Orchestrating Accelerated Growth through Positive Energy and Mindset.pdf
The Happiness Advantage
1.
2. 7- Principles:
“ The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
John Mitlon
Discovering the Happiness Advantage
The Happiness Advantage- retrain our brains to capitalize on positivity through
improving our productivity and performance
The Fulcrum and the Level- adjust our mindset to give us power to be more fulfilled
and successful
The Tetris Effect- retrain our brains to spot patterns of possibilities to seize
opportunities where ever we look
Falling Up- our brains map different paths to help us cope- teach how to be happier
and more successful because of failures
The Zorro Circle- regain control by focusing on small- manageable goals- leading to
expanding the circle of achieving bigger ones
The 20 second rule- start small to reroute the path of resistance and replacing bad
habits with good ones
Social Investment- Invest in your social network- they are the greatest predictors of
our success and excellence
3. The Happiness Advantage at Work
Points we are not focusing on:
Painting on a happy face
Use positive thinking to wish away
your problems
Pretend your problems don’t exist
Be realistic about the present; while
maximize our potential for the future
Learn how to cultivate the mindset
and behaviors to fuel greater success
and fulfillment
Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change;
it is the realization that we can.
Happiness Advantage starts at a
different place:
4. Change is Possible
Practice makes perfect….when we repeatedly challenge ourselves to get better at something,
eventually time pays off.
We have all heard the sayings:
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, They were born an athlete,
Our potential is biologically fixed
Records are always meant to be broken-
Guinness Book of World Records human potential is unlimited
Figuring out how to capitalize on our brains (way of thinking) to change so we can reap the
benefits of the Happiness Advantage brings us to:
If the change is possible?
How long does it last?
9. The RIPPLE Effect
Spreading the Happiness Advantage at Work, at Home, and BEYOND
The person we have the greatest power to change is ourselves-
the 7 principles must start at an individual level-
by no means do they end there….
They can impact those around us…creating an upward spiral of
happiness and success with rippling to outward benefits….
Editor's Notes
Positive Psychology at Work
We are taught- success first, happiness second
If I lose 5 lbs I will be happy, ect
If I get that raise, I will be happy, ect
Happiness is the precursor to success-
not merely the result
Happiness and Optimism fuel performance and achievement
Introducing the competitive edge called:
Happiness Advantage
Our own interpretation of reality changes our experience of that reality
Privilege vs Pressures
Focus on what works and not what is broken= positive psychology
Our brains are literally hardwired to perform at their best not when the are negative or even neutral, but when they are positive.
The Real World: October 2008
American Express scheduled to have a seminar on Happiness; while 30 minutes before the seminar was to begin they were told, that they would be restructuring some areas of the company. While most would have given up, not paid attention, these individuals were truly focused on what was being said. While the seminar was to have lasted 90 minutes, they went on for nearly 3 hours. Many executives had canceled meeting and appointments. The associates were eager to understand this “new science of happiness, and how it could bring success to their careers”.
It goes to show that in the face of tragic situations- there is always hopefulness. These employees had no idea what tomorrow would bring them in their professions, but- they were enthusiastic to take any and all steps necessary, to be prepared and held accountable for their own happiness- by implementing the guidelines presented to them.
Makes me wonder, if this meeting was held over a year or so prior, would they be as interest in how to achieve happiness or sit through such a seminar. They all believed at that time they had it all….
Everything will not come up roses- and you honestly don’t want them to because it is the adversity that contributes to the success in ourselves--- think about walking down the block – you get to the intersection- you can only turn a corner four times.
Millionaire, Billionaire, Trillionaire --- happiness comes from hardship and resilience
20 Second Rule:
“When will power fails- we fall back into our old habits”, (the path of lest resistance).
Dieting (Kim)- I will eat right and exercise consistently, then I will hop onto that scale and see that those numbers did not dip at all, NO CHANGE and I will go directly to the ice cream (my weakness) thinking what’s the point, not seeing any type of results fast enough, is my frustration.
