in life. His ideas were adopted by world banks anxious for new ideas after the Great Recession. They’ve gone on to help professionals in an array of fields become more efficient and productive, giving them the tools to reverse bad habits that might inhibit achievement.
