Before Happiness

The 5 Hidden Keys to Achieving Success, Spreading Happiness, and Sustaining Positive Change

By: Shawn Achor

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This fresh, uplifting book is filled with ideas for improving our organizations and our lives.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the podcast WorkLife

“With his characteristic blend of academic rigor and twinkle in the eye, Shawn Achor will change your view of happiness, of reality—and of yourself.”—Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet and Bittersweet

Why are some people able to make positive change while others remain the same?

In his international bestseller, The Happiness Advantage, Harvard-trained researcher Shawn Achor described why happiness is the precursor to greater success. Before Happiness is about what comes before both. Because before we can be happy or successful, we need to first develop the ability to see that positive change is possible. Only once we learn to see the world through a more positive lens can we summon all our motivation, emotion, and intelligence to achieve our personal and professional goals.

In Before Happiness, Achor reveals five actionable, proven strategies for changing our lens to positive:

• The Most Valuable Reality: See a broader range of ideas and solutions by changing the details on which your brain chooses to focus
• Success Mapping: Set goals oriented around the things in life that matter to you most, whether career advancement or family or making a difference in the world
• The X-spot: Use success accelerants to propel you more quickly towards those goals, whether finishing a marathon, reaching a sales target, learning a language, or losing ten pounds
• Noise-Canceling: Boost the signal pointing you to opportunities and possibilities that others miss
• Positive Inception: Transfer these skills to your team, your employees, and everyone around you

By mastering these strategies, you’ll create a renewable source of positivity, motivation, and engagement that will allow you to reach your fullest potential in everything you do.

©2013 Shawn Achor (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

In this remarkable book, one of the leading thinkers in the field of positive psychology digs deep into the science to find practical techniques for unleashing your genius for happiness. So forget about cheap gimmicks and gooey affirmations. Instead, listen to Shawn Achor -- and prepare to take notes!" (Daniel H. Pink, author of DRIVE, TO SELL IS HUMAN, and A WHOLE NEW MIND)

Before Happiness is the book that positive psychology fans have been waiting to read. Shawn Achor, the leading light in bringing the science of happiness to work, offers his signature blend of eye-opening research insights, entertaining stories, and infectious enthusiasm. This fresh, uplifting book is filled with ideas for improving our organizations and our lives. (Adam Grant, Wharton professor and bestselling author of Give and Take)

Loved it.

It largely related to a workplace environment which wasn't on my scope but HEAPS of information completely usable in everyday life whatever setting you may find yourself in.

I'm very enthusiast of the concepts

you will need a notebook handy... is a lot of information could escape. pay attention isn't enough

Great book

I really enjoyed this book, Shawn's style is relaxed, entertaining and informative. Highly recommended reading for anyone who wishes to develop increased self awareness.

Very insightful and practical

Excellent narration by the author himself!

The book outlines 5 key strategies that can be implemented alongside the habits that Shawn Anchor talks about in The Happiness Advantage.

This book takes you on an adventure of how to build meaning into your own life and then how to naturally achieve your goals much faster than you could have ever imagined by using some biological and psychological success accelerants.

The final chapter might just be the most important chapter I have ever read to understand just how to bring happiness into my life and relationships. His discussion of franchising happiness to empower yourself and others was fascinating.

With over 6 simple action steps from each section, I feel well equipped to create the lasting happiness in my life that I have always dreamed of.

If you are an intellectual person, this book is for you. He does an excellent job of putting emotions into an understandable language.

Powerful and inspiring

Easy listen on commute. Concrete suggestions to use everyday. Many well presented points. May need to re-listen to get every pearl. Great positive energy burst to start the day !

Humor makes science fascinating

I can’t speak highly enough about this book,

This will change your life if you let it

What about non-business folks?

I enjoyed this book and it gave me new ideas on how to incorporate more happiness into my life. However, I don't know if the actual book would have been better than listening. Some of it left me wondering what it was or how to apply it. We're their figures or examples for success mapping? Honestly I hope Shawn Achor addresses other groups of people in his writing at some point. I understand that his focus is businesses and organizations but I'd like more examples of how to apply this to life outside the office! Some people are housewives, living in situations like care facilities, or have disabilities... not everyone works in a corporation. Trying to apply business examples to life outside an office is a task... he did use weight loss as an example a couple times... but pretty much glossed over it and any other thing that didn't have to do with business. I felt like he was really only addressing business managers and leaders. Not your average worker, self employed, or humble unemployed human. Unfortunately, I am not a business person so it was a hurdle trying to figure out how I could actually use things like positive inception. Smiling at my dog works fantastic but has negative responses from my teenager!

Being positive leads to success

It's a really great book with lots of great practical examples and experiences to back up the research. it was a little redundant at times but an overall great book.

Good information

Helpful book and easy-to-listen-to in length. Will probably keep it in my rotation and give a listen a few times so I can be more mindful of his five keys. It only takes a few minutes to get past the narrator not being Shawn Achor. Mike Chamberlain is easy to follow and does a good job!

Thinking

I am going to listen to this again soon. I have started using the skills in this book and they are making a positive change in my life and others I am around