Breakfast Club- 1985 movie- think about the 5 different people in detention that Saturday- all had different life styles, expectations, and pressures- yet all had a common ground
Our brains can change in response to our actions and circumstances– Ladies think about us and how we worked locked in the Room with the psychopath's clues
-yes- the answers is change is possible and it will forever last for those that want that competitive edge that put in the effort; something that can be utilized in every aspect and situation
In closing to the introduction of Happiness- by the end of our presentation- We will all have the information – lets agree to transform it
Happiness Advantage: The most successful are the ones who capitalize on the positive and reap the rewards at every turn.
To study how happiness affects performance – you have to define it. Some people look at you like what do you mean you don’t know what happiness means- try Googling it? However- the meaning of happiness does not have a single meaning because it is based about how we feel about our own lives that circle around positivity. Happiness has a multitude of power over our lives: it can improve our physical health, living longer lives, allow us to be more productive and efficient in professional and personal settings, and expand our peripheral line of vision. Don’t forget happiness is not just a mood- it’s a work ethic. Tips to capitalize on the happiness advantage: 1) meditate 2) find something to look forward to 3) commit conscious acts of kindness 4) infuse positivity onto your surroundings 5) exercise 6) spend $ but not on stuff 7) exercise a signature strength **www.viasurvey.org** Keep one thing in mind: 2.9013 (Marcial Losado)- ratio of positive to negative interactions necessary to make a corporate team successful- 3 positive comments- experiences- or expressions to fend off one negative….feeling a dip below- RISE ABOVE IT
Fulcrum /Lever: Archimedes- greatest scientist and mathematician of ancient Greece “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, I shall move the world” (seesaw effect) How much power and possibility we believe we have and our mindset which we generate the power to change. People can be primed into a circumstance and motivated to excel; our possibilities are endless if we allow minds to be flexible in improving our abilities. Everyone can change and grow through application and experience. You are a unicorn (story)! Beliefs are powerful because they dictate our efforts and actions- reach for a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset that will ultimately hold you back. If you can’t find meaning in what you do, you will never enjoy anything- weather you are a movie maker, NFL player, or even a stay at home parent. Sculptor: Pygmalion could look at a piece of marble and see the sculpture trapped inside of it- - chisel and crafting into his vision- created Galatea- statue of a woman- representing hope, dreams, possibilities, every meaning- beauty itself- story be told he asked the goddess of love- Venus- to make his ideal a reality… and so she did- according to myth. Our belief in another person’s potential brings that potential to life making it a reality. However, every superhero cape has a small caveat: - while important to shift our mindset to positivity – don’t shift it too far towards unrealistic expectations about our potential- we all want to be super heroes- and if we wear a cape – we can fly….well I don’t suggest jumping from a bridge to find out- but- I do recommend that mindset to empower ourselves and each other that change is possible.
Tetris: Our way of doing things, we follow a practice or pattern. Patterns can be OCD- like the movie Sleeping with the Enemy- the canned foods all faced, towels hung even- imagine how hard that would be to walk into the grocery store in the cereal or soda isle….you’d no longer be shopping- you’d be playing Tetris. Our brains can get stuck in patterns of viewing the way we see the world. Today’s society focuses on looking for things to fix, problems or areas of improvement- if solely focused- one could even make paradise become hell. In turn, if we change that scan pattern and look for the positive- we can capitalize on the happiness advantage. If we constantly scan our world of reality with the negative patterns – it undercuts our creativity, raises our stress levels, and lowers our motivation and ability to accomplish goals. At work: we can tend to only notice each others faults and never each others strengths. It is important to learn how to compartmentalize abilities- it is a good thing to be very successful in a particular aspect of work; however cognitive patterns can debilitate ourselves. The first step is understanding just how much of what we see is solely a matter of focus- William James said ”My experience is what I agree to attend to.” Our brains have the ability to filter information; if we program our brain’s filter to delete the positive- only the negative things will exist- we see what we look for, and in turn miss the rest. This can also be referenced as intentional blindness- an inability to see what is right in front of us- because we are not focusing directly on it. On the other hand, selective perception- is when you are looking for something- you’ll see it everywhere- hear a song once, and it’s always on the radio, buy a car- and you’ll see 5 of them…nothing has changed- other than your focus. Goal of positive Tetris is to train our brains to scan the world for opportunities and ideas that will allow our success rate to grow. The more positive you see, the more grateful we become, the more optimistic we become, and overall that will improve our wellbeing. Try writing 3 good things down each day, your brain will begin to focus on potential positives…just as in playing Tetris- the more you practice, the higher you get to the next level. However, at each level you will still need to not completely shut out all negativity- you have to remain reasonable, realistic, with a healthy sense of optimism to succeed.
