Copyright©2013byShawnAchorAllrightsreserved.

PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyCrownBusiness,animprintoftheCrownPublishingGroup,adivisionofRandomHouse,Inc.,NewYork.

www.crownpublishing.comCROWNBUSINESSisatrademarkandCROWNandtheRisingSuncolophonareregisteredtrademarks

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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataAchor,Shawn.

Beforehappiness:the5hiddenkeystoachievingsuccess,spreadinghappiness,andsustainingpositivechange/byShawnAchor.

p.cmIncludesbibliographicalreferences.

1.Happiness.2.Positivepsychology.3.Change(Psychology)4.Success.I.Title.BF575.H27A2672013

158—dc232013022564

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v3.1

ToMichelleGielan,whochangedeverythingIknewabouthappiness.Sheislivingproofthatwhenweshinebrightly,

thisworldcanbetransformed.

contents

CoverTitlePageCopyrightDedicationAcknowledgmentsIntroduction:BeyondHappiness

ThePowerofPositiveGenius

SKILL1:RealityArchitecture:ChoosingtheMostValuableReality

SKILL2:MentalCartography:MappingYourSuccessRoute

SKILL3:TheX-Spot:FindingSuccessAccelerants

SKILL4:NoiseCanceling:BoostingYourPositiveSignalbyEliminatingtheNegativeNoise

SKILL5:PositiveInception:TransferringYourPositiveRealitytoOthers

PositiveInspiration:ACaseforChange

Notes

acknowledgments

As I reflect on the wild ride of the past few years—getting to travelaround the world researching and speaking about happiness—I amcontinuallyhumbledbytherealizationthat Ibeganthis journeyinthedepths of depression while at Harvard. I remember during divinityschool my first attempt at journaling, in which I wrote, “I don’trememberbeinghappy.”Somepeoplewhoreadthisbookwillknowthatplacewell.Andotherswillneverexperiencethatdarknightofthesoul.But I know this: Change is possible only when we link our lives toothers.TherearenowordsthatcanconveythedeepgratitudeIhaveforall the peoplewhomake every day, during every shining success anddauntingsetback,joyfulandworthliving.Thislistisonlyasmallfractionofthosepeople.MichelleGielan,myfiancée,businesspartner, fellowresearcher,best

friend…soprettymuchshedeservesanentireacknowledgmentbook.Iplan on spendingmy lifewriting it. She readTheHappinessAdvantagewhile in theUPennpositivepsychologyprogram.Shee-mailedme,wemetup,startedworkingtogether,andfell in loveallwhileresearchingand spreading happiness. If I had only known I’d get to meet her, Iwouldhavewrittenthebookearlier.My sister Amy (the unicorn) and my brother for being both my

compassandmyrock.Theirlove,support,andwisdomareworthmixingmetaphors. Little Ana, Gabri, and Kobi are the living fruits of theirgenerousspirits.JoeandSharonAchor,lifelongeducators,whotaughtmehowtolove.

Thereisnobettercompliment.JordanBrockforhisgeniusinhelpinggrowourcompany;hebelieves

sostronglythatthisresearchneedstobeheardbecausehelivesitasabusiness leader,husband,and father.Heandhis familyareour family

now.TaliaKrohn,myeditor,whopatientlyworkedwithmefortwoyearson this book as I kept trying to cram itwith new research or rewritewholesectionsasIgotexcitedaboutsomethingelse.She’samazing.StuartJohnsonandMeridithSimesfromSuccessmagazine.StuartisavisionaryandMeridithmakesithappen.TheyarenotonlyreinventingSuccess,buttheyaregoingtobeatthevanguardofhowentrepreneursworldwideusethisresearch.Theyarealsoincrediblygeneroussoulsandfriends.Thankyoutotheirteam,includingSusanKane,whohashelpedspreadandadvancethismission.Rafe Sagalyn, my literary agent, who believed in me from thebeginning.Ifyouwantanagent,Rafeisoneofthebestintheindustry.Jenny Canzoneri, Holli Catchpole, and the SpeakersOffice team inCalifornia,whichofficiallyhandlesallourback-officelogisticsflawlesslyand tirelessly. If you are a speaker, you couldn’t find a better partnersupportingyourefforts.CorpU for turning our research into an entire online academic andsocial course for companies worldwide. CorpU is the future of onlineeducation,soI’msogratefulthattheyaresointerestedinstartingwithhappinessresearch.Greg Kaiser, Kevin Karaffa, Greg Ray, and the entire InternationalThought Leader Network, including Donald Bargy, Marti Kaiser, andReggie Tyler, for partnering with us to create a sustainable way tocascade the happiness advantage throughout companies. The parable-basedtrain-the-trainerprogramwelaunchedatNationwideisfantastic,thankstotheirdedication.Heidi Krupp-Lisiten and Darren Lisiten from Krupp Kommunications(K2),who servedasour top-notchPR team. It isgreat toworkwithahusband-wifeteam,asMichelleandIworkhandinhandaswell.TheyarefantasticifyouwanttoreachmultiplePRverticalsandwanttohavefundoingit.CrownBusinessteamatRandomHousefortheirmarketingeffortsandinvestingsomuchenergyinthisproject.AliCrum, a former student turned friend and inspiration. She is therarest of breeds: a world-famous, brilliant academic with a way ofconnectingtoanyonewithherwarmheart.MartySeligmanfornotonlycreatingthefieldofpositivepsychology

butalsoenablinganentiregenerationofdisciplestobringthismessageforward.JeffOlsonandAmberOlson,whodedicatedthemselvestorallyingthetroopsatNeriumtomakethisresearchturnintoamovement.CoryLudensandMattressFirmforpartneringwithusonresearchandbecomingapositiveoutliercompanythatthrivesonpassion.Adam Grant, a modern-day genius and a new friend. Literally thesmartest person I know. His book Give and Take is fantastic, and hehelpedmebrainstormseveraloftheideasinthisbook.Gerry Richman from PBS and Colleen Steward from Tremendous!Entertainment,who partneredwith us to create the PBS show forTheHappinessAdvantage. Thanks to them, the show aired in 88 percent ofAmericanhomes.TonyHsieh,JennLim,andJamesKeyLimatDeliveringHappinessforpartnering with us to help create culture change at companies basedupontheirincredibleworkatZapposandtheDowntownProject.ChristianLongandTEDxBloomingtonforgettingustheTEDspotthatwentviral.TalBen-Shahar,whohasinspirednotonlymebutthousandslikemetomakepositivechanges,tobecomeabetterperson,andtobeexcitedaboutlife.BarbaraTeszler,whoisaPRbulldogwhogetsthingsdone.ShehelpedbreathePRlife intotheInstituteforAppliedPositiveResearchandTheHappinessAdvantage.Alexis Roberts, for keeping her finger on the pulse of the happinessmovementandbeatingaconstantdrumbeatofpositivity.Brent Furl, my spiritual buddy and lifelong friend, who keeps mefocusedonwhatismostimportant.Kelci,Brockwhoisacontinualsourceoflight,wisdom,andfun.Wecouldnotdowhatwearedoingwithouther.MikeLampertandLauraBabbitt,whosewarmfriendshiphasservedasagreat“Haven.”Writingabookrequiresmassiveemotionalsupport.Thankyouformyfriendswhowerethere toshoulder theburdenorbepatientor justbefun:Olivia“Sfouf”Shabb,GregandCathyMcCain,MaxWeisbuch,CalebMerkl, Matt and Jess Glazer, Eric Karpinski, Heidi Hanna, and manyothers.

I studypositiveoutliers:peoplewhoareupabove thecurve foranygivendimension.Thiswholegroupofamazingoutliersandfriendsneedstobestudiedmore.Ihopeyouheartheirvoicesoneverypage.

introduction

BEYONDHAPPINESS

Ifyouwanttochangeyourlife,youfirsthavetochangeyour

reality.

Inmy first book,TheHappinessAdvantage, I described the research onhowahappybrainreapsamassiveadvantageintheworkplace.Iwroteabouthow,whenwe find and createhappiness in ourwork,we showincreased intelligence, creativity, and energy, improving nearly everysinglebusinessandeducationaloutcome.Inshort,thatbookwasabouthow happiness comes before success. This book is about what comesbeforeboth.Ifyouwanttocreatepositivechangeinyourlife,youfirsthavetochangeyourreality.Tobehonest,IthinkI’velearnedmoreabouthappinessoverthepast

five years than I did in a decade sitting in labs and teaching inclassroomsatHarvard.Duringthis time, Ihavehadtheopportunitytotravel to fifty-one countries, speaking at companies and schools andlearningmoreaboutthisconnectionbetweensuccessandhappiness.ButeachplaceIvisitedpushedmeharder.ThemoreIobserved,themoreIwantedtounderstandhowwecanpositivelychangepeople’sviewoftheworldtomakethemnotjusthappierinthemomentbutmoreengaged,moremotivated, more alive—permanently. I wanted to learn howwecouldhelppeoplenotjustsucceedatcertaintasks,oraccomplishcertaingoals,butreachentirelynewlevelsofsuccess.ButoverthecourseofmytravelsIalsofoundthatitwasn’tenoughtostudysuccessandhappiness

where it was easiest: in a controlled experiment with privilegeduniversitystudentsassubjects.Iwantedtotestmytheorieswhereitwashardest.So tomymother’s dismay, Iwas driven to lectures in Venezuela inbulletproof cars to speak with leaders under threats of “expresskidnappings”abouttheresearchonresilience.IsleptinhutsinTanzaniasurroundedbythebiggestspidersI’veeverseen(andI’mfromTexas,sothat’s saying something) tohear frompeoplewhohadbeenkickedofftheir land but who remained optimistic. I spoke about happiness at apublicschoolassemblyontheone-yearanniversaryofamassshootingat the school. Ina shanty-town inKenya Imetwith illiteratemothers,oneofwhomwasdeterminedthathereight-year-olddaughterwouldgoto Harvard someday. I was the positive psychology expert for theEveryday Matters campaign to see if happiness remains a choice forindividuals with a chronic neuromuscular disease. I worked with theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the midst of anepidemic of depression, and Freddie Mac in the midst of a mortgagecrisis.MycompanybeganworkingonanambitiousinitiativeatWalmartaimedatraisingthehappinesslevelsoftheir1.5millionassociateswhoarestrugglingtomakeendsmeetinthefaceofcomplicatedfamilyandeducational issues.And Imetwithdoctorsattempting tocure terminalcancerinchildrenatSt.JudeandBostonChildren’sHospitalstofindoutwhy sick four-year-olds are more likely to tell their parents that“everythingwillbeokay”thanthereverse.Attheotherendof thespectrum,Iwas invitedtoworkwithGoogleandFacebookastheydealtwiththeconfusinginfluxofwealththatwas,ironically,sappingemployeesoftheirengagementandmotivation.Whatdid I learn? That for all my research about the connection betweensuccessandhappiness,Iwasmissingsomethingimportant.Happiness led to success, true, but what gave someone—especiallysomeone facing obstacles and hardships—the understanding thathappiness was possible in the first place? Why did achievement andhappiness seem like a possibility to one person but impossible tosomeoneelseinthesamepositionorsituation?Whydidsomeilliteratemothers believe their children could get into Harvard, while otherscouldn’tfathomtheidea?WhydidsomeoftheimpoverishedchildreninIndonesia create a happy playtime with only some sticks and string,

while others sat bored and sullen?Why couldmissing out on a bonusinspireoneleaderataUKfinancialservicescompanytoworkbetterandharder,while causing another leader at the same company to give upandstoptrying?WhydidsomepeoplediagnosedwithMSsuddenlystarttraining formarathons,while others remainedmired in thebelief thatthey’dlosttheabilitytoparticipatefullyinlife?Soon it became clear. The reason some people were thriving whileothers—people intheexactsamesituation—werestuck inhopelessnesswasthattheywereliterallylivingindifferentrealities.Somewerelivingina reality in which happiness and success seemed possible, despite theobstacles.Otherswere living ina “reality”where itwasnot.After all,howcouldsomeoneexpect toachievehappinessor successwhenstuckinthemindsetthatneitherwaspossible?Ibegantorealizethatifwewantedtocreateareal,long-lasting,andsustainable change, we needed to show people how to fundamentallychange their reality—the entire lens throughwhich they viewed theirworld.Ofcourse,therearecertainobjectivefactswemustacceptaboutourlives.ThosekidsinTanzaniaarepoor.ThoseUKbankersdidmissoutonthosebonuses.ThoseMSsufferersaresick.Buthowwechoosetolookatthoseobjectivefactsisinourminds.Andonlywhenwechoosetobelievethat we live in a world where challenges can be overcome, our behaviormatters, and change is possible canwe summon all our drive, energy, andemotionalandintellectualresourcestomakethatchangehappen.My research over the past five years, coupled with other amazingresearch emerging from positive psychology labs all over the globe,helpedmeunderstandwhatIhadbeenmissing:thatbeforehappinessandsuccesscomesyourperceptionofyourworld.Sobeforewecanbehappyandsuccessful, we need to create a positive reality that allows us to see thepossibilityforboth.Thisbook is the culminationofmy research showing that there is asimple five-stepprocess for raisingour levels of success andhappinessbychangingourrealitytopositive.Buttobeclear,whenIsay,“creatingapositivereality,”Idon’tmeansimplybeingoptimistic.Ialsodon’tmeanadoptingsomesortofdeludedview of the world in which simply wishing for wealth will suddenlyresult in a windfall of millions, or simply envisioning your cancer

disappearing will cure you forever. This is neither positive norproductive.When I talk about a positive reality, I’mnot talking aboutone in which good things magically happen by the sheer power ofpositive thinking; I’m talking about one in which you can summon allyourcognitive,intellectual,andemotionalresourcestocreatepositivechange,becauseyoubelievethattruechangeispossible.The consistent ability to create this kind of reality is called positive

genius, and it turns out to be the greatest precursor of success,performance, andevenhappiness. In thisbook I’ll share fivepractical,research-basedstepstohelpyouraiseyourlevelsofpositivegeniusand,inturn,yourratesofsuccess.Thestepsare:

1.Choosethemostvaluablereality:Howtoseemultiplerealitiesandselecttheonethatleadstopositivegrowth.

2.Mapyourmeaningmarkers:Howto identifyandchart thebestroutetoaccomplishingyourgoals.

3.Find theX-spot:How to use success accelerants to propel youmorequicklytowardyourgoals.

4.Cancelthenoise:Howtoboostthesignalthatpointstogreateropportunities,possibilities,andresources.

5.Createpositiveinception:Howtoamplifytheeffectsofapositivemindsetbytransferringyourpositiverealitytoothers.

Beforepotential,thereisamotivation.Beforemotivation,thereisanemotion. And before emotion, there is your reality. This reality is thedifference between fleeting happiness and a permanent mindset thatfosterssuccessineverypersonalandprofessionalendeavor.Thegoalofthis book is to help you become a positive genius so that you canachievetruegreatnessineveryaspectofyourlifeandcareer.

thepowerofpositivegenius

BeforeIwasborn,myfather,whowasaneuroscientistatUCIrvineatthe time, made me an unwilling subject of one of the very first EEGexperiments conducted on an unborn child. He and his colleagueshookedupelectrodestothebellyofmyverypregnant(andclearlyverypatient) mom to see if they could detect and analyze my brain wavepatterns.Thetests failed(I’mnotsurewhatthatsaysaboutmybrain),butsomeinfluencesinourlivesrundeep.Evenbeforebirth,Iwaswiredforaloveofpsychologyandscience.A mere six years later, I willingly volunteered for another

neuroscience experiment, which, though of course I had no way ofknowingitatthetime,wouldultimatelyleadtothewritingofthisbook.BythatpointmyfatherwasaprofessoratBaylorUniversity.Allofmybabysitters happened to be students from his introductory psychologyclasses, and I was in love with all of them. But as I slowly startedrealizing thatmy relationshipswith themweren’t going aswell as I’dhoped (for instance,myparentshad topay thegirls at the endof thedate), I decided—after observing the successes of Ariel in The LittleMermaid—that Iwouldneed tobecomepartof theirworld.So IaskedmydadifIcouldbepartofonehisclassroomdemonstrations.Hewassoexcited that his sonmight be following in his footsteps that he didn’tstoptowonderifIhadulteriormotives—asindeedIdid.Regardless,hebroughtmetoBaylorUniversityforoneofhisfamous

lectures. I remember sitting in the bulky, brown chair in front of theclass as he attached electrode after electrode to my scalp withconductive jelly. I didn’t care; I was just happy because all of mygirlfriends’eyeswereonme.But inhis excitementabouthavinghis son in class,mydadmadea

simplemistake.He forgot toground thewireand left it lyingacrossa

copperstripon the floor.Whenhe turnedon themachine, thecurrentpassed right throughme—itwas as though Ihad stuckmy finger in asocket.Tothisday, Idon’tblamemydadforshockingme. IdoblamehimforlaughingalongwiththeentireclassasIangrilypulledoffallmyelectrodes and strode off with as much indignation as a six-year-oldcouldmuster.Notsurprisingly,Ineverdidgettodateanyofhisstudents.ButIamgrateful to my dad nonetheless for hooking me up to that torturemachine, because his experiments gaveme a lifelong fascinationwithstudyinghowthebrainperceivestheworld.Thatevilinstrumentwasaprimitive evoked potentialmachine, a device that records the electricalactivity along the scalp, thus allowing neuroscientists to measure andrecord levels of activity in the brain as it processes stimuli from theexternalworld.Lookaroundatthepeopleinyouroffice,onthesubway,sittingacrossfromyouatthecafe.Haveyoueverwonderediftheworldyouseeisthesame one they see? Have you worked with a stressed manager whoconstantlypointsoutonlytheflawsandnoneofthegood,orspenttimewith a relative during the holidays who complains about everythingdespite being surroundedby love, and thought to yourself:Howcouldtheypossiblyseetheworldthatway?The reason some people see the world so differently from others isthat thehumanbraindoesn’t just take a picture of the externalworldlike a camera; it is constantly interpreting and processing theinformation it receives. Every time the world provides us withinformation,whether the report of a down stockmarket, a stressful e-mail, or a smiling coworker, our brains expend energy creating ourunderstanding of this information. This energy is called “evokedpotential,”andEEGsweresomeofthefirstinstrumentsthatallowedustopeekbehindthecurtainandbetterunderstandthisprocess.While the human brain receives elevenmillion pieces of informationevery second from our environment, it can process only forty bits persecond,whichmeansithastochoosewhattinypercentageofthisinputto process and attend to, andwhat huge chunk to dismiss or ignore.1Thusyour reality is a choice;whatyouchoose to focus on shapeshowyouperceiveandinterpretyourworld.Today, using EEGs, fMRIs, and eye-tracking machines, we have the

abilitytomeasureandstudythoseenergypatterns.Andmoreimportant,we are now learning how to change these energy patterns to help uscreateamorepositiveinterpretationoftheworldaroundus.Thisiskey,becausethebetteryourbrainisatusingitsenergytofocusonthepositives,thegreateryourchancesatsuccess.Thisbookisallabouthowtoevokeyourpotential,bychangingyourmindset.

EVOKINGPOTENTIAL

Thegoalofscienceisprediction.IfyoutakevitaminC,doctorswanttobeabletopredictwhetheritwillloweryourchancesofgettingacold.Ifyoudropabowlingballatonehundredfeet,physicistswanttopredicthowharditwillhittheground.The goal of business is to build revenue and create sustainable,growingincome.Sinceabusinesscanonlybeassuccessfulasthepeopleworking in it, companies have long sought a way to use science topredicthighperformanceinindividuals.Yetforalltheresearchthathasbeendoneonthetopic,notheoryhaseverbeenabletofullyexplainthescienceofhumanpotential—untilnow.Backinthenineteenthcentury,SirFrancisGaltonwasamongthefirsttostudyhowourbrains’energypatternspredictedperformance.Withoutthe aid of EEGs, of course, he posited that intelligence could bequantifiedandpredictedbythespeedofthebrain’sprocessingsystem.2The faster your brain is at discerning sensory stimuli and reacting, hehypothesized, the smarteryouare.Butofcourse, reaction time isonlyonesmallpieceofthecomplexequationofhumanintelligence.Fromthe1920sthroughthe1980s,scientiststhoughtpotentialcouldbemeasuredbyIQ,whichwasbasically justameasureofone’sverbaland math skills. So businesses and governments poured money intopumpingupmathandreadinginpublicschoolsandshutdowntheartsandmusicprograms.HRdepartmentsdesignedtestsbaseduponIQ,thenhiredeveryonefromsalespeopletoCEOsusingthosesameyardsticksofintelligence.Problemwas,theyhaditallwrong.Asitturnsout,IQandtechnicalskills combined predict only 20 to 25 percent of job success.3 That

means that over 75 percent of your career outcome has nothing to dowithyourintelligenceandtraining—whichisahugeproblembecauseinadowneconomycompanies spendamajorityof their trainingbudgetsattempting to raise employee intelligence and technical skills. Thismoney,scientificallyspeaking,isirresponsiblyspent.So how else can we predict professional success? If IQ is a bad

predictor, maybe SAT scores, a more modern testing tool, would bebetter? Not the case. As a matter of fact, they are much worse. SATscores predict only 8 to 15 percent of college freshmen’s GPA, whichmeansthatforaround88.5percentofcollegestudentsSATscoresarenobetteratpredictingacademicsuccessthanapairofdice.4(Again,itisashamethatwewastehoursandhourspreparingforpredictiveteststhatarenotactuallypredictive.)The next metric businesses tried to use to predict prospective

employees’ performance was grades. High school grades are twice aspredictive of college success as SAT scores.Great, gradesmust predictpotential for future success in the workplace too, right? Thomas J.Stanley, PhD, author of The Millionaire Mind, begs to differ. After adecade of research, he found no correlation between grades andprofessional success: a coin flipwould be as predictive of greatness asgrades.5Thisexplains theoft-citedparadoxthatsomanyCstudents inbusinessschoolenduprunningcompaniesandsomanyAstudentsendupworkingforthem.Enter researchers like Howard Gardner and Peter Salovey. Gardner

wasthefirsttoarguethattheabilitytounderstandone’sownfeelingsaswellasthefeelingsofotherswasmoreimportantthanIQ.In1990,twopsychologists, Peter Salovey at Yale (whom youwill readmore aboutlater)andJohnD.MayerattheUniversityofNewHampshire,publishedanearth-shatteringpaperarguingthatthepredictivevalueofIQwaslowandthattheabilitytounderstandfeelingswasafargreaterpredictorofhumanpotential.6Theydubbedthisemotionalintelligence.Mostofyouareprobablyfamiliarwithemotionalintelligence.Itrefers

toyourabilitytoregulateyouremotions,andforthepasttwodecadesithasbeenthoughttobethekeytosucceedingintheoftenstressfulandvolatile world of business. Spurred on by Daniel Goleman’sinternationallybestsellingbookEmotionalIntelligence,whichpopularizedresearch like Salovey’s, companies all over the world began testing

employees’ and potential employees’ emotional intelligence quotient(EQ)insteadofIQ.Thebigdebateamongacademicsandatcompaniesbecame,Whichismoreimportant,IQorEQ?Thisiswheresocietyandscience tookamajorwrong turn.Now,pleasedonotmisunderstand, Ithinkemotionalintelligencewasoneofthebesttheoriestocomeoutofpsychology labs in the 1990s. But the question of which kind ofintelligencewasmoreimportantwasthewrongone.Soon,Gardnerintroducedhissecondmaincategoryofintelligence,theability to understand and relate to other people. He called it “socialintelligence,” and again, Goleman introduced it to the business worldwithhisbestsellingbookSocialIntelligence.Again,thesciencewasvalid,butitsvalueasapredictorofpotentialwasundercutbythemisguided“whichismostimportant”debate.Companiesandresearchershavebeenarguingthisquestioneversince.Which is most important: IQ, emotional intelligence, or socialintelligence? This is talking in circles. It’s like asking which is moreimportant in sports,offenseordefense,orwho ismore important toabusiness,clientsoremployees.Tobetrulysuccessful,insteadofthinkingabout intelligence in isolation,weneed to focusonhowtocombineallourintelligences.OnceIimmersedmyselfintheresearch,itcouldn’thavebeenclearer.Yes, all these intelligencesmatter, butwhatmattersmost is howyourbrain knits them together. Thus the question should not be, whichintelligence is most important, but how we can learn to harness andamplifythem.

