Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better performance

I was watching some TEDTalks on the plane back from Columbus. These talks are amazing, and eye opening.  In this one with Shawn Achor, he points out something that is, in hindsight, obvious:

We judge happiness based on success, but constantly update the meaning of success.  If hit the target, we increase the target.  I know this myself from the marathons that I have run.  After the first one, the second wasn't as much of a win.  I needed to do better, more, greater.  In that paradigm, we never get to happiness.

Mr Achor suggests we turn this around - get to happiness first, which provides the Happiness Advantage, where productivity is increased from that happiness.  Success comes from happiness.




I am going to take his suggestions at the end of the video, and note 3 daily gratitudes, my journal of exercise and meditation, and begin to perform random acts of kindness on a routine basis.  My first gratitudes:

I am grateful that:
1) I am in good overall health and well being
2) I have great friends and family around me
3) I have a safe and warm home

That actually does make me a bit happier.