Falling Up: To come up- you must fall down; the more times you fall and pick yourself back up and keep going, the larger the reward- you become stronger and grow from each fall. The human brain then remembers the fall and then revises our mental map for navigation through this complex and ever-changing world in each of our lives. On every mental map, after adversity- there are three mental paths: one that keeps you where you are, one that puts you worse off then where you started- avoiding conflict or challenge, and one the leads us from failure to a place making us stronger than we ever were before the fall. To have this become a honest statement: What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger- it takes the individual mindset: of I will not be defined by what has happened to me, but by what I can make out of what has happened. I will not bounce back, I will bounce forward and be better than before. Finding the path up is about when meeting adversity- realizing it is not the adversity itself that makes us successful- but what we do with it that determines our fate- our choice(s) can free us. The best leaders are the ones who show their true colors not during the banner years, but during such times of struggle. Strategies to find that third path: change your “counterfact”- an alternate scenario our brains create to help us evaluate and make sense of things that happen, change your explanatory style- how we choose to explain the nature of past events has a crucial impact on our happiness and future success, learn your ABCD’s- Adversity (the event we cannot change), Belief (our reaction to the event), Consequence (which is lead into either positive or negative from our belief of why we thought this happened- or what it means for our future, and Disputation (telling ourselves that our belief- is just that – a belief, not fact- and then challenging it.) Success is about falling up- the resilience that is applied from capitalizing on set backs and adversity – allowing motivation to keep going and rise!
Zorro: One of the biggest drivers of success in the belief that our behavior matters; that we have control over our future. Yet, when our stresses and workloads seem to mount up faster than we can keep up, our emotions can be the first thing to go. Take a step back, focus on a small manageable goal, we can regain the feeling of control. As we conquer that goal, we can gradually expand our circle to include larger and larger areas with dedication and time. When you think that you feel in control of situations; you have lower levels of stress, work-family conflict, and job turnover. It is about the mindset, not necessarily the power. Our actions are determined by the brain’s two dueling components: the knee-jerk like emotional systems (Jerk) & our rational, cognitive systems (Thinker). The Jerk is the oldest part of our brain that is linked to our survival modes and the Thinker which was developed over thousands of years of evolution is linked to our conclusions that we have drawn from many pieces of information- a plan for future- to think and then react. Most of our actions are better served by the Thinker, however when feeling stressed or out of control- the Jerk takes over...it is not something that happens consciously- it’s biological. When under pressure, our chemicals build up and trigger the brain’s panic button….and we have become emotionally hijacked. Anyone can become hijacked at any time or place. When becoming hijacked at work; our consequences don’t just fall with an individual but- can for the entire team within the organization. How do we reclaim control from the Jerk and put ourselves back with the Thinker: Zorro Circle. Draw a circle of self-awareness- get those feelings out either on paper or with a trusted confidant, next- identify the things you have control over and the things you don’t- let go of the things that are out of your control and then focus your energy accordingly. Start small, practice, and build- remember you can’t sprint a marathon. Well- you could attempt but injuries with set backs would be in your future. Push the limits of possibility- just not all at once, setting smaller goals- builds confidence that allows us to celebrate our progress, and keeps us on track for our overall tasks at hand. Final Step: Put it all together- think of your inbox of emails after coming back from vacation- can seem overwhelming with the other tasks of keeping up with the day; give yourself a time limit of 20 minutes- go through what you can and come back to it. When you do things in small circles- you’ll accomplish more and not miss anything. Small successes can add up to major achievements- start with the small circle in the sand!