THEPRISMOFSUCCESS

Howcanyoupredictormeasuregreatness?Thequestionisnotmerelyapreoccupationoftoday’sleadersseekingto take their teamsor companies fromgood to great; it’s been aroundsincethedawnofcivilization.Infact,itwasaddressedbytheveryfirstancientGreekphilosopher.ThalesofMiletushadaproblem:hewanted to figureouthowgreattheGreatPyramidwas.But as itwas the tallest building created (andwould be for another thousand years!), he could hardly measure its

heightwith a tapemeasure.And sadly, he had no Internet service, soWikipediawasout.Sohowdoyou figureouthowtall theGreatPyramid iswithout the

abilitytomeasureit?Any ideas? I didn’t figure it out at first, which might explain my

geometry grade in high school. Fortunately, Thales did. He thought,WhatifImeasurethelengthofthepyramid’sshadow?IfIcoulddothat,thenperhapsIcouldcalculatethemissinglegofthepyramid.Butasthesunmoved,theshadowoftheGreatPyramidwouldshorten

orlengthen,sohesoonrealizedheneededanotherpieceofinformation:when the sunwas inperfectpositionwhere theheightof thepyramidand its shadowwouldbe equal (an isosceles triangle, for thoseof youwho like geometry). Thus he merely stuck a stick in the ground,measuredtheheightofthestick,thenwaitedalldayuntilthesunmadea shadow exactly equal to the height of the stick. At that precisemoment, the pyramid’s shadow would be equal to the height of thepyramid.7

Thaleshadfiguredouthowtomeasuretheheightofthepyramidbytriangulation when there was no other way to figure out how great ittrulywas.Over the last hundred years, academic giants similarly attempted to

triangulatehumanpotential.Forthelasttwentyyearsweknewthatthe

three sides of the triangle were IQ, emotional intelligence, and socialintelligence.Yetsomethingwasstillmissing.

While each of these intelligences on its own had some impact, theshadowofgreatnesskeptshifting.Likescientistsstudyingdarkmatterinthe universe, we knew a hidden dimension must exist, but we didn’tknow how to measure it. Like Thales, we still didn’t know all thedimensionsofthetriangle.IstartedworkingwithcompaniesinthemidstoftheGreatRecession

to find themissingdimension.At firstmygoalwas tohelpcompaniesstopmakingthemistakeofarguingaboutwhichsideofthetrianglewasmost valuable. But I couldn’t stop there, because I was still left withsomereallyimportantquestions:Whatareemotionsbasedupon?Wheredoesaperson’sperceptionoftheworld,whichisnotanemotion,fitin?Andmostimportant,whatpredictshowapersonwilluseallthreeoftheintelligencestocreategreatness?Afterfiveyearsofextensiveresearch,itallfinallyclicked:thehidden

leg of the triangle—the one that allows us to summon, combine, andamplifythesethreeexistingintelligences—istheabilitytoseearealityinwhichsuccessispossible.There’s no question that emotional intelligence, social intelligence,

andIQhaveanimpactonoursuccessrates.Buttheseallarisefromoneplace:ourunderlyingreality.Becausebeforeyoufeelanemotionaboutthe world, before you connect to another person, before you beginsolving a problem, your brain has already created a reality aboutwhethersuccesscanbeachieved.Thatrealityisthekeytoeverything.Itiswhatletsyouseeopportunitiesinsteadofobstacles,newroadsinsteadofdeadends,pathstosuccessinsteadoffailure.

WhileIwasconsultingoutinCalifornia,oneoftheseniorinnovationleadersatGoogletoldmehefeltthat“somepeoplejustsawadifferentrealityatwork,whichchangedhowmuchtheycouldleadorinnovate.”He was right. Everything we do in business and in life is largelydetermined by our underlying reality, or ourmindset. In otherwords,positivegeniusisn’tjusttheamplifierofallotherformsofintelligences;it’salsotheprecursor.Thisbookdoesnotnegateall the researchon IQandemotionalandsocialintelligence.YourIQteachesyouwhatyouneedtodo,emotionalintelligence shows how, and social intelligence illuminateswith whom.Thosethreeintelligencesarethelegsofyour“triangleofsuccess.”Butifyou want to amplify your potential, you need to turn that two-dimensional triangle of success into a three-dimensional prism byconstructingapositiverealityfirst.Afterall,youcanhavealltheIQandemotionalandsocialintelligenceintheworld,butifyoubelievethatyourbehaviordoesn’tmatter,thenyou’ll never bother to apply all those cognitive, social, emotional, andintellectual resources to accomplish your goals. Everyone knowssomeonelikethis,someonewhohasallthecoreintelligencesbutneveruses them because he doesn’t believe it would make a differenceanyway. Unused intelligence, whether in a smart but unmotivatedemployee, a brilliant but disengaged student, or a visionary butdisaffectedleader,doesnothingtoevokeyourpotential.Other people are experts at creating positive realities. These are thepeoplewhoseemtohavetheMidastouchatwork,thepeoplewhoturnevery opportunity, every relationship, every setback to gold. They arethepeoplewhocontinuallyfindnewpossibilitiestopounceon.Theyarethe ones who discover ways around the obstacles that seem mostinsurmountable, the ones who solve the problems that seem mostintractable.It’snotthattheydon’tseethenegativerealitiesintheworld,it’sthattheyalsoseetheyhavetheabilitytodosomethingaboutthem.Theycanseethe tragedy in the earthquake in Japan or understand the difficulty intreating breast cancer or recognize the racial injustices in oureducationalsystem—buttheyarealsotheoneswhosearchforwaystohelp the survivors or raisemoney formedical research or continue toworktoinventamorefairsystem.ThesepeoplearewhatIcallpositive

geniuses,andinthisbookI’llshowyouhowyoucanbecomeoneaswell.Only oncewe can see and construct a reality inwhichwehave thepower tocreatepositivechange—one inwhichourbehaviormatters—canwetrulysummonandutilizetheentiretyofourbrain’sabilitiesandintelligencestoachieveever-greatersuccessandhappiness.Success,then,isnotjustabouthowmuchintelligenceyouhave;it’sabouthowmuchofyourintelligenceyoubelieveyoucanuse.Thischangetothewayweapproachintelligencechangeseverything.Everysinglebusinessoutcome—fromsalesvolumetocustomerretentionto revenue growth to career advancement—and even every personaloutcome—fromrelationshipqualitytolifesatisfactiontobetterhealth—aregovernedbythisbasicequation.Bymasteringthefiveskills inthisbook, youwill learn to turn your own triangle of intelligences into aprismofsuccess.Along the way I will share research showing how these skills havebeen used to quadruple sales at call centers, increase engagement atcompanies by 31 percent, raise accuracy rates among doctors by 19percent, lower fatigueby23percent, increase customers’ likelihood toreferbynearly30percent, significantly improve customer satisfaction,increase the likelihoodof living toageninety-four, raise the likelihoodofapromotionby40percent,andevenmore.8Butthatisn’ttheendofthestory.Notonlycanpositivegeniushelpusseeagreaterrangeofopportunities,solutions,androutestosuccess, itcanhelpothers—ourcolleagues,ourteams,ourfamilies—dosoaswell.Excitingnewresearchprovesthatbysharingourownpositiverealitywecanhelpothersarchitecttheirs,exponentiallyincreasingtheamountofcollective intelligencewe have available. You’ll learn how to reap thebenefits of this later in the book, using a technique called positiveinception.And here’s some great news: It doesn’t matter howmany advanceddegreesyouhaveorhowsociallyadeptyouareorhowhighyourIQis.Anyonecanbecomeapositivegeniusbymastering the fiveempiricallyvalidatedskillsyou’lllearninthisbook.

BEYONDOPTIMISM:SEEINGTHEFULLPITCHER

In November of 2011, I got an exciting e-mail. TheHarvard BusinessReview wrote to tellme thatmy research on the happiness advantagewas going to be on the cover of theirmagazine for January/February2012!9Thewhole issuewouldbededicated tohowhappiness leads tosuccessful business outcomes. As I worked on crafting the article, Ithoughttomyself,Finally,thisresearchismakingitintothemainstreamofbusinessunderstandingandleadership.Weneedpeopletotakeitseriously.Ijust hope they don’t put a big smiley face on the cover.Noway they’d dothat.When I receivedmycopy just in time forChristmas, Ihad to laugh.

Sure enough, I was staring at a large smiley face, with dollar signdimples. But then I saw it: look at this cover,what’swrongwith thispicture? The smiley face has no eyes! It is blind happiness. This isexactlywhat’swrongwithmostpeople’sunderstandingofhappiness intheworkplace.Happinessisnotaboutbeingblindtothenegativesinourenvironment; it’s about believingwe have the power to do somethingaboutthem.Once,afterIgavealectureatalargetechcompany,thecheerfulCEO

generously offered to takeme to the airport sowe could keep talkingabouthowtoapplymyresearchathiscompany.IgotintohisbeautifulblackEscaladeandputonmyseatbelt.Hejumpedin,buthedidn’tputonhis,evenwhentheseatbeltalarmstartedchimingoverandover. IhadjustmetthisCEO,butIdecidedtoask,“Youdon’twearseatbelts?”Andheenergeticallysaid,“No,I’manoptimist!”That’s not optimism, that’s insanity. Optimism is good for many

things,butitwilldefinitelynotkeepothercarsfromhittingyouorkeepyoufromflyingthroughthewindshield.Thatisirrationaloptimism.Anirrationaloptimisthasavisionofrealitybasedondesireanddelusion,nothow things actually are. Irrational optimism is why financial bubblesform,whywebuyhomeswecan’tafford,andwhyweprematurelyputupbannersthatsay“Missionaccomplished.”Irrationaloptimistsseetheworld through rose-colored glasses without realizing that those tintedlens don’t enhance their vision, they distort it. And as a result, theirdecisionsandactionsarePollyannaishandflawed.Youcan’t sugarcoatthepresentandstillmakegooddecisionsforthefuture.Truesuccessemergesfrompositiverealities,notpositivedelusions.So

howdowearchitectarealitythatisbothpositiveandreal?

This is the question I’ve sought to answer in my work all over theworld.In2011,whileconductingastudy(laterpublishedin2013inthetop social psychology journal) at UBSwith Yale researchers Ali CrumandPeterSalovey,Ihadabreakthrough.We discovered that if we could change someone’s perception of the

stress they were under, we could actually change how stress affectedthemphysically.10Bysimplyshowingemployeesvideosaboutthemorepositive(andagain,real)effectsofstressonthebody,weobserveda23percent drop in fatigue and other stress-related symptoms (backaches,headaches,etcetera).I’llexplainthisstudymorefullylaterinthebook,butthepointisthatsimplybyhelpingpeopleseeanewbutequallytruereality inwhich stress couldbemotivating and energizing, rather thandebilitating,wecouldmakethatmorepositiveoutcomeactuallybecomereal.Positivegeniusisnotaboutoptimismorpessimism,orseeingtheglass

ashalfemptyorhalffull.Becauseintruth,halfemptyandhalffullarenot the only possible options. Both optimists and pessimists are sofocusedonhowto interpret the singleglass in frontof them, theycanmissthefactthatthereisathird,equallytruereality—apitcherofwateronthetabletorefilltheglass.Positivegeniuses,ontheotherhand,cansee the full pitcher, and with it a greater range of opportunities,possibilities,andpathstosuccess.

HOWPOSITIVEREALITIESHELPUSSCALEMOUNTAINS

Ifyouarestillhavingdoubtsthattheskillsofpositivegeniuscanhelpussurmount seemingly insurmountable obstacles or solve seeminglyunsolvableproblemsormeetseeminglyunmeetablechallenges,considerthefollowingexample.

TwoU.S.ArmyRangersstandwithheavybackpacks lookingupat a hill in southern Afghanistan. The hill is precisely 600 feettall. But after themental andphysical fatigueof fierce combat,thefirstsoldier’sbrainjudgesthathilltobearound900feet.Andthesoldierdoesmorethanjustmisjudgethehill:heactuallyseesa 900-foot hill, not a 600-foot hill.What he perceives becomes

hisreality.Thesteeperhisbrainperceivesthehilltobe,themorefatigued his body becomes.He collapses on one knee, ready togive updespite heavy enemypursuit.Why soldier onwhenhisbraintellshimsuccessisimpossible?Yetallisnotlost.HisfellowRangerwasrecruitedbecausesheisapositivegenius.WhenthissecondRangerlooksatthehill,despiteherinjuriesandfatigue,herwell-trainedbrainperceivesthehillas600feetand thus surmountable in time. This gives her the energy andmotivation to quickly climb another 50 feet, upon which shenotices a less steep and more rubble-free path up the hillsideleading to a helicopter extraction point. Her brain is nowconvinced that a successfulmission is possible, allowing her tosummonhercognitiveresourcestomapthebestpathupthehill.Nowfeelingevenmorepositiveandconvincedthatshewillgetherselfandherpartneruptothetopofthehill,wheretheycanberescuedbyhelicopter,herbrainreleasesextraenergyreserves,calledsuccessaccelerants,allowinghertorallyherphysicalandemotional resources tohelpher teammate toclimb.Eliminatingall distracting noises both internal and external (doubts andgunfire), she drags her partner toward the extraction point. Astheyclimb,she tellshimrepeatedly that theywillmake ituntilhetoofindstheenergyanddrivetokeepclimbing.It’snotlongbefore they reach the top, where they are rescued. Successbecametheirreality.

This is not an entirely theoretical story. In fact, it is based upon anactualexperimentperformedbyresearchersattheUniversityofVirginialed by Dennis Proffitt, who were looking at how our perception ofphysical space isconstructed in thebrain.11What they foundwas thatwhenweareinanegativeorfatiguedstateofmind,ourbrainsactuallyperceivehillsasbeingsignificantlyhigherandbackpacksassignificantlyheavier.Andthisprincipledoesn’tapplyjusttohiking;furtherresearchhas revealed that when we’re in a negative mindset, all loads feelheavier, all obstacles loom bigger, all mountains seem lesssurmountable. This is especially true in the workplace, and it’s why,when we look at stress, workload, and competition from a negative

mindset,ourperformancesuffers.Intheaboveexample,IQalonewouldnothavesavedthosesoldiers.

Neither would emotional intelligence or social intelligence, or anycombinationoftheabove—ifthatRangerhadn’tcreatedapositiverealityfirst. After all, the ability to conjugate verbs and calculate standarddeviationswould not have gotten those soldiers to the top of the hill.Norwould the ability to regulate emotions or navigate complex socialdynamics.Butapositiverealitycouldanddid.In this scenario, the second Ranger used the five skills of positive

geniusthatyouwill learninthisbook.First,sheperceivedarealityinwhichsuccesswaspossible(skill1).Thenshemappedaroutetosuccess(skill 2).Once shemadeprogresson that route,herbrainwas able toreleasesuccessaccelerantstogethertherefaster(skill3),allthewhilecancelingoutdistractinganddestructivenegativenoise(skill4).Then,once she had reaped the benefits of her positive reality, she createdpositiveinception(skill5)bytransferringthatrealitytoherteammate.Theseare theexact skillsyouwill learn in the followingchaptersof

thisbook.

1.REALITYARCHITECTURE

ChoosingtheMostValuableReality•Recognizetheexistenceofmultiplerealitiesbysimplychangingthe

detailsyourbrainchoosestofocuson.•Seeagreaterrangeofrealitiesbytrainingyourbraintoaddvantage

pointsandseetheworldfromabroaderperspective.•Selectthemostvaluablerealitythatisbothpositiveandtrue,using

asimpleformulacalledthepositivityratio.

2.MENTALCARTOGRAPHY

MappingPathstoSuccess•Identifyandsetbettergoalsbyhighlightingmarkersofmeaningin

your life and learning to distinguish true areas of meaning fromdecoysandmentalhijackers.

•Chartmoredirectroutestoyourgoalsbyreorientingyourmentalmapsaroundthosemarkersofmeaning.

•Keepyourself squarelyonthepathtosuccessbymappingsuccessroutesbeforeescaperoutes.

3.THEX-SPOT

UsingSuccessAccelerants •Zoominonthetarget(proximity).Makeyourgoalseemcloserby

building in a head start, setting incremental subgoals, andhighlightingprogresstodateinsteadofwhatislefttoaccomplish.

• Magnify the target size (likelihood of success). Increase theperceived likelihood of hitting your target by creating “championmoments” that remind you of when you have been successful insimilar situations, decreasing the perceived number of yourcompetitors, and choosing goals that you have a perceived 70percentchanceofreaching.

• Recalculate thrust (energy required). Preserve and channel yourcognitive resources better, think about tasks in terms of objectiveunitsratherthanintermsoftheeffortinvolved,anddecreaseyourfocusonthingsyouworryaboutorfear.

4.NOISECANCELING

BoostingtheSignalbyEliminatingtheNoise•Learntocanceloutanynegativeoruselessinformation(noise)that

distractsyoufromthetrueandreliableinformationthathelpsyoureachyourfullestpotential(signal).

•Honeyourabilitytodistinguishthenoisefromthesignalbylearningthefoursimplecriteriaofnoise.

•Improveyourabilitytohearthesignalthroughsimplestrategiesforreducingtheoverallvolumeofnoisebyjust5percent.

•Learntoactivelycancelout internalnoiseofworry, fear,anxiety,andpessimismbyemittingthreesimplewavesofpositiveenergy.

5.POSITIVEINCEPTION

TransferringYourRealitytoOthers • Once you’ve created a positive reality for yourself, learn how totransfer it to others and reap the exponential benefits of yourcollectiveintelligences.

• Franchise success by creating simple, easy-to-replicate positivepatternsandhabitsandthenhelpingthemspread.

•Wieldmorepositive influenceand increase the likelihoodofyourrealitybeingadoptedbytakingthe“powerlead”inaconversationandrewritingthesocialscript.

• Plant meaning in others’ realities by appealing to emotion andcraftingshared,meaningfulnarratives.

• Create a renewable, sustainable source of positive energy thatmotivates, energizes, and summons the collective multipleintelligencesofthosearoundyou.Once you master these five skills, you will see the difference invirtually every personal and professional realm. You’ll be moreenergized, more motivated, more driven, and more productive. Yourideaswillbemorecreativeandinnovativeandwillyieldbetterresults.You’llsuddenlystartseeingnewroutesaroundobstaclesandfasterpathstoachievement.Insteadofbeingcrippledbystressandadversity,you’llbeabletoturnthemintoopportunitiesforgrowth.Andonceyoumasterthe final skill, positive inception, you’ll be able to refract the light ofyour positive genius on your coworkers, clients, familymembers, andothersaroundyou.

