Research shows that contrary to popular belief and endless reinforcement by EVERYONE, from parents, teachers, popular media and advertisers, success does NOT guarantee happiness.
But all is not lost!
The research goes further to show that happiness IS what guarantees success!!!!
Isn't that great????
These research studies were not conducted by some woowoo obscure fringe organization cloistered on Mt. Shasta. These are outcomes that have been replicated over and over again by respected research institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.
These studies have shown time and time again, that brains that are primed for positivity perform better and grasp more opportunities than brains that are primed for negativity.
I encourage you to read the book and start today to prime your brain for happiness and success.
Here are some ACTIONS that I gleaned from the book that you can start using today to start rewiring your brain.
Everyday for the next 60 days(at least) do at least ONE of the following things:
-Exercise
-Meditate
-Do 2 minutes of writing on something which you have appreciation/gratitude for
-Write down 3 things about yourself that you like/appreciate
-Send a short email/write a note to someone in your social/family circle appreciating them for something that they’ve done--a good job, a quality about them that you like or that has had an impact on you in some way
-Journal about one thing that has happened in the last 24 hours that you are thankful for
Done consistently, these actions will start to prime your brain for positivity, which will have a positive impact on your health, sense of well-being, and success.
Have you tried this before and it hasn’t really worked or you’ve had a hard time keeping up with it?
You are not alone.
One of the most important things that Shawn talks about in his book is community.
This is where another prevalent but erroneous beliefs also frequently come to pass, where one feels like one has to first be happy before we can be in community with other people. This is much like the phenomenon of cleaning the house before the cleaning woman comes.
Science shows that this is backwards. Rather than isolating yourself, the best way to get happy and ensure your success is to enlist a friend, colleague, family member or community for help to get through.
It was heartening for me to read these suggestions in Shawn’s book because intuitively, I was already doing most of the things that were listed in his book. The one thing that I WAS NOT doing, which I realized in reading this, was to have a community of people to share it with.
I kept saying to myself, “Once I reach this level of happiness, then I will be acceptable enough to be happy with other people” or something to that effect.
That has changed in the last few years, but I feel that if I had gotten myself some support with peers, then the process of growing my life and work would have been way more fun and not as emotionally challenging.
So I encourage you to try the steps I have outlined above. They are easy to implement and they DO work.
Please like this message if you did, and share it with your friends!
If you tried some of these techniques and they worked for you, please share your successes in the comments below!