20 Second Rule: One of the greatest paradoxes of human behavior- Common sense is not common action. Knowledge is only part of our battle- we know we should exercise, eat healthy, get 8 hours of sleep- but that doesn’t mean doing any of them is easy or done without commitment of action. Fact is positive habits are hard to keep. Habits are a financial capital- forming one today is an investment that will automatically give out returns for years to come- start with a daily stroke of effort: you get out of bed in the morning, you go to the bathroom, ect. our brains are programmed that we need to go when we wake up in the morning. Our brains are made of billions of neurons- connecting paths- cells that fire together, wire together - leading us to how we become skilled at an activity with practice. As we all know-willpower is not enough, it gets worn out. As humans, we are creatures of mere bundles of habits that can leads us to follow a path of least resistance, we are drawn to things that are easy and convenient. To prevent the path of least resistance – we need activation energy; needing more initial effort to spark the positive habit to form. Distractions are everywhere and it is not the number and volume of them that gets us into trouble; it’s the ease of access to them. If you put your desired behavior on the path of least resistance- to where it takes less energy to pick up than avoid it- you’ll form a positive habit; known as the 20 second rule. Lower the activation energy for habits you want to adopt, and raise it for habits you want to avoid. By adding 20 second rule- it is not just about altering the time it takes to do things- it limits the choices we have to make – that ultimately can help lower the barrier to positive change. EX: exercise in the am; you’ll achieve more by sleeping in work out clothes with shoes close to your bed as, something in your brain says it is easier to go work out then- vs I have take all this back off. However- once you form the habit of getting up every morning and going- you don’t need to sleep in your work out clothes- because your brain is already craving the chemical reaction of energy that you’ll be experiencing at the end of your workout…getting you ready to tackle the day.
Social Investment: In the midst of challenges and stress at work, nothing is more crucial to our success than holding on to the people around us. When we look toward our social network for support; it allows our brains time to invest in the Happiness Advantage- allowing us to remain productive, engaged, energetic and resilient- instead of turning inward- reaching for the support of others- allows people to have the most successful results. There is over 70 years of research that shows our relationships with other people matter, and matter more than anything else in the world. Like food and air, we seem to need social relationships to thrive… Think about WILSON from Cast Away with Tom Cruise. When we have a community of people we can count on- or spouse, family, friends, colleagues- we multiple our emotional, intellectual and physical resources. We bounce back from setbacks faster, accomplish more, and feel a greater sense of purpose. This is not just a mindset, this is a biological need- our bodies can literally malfunction without it. Lack of social contact can add 30 points to an adult’s blood pressure, even causing psychological harm suffering from major depression. Employees that have positive interactions with each other during the coarse of the day are simply better equipped to thrive in the most difficult situations. Football: the offensive line/ quarter back: when surrounded by our version of an offensive line- big challenges feel more manageable and small challenges don’t even register on the radar. BEATLES: I get by with a little help from my friends. The social contact does not always need to be deep to be effective…any point of contact can virtually give a bounce back to a greater capacity to increase performance. Sharing upbeat news with someone is also referred to as capitalization- it helps multiply the benefits of the positive event as well as strengthen the bond between people…key point is to gain benefit here is how you respond to someone’s news too. It has been shown through research that coercing employees into awkward icebreakers or forced bonding activities – only breeds disconnection and mistrust- it is better to let these moments happen organically- which they will if the environment is right. If you can say you love what you do, because of who you do it with….then you are applying the social investment to your advantage.