BRINGINGTHERESEARCHTOLIFE

Ifyou’reareaderofbooksonhappiness,business,orleadership,you’veprobablynoticedwhatI’venoticed:iftheyquoteresearchatall,theyalltendtoquotealotofthesamestudies.ThusI’vestrivenineverychaptertobringyoubrand-neworiginalresearchdoneoverthepastfewyears,as well as pull from lesser-known but equally groundbreaking studies

from my colleagues that haven’t seen the light of day in a businessbook.12Butwhile all these studies paint a revealing and fascinatingpicture,researchisuselessunlessitislived.Thegoalofthisbookisnotmerelyto entertain and enlighten; it’s to show you how to use the skills ofpositive genius to improve your work performance, accomplish yourprofessionalgoalandambitions,andraiseyoursuccessrates.That’swhyI’vealsoincludedreal-worldstoriesandexamplesfrommyexperiencesteachingtheseskillsintheworkingworld—fromraisingpositivegeniusat Bank of America after a 40 percent drop in stock price, to trainingleadersatJohnson&Johnsoninthemidstofoneofthelargestrecallsincompany history, to teaming up with Adobe and Google, to helpingHugo Boss transform its company by creating meaningful socialinteractions.Betweenallthescience,thestories,andtheresearch-basedstrategies, by the time you finish this book, you will have a deepunderstandingofexactlyhow tocreateabetterrealityandmagnifythevolume of happiness and success in your life and, equally important,howtotransferthatpositiverealitytoothers.By the time you’ve finished this book, youwill have learned to usethisfive-stepprocesstoevokethepotentialyouhavelyinghiddenandtouse it to transform literally every aspect of your world. Visit thecompanion website at BeforeHappiness.com to see a video of medescribing this research, to test yourself, or to get updates on newresearchsincepublication.

realityarchitecture

CHOOSINGTHEMOSTVALUABLEREALITY

If we want to be able to select the reality that will lead to greaterproductivity, engagement, and revenue growth, we first need torecognize that we have control over how we choose to interpret theobjectivefactsinourexternalworld.IlearnedthisthehardwayseveralhundredfeetbelowthePacificOcean.Duringyear twoofmynavy scholarship, I andadozenother future

navalofficersdeparted thecoastofCaliforniaonanuclear submarine.Thefirstnightofthetour,myfellowmidshipmenofficersandIhadtheopportunitytodinewiththecommander.Wehadnotmethimyet,butalready, on the basis of the reports I’d heard from the enlistedsoldiers…let’sjustsaythatthisguywasnotleadingwiththehappinessadvantage.Thesoldierswereterrifiedofhimandwarnedusnottomakeanymistakesaroundhim.Noproblem,Ithoughtnaively.The nicest area on the sub was the small room in which the

commander dined at a table for twelve. The cooks had laid out anamazing spread with piping hot bowls of delicious food, but I barelynoticed them. That’s because I had gotten lost in the labyrinth ofcorridorsonthesubandhadarrivedafewminuteslatetothedinner.AsI sprinted in, out of breath and fearful of the captain’s wrath, I slidimmediately into my seat, without so much as a glance at mysurroundings.Asplitsecondlater,thestoiccommanderwalkedintotheroom, followedby thenervous second incommand, theXO (executive

officer). TheXO’s body language confirmed the theory, “The closer toCaesar,thegreaterthefear.”TheXOimmediatelyscannedtheroomandnoticedahorrificbreachofprotocoljustasIdid:someonehadhadthenervetositdownwhilethecaptainwasstillstanding.That’swhenIfinallynoticedthattherestofthemidshipmenandcrewwerestandingrespectfullybehindtheirchairswaiting for the commander to be seated before they took their ownseats. Panicking, I immediately pushed my chair back to stand atattentionwiththerestofthemidshipmen.Butsinceitwasmyfirstnightonthesubmarine,Ihadnotyetbeenfullybriefedonalltheaspectsofitsdesign:forexample,thefactthatthechairsonanuclearsubmarineareboltedtothefloor.I frantically tried to pushmy chair back so I could stand up, but itwouldnotbudge.InsteadIlookedasifIwashavingaminorepilepticfitinmychairwhileeveryoneelsegavethecommanderhisduerespect.BythetimeIgotmyselfup,everyonehadsatdown,andIwastheonlyonestandingthereawkwardly.WhileIcertainlylearnedmylessonaboutarrivinglatetodinner,Istilldidn’t understand one thing:Whywasmy chair bolted to the floor? Ifoundoutthenextmorningat4:00a.m.I thought that thecaptainhadalreadywrittenmeoffasabumblingfool,soimaginemysurprisewhenhesentanofficertowakemeupinthemiddleofthenightandbringmetothecontrolcenter.Andimaginemy further shockwhenhe saidhehadcalledme there togiveme theopportunitytotrymyhandatsteeringtheentirenuclearsubmarine.(AsI later discovered, this was all part of a lesson the commander oftenimpartedtoyoungofficers—particularlythegreenoneslikemyself.)Iobedientlytookthewheel,andafterIhadsteeredthevesselseveralhundred feet, the commander took a sip of coffee from his “World’sGreatest Boss”mug (really) and quietly issued an order: “Dive.” Thenabout four officers—not very quietly, I might add—started urgentlyscreaming, “Dive! Dive! Dive!” Instinctively, I pushed down on thecontrols,andtheentiresubshotdownatasixty-degreeangletowardtheocean floor.Thehullof thesubmarinepopped,andsuddenly I felt thefloor quite literally slipping out from underneathmy feet. At firstmybrainwas emotionally hijacked, but then, as I looked around, I couldsuddenly seewhy chairs had to be bolted to the floor. The room had

been turned virtually on its side, andwhat had once been “the floor”wasnowatasixty-degreeangletowardwhathadoncebeentheceiling.Hadthechairsnotbeenbolteddown,theywouldhavegoneflying.ThatwaswhenoneoftheofficersexplainedthatIhadjustunwittinglytakenpartinadrillcalled“AnglesandDangles.”Thecommandertheninstructedmetopulluponthecontrolssharplyand continue until the submarine breached the surface. After thesubmarine crested, in what must have been a magnificent scene tosomeone on the outside, it plopped back underwater like a huge,exhausted catfish, and the control room lurched back to its originalposition.1

Thisstoryisnotaboutwhychairsonasubmarinearenaileddown,orwhyyoushouldalwaysarriveontimefordinnerwiththecommanderofa navy submarine. Looking back, I could see that Angles and Dangleshad taught me a much bigger and more important lesson about thebrain’sabilitytoperceivemultiplerealities.Beforethatday,mybrainassumedthat“floor=down.”Period.Thatwasmyreality.Butnotsoonasubmarine.Onasubmarine,asIlearnedthatday,thefloorcouldbeup,down,sideways,oratsixtydegrees.Thecaptain, through his years of experience, had no problem seeing thatreality.Thatwaswhyhewasabletosittheresmugly,sippinghiscoffee,whileIflewbackwardintoabolted-downchair.Andhedidn’tevenspilladrop.AnglesandDanglesisarealtreatforabrainresearcherbecauseitsoperfectly demonstrates how our brains take shortcuts (which

psychologists call heuristics) to create our perceptions of the world.Equatingthefloorwith“down”isthesimplestheuristictherecouldbe.After all, it instinctively makes sense: gravity should always pullperpendiculartothefloor,andundermostconditionsthisisthecase.Sobrainstaketheshortcutofassumingthatthefloorisalways“down.”ButasAnglesandDanglesdemonstrated, in some instances these shortcutsfailus:ifthefloorisslidingoutfromunderyou,theworldcanlookverydifferent.That’swhenIrealizedthatinjustabouteverysituationyoucanthink

of, thereexistmultiple realities thatare justas trueas the realitiesourbrains arewired to expect. And asmy subsequent research has borneout, developing the ability to override shortcuts and perceive thesemultiplerealitiesisthefirststeptoexpandingourtriangleofintelligencetoathree-dimensionalprismofsuccess.But don’t worry, this isn’t nearly as hard as it might sound. Like

everyoneelse, youhavea reality that affects everydecisionyoumakeandeveryactionyouundertakeathomeandatwork.Therealquestionis:Doesyourrealityreallywork?Research coming out of positive psychology labs across the globe

shows that two individuals in the exact same situation and externalworld canhave twocompletelydifferentperceptionsof theworld thatarebothequally true.Becauseyourbraincanprocessonlyfortybitsofinformation per second every minute of every day, you are merelypickingandchoosingfromtheelevenmillionpiecesofinformationyoursensesarereceiving.2Intruth,thereisnotonereality:therearemillionsof possibilities that could be constructed into a reality in every givensecond. It all depends on which information your brain chooses toprocess! So if your reality is a choice, the important next question is:Have you chosen the one that will help you harness your multipleintelligences to their fullest potential and lead to greater success andgrowth?Andifnot,howcanyouselectamorevaluableone?Inthischapteryouwill learnthreeprovenskills thatyoucanuseto

improve your reality and become more engaged, productive, andinnovativeatwork.Strategy 1: Recognize Alternative Realities. One of the first and

most important tools of positive genius is the ability to realize thatmultiple versions of reality exist. Otherwise, your brain will keep re-

creating the same negative realities even when the external worldchanges.Maybe you knowpeople like that in your office, peoplewhoalwayschoosetoseeanegativerealityevenwhentheexternalworldhaschangedtopositive.TheresearchIdidincollaborationwithYaleatUBSdemonstratedthatbysimplychangingwhichfactsyouchoose to focuson, you can significantly improve your response to stress atwork anddecreaseyourfatiguesymptomsbyastunning23percentinoneweek.For example, by simply adopting a “stress is enhancing”mindset, youcandramaticallyreducethenegativeeffectsofstress,suchasheadaches,backaches,and tiredness.Stress is inevitable,but itseffectsarenot. Inthis section I’ll reveal how, by raising your awareness of multiplerealities,youcanchangehow theexternalworldaffectsnotonlyyourworkperformanceandsuccesslevelsbutevenyourhealth.Strategy 2: Add Vantage Points. In neuroscience and positivepsychology,yourvantage point is defined as the point fromwhich youobservethefactsyouwillusetocreateyourreality.Forexample,ifyouarelookingatadoorfromonevantagepointinyouroffice,youwillseeadooryoucaneasilypullopen.Fromanotherangleorvantagepoint—say,thehallway—youmightseeadoorthatyouneedtopushhard.Butyouneednothaveonlyonevantagepoint. In truth,bothmotionswillopenthedoor;itjustdependswhichsideofthedooryou’reon.Whatifamanagercouldseethatpushingpeoplewithpunishmentsandpullingthemwithrewardscouldbothworkbutthatsometimesonewouldworkbetter in the situationathand?The resultwouldbeamoremotivatedandproductiveteam.Researchshowsthatarealityatworkbasedononlyonevantagepointislimitedandfullofblindspotsandthatitpreventsforwardmovement.Let’ssay,forexample,thatyouleftyourkeysonthefloorofyourcar.Ifyou looked in only one window, youmight not see them. But if youchanged your vantage point, going to anotherwindow and peering infromanotherangle,youcould.The same is trueof situationsatwork.My researchhas shown that the simple actofadding vantage points—changingyourviewpointasyouevaluateyouroptions—cansignificantlyincrease your ability to see new valuable details, which, in turn,broadensyourperspectiveandhelpsyou findabroader rangeof ideasandsolutions.Inaddition,researchershavefoundthattheabilitytoaddvantagepointsiscrucialtocreativityandinnovation.Bymerelyadding

vantagepoints, you canbegin to combineyour emotional intelligence,social intelligence, and IQ to solve bigger problems and achievemoreambitiousgoals.Inotherwords,ifyouwanttofindthekeystosuccess,youmightneedtolookthroughadifferentwindow.Strategy3:PursuetheMostValuableReality.Onceyouareaware

thatyourrealityisnotlocked,andyouhaveaddedvantagepoints,youcanpursuetherealitythatwillhelpmakeyoumoresuccessful.Afterall,it’s not enough just to know that multiple perspectives on the worldexist; you have to be able to evaluate and choose among themsuccessfully.Research shows that by simply changing your perspectiveintheworkplaceyoucanachievegreaterlong-termgrowth,37percenthigher sales, and 31 percent more productivity, and perhaps evenincreaseyourlikelihoodoflivingtoageninety-four.Theultimategoalofthis chapter is to help you find and then pursue your most valuablerealityinalldomainsofyourlife.

STRATEGY1:RECOGNIZEALTERNATIVEREALITIES

Theeconomiccrisisandrecessionof2008–11createdaworkequivalentofthenavy’sAnglesandDangles,astensofthousandsofAmericansfeltthegroundslipout fromunderneaththeir feet. Iwitnessed it firsthandwhenIwascalledintoconsultwithnonprofitgroupsandtempagencieswhowereattemptingtohelptheunemployedfindjobs.Itwassoberingtoseehowmanyof thenewlyunemployedsuddenly found themselvesinaworldinwhichtheiremployersoftwentyyearshaddroppedthemlike a hot potato, they had no backup options, and their retirementaccountinvestmentshadbeensuddenlycutinhalf.IsawitalsodownonWallStreetinNewYorkCitywhenIwasworkingwiththesurvivorsoflayoffsatcompanieslikeUBSthathadhadthreemassiverestructurings.Thosewhomanaged toescape the layoffsmayhave stillhad jobs,butthey were now doing the work of more people, for lower pay, underconditionsofmuchgreaterstress.Therealitytheyhadbelievedin—thattheywould continue growing theirmoney forever—had crumbled. Nowonder theywerehavingahardtimestayingengaged,motivated,andconfident.Nowondertheirperformancewassuffering.That’s when I noticed something. The employees and leaders who

managed to stay productive and even excel amid this chaos were theoneswhowerequickest to letgoof thosepredeterminedbeliefs aboutwhattheworldshouldlooklike.Thesewerethepeoplewhoclearlysawthat there could be other realities than the one to which they hadbecomeaccustomed—perhapsone inwhich theywould live ina smallbutperfectlycomfortableapartment insteadofamansion,perhapsoneinwhichtheywouldhavetosticktoabudgetinsteadofspendfreely,etcetera—andconsciouslydecidedtoembrace,ratherthanrunawayfrom,those realities. It was as clear as day: those who embraced their newreality bounced back, while those who clung stubbornly to their oldrealitybecamemiredinhelplessnessanddefeat(inthesamewaythatifthatsmugsubcommanderhadclungtothefloorashisanchorpointforhis reality, he would have had a whole lot of trouble steering thatbillion-dollarsubmarine).Itwasthisrevelationthat inspiredmetofurtherinvestigatehowthe

first skill of positive genius could help businesses stay profitable andemployees stay engaged and productive in the midst of the greatesteconomicAnglesandDanglesmostofushaveeverseen.

RETHINKINGSTRESS

We’veallbeenthroughit.Lyingawakeatnight,feelingtense,thoughtsbuzzing through our heads. Our bodies desperatelywant to sleep, butourmindsjustcan’tshutoff.IwashavingoneofthosenightswhenIgottheideaforastudythatwouldlaterbefeaturedintheHarvardBusinessReview.3Ihadgonetobedatmidnight.Itwasnow2:00a.m.Iwasstillawake,

completelystressedaboutthebookIwastryingtowrite(mylastbook,which,ironically,wasabouthappiness).Inanefforttounwind,IopenedmylaptopandstartedwatchingclipsfromTheDailyShow.Anadforapopularsleepaidcameon,promisingmethatifItookthepill,Icouldgo right to sleep. Great, I’m in! Then for the next forty seconds asoothing voice toldme that if I took the pill, Imight also experienceseizures,asuddenheartattack,hallucinations,extremelevelsofanger,swallowingmytongue,orsuicide.Afteranadlikethat,IknewifItookthatpill,I’dbemuchtoostressedaboutthepossiblesideeffectstoever

fallasleep.AtfirstIthoughtthiswaspartofoneofStewart’sgags,butitwasnojoke—itwasarealad.That’swhenitdawnedonmehowsimilarthatadwastoallthecorporatetrainingsandtalksaboutstressgivenatwork.Forthepastfortyyears,companieshavebeenbringingintrainersandcoaches to try to reduce stress levels among their employees (the ideabeingthataless-stressedemployeeismoreproductiveandeffective,nottomentionalowerhealthliability).Togetcompaniesandemployeestotakestressseriously,mostofthesetrainersandcoacheshaveemphasizedaverygrimrealityaboutstress.Theyhighlightthefollowingsideeffects:

•Stressislinkedtothesixleadingcausesofdeath.4

• Seventy to 90 percent of doctor visits are due to stress-relatedissues.5

•Stressnegativelyaffectsmostoftheorgansinthehumanbody.6

Then they say, “Have a good day and try not to stress!” Are youserious?That’slikeapilotannouncingtohispassengersthattheengineissoundingweird,thentellingthemtohavearelaxingflight.Ifyouarelikeme,afterhearingthatlistofsideeffects,you’dgobackto your cubicle gripping the hell out of your stress ball and thinking,“Please don’t stress, please don’t stress!” You’d spend all day longstressingaboutnotstressing,which, ironically,wouldprobablypromptyour concernedmanager to sendyou tomore stressprograms to learnabouthowbadstressreallyis!There is noquestion, stress canbedetrimental to ourwork andourhealth.Countlessbooksandentireresearchjournalsarededicatedtothistopic.Butthatisnottheentiretyoftheresearchonstress:infact,thereisahugebodyofresearchshowingthat,ifmanagedcorrectly,stresscanbeenhancingtobothourperformanceandouroverallwell-being.Thereexists an alternate but equally true reality in which stress is actuallygoodforus.Iwas convinced that focusing on the negative impact of stress onlymakesitworse—justasthinkingaboutthesideeffectsofasleepingpillwouldonlykeepmeupatnight.So Iwondered,as I lay there tossingand turning, what would happen if we reframed the way we thought

about stress, focusing on positive rather thannegative truths about itssideeffects.Justasonthesubmarinethefloorisn’talwaysdown,stressisn’talwaysdebilitating.Soifwecanusethetoolsofpositivegeniustochange the way we perceive stress, I thought, couldn’t we reduce thenegativeeffectsofstressonthebrainandbody?Totestthattheory,Yaleresearchers Ali Crum and Peter Salovey and I teamed up with seniorleadersatUBSandenlisted380managerstohelptestwhetherwecouldturnstressfromdebilitatingtoenhancingmerelybydevelopingpeople’sabilitytoseethatalternateandequallytruereality.Crum and I showed different three-minute videos to two groups ofUBS managers. The first group watched a video that contained theabove-mentionedstatisticstypicallycitedincorporatetrainingsonstressandotherfindingssuchasthefollowing:

•Anestimatedonemillionworkersareabsentonanaverageworkdaybecauseofstress-relatedcomplaints.7

•“Stress’seffectsuponreproduction,growth,andimmunityidentifiesitasathreattothesurvivalofhumanity.”8

The second group watched a video that painted a different picture,focusingonscientificfindingsthatstresscanhelpthebrainusemoreofits capabilities, improve memory and intelligence, and even help thebodyrecoverfrominjury:

•Hormonesreleasedinthestressresponseactuallyboostperformanceoncognitivetasksandmemory.9

•Thenarrowingofperspectiverecruitsattentionalresourcesandcanactually increase the speed at which the brain processesinformation.10

•Stresscanfuelpsychologicalthrivingbypositivelyinfluencingtheunderlyingbiologicalprocessesimplicatedinphysicalrecoveryandimmunity.11

•Stressandadversityhaveinsomecasesbeenshowntofacilitatetheacquisitionofmental toughness,deeper socialbonds, strengthenedpriorities, and a sense of meaning, a phenomenon called post-traumaticgrowth.12

The important thing to realize is that these researched facts, thoughlesswellknown,areequallytrue.Researchindicatesthatstress,evenathigh levels, creates greater mental toughness, deeper relationships,heightened awareness, new perspectives, a sense ofmastery, a greaterappreciation of life, a heightened sense of meaning, and strengthenedpriorities. And doctors at StanfordUniversity have found that becausestresscauses thereleaseofgrowthhormones,whichhelprebuildcells,synthesize protein, and enhance immunity, if someone experiences astress response before knee surgery, he or she recovers significantlyfaster.Thesearethefactswefocusedoninthesecondvideo(“stressisenhancing”).13Justoneweeklater,weregrouped.Toseehowthetwovideosaffected

stress levels, we assessed the employees using several measures,including the Stress Mindset Measure (SMM), the Work PerformanceScale, the Quality of Life Inventory, and the seventy-seven-questionMood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ), which evaluatesindividualphysicalandmood-relatedsymptoms.Thesearesomeofthebestmetricspsychologistshavetoassesshealthandstress.Theresultsofour study were highly significant. Those who had watched the videohighlighting the enhancing rather than debilitating effects of stressreporteda23percentdropinphysicalsymptomsassociatedwithdistress(suchasheadaches,backaches,fatigue).What’smore,onascaleof1to4,productivityassessmentmovedfrom1.9to2.6—nearlya30percentincrease.Encouraged by these results, Crum and I then trained two hundred

managers in a program called “Rethinking Stress,” which showedemployeeshow,insteadofstressingaboutstress,theycouldactuallyuseit to their advantage at work. The process involved three steps:becomingawareofthestress,lookingforthemeaningbehindthestress(forexample, “I’mstressedabout thisprojectbecause Iknow I’ll getapromotionifIsucceed”),andthen,mostimportant,channelingthestressresponse to improve motivation and productivity. The effects of thisexperimentwereevenmoredramatic.Notonlydiddistressdecrease,butthe stress became more beneficial, as evidenced by gains in themanagers’workeffectivenessandimprovementsintheirhealth.Andit’sall because theywere able to see that alternate reality inwhich stresscouldhavepositiveeffectsonthebrainandthebody.

The lesson?Stop fighting stress.Stress isa fight-or-flight response,andwhenyoufightorfleefromit,youonlymakeitworse.Instead,whenstresshappens,recognizethatstresscanmateriallyimproveyourproductivityand performance. Then think about themeaning behind the stress youareexperiencing.This iseasy;afterall,youwouldn’tbestressedaboutsomething if it didn’t mean something to you. For example, you arestressedaboutworkbecauseyoucareaboutprovidingforyourfamilyorseeingmore of the world or having an impact.When we divorce themeaning fromtheactivity,ourbrainswill rebel.So ifyouare stressedabout a job interview, refocus on the chances to advance your career,and if you are stressed about a presentation you have to give to anorganization, think about how your involvement with that group ismakingadifference.AliCrumusesaneattricktoremindherselfnottofight stress but to embrace it: she uses doorknobs as mental anchorpoints. For example, whenever she opens a door into a meeting, alecture,ora job interview, thesightof thedoorknobcuesherbraintothinkaboutthepossibilitythatanystressshemightfeelinthatsituationcouldbeperformanceenhancing.Trycreatingyourownanchorpointsto remind yourself not to fight the stress you might feel in certainsituationsatwork.I’mnotclaimingthatstressisalwayspositive,ortryingtodebunkthe

literaturethatstressdoesindeedhavenegativeeffects.I’msimplytryingtoshowthattherearemultiplewaysof lookingattheeffectsofstress,and thatone’smindset regarding stressmaydeterminewhich responsewillbeproduced.Stressatworkisareality.AsPatriotsheadcoachBillBelichicksays,“It iswhat it is.”Butwhile stress is inevitable, itsnegativeeffectsarenot.

THECOFFEECUPEXPERIMENT

Beingraisedbyaneuroscientisthasitsupsanddowns.Ontheonehand,youlearnvaluablehabitslikealwayswearingahelmetwhenyourideabicycle.Andnoonecanscareyouawayfromdrugsmorethansomeonewhocanshowyouareal,drug-rottedcadaverbrain.Thedownsidesareyounevergettoplayprofessionalfootball(Iwasso

close!),andyougetexperimentedon.Alot.

Here’sabenignexperiment,similartoonemydadmademedowhenIwouldvisithisofficeasakid(I’llspareyouthetraumaticdetails),thatcan help you train your brain to seemultiple realities. It is called thecoffeecupexperiment.Note thatnocaffeine intake is required for thisexperiment, which is probably why my mom gave it the green light(thereweredefinitelysomeexperimentsshewasn’ttoldaboutuntilaftertheywereover).

Experiment:Onanapkinorasheetofpaperrightnow,justdrawaroughpictureofacoffeecupandsaucer.

