1: “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the longest and most comprehensive study on human happiness.
Period. Hard stop.
Robert tells us: “It’s not the number of friends you have; it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.”
In his book The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor shares … continue reading
“An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage,” former GE CEO Jack Welch tells us.
Ultimate. Competitive. Advantage.
Spoken by one of the most successful CEO’s in history.
But how does an organization become a learning organization?
At PCI, we focus on two specific strategies.
First, we look outside for new ideas that will make us better. We are big believers … continue reading
“The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the longest and most comprehensive study on human happiness.
Period. Hard stop.
Robert tells us: “It’s not the number of friends you have; it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.”
This week we are going to be explore the power of … continue reading
That’s one of the more surprising facts Shawn Achor shares in his terrific book on positive psychology, The Happiness Advantage.
Knowing the right thing and doing the right thing are… two different things.
Aristotle tells us: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
So, how do we create good habits?
One strategy involves what Shawn refers to as “activation energy.” The key … continue reading
“You don’t understand, I want to run a marathon in a month…” said one of Shawn Achor‘s clients.
This week we are looking at some of the key lessons to be learned from Shawn’s book The Happiness Advantage. We’ve probably walked (or in this case, run) in those shoes. We decide on a big goal and we want to achieve it now. Right now.
How’s that working out … continue reading
During the construction of St. Paul’s cathedral in London, British architect Sir Christopher Wren asked three men what they were doing.
The first replied, “I am cutting a piece of stone.” The second said: “I am earning five shillings two pence a day.” The third man answered, “I am building a beautiful cathedral.”
They were doing the exact same thing. But, one man had a job. The second, a career. The third man … continue reading
Turns out the answer to this question is a tremendous predictor of overall success.
Why?
This week we’ve been looking at some of the key lessons of Shawn Achor‘s terrific book The Happiness Advantage which summarizes many of the tenants of positive psychology.
People who think of themselves as lucky:
* Set more (and more difficult) goals
* Put more effort into achieving those goals
* Stay more engaged … continue reading
I love this story…
It’s the early 1900’s and two shoe salesmen are sent to an undeveloped country to assess the opportunity. One sends a telegraph back home: “Situation hopeless. They don’t wear shoes.”
The other wires: “Glorious Opportunity. They don’t wear shoes!”
In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor labels these patterns of thinking “The Tetris Effect” after the 1980s video game. The research shows (yes, someone studied this…), that if we play Tetris … continue reading
The answer is neither, according to the research of Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert.
In his popular TED talk, Dan tells us that if it happened over three months ago, major life traumas have little impact on our happiness.
In fact, his research shows external circumstances predict only 10% of our overall happiness.
This week we’ve been looking at some of the lessons from Shawn Achor’s book The Happiness Advantage… continue reading
When faced with adversity, we can:
1. Get stuck (scientific term…) and circle around where we currently are
2. Make it Worse (we’ve all been there…)
3. View the setback as an opportunity for growth
This third path is one of life’s great success strategies. Instead of being paralyzed by obstacles, we are energized by the challenge and seize the opportunity to grow.
This week we are looking at some … continue reading