Sounds easy, right? You’d be surprised. A few years ago I ran thisexperiment with managers at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and thedrawings were… How do I say this nicely? Blind, quadriplegic cats,withnoartistictraining,wouldhavedoneslightlybetter.Clearly,hiringatMSSBisnotbasedonartisticskills.However,whenIdidtheexperimentagain,thistimeexplicitlyasking

theMSSBleaders to“becreative,” theyfaredabitbetter(thoughtheystillcouldn’treallydraw).Now,ratherthanthatsameplainmug,IgotpicturesofmugsthatlookedlikethefakeHolyGrailsinIndianaJonesorhadfancifuldragonhandles.Igotsmallmugs,bigmugs,andmanywithslogans, likemynavycommander’s“World’sGreatestBoss”mug.FromtwohundredemployeesIgottwohundredwildlydifferentmugs,allofuniqueshapesandsizesandwithdifferentpatternsonthem.Yet for all their individuality, these drawings had one thing in

common.Allofthemweredrawnfromthesideview,ratherthanfromabove.Everysingleone.Studieshavefoundthatwhenmostpeopledrawacoffeecup,theydo

it from the side, not the top.14 But why? We’ve all definitely seen acoffeecupwhenwewere standingabove it.Sowhydidnoneof thesepeoplethinkofdrawingthemugfromabove?Itcomesbacktotheprismofsuccess.Whenwetrytosolveaproblem

usingonlyonetypeofintelligence,wemayseedifferentsolutions(orinthis case different styles of mugs), but we still see from only oneperspective.It’sonlywhenwecombineourmultipleintelligencesthatwecanseefromafullrangeofperspectives.Practicingyourownversionofthecoffeecupexperimentcanhelpyou

do just that. It doesn’t have to be a coffee mug, obviously. Take anyeveryday object, and try to draw as many versions of it as you canenvision.Thinknot just about different shapes, sizes, andpatterns butaboutdifferentanglesandvantagepoints. Itmay feel sillyat first,butdeveloping this skill will pay off because it will help you to draw onyour full range of intelligences to see the details, connections, andsolutionsthatnooneelsesees.Todo this, however, youneed tomaster strategy2, adding vantage

points.

STRATEGY2:ADDVANTAGEPOINTS

If youwalk through themaindoorof theArt InstituteofChicagoandenter the medieval art section, you will notice that something isdreadfullywrong.Yourvisionwillseemdistorted,asthoughwarpedbyatwo-martinilunch.Ifyoustayintheroomlongenough,you’llbegintorealizethatyourartificially inducedvertigo iscausedbythepaintings.Themoreartisticamongyouwillimmediatelyknowwhy.Thepaintingslack perspective. I don’t mean that medieval artists were lacking inemotional intelligence and insight. I mean that despite how deep theirinsightsandemotionswere, theirartworkliterally lackedperspectivaldepth.These artists struggled to portray the world in three dimensions on atwo-dimensional canvas. The artists among you will know why: youneedmultiplevantagepointstopaintinthreedimensions.Andwithoutthatthirddimension,theentirepaintingisoutofproportion;objectsinthe distance look the same size as objects in the foreground, and viceversa.Withoutperspectivaldepthitisimpossibletoseewhatisactuallylargeandwhatissmall,whatisnearandwhatisfar.Manyofus in theworkingworld todaysuffer froma similar lackof

perspective,severelyimpairingourabilitytoseeourworldintherightproportions. Just as the people look virtually (and somewhatridiculously)thesamesizeasthebuildingsinthosemedievalpaintings,manyamonguserroneouslyseethepositivesandnegativesinourlivesasmoreor lessequivalent insizeandimportance.Forexample,all toooften aminor setback—like losing a single client or screwing up on atiny detail of a project—can loom disproportionately large over larger

accomplishmentsand successes, like thebiggeraccountwe just landedorthelastfiveprojectswesuccessfullycompleted.In2011,ItraveledtoLondon to work with a company that had been rated “one star” in athree-star system (with three stars indicating the highest levels ofemployeeengagement).Theyhadhiredsomeof thesmartestpeople inthe industry,and theyhaddoneone360-degree feedback sessionafteranother to raise their emotional intelligence. So why was theiremployees’ performance so lackluster? Their picture of reality lackedperspective.Manyof theemployees sawonly thecurrenteconomicclimate—one

inwhichtheyweredoingalotofworkbutachievingonlyminimalgainsintermsofsales.Theysawthatmanyoftheirleadershadjumpedshiptoanothercompany.Theyperceivedthatnothinghadchangedoverthepast year, that theywere stillmaintaining their profit levels from twoyearsago.Justasamedievalpainterfailedtocreateathree-dimensionalpictureoftheworld,manyoftheindividualsatthiscompanywerestuckin a two-dimensional reality.What theywere failing to recognizewasthat even though their numbers were flat, they were outselling all oftheir competitors, even ones that were far bigger. What’s more, theywerecompletelyoverlookingthefactthattheleaderswhohadleftwerethe dead-weight, uncommitted leaders and that in truth their leavingmeantmoreroomforupwardmobilityof truetalent.Andmanyof theemployees missed out on the amazing fact that their sales had notdropped during the greatest economic downturn of recent history. Iftheyhadlookedattheworldfromthesevantagepoints,theymighthaverecognizedaverypositiveandstrongreality inwhichgrowthwas justoverthehorizon.

THEPERSPECTIVEISINTHEDETAILS

AsaHarvardguy,ItrynottotalkaboutYale.Ifyoucan’tsayanythingnice…well,youknow.Buttheydoonethingright.Mybrother-in-lawwent toYaleSchoolofMedicine,and in themiddleof their incrediblyintensivemedicaltraining,hisprofessortookhisclasstoanartmuseum.The purpose of thiswas not to expose the Yale students to culture (ifculturewas their interest, theywouldn’t have chosen Yale in the first

place).Therealreasonfortakingthemoutoftheclassroomwastoteachthemtheimportanceofperspectiveandtohelpthemtraintheirbrainsto add vantage points so they could see the world in multipledimensions.Thiswas a gutsy gamble: taking extraordinarily busy futuredoctors,who were learning the secrets of biology and anatomy so as to savehumanlivesandcurediseaseslikecancer,andforcingthemtogostareat centuries-old paintings and to diagnose the individuals portrayed inthem.ButaccordingtoDr.IrwinBraverman,aprofessoratYaleSchoolofMedicine,andLindaFriedlaender,thecuratorattheYaleCenterforBritishArt,thisexercisehelpedthedoctorsimproveaskillthatactuallycouldsavelives.Asonemedicalstudent intheclasssaid,“Itmademenoticethingsthatmyeyeshadjustnotseen.Ingoingthroughitinmyownmindandwithmypeers Iwasable todevelopa fuller story,andthat enabledme to put the pieces together in away thatwas closer to thereality.”15This success was not just anecdotal. The Journal of the AmericanMedical Association reported that the students who took this classexhibitedanastonishing10percent improvement in their ability to detectimportant medical details.16 And once they were able to see this widerrangeofdetails,theywerebetterabletoleveragetheirIQsandEQsandall their other cognitive abilities to knit these details together and seepreviouslymissed connections.Thosedetails, inotherwords,were thevantage points that broadened their perspective andmade themmoresuccessfulintheirwork.Forexample, takethecaseofonepatientwhohadhadastrokethathad blinded her in one eye. When she came to the Yale–New Havenhospitalforanexamination,thedoctorswereunderstandablyfocusedonthe bad eye. They assumed the blindness was the result of blockagecausedbythestrokeuntiloneof thephysicianssuddenlyexclaimedtothe team, “Oh my God, look at her lip.”17 (As a brief aside, I mightsuggest that doctors also be taught not to exclaim things like “OhmyGod”or“Whatthehellisthat?”whileexaminingapatient.)Inlookingatherlip,thatdoctornoticedsomethingthatothershadmissed:aclearindicatorofahereditaryconditioncalledHHTthateventuallyrobsthelungs of oxygen and is fatal unless caught early. By looking at thesituationfromothervantagepoints,thatdoctorliterallysavedherlife.

Inmedicine,asinallprofessions,itiseasytogetstuckseeingthingsfromonly one vantage point. But by training their brains to seemorevantage points, these students learned to approach problems with abroaderanddeeperperspective.Today,overadecadelater,allfirst-yearYalemedicalstudentsarerequiredtotakethatartclass,andmorethantwentyothermedicalschoolsnowhavethecourseaswell.The ability to better spot and knit together details is incrediblyvaluable,nomatterwhatfieldorprofessionyou’rein.Sodon’twait!Goonatouratalocalartmuseumandtakeyourentireteam.Orgowithyourfamilythisweekend.Asktheguidetopointoutnewdetailsinthepaintings or sculptures, thenpractice looking at theworks of art fromotheranglesandvantagepoints.Obviouslythisismorethanjustatripto a museum: it is about consciously building a skill set that willdramatically increaseyour team’sperformanceandyourbrain’s abilityto createmultidimensional realities.Whatwould the ability to see 10percentmoredetailsinyourworkdoforyourperformance?Myguessisthatit’sworthanafternoonatthemuseum.Here’sanothersimpleexercisetohelpyouaddvantagepointsinyourprofessional life. Letmeaskyoua seemingly simplequestion.What iswork like for you right now?Write your answer down on a scrap ofpaper.Nowtakeamomentandthinkaboutwhatyoujustwrotedown.Did your version of reality leave out some important details? If youmentioned a volatile work environment, did you also mentionopportunities for promotions? If youmentioned your heavyworkload,did you also mention the amount of authority and responsibility youhave?Ifyoumentionedhighlevelsofstress,didyoumentionyoursocialsupport network and strong relationshipswith colleagues?Now, usingonly truestatements,offeranalternativedescriptionof theexact sameworksituation.Finally,writedowna thirdversionofyourworkinglifethat mentions none of the details you mentioned in the first tworealities. This will be hard, and you will feel as if your brain has tostretch,butstaywithit.Maybethislistincludesachancetohelpotherswithyourwork.Or themissionyouhave to serveyourclients.Or theexcitementofbuildinganewbusinessorinventinganewproduct.Thegoalhereistoseethreerealities,allconstructedoutoffacts.Adding vantage pointswill help you see newpossibilities to pounceon, new entrepreneurial avenues to follow, new client needs to fulfill,

new business leads to explore, and new solutions to problems—beforeother people are even consciously aware of them. And what’s more,lookingatrealityfromdifferentangleswillnotonlyallowyoutoopenyoureyes toabroader rangeofopportunities, ideas,and solutionsbutalso help you connectmore deeplywith your team, organization, andfamily.In2009,IworkedwiththousandsofbankersonWallStreetwhowerefuriousaboutnotreceivingbonusesanddepressedaboutthecollapseoftheirindustry.OnemanagingdirectoratoneofthelargestbanksinNewYork told me that he had found a way to gain some much-neededperspective. That night, instead of taking his family out to a fancyrestaurantasheusuallydid,allthewhilecomplainingaboutthechangefrombettertimesandresentingthepeoplearoundhimwhoperhapshadgottenbonuses,hetookhiswifeandchildrentoasoupkitchentoservetheunderprivileged.Youcouldheartheprideinhisvoicereturnasherecountedtomehowpowerfulithadbeentoseehischildren,whohadallthetoysintheworld,meetaneight-year-oldkidwhowascelebratinghisbirthdayatthesoupkitchen.When this executive returned to work, the objective facts were thesame—hedidnotreceiveabonus,theeconomywascontinuingtotank—but his reality had been altered by this new vantage point.He nowwas able to see more positives in his situation—like the fact that heenjoyed the company of his coworkers and the fact that his childrenlookeduptotheworkhedid.Ifyoucanopenyoureyestomorepositivedetails,youwillhavenotonlyhighpositivegeniusbutalsothegreatestpossiblebufferagainstdowntimes.Ifyouarehaving trouble seeingdetails inyourworld thatyouhavepreviouslymissed,italsohelpstochangeyourpatterns.Driveadifferentwaytowork,orintentionallytalktoonepersoneachdayyouwouldn’tnormally talk to.Maybe even try going somewhere new for lunch, or,insteadofmeetingwithaclient,meetwith someonewhochosenot tobuyyourproduct.ResearcherRichardWiseman,inhisarticle“TheLuckFactor,”saysthatifyouareanapplepickerandyoukeepcomingbacktothesametreeseveryday,eventuallyyou’regoingtorunoutoffruit.18Themore you break out of your patterns, the easier itwill be to findnewvantagepoints.

GAININGPERSPECTIVEINYOURSLEEP

In2011,afterspendingamonthtravelingtosharemyresearchinsevenLatinAmericancountries,IreturnedtosnowyBostonandfoundittobealotcolder.ButIdon’tjustmeanthetemperature.Researchhasfoundthat one of the reasons for higher rates of resilience and optimismamong workers in Latin America is their extraordinary social supportnetworkswithcoworkers,family,andfriends.19MyplanehadlandedinBoston,butmyfamilyandrootswerebackinTexas.Itturnedoutthatthisresearchwasonthemoney:withoutmynetworkofsupport,Iwasnotonlylesshappybutlessproductive,lessmotivated,andlesseffectiveinmywork.Soassoonasthegruelingsemesterended,ImovedthehubofmyresearchtoSanAntonio,Texas.WhenIgotofftheplaneattheairportinSanAntonio,thedrivetomysister’shousewashellish.Irememberbeingshockedathowdesolateitlooked. The treeswere sparse and scraggly. Since the soil is only oneinchdeep,thereisbarerockalmosteverywhere,andafterfivemonthsintree-linedCambridgeI foundthe landscapebarrenandhideous.Thebuildingsseemedsquattyandfarapart.IwonderedwhyIhaddecidedtomovefromthelushcathedralsettingofNewEnglandtoawasteland.What I saw was desolate, scraggly, and quite frankly, depressing—hardly a positive and growth-enhancing perspective. This wasn’t theTexas I remembered frommychildhood.Wasmybrain simplyplayingtricksonme,orwassomethingelsehappeninghere?After getting some much-needed rest, however, I started seeingdifferent details in my surroundings. The trees seemed to be a littletaller.Inoticedthatthereweregreenbeltseverywhere,morethaneveninBoston. Insteadof focusingon thepatchesofbarren rock, Ibecameimpressedwithallthelifethatcouldbloominsucharockysoil.Istartednoticing the bluebonnet and Indian paintbrush wildflowers and thehummingbirds. The sky looked even bigger and bluer than in Boston.SuddenlyIwasinaparadiseoflightandcolor.Ofcourse,SanAntoniohadn’tchanged.Myperspectivehad.That’s when I realized that on the morning I’d landed I had beenawakeforthirty-sixhoursworkingonaprojectandwasjetlaggedfromaquick work trip to Europe on top of it. Digging into the research, Iconfirmedthatourability toseepositivedetailscan indeedbeheavily

impaired by fatigue. One of my favorite studies found that if youmemorize sets of positive, neutral, and negativewords, then sleep forseventoeighthours,youwillrememberaround80percentofallthreelists aday later. If youmiss anightof sleepand stayup for thirty-sixhours as I did, you still remember most of the negative and neutralwords, but you remember 59 percent fewer positive words!20 This isbecauseyourbrain interprets a lackof sleep as a threat to the centralnervous system, then goes on high alert, scanning the world foradditionalthreats—thatis,negatives.Soifyouwanttobeabletoseethedetailsthatwillhelpyourbrain

summonitsfullrangeofintellectualandemotionalresources,firstmakesure you get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Second,when youmake the decision or presentation or pitchmatters. A fascinating newstudy shows that right before lunch is the worst time to see positivedetails.21Inastudyofparoleboardhearings,researchersfromColumbiaBusinessSchoolfoundthatrightafterlunchjudgesgrantedparoleto60percent of offenders, but that right before lunch,when their stomachswererumbling,theygrantedparoletoonly20percent.Thefactsofthecaseswere, of course, the same; the time of daywas the single factordeterminingwhetherthejudgeschosetofocusonthecases’positiveornegativedetails.Thisisbecausewhenwearelowonfuel,ourbrainsaretiredandthusmorelikelytogoonhighalerttothreatsandtorememberand focusprimarilyon thenegative.Atcertain lowpoints in thedailycycle,weliterallyseeamorenegativereality,andonethatwefeelwehavelessabilitytochange.This finding could transform how our companies set goals, make

decisions,andevenrunconferencesandmeetings.Thinkaboutatypicalconference or annualmeeting. Having observed dozens of them everyyear,here’showIbelievemostgo.Inthemorning,afterbreakfast,arethe boring introductions and a talk by the most senior leader (whogenerally isn’t known for his or her speaking ability), followed by areport on what has happened in the past and an update on finances.Then, in the lasthourbefore lunch,wecramasmuchinformationandgoal setting into those final breakout sessions as possible. Finally, wehavelunchandreplenishourglucoselevelsinourbrains.Thenwehearaboutacoupleofnewideas fromvendorsorspeakers,butnothingwehavetoactonuntilabout3:00p.m.,when—justasourbloodsugar is

beginning to drop again—we break into groups and brainstorm ideas.Finallyaround4:00or5:00p.m.,beforedinnerandcocktails,werealize(aswithallmeetings)thatwearebehindschedule,andwesprinttomapout ourplans and targets for the entirenext year. In otherwords, themost critical plans and decisions aremade when our brain glucose ismostdepleted.Wearedoingconferencesbackward! Instead, ifyouarerunning a meeting or giving a presentation or even bringing a smallteamtogetherforbrainstorming,besurenottodoitrightbeforelunchor dinner.And if you’re not themeetingplanner and are forced to sitthrough a long or ill-timed meeting, bring snacks! You’ll be not onlymore positive but also more alert and productive if you regularlyreplenishyourbrain’s glucose levelswithhealthy food. If youwant toseeasingle,fixed,negativerealityatwork,don’tsleepenoughthenightbefore andmake your decisionswithout food. If youwant to find themostvaluablereality,youhave to takesteps toensure thatyourbraincanperceivepossibility.

MASTERINGTHESWITCHBETWEENREALITIES

There is nobetterdemonstrationof ourbrains’ powerful ability to seereality frommultiple perspectives than the Kanizsa triangle, a famousexperiment createdby the ItalianpsychologistGaetanoKanizsa. (Whatarethechancesthathe’ddiscoveranopticalillusionwiththeexactsamenameashim,right?)Whatdoyousee intheimageonthenextpage?Onthebasisof the

research,youprobablysawtheblack-outlinedtrianglefirst.Butdoyouseethesolidwhitetriangle?Onceyouseethewhitetriangle,yourbrainwillbeable toswitchbackand forthbetween the twoperspectives. Infact, you will be unable to ignore the white triangle now that yourperceptionhasexpanded.

In theUBSRethinkingStress study,we found that two true realitiescould coexist. And we found that if we could get people to see bothrealities—notjusttherealitythatstressisdebilitatingbutalsotherealitythat stress is enhancing—stress could have a beneficial effect, ratherthan a debilitating one. But merely being able to see multipleperspectivesand realities isonlyhalf the story. Ifwewant to increaseourchancesofsuccess,weneedtodeveloptheabilitytoselectthemostvaluablereality.In positive psychology, “themost valuable reality” is defined as the

reality that is most valid (true), helpful (conducive to the bestoutcomes), and positive (growth producing). In the next section, I’llshowhowyoucanevaluatetherealitiesyou’veconstructedandchoosethemostvaluableonetopursue.

STRATEGY3:PURSUETHEMOSTVALUABLEREALITY

Inthe1950s,ifyouhadheardofKimballElectronics,youwouldknowthem for pianos. They were wildly successful: that is, until electricorgans started to gain in popularity. So Kimball invested a ton of itsmoney in organs, only for the demand to suddenly fall flat. Fromonevantage point, they were stuck. But the leaders of Kimball took adifferent angle and saw opportunity. Instead of concluding that theywere the leaders in a dying field, they perceived themselves at thevanguardofanelectronicrevolution.Theysatdownanddecidedtolooknotattheirdeficitsbutattheirresources,andindoingsotheyrealizedthey had a wealth of electronic experts who now had time on their

handstoinnovate.Sotheydecidedtosteertheirresourcesandeffortsinadifferentway,andtodaytheymaketheelectronicsteeringsystemsforFiats, do testing for threat detection and avoidance systems for themilitary,andmanufactureelectronicstohelphospitalsdeterminelevelsofhygiene.Onerealitywouldhaveledtoabankruptdivision,anotherreality led to fifty years of innovation and profits. What would havehappenediftheyhadseenonlythenegativereality?In 2010,HSBChad a fantastic advertising campaign in airports that

demonstrated the power of our brains to construct multiple realitiesbasedon the sameexternalworld.On thewallsof the jetbridges inanumberofairportterminals,HSBCdisplayedthreeidenticalimagesofabaldhead;superimposedoneachpicturewasadifferentword.Here’sanexample.

Does thewordover the image changehowyou look at this person?Doesoneword inspiremorepity,whileanother inspiresmoreawe,oradmiration?Inthiscasethewordstellyou,tosomeextentatleast,whattothinkaboutthepersoninthepicture,butintherealworldyourownbrainactivelywriteswordsoneverysinglepersonorimageyousee.Andthe words and phrases that our brains write on people, projects, andgoals at work change not only your perspective but your motivation,engagement,andcreativity.Let’ssayyourbosswalksintotheroom.Someonewithalowpositive

intelligenceislikelytoseewordsandphraseslike“stress”or“threat”or“Iampowerless.”Someonewhohaslearnedtoaddvantagepointsmaystill see some of these descriptors, but he or she would also seeadditionalones,like“humanbeing,”“mentor,”“opportunitytoimpress,”and“keytopromotion.”Trainingyourbraintoattachmorepositivestoeach situation at work will improve your brain’s flexibility andsignificantlyincreaseyourabilitytofindandpursueyourmostvaluablerealityinallkindsofpersonalandprofessionalsituations.

If you are feeling that no positive attributes can be associatedwithyourteam,company,orworkplace,thatmeansoneoftwothings:either(1) your brain is missing something or (2) you need to make someserious changes in your current situation.Those are really the only twooptions.But inall thework I’vedoneover theyears, even in themoststrugglingof companies,with themostbeleagueredof leaders and themostpessimisticof individuals, I’veneverencounteredanenvironmentwherepositivedetailscouldnotbefound.Try this experimentathome.Focusonanobjectand seehowmany

attributes, phrases, and labels you can come up with for it in thirtyseconds. Ignore grammar and other rules; go for speed. You get +3pointsforeverypositivedescriptorand+1pointforeverynegativeone.Remember,togetthe3points,theattributemustbebothpositiveandtrue.Hereareacoupleofexamples:

Object:Youroverflowinge-mailinbox.Phrases: “Overloaded” (+1). “Source of stress” (+1). “Connection”(+3). “Business opportunities” (+3). “Addiction” (+1). “Opportunityfor praise” (+3). “Key to job success” (+3). “Invitations for lunches”(+3). “Amazingly fast” (+3). “Tool” (+3). “Never-ending” (+1).“Dopaminerush”(+3).“Recordofvictories”(+3).“Newideas”(+3).

Object:Dishesinthesink.(It’samazinghowoftenpeoplepickthisobjectwhenIdothisexerciseintalksandspeeches.)Phrases:“Ugh,alotofwork”(+1).“Messy”(+1).“Paininthebutt”

(+1). “Never-ending” (+1). “Not fun” (+1). “Chance to feelproductive”(+3).“Opportunitytowinpointswithspouse”(+3).“Wayof showing love” (+3). “Chance to do something mindless for amoment” (+3). “Opportunity to meditate for a few minutes” (+3).“Warmwater feelsgood” (+3). “Way tomake thekitchen lookgreat”(+3).“Goodwaytofeelcontrol”(+3).Ifyoujustdidthisexperiment,youmightbewonderingwhyyougot

anypointsatallforthenegativedescriptors.Afterall,ifwearelookingtoraiseourlevelofpositivegenius,isn’titcounterproductivetoinclude

them?ThisistheveryquestionanHRleaderatHumana,alargehealthinsurancecompanyinLouisville,Kentucky,askedmewhenIconductedthis experiment. And it is a fair one. Wouldn’t it make sense thatincluding the negative words would make it easier for your brain toconstructarealityaroundthenegatives?Butresearchshowsthatwhilelistingtoomanynegativesisdetrimental,includingsomecanactuallybehelpful.Thesecret,asitturnsout,isallintheratio.

THEPOSITIVITYRATIO

Thismightsoundstrangecomingfromapositivepsychologyresearcher,butacknowledging thenegatives inourexternalworldcanactuallybehighlyadaptive—toapoint.Awarenessofnegativescanmotivateustotakepositiveaction,andtheactoflookingforthemcanhelpmakeourbrains even more flexible and nimble. The harder your brain has tostretch and work to scan the world for multiple realities, the greateryourcreativity,yourproblem-solvingability,andevenyourempathyforthosewhodonot see theworldasyoudo. In2012, Igavea talk toagroupofone thousand safety inspectorson the linkbetweenpositivityandsuccessrates.Afterward,amancameuptomeanddejectedlysaid,“Ilikedyourtalk,butitwasdepressing.Imean,you’retalkingtoaroomfullofguyswhosejobitistogointocompaniesandtellthemaboutalltheproblemsyoufoundthatcouldinjureorkillsomeoneandthatwillcostmillionstofix.”That’sexactlythepoint.Wecan’tfixproblemsuntilwetrainourbrainstoseethem.Sowhilethisexerciserewardsyoumoreforcomingupwithpositivedescriptorsorfactsthanforcomingupwithnegativeones,thenegativeonesshouldstillbeonthelist.Unfortunately, our brains are wired to naturally seek and find

negatives. We, as human beings, are already good at that. This isbecause inordertosurviveonthesavannaourprimitivebrainshadtorespond to threats faster than to emotions like happiness or gratitude.That’s why retraining our brains to find the positive descriptors isusuallywheretherealworkbegins.Thekey tomanaging thisdelicatebalance iswhat scientists call the

positivityratio.Powerful researchby themathematicianMarcialLosadaand theUniversity ofNorthCarolina psychologist Barbara Fredrickson

found that in the working world the most valuable reality is one inwhichthereisatleasta3:1ratioofpositivetonegativeinteractions(thisis called the Losada Line). In one study, real business teams wereobserved in laboratories in Cambridge and Ann Arbor. When theamountsofpositiveandnegativefeedbackthatteammembersreceivedwere tallied and the ratio of positive to negative interactions wascalculated,itwasfoundthatwhentheP/Nratiowasabove2.901to1theteamshadsignificantlyhigherprofitlevelsaswellasimproved“360-degreefeedback”reports.Belowthisratio,engagementplummetedandturnoverratesshotup.Infact,Losadafoundthatthehighest-performingteams had a 6:1 ratio.22 So if you or your team are going through aroughperiod,rampuptheratioofpositiveinteractions,evenbydoingsomething as simple as complimenting someone or bringing indoughnuts.Interestingly,Fredricksonfoundthat3:1wastheratioatwhichpeople

begantoflourishoutsideworkaswell.Herresearchrevealedthatwhenpeoplehavethreepositivethoughtstoeverynegativethought,theyaremoreoptimistic,arehappier,andfeelmorefulfilled(2:1wasconsidered“languishing” and 1:1 was “depressed”).23 There’s an old saying that“bad news comes in threes.” Instead of just accepting this depressingadage,trytobalanceeverypieceofbadnewswiththreegoodpiecesofgoodnews.Whyaskewedratio?Shouldn’tonepositiveneutralizeanegative?No.

Researchhasemphaticallyproventhatbecausewenaturallygivemoreweighttonegatives,ittakesmorepositivestobalancethemout.24We’veall felt this. When you get feedback on a project, people could sayseveralnicethingsaboutyourwork,butyourbrainwillstillfocusonthe“one thing youmightwant towork on.”Many leaders I haveworkedwithhavesheepishlyadmittedtomethat if theyunfairlyblowupatateam member or add more work to an already overencumberedemployee, they believe they can equallymake up for itwith one nicecommenttoorjokewiththatperson.Notso.Positiveleadershiprequiresapositivityratioofatleast3:1.Once, when I did this exercise at a financial firm, a particularly

negativefinancialadvisortriedtooutdohispositivepeersbywritingasmanydescriptorsofhiscurrentworksituationaspossible in the thirtyseconds allotted. But with his 3:1 negative-to-positive point ratio, he

wouldneedtocomeupwithninenegativesinthirtysecondsto“win,”whereas thepositivegeniuseswouldneedonly threepositives. It’s likethoseTotalcerealcommercials:“It’dtakesixteenbowlsofyourcerealtoget the iron inonebowlofTotal.”Whenyou’re constructingalternaterealities,afewpositivesfaroutweighalonglistofnegatives.Asimilarprincipleapplieseveninromanticrelationships,anditmay

not surprise you to learn that in thisdomain theneed forpositivity iseven greater. On the basis of decades of research, psychologist andrelationshipguruJohnGottmanhasfoundthatthereneedstobeatleasta 5:1 ratio of positive to negative experiences to maintain a soundrelationship and that spouseswho have lower than a 5:1 ratio have asignificantlyhigherrateofdivorce.25So foreverytimeahusbandsayssomethinghurtfultohiswife,gettingherflowersisn’tgoingtocutit;ifhewants to truly atone forhis actions, he shouldbuyher flowersnotoncebut five times (sorry guys)!What’smore,Gottman’s researchwithsevenhundrednewlywedcouplesrevealedthatthisratiocanbeusedtopredict,withawhoppingaccuracyrateof94percent,whetheracouplewillbetogetherordivorcedaftertenyears.Bothatworkandathome,ifeveryonehasaccesstoonlyoneversion

ofreality,everyonesuffers.Onlywhenyoukeepyoureyesopentomanyrealities—bothpositiveandnegative,intherightproportions—canyouchoose and pursue the most beneficial one. In other words, the moreinterpretationsoftheworldyoucansee,thebetteryoucanconstructtheprismofsuccesstoachievethemostsuccessfuloutcomes.

OVERCOMINGYOURBLINDSPOTS

Theblindspotisthespotinthebackoftheeyeballthatlacksreceptorsandthuscan’tabsorbthelightcomingintotheeye.Weallhavethem.Wearen’teverconsciouslyawareofagapinourfieldofvisionbecauseour brains invent information that fills it in. But the blind spot in ourviewoftheworldisthere.Similarly,inthebusinessworldweallhaveblindspotsthatdistortour

perspectiveandimpairourabilitytoseeandchoosethemostvaluablerealityatwork.In one fascinating article for Bloomberg’s Businessweek, Dr. Loretta

Malandronamessomeofthemostcommonblindspotsthatholdusbackin our careers.26 The primary one among executives, she says, is aninability to relyonotherpeople:whenmost executives faceamassivechallenge or stressor, they try to figure out how to solve the problemalone.Inmypreviousbook,TheHappinessAdvantage,Iwrotethatoneofthesevenprinciplesforcreatinggreaterhappinessandsuccessis“socialinvestment.” While people with the blind spot that Malandro hasdescribed loseconnectionto theirsocialsupportnetworks in themidstofchallenge,positivegeniusesinvestmoreheavilyintheirsocialsupportsystem during these periods. As a result, they reapmassive dividendscomparedtotheirpeers.Thesecondmostcommonblindspotamongbusinessleadersisimpact

awareness,ortheabilitytoseetheeffecttheirdecisionswillhaveupontheirteams.Leaderswiththisblindspotassumethateveryonewillviewtheirdecisionsandchoicesinthesamewaytheydo,ortheydownplaytheimportanceoffeedback;asaresult,theirperspectiveonproblemsorchallengesislimited.The final common blind spot is the one Malandro identifies as

“bottling it up,” or concealing emotions from one’s teams, employees,andcoworkers.Leaderswhoareafraidoflettingtheiremotionsshowareblind to how this can affect levels of trust, engagement, and effectivedecision making. For years I have worked with thirty chaptersworldwideoftheYoungPresidents’Organization(YPO),aglobalgroupdedicatedtocreatingasafespaceforCEOstoopenup.Itscornerstoneisa forum in which CEOs meet monthly to share highs and lows, beaccountabilitypartners,andrevealblindspotsineachother’sthinking.Iwishthatweallhadsuchhighlydevelopedforumsthatwecould join.Throughthesegroups,it’sclearthatthemorethebosslearnstoopenup,thebetteritisforeveryoneatthecompany,intermsofbothmoraleandprofits.Oneofmy favorite exercises for training the brain to see past blind

spotsisthefamousexperimentknownastheNineDotsTest.Without picking up your pen (or, if you’re on an e-reader, without

pickingupyourfinger),drawfourstraightlinesthatgothroughallninedotsonlyonce.

Didyougetit?Ifnot,it’sbecauseassoonasyousawthesedots,yourbrain immediately registered theword and the concept “square.”Yourbraindefinedboundaries that in realitydonot exist. It created a blindspotintheareaoutsidethesquare.Can your line go outside of those nine dots? Of course: there’s noimpenetrableforcefieldpreventingyoufromdrawingoutsidethelines.TrinaKershawandStellanOhlssonat theUniversityof Illinois explainthatthereasonmanypeoplecan’tsolvethisproblemisthatourbrainscreate rules for reality that we do not think we can break.27 Positivegenius is what allows your brain to recognize that there are actuallymultiplewaysoflookingatthatsquare.Here’stheanswer:

Yourbrain’sability touse thewholeprismofsuccess iswhatallowsyou to see the triangle. IQ alone won’t help you solve this problembecauseourknowledgeofgeometryandshapescanbehamperedbytheemotionalandsocialrulesthatwesubconsciouslysetforourselves,suchas “Don’t cross lines” and “Don’t go out of the box.” Only once youharness your social and emotional intelligences to regulate youremotionsandsocialscriptseffectivelyisyourIQabletofindtheanswer.Positivegeniusesarebetterabletothinkoutsidethisboxbecausethey

are more likely to have richer associations within existing knowledgestructures and to be flexible and creative.28 They also end up havingfewerblindspotswhiledrivingdowntheroadoflife.Sometimessimplyaskingtherightquestionscanhelpusovercomeourblindspots.DuringtheeightyearsthatIworkedasaproctorandtutoratHarvard,alotofstressedanddepressedstudentswalkedthroughthedoorofmyoffice.Insteadofaskingthem,“Doyoufeeldepressedornotrightnow?”or“Areyouhappyorunhappyrightnow?”Iaskedthemaquestionlike“Howareyouenjoyingthesocialconnectionsyou’vemadehereatHarvard?”or“Howareyouhelpingothers?”Bygettingthemtofocusonpositivedetailsoftheirreality,likethefriendsthey’dmadeortheserviceorganizationthey’djoined,Igotthemtoseeoutsidetheboxoftheirnegativethoughts.Sowhereareyourblindspotsatwork?Andmoreimportant,whatareyoufillingthemwith?Pessimists fill theminwithwhat theyexpect tobe there: negatives. Irrational optimists fill them inwith sunshine androses.Bothareequallycounterproductive.Butapositivegenius fills intheblindspotswithinformationthatistrueandvalidandthatleadstopositivegrowth.

EMBRACINGMULTIPLECULTURES

WhenItalkaboutculture,Imeanmuchmorethansimplyrace,religion,ornationality.Withinevenasinglegroupthereareliterallythousandsofcombinationsofbeliefs,customs,dialects,personalitytypes,andsoon.This is, of course, true not only of countries, towns, and cities but ofcompaniesaswell.Yetforallthelipserviceleadersgivetotheireffortsto build multicultural companies, I find it interesting that whencompanies talk tomeabout issues theyare strugglingwith, theyoftencite“culturaldifferences”asa stumblingblock, rather thana strength.Thisissomethingweneedtochange,becausetheresearchisclear:themorediverseoutlooks and ideas youare exposed to, thebroader yourperspectiveontheworld.Admittedly, culturaldifferencescanbeamajorchallenge for leaderstrying to implement uniform policies, procedures, or protocolsthroughout the company.After all, how canwe streamline procedures

when the tech department has a different culture from the legaldepartment, which, in turn, has a different culture from the financedepartment? The answer is that we can’t and shouldn’t. Instead, weshouldembracetheculturaldifferencesacrossthecompanyanddrawonthem to broaden our own perspective and that of our teams anddepartments. I’moftencalled intoworkatrecentlymergedcompaniestohelp themnavigate the clashof corporate cultures.The first thing Itellthemisthatjustasrubbingtwostickstogethercanstartafire,theinitial friction between cultures can produce the spark to ignite theflamesofpositivegenius.Inworkandinlife,youcan’tcreateharmonyifeveryoneisplayingthesamenote.Once,afteraddressingagroupofleadersfromemergingcompaniesinShanghaiandBeijing,Iwaspresentedwithagiftofatinyspoonandaflat bronze bowl etched with Chinese lettering. At first, I didn’tunderstand what it was for, but of course I took it and said, “Thankyou,”anyway.AtfirstIwonderedifthesmallspoonwasareminderofmindfuleating,orifitwasacommentonAmericanobesity.Butassoonas I rested the miniature spoon on the flat bowl, it started spinning.Ah… it was a compass; the spoon was the needle, and the letteringreferred to north, south, east, and west! But as the spoon stopped, Irealizedmy giftwas broken. Instead of pointing north over Beijing, itwas pointing in the “wrong” direction. The CEO of a large Chinesemanufacturing company, who had spent several years in the UnitedStates,recognizedmyculturalconfusion.Heleanedoverandwhispered,“Herecompassespointsouth.”

On this Chinese compass, the spoon corresponds to our Big Dipper,part of the constellation called the Great Bear, or Ursa Major. A linedrawnbetweentheoutertwostarsofthebowloftheBigDipperpointsnorthtothepolestar,andsodoestheouterlipofthebowlofthespooninaChinesecompass.Soofcoursethespoon’shandle,attheotherendofthecompass’snorth-southaxis,pointssouth.Isuddenlyflashedbacktomyexperienceonthenavysubmarine;justasmybrainhadusedtheheuristic that “the floor is down,” I had once again taken thementalshortcut and assumed “compasses always point north.” This was abrilliantreminder that lookingat theworld fromthevantagepointsofother cultures can open us up to all kinds of ideas, possibilities, andpathstosuccessthatwemightotherwisehavemissed.Forexample, internationaldiversityona teamcanhelpus findnewapproaches to solving problems. InThe Geography of Thought, RichardNisbett,thepreeminentresearcherontheeffectsofcultureoncognitionandperception,describesanexperimentinwhichheshowedgroupsofAmericans,Europeans, andAsiansa seriesofpictures and thenusedamachine to track their eye movements.29 This sounds like an oddexperiment.Whywouldeyemovementsdiffer?Whatweseeinpicturesshouldbethesame,regardlessofculture.However,Nisbettprovedthiswasn’tthecase.Onaverage,Asiansseemedtofocustheirattentionandgazeonthecontext,setting,andbackgroundofthepicture,whereastheWesterners focused their attention and gaze on whatever object orpersonwasintheforeground.Thismay seem trivial, but it, in fact, highlights a very fundamentalculturaldifference.TheAsianswereinterestedinthecontextandsettingofthepicture,whiletheAmericansandEuropeansweremoreconcernedwithwhateverwasmostfrontandcenter—adistinctionthatcarriesoverinto how different cultures (generally speaking) view real-worldsituations. What’s more, these differences are not genetic norbiologically bred. Upon further investigation, Nisbett discovered thatthoseborn inAsiawhogrowup in theWestwill see theworld like aWesterner: theyfocusonthecenter insteadof thecontextofapicture.What this means is that cultural perspective is not fixed; it can belearned. We can actively expand our cultural vantage points throughexperienceswithdifferentpersonalitiesandcultures.Of course, diversity is broader than culture. It refers to age,

background, personal history, and so on. One of the CEOs in theShanghai chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization told me thatwhenhewas back in corporateAmerica andhe reallywanted to gainperspective, he sought out three types of people: (1) thosewhohad adifferent personality; (2) those who had a lower position in thecompany;and(3)thosewhowereoutsidethecompany.Lookingattheworld through the lens of another culture—whether an internationalcultureor a corporate culture—canhelpus gain abroaderperspectiveand seemore details in our external world. This is why, in our worklives, surrounding ourselves with people from other countries,ethnicities, interests, and professional backgrounds makes us moreflexible,innovative,adaptive,andprimedforsuccess.Asabonus,diversitycanimproveemployeeengagement,sincemorepeople feel that their perspectives are valued. In my work in thefinancialindustry,Ihaveseenhowimportantsuchperspectivetakingisforleaders,especiallyinthecurrentbusinessenvironmentthatissorifewithuncertainty,regulation,andrestructuring.Asitturnsout,thereisabiological reason for this: demonstrating an awareness of anotherperson’s perspective can actually short-circuit disengagement in theother person’s brain. As Sharon Parker and Carolyn Axtell from theUniversitiesofNewSouthWalesandSheffieldhavefound,ifamanagerneeds to addanurgent task to theworkloadof analreadyburned-outemployee,evenaddingamereacknowledgmentcanhelptheindividualfeelasiftheirperspectiveisbeingshared.30Sayingsomethinglike“Icanimagine that you’re swamped right now—I would be feelingoverwhelmed”allowspartoftheemployee’semotionalbrain(amygdalaand limbic centers) to quiet down and turns on the prefrontal cortex,whichhelpshimorherapproachthetaskwithamorepositivemindsetandgreaterenergyandinvestment.Themore vantage pointswe have for viewing theworld, the betterour ability to select the most successful path forward. Sometimes themostvaluablerealitiescancomefromincorporatingothers’realitiesintoourown.

The first step in becoming a positive genius is learning to see theobjective facts in your external world through a lens that is true and

positiveandthatleadstopositivegrowth.Inourworkinglives,addingvantagepointsbroadensourperspectiveandhelpsusseeagreaterrangeof realities, which, in turn, allows us to select the one that is mostvaluable: the one that allowsus to construct our prismof success anduseallourcognitive,emotional,andsocialresourcestotheirmaximumpotential. By amplifying the power of our multiple intelligences, ourmost valuable reality helps us raise our levels of motivation andengagement, seemore opportunities and possibilities that othersmiss,comeupwithmore innovativesolutionstoproblems,reduceourstresslevels,andmappathstoachievement.Inthenextchapter,we’lladdressthelatterandshowyouhowtocreatementalmapsforachievingyourmostmeaningfulandambitiousgoals.

MAKINGITPRACTICAL

1.Make stresswork foryou.Rather than fightingor fleeing fromstress,thinkaboutwhatismeaningfulbehindwhateverisstressful.You wouldn’t be stressed if there weren’t something importantembedded within the stress. For example, if I told you that arandomly chosen student was failing English, you wouldn’tbecome stressed. But if I told you that your child was failingEnglish, youwould feel stress. Stress comesonly frommeaning.However,stressbecomesdebilitatingonlywhenweforgetaboutthatmeaning.Reconnectwithwhatevermeaningisthere,andsetcues in your environment to remind your brain why stress isenhancingratherthandebilitating.

2.Cross-trainyourbrain.Goona tourata localartmuseumandtake your team or family. In this technological age, all thepaintingsareontheInternetanyway,soyoucanevenjustcheckout thewebsite of your favoritemuseum. Look at the paintingsfrom different vantage points and perspectives and try to spotnew details, even in paintings youmay have viewed dozens oftimes before. What would the ability to see 10 percent moredetailsinyourworkdoforyourperformance?Evenifyou’renotanartisticperson,myguessisthatit’sworthanafternoonatthe

museum.Theresearchprovesittoo.3.Dosomethingprosocial.Findanaltruisticactivity,likegoingtoa

soupkitchen,offering topicksomeoneupat theairportorhelpsomeonemove,orsendinganicehandwrittenthank-younote.Allof these break us out of negative patterns and help us seealternative,positiverealitieswhereourbehaviormatters.Thekeyis to stop vacillating over whether you are happy or not andinstead turn your attention to the question of whether you arehelping someone else. The greatest buffer against depression isaltruism.

4.Fuelyourreality.Tofreeupyourbrain’sresourcestoseepositivedetails in your external world, eat and sleep regularly. Inparticular,makesuretoeatrightbeforemakingabigdecision.Thebesttimetomakedecisionsorsetgoalsasateamataconferenceorduringameetingisrightafterbreakfastandrightafterlunch.Rightbeforelunchandrightbeforedinneraretheworstpossibletimes.Anddon’tmakebigdecisionswhenyouarelowonsleep.When Bill Clinton was asked to give advice to then-incomingpresidentBarackObama,hepointedout the importanceof rest.“MostofthemajormistakesImadeinmylife,ImadewhenIwastoo tired to know what I was doing—both personally andprofessionally.”31 If you are well rested and just fed, it will beeasier to see the broader range of valuable details, information,andpossibilities.

5.Add vantage points. Do theAddVantage Points exercise fromearlierinthischaptertoseehowmanyattributes—bothpositiveandnegative—youcanassigntopeopleorsituationsatwork.Themore you see, the better, but aim for a 3:1 positive-to-negativeratio. Seeing themultitude of details not only helps you choosethemostvaluablerealitybutalsokeepsyourbrainflexiblesoyoudon’tfeelboxedinbytheexternalworld.

6.Seekdiversevoices.Whenyouarereallysearchingforthemostvaluable reality for a big project at work, or a big decision athome, make sure to run it by at least three people who havediverse vantage points in terms of characteristics such aspersonality,gender,position,orculture.

7.Remind yourself of the power of change.Write down the threegreatestmomentsofchangeinyourlifethathavebroughtyoutobeingthepersonyoulikebeingtoday.Thenputthemupatyourdesk or in a place visible to you (like a bathroom mirror) toremind yourself that you live in a reality where your behaviormattersandthatyouarecapableoflong-termpositivegrowth.

PleasevisitBeforeHappiness.comtowatchavideoabouthowtoputthisresearchintopractice.

mentalcartography

MAPPINGYOURSUCCESSROUTE

AspartofmynavyROTCscholarship,oneoftheveryfirstclassesIwasrequired to takewascalled“WeaponsSystemsandNavigation.”At thetimeIfounditodd.Whywouldtheyrequireincomingfreshmentolearncomplex navigation systems? Now I understand the reasoning behindthis immediate emphasis upon mapping abilities. If you don’t have agoodmapofreality,thereisnochanceofasuccessfulmission.Whether you realize it or not, right nowyour brain is using amap.

Powerful,yetusuallyhidden,mentalmapsarewhatguideyouractionsanytimeyoumakeadecision,faceachallenge,orsetagoal,beitlargeor small. Your mental map is what helps you spot the most usefulopportunities,seizethemostvaluableresources,andchartthebestroutetowardyourgoalsatwork.Butnotallmentalmapsarecreatedequal.Ifthementalmapyouareusinglacks“meaningmarkers,”itisincompleteand inaccurate and can lead you astray. Meaning markers are quitesimplythosethingsinyourlifethatmattertoyou:careeradvancement,anewbusiness,yourkids’admissiontoadesiredschool,betterhealth,your faith, and so on. No matter what goal or challenge you set foryourself, if you want to be able to channel your full range ofintelligencestowardachievingit,yourpersonalmeaningmarkersshouldbepointsonyourmentalpath.Soifyou’recurrentlyfindingyourworkless meaningful, your obstacles less surmountable, or your goals lessattainable,chancesareyouneedtoredrawyourmentalmap.

Truthbe told,we couldall reallyusehelp findingmoremeaning inourlives.InTheHappinessAdvantage,Idefinedhappinessas“thejoywefeelmovingtowardourpotential.”Alackofmeaninginourrealityrobsus not only of that joy but also of our ability to use our multipleintelligencestoincreaseoursuccess.Butaswehaveseen,ahighIQorEQalonewon’thelpusfindmeaningalongourpaths.DuringtheeightyearsIspentcounselingstudentsasaproctorandthenasahousetutorat Harvard, 47.4 percent of students reported experiencing depressionover the previous year. And in the 2003 University Health Servicessurveyof2,250Harvardstudents(asampleincludingafullthirdofallthe undergraduates), 10 percent had contemplated suicide.1 This isabsolutely heartbreaking and horrifying. These kids have such highpotential,butbecausetheyaren’tabletoseeorrememberthemeaningbehind that potential in themidst of competition and stress, they feelhopelessandunabletoreachit.Alifewithoutmeaningmarkersdoesnotseemworthnavigating.Harvardstudentsarenotalone in this.Only29percentofAmericanemployeesreportthattheyarethrivingatwork,andinternationallythisnumberisevensmaller.2Afterall,canweexpecttosucceedatanythingorcreatelastinghappiness,whetheratschooloratwork,whenwearedistractedallthetimebynegativeinformation,whenwetakenojoyinthepositiveresultswedoachieve,whenanymomentswemighttaketoreflect onmeaning are consumedwith e-mails and textmessages andothernoise,andwhenwehavedemandsonourtimethatkeepusfromthe people we care about? And research has conclusively shown thatthosewhofailtofindhighmeaningandengagementatworkarethreetimeslesslikelytohavelifesatisfactionandhappinessoutsidetheoffice.Thisisaviciouscycle,butluckilyit isoneyoucanbreakbyusingtheskillsyou’lllearninthischapter.Thesecondskillofpositivegeniusislearningtousepositivemarkersofmeaninginyourlifetodrawmentalroutestosuccess.Researchshowsthatwhenyourmappedsuccessroutesarebaseduponmeaningmarkers,not only do your stress levels drop dramatically, but productivity canincrease 31 percent, accuracy and completion rates on goals risesignificantly, energy and engagement at work skyrocket, sales ratesimprove,andyouareabletoutilizetheentireprismofsuccessatwork.In fact, research I did at the Institute forAppliedPositiveResearch in

collaboration with our partner Mindshare Technologies demonstratesthat if you reorient your map successfully, you can increase yourlikelihoodofapromotionbynearly40percentand tripleyour ratesofjob and life satisfaction.Whenwe havemeaning, our brains release astorehouseof resources tohelpmakeusmore successful.Mentalmapswithout meaning, on the other hand, lead to apathy, depression,burnout,andultimatelyfailure.That’sbecausesuccesswithoutmeaningishollowandnotworththeeffort.Inmyresearch,I’vefoundthatthereareseveralcommonmistakeswemake,albeitsubconsciously,whendrawingthementalmapsthatguideour daily decisions and actions. Sometimes we haven’t highlightedenough meaning markers and thus can see only a limited number ofroutes to success. Sometimes we’ve highlighted the wrong meaningmarkers and chosen a path studded with negatives, rather than thethings thatwe truly care about.Other timeswe havemapped too fewpaths to success, or mapped the most congested ones, on whichopportunitiesandresourcesarescarcer.Andalltoooften,wemapescaperoutesbeforeweevenbegintolookforpathstosuccess.Whenwearesobusymappingescaperoutesbecauseofstressandfear,theverynegativeoutcomeswemost fearendupbecoming self-fulfillingprophecies.Theresearchonthistopicisstunninglydefinitive:whenweexpecttheworst,we ignore important opportunities, squander valuable resources, andmiss theviable solutions—and thus endupwith thenegativeoutcomewemostfear.Inthischapter,you’lllearnhowtoavoidorreversethesecommonpitfallsanddrawbetterandmoreeffectivementalmaps.On the basis of research I did first at Harvard and then out in thecorporate world, I have isolated three strategies that lead to bettermentalmapmaking.Strategy1:HighlightYourTrueMeaningMarkers.Thebestmentalmapisonewhosepathssteerustowardaccomplishingmeaningfulgoals.But we can’t chart those paths until we’ve identified andmapped thethingsinlifethatmattermosttous.InthissectionI’llshowyouhowtocreate a diversified portfolio of meaning and how to distinguish yourtrue meaning markers from the decoys and hijackers that derail yourpathstosuccess.Strategy 2: Reorient Your Mental Map. Every mental map has afocalpointthatdictateswherethemajorityofyourbrain’sresourceswill

be allocated. In this section I’ll show you how to reorient your maparoundthemeaningmarkersyouidentifiedinstrategy1sothatyoucanharness all your intellectual, cognitive, and social resources to theirfullestpotential.Strategy3:MapSuccessRoutesBeforeEscapeRoutes.What you

focusonbecomesyourreality:ifyouarefocusedonavoidingroutestofailure,youwillcompletelymisstheroadstosuccess.Inthissection,I’llexplain how mapping for success first can dramatically increase thelikelihoodofyourroadleadingthere.As you’ll read in this chapter, orienting your mental map around

meaning iskey tobecomingapositivegeniusbecause itallowsyou tochannelyourfullrangeofintelligencestowardsolvingtheproblemsthatmost frustrate you, upholding the values most dear to you, andachieving the goals youmost care about. I don’t claim thatmasteringthese rules of mental cartography will answer the question of themeaningoflife,butIdopromisetheywillhelpyoucreatealifeofmoremeaning,happiness,andsuccess.

STRATEGY1:HIGHLIGHTYOURTRUEMEANINGMARKERS

One of my proudest moments growing up was also one that got myparents in trouble with the police. Let me preface this by saying mymomanddadwerethemostloving,calm,andpatientparentsonecouldever imagine. I say thatonlybecause this storymightmakeyou thinkotherwise.Myparentsrarelyargued,butonemidsummernightinWaco,Texas,

they had aminor disagreement about theirweekend plans.My seven-year-old self decided this could not stand. So I calmly sat down andwrote the followingransomnote:“ToTheParents,youare fightingallthe time. I’m running away from home. Love, Shawn. P.S. I’m takingAmy”(mysister,whowasfiveatthetime).But a few minutes later, before I had a chance to make my great

escape, I realized my parents had stopped fighting (or maybe hadn’tbeen fighting in the first place), so I tore up the note, threw it inmytrashcan,andwroteanewandslightlymorechippernote: “DearTheParents, I am going on an educational exkurSHAWN [this deliberate

misspellingwasaphrasemyparentswouldusetorefertoatriptomydad’sneurosciencelabatBaylor,orthezoo].Don’tcallthepolice,orIwill not come home. I’m watching you. Love, Shawn. P.S. I’m takingAmy.”ThenIstrategicallyplacedthenotewheretheyweresuretofinditfirstthinginthemorning,andwenttobed.At 4:30 a.m.,my alarm clockwent off. I diligentlywokemy sister,whowashappyenoughtocomplywithmyplan,andsnuckout to thegarage to gather supplies: a SeaWorld fan (it was summer), a Fisher-Price compass with a nonmagnetic needle (rendering it completelyuseless), fishing poles (you’ll see why in a minute), and a French-to-Englishdictionary(justincase).Now, no one expects a seven-year-old to have a spatial map ofadequate range to get him into toomuch trouble.And generally, theyarecorrect.That’swhymanymomslettheirseven-year-oldswalkalonetothebusstopandwhy,whenmostseven-year-oldsrunaway,theyrunaway to their next-door neighbor’s house. But children’s brains arecapableofmuchmore.Thatmorning,AmyandIwalked7.2milesawaytoasecludedportionofLakeWacowheremydadwouldalwaystakeusfishing. (It was also where an unsolved triple homicide had recentlyoccurred. When I recall stories like this, I really cannot wait to havekids!)As Amy and I hiked cheerfully to our beloved fishing spot-turned-crimescene,myparentswokeuppeacefully,hadcoffee,foundthenote,and called the usual suspects (above-mentioned next-door neighbors,grandma, and so forth). Then, getting more and more nervous, theyphoned thepolice—whosaid theycouldn’thelpuntilweweremissingfor twenty-four hours (turns out they say this in real life, not just onLifetime Television). I’m not sure what transpired on the call, butwhateveritwas,momentslaterthepolicedecidedtomakeanexceptiontothispolicy.Thepolicecameimmediately,searchedourhome,andfoundmyfirstnote,tornupinaTransformertrashcan.Aftermeticulouslypiecingthenote back together at the kitchen table, the officer read the noterevealing thatmy parents were “fighting all the time” and that I hadbeen forced to takeAmywithme.They thenbegan to interrogatemyalreadydistraughtmother,whowasnowundersuspicionofabuseandabduction.

Meanwhile, 7.2 miles away, Amy and I were contentedly draggingempty hooks through the water at a fishing hole where my dad hadhelpedme catchmy first and only fish (in case you arewondering, itwasamagnificentthree-inchperch).Thewalktherehadbeenarduous.Inow give runaway tours tomy friends from out of town, and it takesforeverevenbycar.Itwas105degreesbythetimemyfatherfoundusfivehourslaterhidinginthebushesunderadrainagebridge.MyparentshaverequestedthatImentionherethatouronlypunishmentwashavingtofaceasilent,cryingmother.Itworked.Tothisday,AmyandIhaveyettorunawayagain.Althoughwedidnotknowitatthetime,ourabilitytomakethat7.2-

milejourney—seeminglyimpossibleforaseven-andafive-year-old—liesinoneofthemostincrediblecapabilitiesofthehumanbrain.IwasabletofindandgetustothatfishingholebecauseIhadmappedmyrouteonthe basis of a “meaning marker.” In other words, my seven-year-oldbrain had been able to channel all its resources toward reaching ourdestinationbecauseIhadchosenadestinationthatmeantsomuchtomeemotionally,thankstomyearlymemoriesoffishingwithmyfather.AccordingtoalandmarkarticleinNature,ourbrainsstartthisprocess

ofmappingmeaning in theworld as early as eighteenmonths of age,rightaboutwhenwelearntocrawl.3Butasthisstorydemonstrates,theyoungbrainiscapableofusingitsmappingabilityformuchmorethanjustfiguringoutwheretofindone’stoys.Using one of its most primitive functions, my brain had created a

mentalroutetothatfishinghole,muchasaprehistoricgatherer’sbrainwouldcreateamentalroutetoapatchofberrybushes.Unconsciously,every time we drove home from fishing, my brain recorded all thelandmarksandpointsofreferencealongthat7.2-milepath.Sowhenitcame time to run away on my educational “exkurshawn,” I had acompletementalmapatmydisposaltosteermetomydestination.Similarly, in our professional lives, our brains are constantly storing

and recording information that guides us toward our goals. Calledmeaning markers, these mental signposts can be anything that youconsider importantor valuable, anyaspectof life that you feel adeepemotionalconnectionwith.Thesemarkerscouldbesomethingassimpleas feeling that you’ve accomplished something at the end of theworkday.Oritcouldbethesatisfactionofhelpingpeoplesolvecomplex

problems quickly to save them time and money. Or the emotionalconnection of having a beer with a colleague after a long workday.Perhaps themeaningweget fromworkcomes fromtheability tohelpourcommunity,or theopportunity touseanobscure skill.Orperhapsyourmostmeaningfulmarkerhasnothingtodowithworkatall—liketakingtimeouttoreadwithyourchildreneverynight.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatthemarkeris,aslongasitholdstruemeaningforyou.Althoughwerarelythinkaboutit,everygoalwesetforourselvesin

both our personal and our professional lives is based on meaning.Luckily, because we’re wired to channel more of our energy, drive,focus, and emotional and intellectual resources toward the things thatmattermost to us, themore we care about that goal, the greater thechanceofasuccessfuloutcome.It’s impossible to overstate the importance of meaning in our

professional lives. Researchers from Wharton Business Schooldemonstrated that we experience up to three times higher levels ofmotivation,engagement,andproductivitywhenourworkiscenteredonourpositivemeaningmarkers.4What’smore,theyfoundthatemployeeswhodidn’tfindtheirjobsmeaningfulhadhigherstresslevelsandbloodpressure during the workweek than those who were able to mapmeaning at work. And another study found that when people startedfindingworkmeaningful, their chances of getting depressed or feelinghigh anxiety two years later dropped dramatically and that lack ofmeaningmarkerswasoneofthemainpredictorsofdepression.5The good news is you don’t have to be rescuing puppies or saving

orphanstofindmeaninginyourprofessionallife.Infact,meaningislessaboutthespecificjobyouhavethanthepersonalsignificanceyouattachtoit.Inonestudy,YaleUniversityresearcherAmyWrzesniewskifoundthat the difference between individuals who see their occupation as a“job,”a“career,”ora“calling”isbaseduponthemeaningtheyfindintheirwork,ratherthanjobtitleorposition.Forexample,theyfoundthatjanitorsatretirementhomesarejustaslikelyasWallStreetbankerstofindtheirworktobeacalling—aslongasbothcanseehowtheirworkishelpfultoothers,perceivehowtheirstrengthsareneededtodowellatthejob,andde-emphasizethemonetaryrewardforworking.6Thisisbecausemeaningiscreatedbytheindividual,notthejob,whichisgoodnewsbecauseitmeansthatweallhavetheabilityandpowertoimbue

ourprofessionalliveswithmoremeaning.In 1958, the Gallup organization collected data revealing that theaverageageof retirementwaseightyamongmenwho lived toninety-five years old.7 This prompted George Gallup to wonder, What keptthese men working for fifteen full years after the average age ofretirement,which at the timewas sixty-five?Whenhe polled them tofind out, a staggering 93 percent of them responded that they keptworkingbecausetheyfoundtheirworkmeaningful,and86percentsaiditwasbecausetheyfoundtheirworkfun.Yetwhatwasmostinterestingwas that their jobs weren’t exciting or glamorous or even what mostpeoplewouldgenerallyconsiderenjoyable.Thesemenweren’tdirectingblockbuster movies or flying airplanes or hanging out with Playboybunnies. They were working in offices, in supermarkets, inmanufacturing. But because they cared aboutwhat they did, to them,theirjobsweremeaningfulandengagingand,yes,evenfun.Thinkforamomentaboutwhatyoufindmostengagingorfunaboutyouraverageworkday.Arethereaspectsofyourdailyroutinethatyousecretly enjoy, even if others around you find themmundane?What’sthefirstthingthatexcitesyouwhenyouwakeupinthemorning?Nowthink about what attracted you to your current job in the first place.Howdidyouhopeitwouldmakeyoufeel?Whataresomeofthethingsyou hoped to accomplish or achieve? While you’re at it, think aboutwhatyouhopedtoaccomplishorachievebyreadingthisbook.Whataretheskillsyoumostwishtoimprove?Theareasinwhichyoumostwishtoexcel? Ifyoucouldwaveamagicwand,what’s theone thingyou’dchangeabouteitheryourpersonaloryourprofessionallife?Theanswerstoall thesequestionswillhelpyoudrawmentalmapsorientedaroundyourdeepestandtruestsourcesofmeaning.

ASECRETMAPOFHARVARDYARD

The best psychology professor I had at Harvard was Brian Little, anontenured, twitchy-browed, self-professed introvert fromCanadawhosomehow inspired every person in his class to dream of being a greatpsychologistsomeday,regardlessofhowbadhisorhergradewasintheclass. As his teaching fellow in “Personality Psychology,” I often

performed an experiment that revealed a key insight about mentalmapping. The experiment was simple: I simply gave students threeminutestodrawamapofHarvardYardandHarvardSquareonasheetofpaper.(Itissadisticallyfuntoaskperfectioniststudents—whohatetomakeasinglemistake—todraw.JustforfunImayhavealsomentioned,inpassing,thatthestudentswouldbegradedontheiraccuracy.)Though the maps themselves always differed, the result of theexperimentwasalwaysthesame.Consciouslyornot,thestudentalwaysdrewthemostimportantpartofhisorherworldatthephysicalcenterof themap. If the student lovedhangingout inhisdorm,hedrewhisdormatthecenterofthemap.Ifthestudentwasonthefootballteam,hismapprominently featured the fieldand fieldhouseat the center. Ifthe student frequented the same pub every night,well, you can guesswhatbuildingwassmack-dabinthemiddleofhermap.But what was even more fascinating about the students’ maps washowtheydrewtheareasofcampusthatclearlywerenotatthecenteroftheiremotionaluniverse.Forsomeoverachievers,WidenerLibrarywasthebiggestmarkeronthemap;butforthosewhowerelessstudious,thesecond-largest library in the world was minuscule or tellingly absent.Shopsorrestaurantsthatthestudentneverwenttowereeithertinyorleftoffthemapaltogether.Forstudentswhorarelyleftcampus,Boston,justdown the road fromCambridge, didn’t evenmake it on the page.Andtellingly,notasinglestudentdrewanyof the“civilian”housesorapartment buildings around Harvard Square. For them, life was theuniversity,andliterallynothingelse.This isexactlyhowweallmapourmentalworlds: those things thatmattermosttousloomlargestandinthecenter,whereasthethingswecarelessaboutaresmallerandpushedouttotheperiphery,ifincludedat all. Butwhile it’s true thatweareoftenbetter off settingour goalsandchartingourpathsaccordingtothingsthatdoholdmeaningforus,sometimes,likethoseHarvardstudentswhoneversetfootinthelibrary,wefailtoassignmeaningtothingsthatperhapsweshould.Sowhatyoudon’t map can be as important as what you do. Could your map bemissing importantmarkers thatwould help you navigate your path tosuccess?Tryoutthisexperiment:takeoneminuteanddrawapictureofyourworkplace(or,ifyouareastudent,ofyourschool).Didyoudrawonlya

handful of key locations, like your office or the cafeteria? Try now tothinkaboutall theplacesyou leftoff,and itwillbecome immediatelyobviouswhat youvalue andwhat youdon’t. For example,maybeyoudrew your boss’s desk but not the tech department. This map mightserve youwell inmost situations, butwhat if youwereworking on acrucialproject that required technical support?Tobe successful,you’dneedtoredrawyourmentalmaptoincludethatdepartment.Now let’s take this one step further. Take a fewmoreminutes, and

drawamapofyourworld—yourentirereality.Wheredoyougoonadailyorweeklybasis(work,home,thegym,church,etcetera)?Whatdoyoudo,bothpersonallyandprofessionally(meetings,networkingevents,kids’ soccer games, and so on)?Whomdo you see (your spouse, yourboss,youryogainstructor,yourfrienddownthestreet)?Theplacesandpeoplethatloomlargestonyourmaparelikelythosethatholdthemostmeaning. This exercise will be harder than simply mapping yourworkplace,andit’sinevitablethatyourmapwillbemissingsomethingsandprobablyoveremphasizingothers.Butwecan’tdrawnewroutestosuccess until we uncover which things in our lives hold the mostmeaningandwhichmeaningfulthingshavebeenleftunmapped.Ifyou’restillhavingtroublespottingthosehiddenmeaningmarkersin

yourlife,tryanotherexperimentIdesignedin2011forPfizer,inwhichIaskedemployeesandmanagerstothinkaboutthepastyearandthensketcha“happinessgraph,”whichissimplyalinegraphwithtwoaxes:happinessandtime.So,forexample,ifyougotapromotioninJanuaryandthatmadeyouhappy,thatshouldbeahighpointonthegraph.Orif you were miserable in January, but then in early February yourfootball teamwon the Super Bowl, you’d draw a spike on the graph.ThenifinAprilyouhadaseriesofbadthingshappenatwork,includingnotgettingyourexpected raise,you’d likelydrawabigdip.Thenyoulabelthoseeventsthatdictatedhowyoudrewthegraph.Forexample:

Theeventsormarkersyouincludedcanuncoverimportantyethiddennodesofmeaninginyourlife.InthePfizerstudy,someofthemanagers’graphsfluctuatedaroundeventsintheirfamilylife,bothgood(liketheirchild winning a soccer tournament) and bad (like finding out theirteenager had an eating disorder). Others were more oriented aroundworldevents,liketheresultsofanelectionortheresolutionofaconflictinAsia.Forothers,theeventsonthegraphwereentirelyworkrelated.Whateverourindividualgraphslooklike,theyhelpusunderstandwhatparts of our lives our happiness (or conversely, our unhappiness)depends upon. And in doing so, they help us see the areas that areclearly meaningful but that for some reason—whether our busyschedules or misaligned priorities—may not have made it onto ourmentalmaps. For instance, a graphdominatedby family eventsmightreveal that we consider our relationships with our children highlymeaningful, but if we are not currently putting a lot of time andattentionintothoserelationships,that’sasignthosemarkersaremissingfrom our mental maps. Take a minute to reflect on your happinessgraph.WhatdoyoufindmeaningfulthatismissingfromtherealitymapIjusthadyoudraw?Byfindingthesehiddensourcesofmeaning,wecanraiseourlevelsof

engagement,productivity,andefficiencyatwork.Justthinkabouthowmuchfasteryoucouldaccomplishboringtasksorprojectsatworkifyoufound something in them you cared about. When I was in divinityschool, I had to read some really dense and dry texts by dead peoplearguingabout things that I franklycouldn’thavecared lessabout.The

assignmentswouldtakemeforever.But IknewIhadtoreadthem,soeventuallyIlearnedatrick.Iwouldtakethebook,andrightinsidethefrontcoverIwouldwritethreeinterestingthingsIhopedtolearnfromit, or why reading this text was important beyond just my grade.SometimesIwouldhavetodoabitofresearchonlinetofindoutwhythistextwasimportantortoasktheprofessorwhywewerereadingit.WhenIdid,IalwaysdiscoveredthatthesetextsheldalotmoremeaningtomethanI’dinitiallyrealized—itwassimplyaquestionoffindingthemarkersandaddingthemtomymentalmap.Suddenly,notonlydidthereading go much faster, but I understood and retained more of theinformationand,inturn,performedbetteronpapersandexams.

DIVERSIFYYOURMEANINGPORTFOLIO

Themoremarkersweaddtoourmentalmaps,themorepathstosuccessweopenup toourselves.But if all thesenewmarkersare clustered inonecornerofthemap,we’llstilllacksuccessroutesinotherareasofourpersonal or professional lives. If you are finding that your happinessseemstobeentirelydependentupononecornerofyourlife,thatmeansthat you have left too much of your world unmapped. Once, whenconsulting at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, I talked with a financialadvisor who told me that his entire happiness graph revolved aroundeventsinthestockmarket.Ironically,hewasdoingtheoppositeofwhathewouldrecommendtohisclients:hishappinessportfoliowasnottheleastbitdiversified.Justasamorediversifiedportfolioofstocksismorelikelytosucceedinthestockmarket,themorediversifiedyourportfolioof meaning, the better your chances of creating long-term success inyourcareerandyourlife.Diversifying your meaning marker portfolio begins with identifying

theareaorareasoflifethatarecurrentlydominatingyourrealitymap.Forexample,thatfinancialadvisor’smeaningmarkerswerecompletelyclusteredintheareaofwork.Sohebegancreatingmeaningmarkersinhissociallife.Heplannedoutingswithhiscollegebuddies.Heaskedafewwomenoutondates.Andhefoundthatwhenhehadaneventwithhis friends to look forward to, and his happiness was not solelydependentuponstocktickers,hewasbetterabletoharnessthefullsuite

ofhisintelligencestobemorepositiveandeffectiveatwork.Nowgobacktothemapofyourrealitythatyoudrewafewmoments

ago, and try segmenting it into sections representingdifferent areas inyour life, likework, family, health,money, and so on.Which sectionsaremostcrowded?Whichlooklikeghosttowns?Areanyareasofyourlifecompletelyempty,orabsentfromthemap?Ifso,howcanyouaddthem?Remember,themorediverseyourmarkers, themoreroutesyouwillhavetosteeryoutoyourgoals.

WATCHOUT!MAPHIJACKERS

Sometimes, however, our mental maps can become corrupted byhijackers,whicharenegativeattitudesinourlivesthatlowerouroveralllevels of happiness and derail our paths to success. Often cleverlydisguised as meaning markers, map hijackers can skew our reality,ratherthanimproveit.Ifyouarecurrentlyfeelingfrustratedwithpeopleatyourjob,havingtroublemakingprogressinyourcareer,orfailingtoachieve your goals or benchmarks atwork, it’s probably because yourmapisbeinghijacked.Let’ssayyou’vedeterminedthatadvancinginyourcareeristhemost

important meaning marker for you. Now ask yourself: Why is thatmeaningful?Whatarethepositiveeffects ithasonyour life?Maybeitallowsyoutoachievemoreofyourpotentialasaleader.Maybeitoffersmore opportunities to make a difference in the world. Maybe theaccompanyingbumpinsalarywilllowerthelevelsofstressathome.Allof these answers would indicate that career advancement is a validmarker. But if you find you can’t answer that question or,worse, canthinkonlyof itsnegative effects—for instance, thatyouareworking sohardtogetpromotedthatyouarestressedandgrumpywhenyoucomehome—youareprobablygoinghead-to-headwithamaphijacker.Anditshould go without saying that if the desire for career advancement isleadingtounethicalactsatwork,likebackstabbing,cheating,ortearingdownothers,itismostcertainlyamaphijacker.Map hijackers are very commonly found in the health area of your

map.Let’ssayyouwanttoloseweight.Nowaskyourselfwhyyouwantto lose weight and what effects you expect weight loss would have.

WhenIdothisexerciseinmytalks,peopleoftenreplythatit’ssotheycanstart likingthemselvesagain.Thatmeaningmarker isnoteffective(asIprovedinTheHappinessAdvantage) ingettingyoutochangeyourhabits.Infact,ithijacksthoseeffortsbecauseit’sgroundedinanegativereality:youdonotcurrently likeyourself.Ananswer indicatinga truemeaningmarkerwouldbethatyouwant to live longer,setahealthierexampleforyourchildren,orhavetheenergytodootheractivitiesthataremeaningful, like goon that bike ride through the southof France.Map hijackers don’t only derail your progress, they sap your life ofmeaningandhappiness.Sohowdowegoabout spotting these sneakyhijackersandbanishingthemfromourmentalmaps?A few years ago, a friend, who happened to work for the attorney

generalofNewYork,gavemeabirthdaypresent that Ididn’t initiallywant:DVDsoftheHBOseriesTheWire.Hetoldmethatitwasallaboutthe drug trade in Baltimore and that I would personally find a lot ofmeaninginit.Igotnervous.WhydidsomeoneworkingfortheattorneygeneralthinkIwouldcaresomuchaboutdrugs?In any case, I waited to watch it until I was sick and stuck on the

couch with nothing else to do. And to my surprise, The Wire wasamazing.Itcombinesthepowerofincrediblestorytellingandmeticulousresearch to bring the pulse of an entire city—from drug dealers topoliticianstoeducatorstothemedia—tolife.Notonlydid Iquickly realizewhatagreat show I’dbeenmissing, I

also realized why my friend thought I would find it particularlymeaningful.One of the plotlineswas connected to somenew researchabout how we map our mental worlds. In real-life Baltimore, KenziePrestonandDavidEpsteinfromtheNationalInstituteonDrugAbuseatJohns Hopkins University, along with biostatistician Ian Craig, wereattemptingtocreateascientificversionofwhatthepoliceweredoingonThe Wire: tracking heroin addicts in Baltimore. Their goal wasn’t tobreakupapowerfulorganizedcrimeringbutrather tomake the first-evercomputermodelofthementalmapofanaddict.Iftheycouldmapthe mind of the typical addict, they reasoned, they could help theseaddicts findmeaningmarkers thatcouldhelp themavoid thehijackersthat were keeping them stuck in negative, self-destructive patterns ofcrimeandaddiction.So theydid something ratherunprecedented: theygavedrugaddicts

PDAswithGPSsystemssotheycouldtrackandrecordexactlywheretheaddictsroamedeverydayoverthecourseofayear.8Inandofitselfthatwas fairlyuseless information (unlessyouwere trying todecidewhereyou did notwant to buy a house) until Ian Craig stepped in. Craig, anative to Baltimore, had previously used census data to map the cityaccordingtometricslikeincomeandrace.Thenheaugmentedthismapusing information compiled by Debra Furr-Holden at Johns Hopkins,whohadpreviouslysentteamstowalkthecityandtoscorecityblocksonthebasisofthenumbersofbrokenwindows,shellcasings,incidentsof public drunkenness, unsupervised children, street memorials forrecentkillings,etcetera.Theresultofthesethreeoverlaidmapsprovidedawindowintohowcertainmarkersinanenvironmentmiredaddictsinnegativepatternsorpaths. It revealed what physical routes those addicts who broke freefrom the drugs took—what streets, neighborhoods, shops, and so on—andwhatenvironmental triggers led them(tragically) rightback.Doesseeingspenthandgunshellcasingsand“deadsoldiers”(useddrugvialsleft on the street) remind an addict that the world is negative so hemight as well shoot up? Does walking past a clinic or a clean blockremind recoveringusers that there is hope?Thesedata answered suchquestionsandmore,allowingtheresearcherstoliterallyseewhichroadsled to triumphoveraddictionandwhichpaths led toviolence, failure,anddespair.Thismethodologyiscalledecologicalmomentaryassessment,orEMA.And IbelieveEMAcouldonedayhavehuge implicationsnotonly fordrugaddictsbutforworkaholics,pessimists,procrastinators,andanyoneelse stuck inanegativeordestructive reality inhisorherpersonalorprofessionallife.Justascertainenvironmentaltriggershijackedthoseaddicts’attemptstoavoidcrimeorgetsober,socancertaintriggershijackourbesteffortsatwork.Forexample,IspokewithananalystfromTDAmeritradeataconferenceinVegaswhohadbeentryingtowriteabookaboutfinancialinvesting.Theproblemwas,everytimehenoticedthatthestockmarketwas down, he found himself unable to concentrate on writing. Hispatternwentsomethinglikethis:hewouldgoonline,seetheDowJoneswasdown, thengoonCNN to getmore information,which led tohissurfingtheWebtogethismindoffit,whichledhimtoe-mail,wherehe

got absorbed until he realized he wasn’t working… which frustratedhim, causing him to eat junk food. I have followed a similar pattern:when I got frustrated writing, I would start unconsciously surfing theWeb; then, torelievemyfrustrationovernotworking, IwouldendupplayingchessonmyiPhoneuntilIwon—whichtookforever,frustratingme more. In truth, this behavior is not unlike that of the BaltimoreheroinaddictsthattheJohnsHopkinsstudyobserved.Onesingletriggerthrewtheirentiredayoffcourse.The only way to banish these kinds of hijackers is to replace themwith meaning markers. In the example of the analyst, it would meanperhapsreplacinghismorninghabitofcheckingthestateofthemarketswithanother,moremeaningfulhabit, like e-mailing a friendor familymember or reading his favorite blog. By starting the day with thepositive, he would become more motivated and energized about hiswritingandlesspronetoprocrastination.Anothercommonhijackeratworkisanegativebosswhotriestodriveproductivitythroughintimidationandfear.InTheHappinessAdvantageIdescribedtwopartsofthebrainIcalledtheJerkandtheThinker.TheJerkistheamygdala,themostprimitivepartofthehumanbrain,whichresponds to threats. The Thinker is the prefrontal cortex, which helpsyou make good decisions. Fear is a map hijacker because when youactivatetheJerk,youshutofftheThinkerandthuswasteyourvaluableandfinitebrainresourcesonavoidingandfleeingfromthatfearinsteadofpursuingyourgoals.Soinsteadoflettingyourselfbeinfectedwiththeboss’snegativity,youshouldactivelylookforanelementofmeaningintheworkthebosshasassigned.ThiswillshutofftheJerkandallowtheThinker to channel your brain’s full suite of intelligences towardaccomplishingthatgoalortask.One of my personal hijackers when I’m writing is worrying aboutnegative reviews. To combat this, I started putting positive reviews orcomments I got about by my first book into a folder in Gmail. Now,beforestartingtowriteeachmorning,Ipopintothatfoldertoreadoneof those meaningful e-mails. This reminds my brain why I’m writing,givingmethedriveandconfidencetomoveahead.IthasworkedsowellthatInowhavenotesallaroundmyofficefrompeoplewhohaveusedmyresearchto improvetheir lives.SowhenI lookaroundmyoffice, Iliterally see meaning everywhere. If you have a difficult project to

accomplish, I highly recommend stacking the odds in your favor bysurroundingyourselfwithsimilarreminders.Environmentaltriggerscanhijackourmentalmapsoutsidetheofficeaswell.Oneexamplemightbeeatingoutat a favorite restaurant.Formostofus,eatingoutisameaningmarkerbecauseweassociateitwithgoodfood,goodcompany,andbeingsocial.Theproblemis,eatingoutmayalsomeanunhealthyeatinganddrinking.Onestrategytoavoidthiskindofhijackermightbe tohavepeopleover foradinnerpartyor tomeetwith friends to play basketball instead of having pizza and beer.Thatwayyoubanish theunhealthyhijackerswhile stillpreserving themeaning.What are yourmental hijackers at home and atwork? If you’re notsure,takejusttwominutestowritedownfivetriggersthatconsistentlylead to counterproductive or destructive behavior. Are there certainpeopleintheofficewhosapyourdriveandproductivity?Certainfriendswhoexertanegativeinfluence?Certainplaceswhereyou’relikelytoletgood habits slip? Are there activities that tend to bring down yourhappiness or distract you from your goal? Only once you knowwhatyourhijackersarecanyoureplacethemandchartfasterandmoredirectroutestothatpromotion,orthatsalesgoal,orthatidealweight.Thischapterisallaboutlearningtoconstructameaning-filledrealitymap that harnesses your full suite of intelligences and motivates youtowardcontinualpositivegrowth.Butidentifyingmeaningmarkersandbanishing hijackers is only the first step. Now let’s find out how toamplify the effect of meaning markers by better orienting your maparoundthem.

STRATEGY2:REORIENTYOURMAPFORSUCCESS

Meaningmarkersarewhatpointusinthedirectionofopportunityandpossibility,steerustowardastateofpositivityandfullengagement,andhighlight crucial intellectual, emotional, and social resources. If youhave created a map full of meaning but are still having troubleharnessingyour intelligences towardachievingyourgoals atwork, it’sprobablybecauseyourmentalmapisnotproperlyorientedaroundthosepoints of meaning. To demonstrate the importance of orientation, I

sometimesshowinmylecturesasimplephysicalmap:

WhenI showthis toexecutives, theyusuallysay,“Got it,anupside-downworldmap.”Whichmeansthattheydidn’t“getit.”Intruth,thereis nothing “upside-down” about thismap.Think about it: theworld isround!Thatmeansthere isno“up”onthemapoftheworldanymorethan there is an up and a down on a soccer ball or baseball. Yethundreds of years ago cartographers fromEuropedecided thatMadridwas above Rio de Janeiro and that Australia should be way “downunder.” From then on, we have always looked at the world from thesamefixedviewpoint.IhaveevenhadtechniciansduringAVcheckstellmethattheyfixedmyslidesbecauseoneofthemwasupsidedown!Justasthefloorisnotalwaysdownonasubmarine(asIlearnedthehardway),thereisnoreasonatallwhyEuropeshouldhavetobenorthand Africa south. While, of course, our standard map is accurate, itmasks the fact that there are other equally accurateways tomap theworld.So the problem isn’t that my map is an “upside-down” map; theproblemisourbrains’difficultyinseeingitfromanyotherorientation.As cognitive psychologists Amy Sheldon from Stanford and TimothyMcNamara from Vanderbilt aptly point out, the brain is unable toperceive location if it isnotorientedtosomesortof familiarreferencepoint.9Asaresult,ourbrainsassignfixedorientationstoobjectsintheuniverse when those orientations should remain flexible. This is aproblembecause themore flexible and adaptive ourmentalmaps, the

morepathstosuccesswecanfindinourexternalworld.HaveyoueverwatchedsomeoneusingGoogleMapsonaniPhoneturnthephoneonitssidetobetterseewhetherheneedstoturnleftorright?Inessencethatpersonisorientingaroundthedifferentreferencepoints.Similarly,whenitcomes tomentalmapping,keepingourorientation flexibleallowsustoseedifferentapproaches,solutions,andresourceswemightotherwisehave missed. The orientation of our maps can dramatically changedependingonwhetherweseeapositiveoranegativereality,andthusitcanhaveahugeimpactonourabilitytoharnessourpositivegeniusatwork.If yourmap atwork is oriented around discouragement and lack of

control,thenallyou’llseeisonebigoceanoffailures,ratherthanalltheresourcesandroutestosuccess.But ifyouorientyourmaparoundthepositives, thenyoucanseehowall theopportunitiesandresourcesareconnected,andyoucanbegintochartapatharoundthem.Whatifyoucouldreorientyourmentalmaptodepictaworldfullof

opportunities, meaning, and, most of all, happiness? Exciting newresearchcomingoutofpositivepsychologylabsalloverthecountrytellsusthatthequestionisnolonger“whatif”but“how.”

FROMDISORIENTEDTOENGAGED

You’vealready taken the first step inchangingyourmap’sorientation:identifyingyourmeaningmarkers.Ifgettingapromotionatworkisthegoal you want to map toward, and you’ve identifiedwhy this goal ismeaningfultoyou,nextyou’llneedtoorientyourmaptofindthebestandfastestwaytogettothatendresult.First, I suggest doing a few exercises to train your brain to more

naturally shift toward a positive orientation. Try using some of thepositive habits I outlined in the Happiness Advantage lecture for PBS:practicewritingdown threenew things forwhich you are grateful fortwenty-one days in a row, or journaling for two minutes once a dayabout the most meaningful experience of your day, or writing a two-minutepositivee-mail tosomeoneinyoursocialsupportnetwork.Thethingsyouwritedownmightnotbedirectlyrelatedtothegoalathand,andthat’sokay,because,asIdescribedinthePBSprogram,thesimple

actofwritingdownthesemeaningmarkersliterallyrewiresthebraintomore quickly perceive a positive orientation of the world, while alsokeeping your brain flexible, nimble, and adaptive. For more positivehabits,checkoutMartinSeligman’sLearnedOptimismorgotoHappinessAdvantage.com.Now think about something you want to accomplish in your

professional life, whether it’s starting your own business, getting thecorneroffice,or leadingyour team in sales.Takeouta sheetofpaperandwritedownalltheresourcesyoucurrentlyhavethatcanbeusedtogetyoutowardthatgoal.ByresourcesIdon’tjustmeanmoney.Imeanintellectual,emotional,andsocialresources—likeyourleadershipskillsor your ability to stay calm under pressure or your good relationshipwithsomeoneinthecorporateoffice.Thiswillhelpyoushifttoamorepositiveorientationbyforcingyourbraintofocusonallthereasonswhyyou are likely to get the promotion, rather than to waste its finiteresourcesworryingaboutreasonsyoumightnot.Here’s another technique for reorienting your map around the

positives: literally folding up your mental map. Why is this useful?Becauseitcanhelpyouseea(true)realityinwhichyourgoalsaremuchcloser than theyoriginally appeared so that you can chart shorter andmoredirectroutestogetyouthere.AgoodwaytovisualizethisisthefamousDymaxionmap:

Lookwhatwe can do to theworld by literally carving up themap.Noticehowmanynewrealitiesemergewhenwefreeourselvesfromthe

rigidandarbitraryrectangularframework.Seehowoceansaresuddenlyless wide, and continents suddenly closer together, on this (equallyaccurate)versionoftheworldmap.Similarly,foldingyourmentalmapatworkcanhelpyouseeyourdestinationsascloserandyourchallengesas lessvast.But remember,wewant to create themostadaptivemap.Let’srevisetheDymaxionmapagain,thistimesearchingforconnectedwatersources.

I love thesemapsbecause they areoppositebutboth accurate; theyjustuseadifferentlensorfocalpointtoportraythesameinformation.TheDymaxionmapmaylookweirdtothe inflexiblebrain,but it isanaccurateportrayal,onethatletsyouseehowcontinentsandoceansareconnectedindifferentways.JustflexandinvertaDymaxionmap,andyouendupwithanequallyvalidviewoftheworld.Allthatdiffersistheorientation.Thenewperspectivecausedbyachangeinfocalpointcanyieldamuchmorehelpfulmappingofreality.Keeping your map flexible in this way not only helps you see new

routestoyourendgamebutalsoallowsyoutochangeyour focalpoint,ororientation.JustastheabovemapcouldbereorientedsothatEuropeorGreenlandorthePacificOceanlieinthecenter,socanyoureorientyourmentalmaptocenterontheareaofyour lifeorworkwhereyouwant to focus.Do youwantmore social connection atwork?Are youaiming to raise your revenues? Improve your writing skills? You canmake any of these your focal point simply by reorienting yourconventionalmap.

Remember,themostvaluablerealitiesarethosethatarebothpositiveandtrue.

ORIENTINGYOURMAPAROUNDOTHERS

Researchhas found that altruism is oneof the greatest buffers againstdepression.10 Doing something for someone else raises our levels ofhope,joy,andhappiness—and,inturn,oursuccessrates.Toreapthesebenefits, wemust shift the focus off ourselves and onto others. Thinkaboutit.Whenyouaremostnegative—whenyouarefeelingdepressed,whenyouare frustratedabouthowbadyourdayhasbeen,whenyouare feeling inferiorcomparedtoyourpeers—that’swhenyourworld ismost contracted. Your entire world is you. You’re so zoomed in onyourself,you’renotevenatstreetlevel,youareatthe“onlyyou”level.It ishardtoseepossibilitiesandopportunities,muchlesswaystohelpothers,whenallyoucanseeisyourself.Puttingothersatthecenterofyourmap isn’t just about altruism, it’s about expandingyourworld soyoucanseemoreroutestoyourdestinations.Giventhatyou’retheonedrawingyourmentalmaps,itmakessense

that you are usually in the center. But when we become too laserfocused on the self, our brains waste a good deal of valuable energy,attention,andintellectualandemotionalresourcesthatwouldbebetterspentelsewhere.Acommonexampleof this iswhathappenswhenwemakea fauxpasatwork.Once,when Iwasout speakingatanAdobeCEOretreatinCalifornia,towardtheendofmytalk,ampeduponthreehours of coffee, I was pacing back and forth on the stage andaccidentallykickedthetableleg,spillingacascadeofwaterandcoffeeoffthestageandontotheCEOs’table.Mortified,Iimmediatelylostmyconcentrationandfocusandcompletelyfumbledthroughtherestofmypresentation.Iwassurethatmylittleaccidentwasallthatpeopleweregoingtorememberfromthattalk.ButwhenIreturnedsixmonthslaterandmentionedhowIhadknockedanentiretableofwaterpitchersontotheCEOs’table,hardlyanyonerememberedwhatIwastalkingabout.Ithenrealizedthatnooneintheroomhadbeenpayingattentiontothatincident.My embarrassmentbarely registeredon theirmentalmaps atall,astheywerefully,andrightfully,focusedonhowtousetheresearch

withtheirteamsorfamilies.In his book Finding Flow, the famous psychologist Mihaly

Csikszentmihalyiwrote, “TheEskimo, thehunterof theAmazonbasin,theChinese,theNavajo,theAustralianAborigine,theNewYorker—allhave taken for granted that they live at the center of the universe.”11Thisistrueformentalmaps,too;ourbrainsconstructourworldaroundthe “blue dot” of us. But if we can actively expand or shift the focalpoint of ourmaps to include our colleagues and our families and ourcommunities, we suddenly unlock more of our brains’ resources andopenupamuchbroaderrangeofpossibilities.Therearetwoeasywaystodothis.First,weneedtochangehowwejudgepeople.Oneofthefirstthings

students learn in “Introduction to Social Psychology” courses is theconcept of fundamental attribution error (FAE), which is the humantendency to judge our own behavior based on context but to attributeothers’behaviortotheircharacter.Forinstance, ifyoucutsomeoneoffwhiledriving,youmightthink:“Well,that’sbecauseIwasrunninglateto work because there was traffic.” But if someone cuts you off, youthink, “What an inconsiderate jerk!He’swilling to risk someone else’slife to save two seconds.” This phenomenon happens all the time atwork.Someonedoesn’texecuteaprojectperfectly,andyoudecidehe’slazyorincompetent.However,ifyoumakeasimilarerror,youchalkituptohowtiredyouwerethatday(probablybecauseofyourjerkboss),orhowyouweregivenincompleteinstructions.Inbothcases,youhavedecided that others’ behavior explains what they must have beenthinking, whereas you use your thinking to explain away your ownbehavior.Weneedtogiveothersthesamebenefitofthedoubtthatwegive ourselves. Not doing so is a counterproductive error that resultsfrom putting ourselves at the center of our maps. But by consciouslychoosingtoreorientourmapssothatwetrytoexplainothers’behavioron the basis of context rather than character, we can slowly begin toexpandthebordersofourmentaluniverse.Thischangeoffocuscanyieldhugereturnsintheworkplace,making

usbettermarketers,salespeople,andmanagers.JordanBrock,oneofthetopsalesmenatDell,oncetoldmethatbecausenovicesalespeopleareconstantly worrying about what clients and customers are thinkingaboutthem,theytendtotalkincessantlytoovercompensate.Thiscanbe

very off-putting to potential clients and customers. But expertsalespeople, he said, seem farmore confident and self-assuredbecausethey’ve realized clients aren’t scrutinizing their every word—they arewaytoobusythinkingabouttheirownrealitytobeanalyzingthefoiblesofthesalesperson.Anotherway to reorientyourmaparoundothers is towork tooffer

social support, rather thanmerely to receive it.When scientists try toassess levels of “social support” (the depth and breadth of your socialrelationships),theytendtolookathowmuchsupportyouarereceiving,nothowmuchyouaregiving.Thisisamistake.It’struethattheperceivedsocialsupportwereceiveisoneofthebest

predictorswehaveforjobsatisfactionandengagement(whichcorrelatedirectly with productivity).12 So you would think the best way to bemore connected and therefore more productive would be to receivemoresocialsupportfromothersatwork,right?Turnsout,notexactly.Someof thegreatestdiscoveries inpsychologyarisewhenwedecide

to ask questions in a different way. Social connection is my favoriteresearch topic, but I recently realized that until earlier last year I hadbeen looking at it all wrong. On the basis of a study I performed on1,600 Harvard students in 2007, I had discovered an 0.7 correlationbetweenperceivedsocialsupportandhappiness.(Thatnumbermaynotsoundhigh,butitis.Infact,itissignificantlyhigherthantheconnectionbetweensmokingandcancer.)AndthemoremycolleaguesandIstudiedsocial support, the more we found it to be crucial to every singlebusiness and educational outcome.13 Studies even show that socialsupport affects your health and high levels have been found to be aspredictive of longevity as regular exercise, while low levels are asdamaging as high blood pressure. We put warning labels on smokingpacks;maybeweshouldputwarningsoncompaniesthathavelowsocialsupport.Sincesocialsupportwasclearlycrucialtohappinessandproductivity,

my team and I, including Dr. Max Weisbuch, from the University ofDenver,setouttofindawaytomeasuretheamountofsupportpeoplehad in their lives.We startedwith thekindofquestions scientistshadbeen asking for the past twenty years: “Are you receiving meaningfulconnection and support in times of trial from your friends? Are youreceiving supportandabelief thatyouhaveahighpotential fromyour

parents? Are you receiving a congenial and supportive environment atwork? Are you receiving the benefits of social engagement from yourmanagersatwork?”Seeacommonpatternhere?Thepast twodecades of research on social support havemistakenly

focusedonhowmuchyou receive, not howmuchyouprovide. It turnsout that giving feels better, does more for you, and provides greaterreturns in the longrun thangettingsupportdoes.Wehadbeenaskingthewrongquestion.Webegantolooknotathowmuchyourcolleagueswerehelpingyou

butathowmuchyouwerehelpingyourcolleagues.Soweaskedpeopleabouthowmuch effort theyput into theirwork relationships,whetherby, say, inviting coworkers out for drinks or commenting on theirFacebookpostsor taking the initiative toget toknowthembetter.Wedidn’t ask how much support their parents were providing them, buthowmuchloveandencouragementtheyweregivingtheirparents.Welooked not atwhether their friendswere there for them, butwhethertheyweretherefortheirfriends.The findingswereextraordinary.After surveyingover threehundred

research participants from various occupations, we identified severaldistinct types of social support providers, including “work altruists”(who provided the most social support at work) and “work isolators”(who provided the least). Here’s where it gets interesting. When welookedat thecorrelationwithworkengagement,wefoundthatonly5percentofworkisolatorswereextremelyengagedintheirjobsandthatworkaltruistsweretentimesmorelikelytobehighlyengagedthanworkisolators. What’s more, over half of the work altruists got along“extremelywell”withcoworkers,ascomparedtoonlyabout20percentof isolators.Workaltruistswere twiceas likelyaswork isolators tobesatisfiedwiththeirjobs,andalmosttwo-thirdsofworkaltruistsreportedexcellentrelationswithsupervisors.Most important, though, was the impact that the giving of social

supporthadontheirsuccessrates:only7percentofisolatorshadreceivedapromotion in thepreviousyear,compared toabout40percentofeachoftheothergroups.Theconclusionwasclear.Ifyou’renotgivingatwork,you’renotgettingaheadeither.Ibelievethisfindingiscriticaltoourunderstandingofpositivegenius.

In an era of doing more with less, we need to stop wasting mental

energy lamenting how little social support we receive from managers,coworkers,andfriends,andinsteadchannelourbrains’resourcestowardgivingmoresocial support.14 InTheHappinessAdvantage, Iwroteabouthowoneof thegreatestpredictorsof successandhappinessatwork issocial support. We now know that one of the greatest predictors ofpositivegeniusisprovidingsocialsupporttoothers.Allittakesisconsciouslyrememberingthatweneedtoincludeothers

inourreality.Remember, the reality you experience at work and at home is a

constellationofmeaningfulfactsthatyourbrainhaswrappedtogether.Findingmeaning in the social supportwe give to others is one of thebestwaystoharnessourcognitiveresourcesandintelligencestobecomemoreengaged,motivated,productive,andsuccessfulinourprofessionalandpersonallives.As St. Francis ofAssisi in the thirteenth century said it best, “Grant

that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to beunderstoodas tounderstand; tobe lovedas to love.For it is ingivingthatwereceive.”15

STRATEGY3:MAPSUCCESSROUTESBEFOREESCAPEROUTES

In the summer of 2011, I walked into a nondescript building in SanAntonio,Texas, toconductwhat I thoughtwouldbearoutinewebinaron happiness for the IRS. I was ushered into the building and into aroomwhere I would be doing the webinar from a government-issuedlaptop.Thenthetwoverykindwomeninchargesatmedowntoexplainwhat apparentlywas theonly important thing to knowbefore I beganmywebinar:wherethefireescaperoutes inthebuildingwerelocated.I’m serious.Not justone fire escape route either.They felt that itwastheir professional responsibility to inform me about multiple escaperoutes.Really,howbadlydidtheIRSexpectmytalktogo?Ofcourse,literalescaperoutesareimportantincaseofanactualfire.

Butofteninourprofessionalliveswegetsofocusedonmappingmentalescape routes that our brains are left with little energy for mappingpaths that lead togrowth.Forexample,everybitofmentalenergywe

spend thinking about what we’ll do if our big presentation tanks isenergy thatcouldbespent reviewingourslides,perfectingourspeech,or rehearsing our notes. Similarly, every minute we spend trying tofigureouthowwe’ll fundournewbusiness if theventurecapitaldriesout is time we could spend meeting with investors, drumming upresources, or reinvesting our existing capital. And this principle holdstrueforvirtuallyanychallengeinanyjobandindustry.It isamazinghowmuchofourbrainresources is spentonfindingescape

routes away from situations or environmentswhere success is still possible.That’swhy,ifwespendtoomuchtimeandenergymappingescapefromthenegatives inour lives, rather thanmovement toward thepositives,wedramatically lowerourchancesof findingopportunities.Given thatourbrainhasalimitedamountofresources,whatwedecidetomapfirsthasthegreatestchanceofbecomingourreality.In a Harvard Business Review article entitled “The Happiness

Dividend,” Idescribedresearchabouthow75percentof jobsuccess ispredicted by three things (aside from intelligence): belief that yourbehavior matters, social support, and the ability to view stress as achallenge insteadofa threat.16 Ifyouviewstressasa threat,yourbrainwillbecontinually looking forescape routes,andyouwillmiss seeingthose signs and seizing those resources that could help you succeed. Ihave seen countless people at countless companies fall into this trap.Afterthe2008bankingcollapse,forexample,managingdirectorsattheworld’s top banks told me that their teams’ performance had taken anosedivebecauseemployeeswerespendinginordinateamountsoftimethinkingaboutwhethertheyshouldfleethefirm,orwhatjobprospectsandcompensationpackageswouldbelikeelsewhere,insteadoffocusingonwhattheycoulddotoimprovetheirsituationswheretheywere.Justthinkabout all theways this tendencyunderminesus inour everydaylives.Howoftenhaveyou spentmore time thinkingabouthow togetoutofaphonecallorlunchdatethanitwouldhavetakentojustdothecallorhavethelunch?IoncespokewithaCFOfromHolland,Michigan(theclogcapitalof

America),whotoldme,“Ican’tbehappyunlessI’vethoughtthroughallthethingsthatcangowrong,becausethenandonlythendoIknowthatIampreparedforanyeventuality.”Butinmappingonlyforescape,hewasn’t ready for every eventuality, only for failure.When I asked him

how much time he spent preparing for success, the CFO lookedthoughtfullydownathis shoes (sadlynotclogs)and said, “Huh, that’sfunny,becauseourproblemin2007wasthatdemandfor[theirproduct]way outstripped our ability to produce them.”His company had beenprepared for every eventuality—except that their product would besuccessful.Pessimists assume that imagining worst-case scenarios will helpprotectthemincaseofproblems.Butintruth,themoretimewespendimaginingwhatmightgowrong,thelesstimeandresourcesourbrainshave to spendplanning for things togo right.WhenIworkedwiththeNationalAssociationof SafetyProfessionals, oneof themembers cameup to me after an event and told me, “I have trouble having fun atdinnerwithfriendsbecauseI’mconstantlyscanningforhowthebeamsaboveuslookshoddyorwhetherthefireexitsaretoofarfrommytableif therewas an explosion in the kitchen.”But how couldhe expect toaccomplishanythingatworkifhismindwassoconstantlyconsumedbyworst-casescenariosthathecouldn’tevenenjoydinnerwithfriends?LikeusingaworldmapwhereEuropeisalwaysontop,usingamentalmap thatalwayspoints toescape limits theopportunities,possibilities,and resources you can perceive. Worse, if all we map are routes tofailure,we’ll inevitablyendupstuckonthoseroutes.Thenthat failurewillbecomeourreality,confirmingourveryworstfearsandleadingtomore hopelessness and pessimism. For example, a negative employeemayconstructarealityinwhichpeopleareconstantlycriticizingherornevergivingherherdue.Whenfactsemergethatfitintothisorientation(sinceshehasn’tmappedforanyother),shemayfeelvalidated,thinkingher prediction came true. In actuality, though, there exist alternaterealitiesthatareequallytrue;shejusthasn’tmappedthem.Individualswithanegativemindsetkeepflippingtheirorientationoftheworlduntilit justifies their pessimism. A positive genius avoids falling into thisviciouscyclebylookingforpathstosuccessbeforeescaperoutes.Once when I was out speaking at Google in Palo Alto, one of themanagersdescribedsomeoneathispreviouscompanywhokept tellingeveryoneabouthowheexpectedtogetpassedupagainforapromotion.Thedejectedemployeewouldsay,“Oh,I’llprobablyjustgetpassedupagain.That’swhatalwayshappens.”Then,whenthemanagerdidn’tgivehim the promotion (and who could blame him!), the employee went

around spreadingevenmorenegativity to the teambygriping, “See, ItoldyouIwouldnevergetthatpromotion.”Themanagertoldmepoint-blank that while the employee had had the technical skills and theintelligence, he didn’t get the job because he didn’t have a vision forsuccess. The manager said, “That guy was affecting the team’sperformanceaton,justinthewrongdirection.HowcouldItrusthimtolead a team to success when he didn’t even trust his own chances ofsuccess?”Defensive pessimism, or assuming the worst until you are provenwrong,seemslikeaverysafepositionatwork.Thatway,youareneversurprised by negative events and even have a plan ready in case theyhappen. Sounds safe, right? The problem is, your brain constructs aworldbaseduponhowyouexpect it to look.Soifyoucan’tanticipateaccomplishment,meaning, praise, and gratitude, you are doomed to areality devoid of those things. Remember, you have to live in yourreality,sowhyconstructitwithnegativeexpectations?Oneofthebiggestdiscoveriescomingoutofpositivepsychologyistherevelation that negative people literally see a narrower range ofopportunities and possibilities. In her book Positivity, BarbaraFredrickson writes about her research showing that when a brain isnegative, it operates in fight-or-flight mode. But when your brain ispositive, it can use its full range of intellectual, social, and emotionalresourcesto“broadenandbuild”andfindnewwaysofseeinganddoingthings. This finding was later confirmed by researchers at BrandeisUniversity. They used an eye-tracking machine to literally track andrecordeverythingoureyes,andthusourbrains,arefocusingupon.Theyfoundthatwhenpeoplewereinanegativemindset,theirattentionwasfocusedmostlyonwhatwasinthecenterofthecomputerscreen.Whenpeoplewithamorepositiveorientationlookedatthatscreen,however,theirrangeofvisionexpandedtoincludetheentirepicture,ratherthanjust one or two pieces of information in the center.17 Thus a positiveemployeeismorelikelytoperceiveavenuesforjobadvancementinhiscompany,apositiveentrepreneurisabletoseemoreopennichesinthemarketplace, a positive student is able to see more fellowships orscholarshipstoapplyfor,apositiveathletewillseemoreplayerstopasstoonthefield,andsoon.Whichkindofmaphaveyoucreatedforyourself?Doesitlookmore

likeanemergencyexitmaporatreasuremap?Dothepathsmerelysteeryou away from failure, or do they navigate you toward success? Nomatter what goal you are mapping toward in your personal orprofessional life, you should always look for the path to your desiredoutcome before you devote any cognitive resources to planning howyou’ll survive failure. It’s not that anticipating problems is inherently bad.But because what you map first is more likely to become the reality, youshouldspendyourbrain’svaluableresourceslookingforanescaperouteonlyonceyouhavemappedmultiplepathstosuccess.So if you are thinking about running amarathon, don’t start out bythinkingabouttheinjuriesyoucouldsustainorabouthowembarrassingit would be if you didn’t finish. Instead, start by planning a trainingschedule, thinking about how good you’ll feel as your miles startincreasing, and anticipating that nice dinner you and your familywilleataftertheracetocelebrateyouraccomplishment.Or if you want to start a new business, don’t start by playing outscenarios in your head about what will happen if no one likes yourproduct,oryourcapitaldriesup,orwhatyourfriendswillthinkifyoufail.Instead,startbylookingatthemarketandgatheringdata,phoninginvestorsandgrowingyourresources,andenlistingyourfriendstocheeronyourefforts.Ifyouwanttowriteanovel,don’tstartbythinkingabouthowmanypeopledon’tgetbookdeals,howslowyourwritingisgoing,orhowfewbooks become bestsellers. Instead, start by reminding yourself howpassionateyouareaboutyourideaandhowmanycontactsyouhavetohelp guide youonyourpath, andbymaking a timeline forwhenyouthinkyoucanfinisheachchapter.Mapping for success first will allow you to better harness your fullsuiteofintelligencesandconstructaprismofsuccess.

ACARTOGRAPHER’SJOBISNEVERDONE

Keepingon track towardyourprofessionalgoals requirescheckingandrecheckingyourmapperiodically.This is critical: flawed realitymaps,with paths that are no longer viable, are responsible for some of thegreatestdisasters,notjustinbusinessbutontheworldstage.

In1999, theCIAbombedtheChineseEmbassy inKosovo.Whenthedustliterallysettledandaninternationaloutcrybegan,itwasdiscoveredthat thepilots hadbeenusing ahard copyof amap from1996whenthey designated their target. Unfortunately, the Chinese Embassy hadmovedin1997.18Thepilots’mapsweretragicallyoneyearoutdated.Ayearbefore,onacoldFebruarydayonthebeautifulskislopesintheDolomites of Italy, when a U.S. military EA-6B Prowler plane’s rightwingstruckandcutthroughagondolacable,twentypeopleplummetedtwo hundred feet. All of them died instantly. In the subsequentinvestigation, the new maps that marked the cables were foundunopened in thecockpitof theplane.Themaps themilitaryhadbeenusing were old and did not mark the “killer wires.” This is notuncommon; between 1980 and 1999, fifty-nine collisions occurredbetweenmilitaryaircraftandunmappedobstacles.19One last true story from theNewYork Times: a Nicaraguanmilitarycommander named Edén Pastora almost incited war with Costa RicawhenhemistakenlydumpedseveraltonsofriversedimentonthewrongsideoftheCostaRica/Nicaraguaborder.20CostaRicanpresidentLauraChinchillathoughtthathercountry,whichdoesn’tevenhaveamilitary,was being invaded; it turned out that Pastora had simply been usingGooglemaps,whichhaddrawntheborderslightlyoff.Inbusiness,too,outdatedmapsofrealitycanleadtounintendedandnegative results. To save costs after the economic collapse of 2008, alarge European bank atwhich I consulted decided to combine theHRand learning departments of the three business units—private equity,banking, andwealthmanagement.However,while the official bordersbetween these departments were removed, the mental and culturalbordersremained.Sowhiletheleadersinthecompanywerenavigatingaccording to these new borderless maps, the company employeescontinuedtousethemapsthatwerenowoutdatedregardingwhomtheyshould talk to and how to treat different people in the company. Theresult was a quagmire of culture clashes, miscommunications, andinterpersonal conflicts that ended up costing the company in bothproductivityandprofits.One of the best-regarded book editors in New York once toldme astory illustrating how important it is to continually update our realitymaps.Shetoldmethatshehadgottenintoherlineofworkbecauseshe

lovededitingandwantedtorisehigherinherprofessionandbecomeabig-timeeditor.Sousingthesemeaningmarkerstoguideherpath,aftershegraduatedcollege,shewaswillingtodoallthethanklessgruntworkas an intern, knowing thiswas a necessary step towardher goals. Buteventuallysherealizedthatifshekepttravelingalongthesamementalrouteshehaddrawnasarecentcollegegraduate,atsomepointinhercareertherewouldbeaproblem.Ifshegotthenextlevelofpromotion,shewouldhave a higher position, but shewouldno longer be editingbooks. She would only be deciding which books to buy and when tobringthemtomarket.Soshewentbacktohermapandupdatedit.Drawingacareermapbutthenfailingtolookbackatitorupdateitisafairlycommonphenomenonintheworkingworld,asmostpeoplestriveforpromotionafterpromotionwithoutstopping to thinkaboutwhether theywouldactuallyliketheirnewjoborrolemore.Ifyoudon’tperiodicallystepbacktoevaluatewhetheryouroldmeaningmarkersarestillleadingyoutowardthespecificplaceyouwanttogoinyourcareer,youmayendupveeringwayoffcourse.Sotaketimeeachmonthtomakesurethatyourshort-termplansarestillleadingyoutowardyourcareerandlifegoals.Thereareafewwaysofdoingthis.Oneistolookatyourmapfromanotherviewpoint.BythisImean,askafriend,acolleague,orevenacareerexperttogiveyouanobjective opinion on where he or she thinks your career is headed.Another strategy is simply to ask yourself a simple question:Doesmybehaviortodayleadtowardoneofmymeaningmarkers?Ifnot,you’veidentifiedaroadthatneednotbetraveled.Third,makearegulartime,maybeevenjustanhouronthefirstSaturdayofeachmonth,toreflectuponthemapIhadyoudrawearlierinthechapter.Doesitstillreflectyourgoalsandyourplans?Aretherenewmeaningmarkerstobedrawn,newpathstobeadded?IsuggestevenkeepingajournaloraWorddoctotrackyourgoalsforthenextyearandperiodicallycheckthemagainstyourmap.Youcanhavethegreatestmapintheworld,butifyouaren’tkeepingitupdated,youmaybemilesoffcourse.

Aboveall, remember that ifyoumap towardyourgoalsandambition,your brain will have a path to follow. Now that you’ve learned how,you’re ready to learn the next strategy: how to harness success

accelerantstogetyoutherefaster.

MAKINGITPRACTICAL

1.Diversifyyourmeaningportfolio.Writedownalistrightnowofasmanymeaningmarkers inyour lifeasyoucan.Aim forat leastten, and be specific. Instead of just “money” or “family,” yoursmightinclude“Beapositiverolemodelformyson”or“Findtimeto read more” or “Do more adventuresome travel with myfamily.”Andbesuretolookformeaningmarkersinallareasofyour life,not justa fewcorners: themorediverseyourportfolioof meaning, the more roads will lead to growth and the lesschanceyouwillhaveofgetting lostasyounavigate throughallyourwork.

2.Doadaily“meaningorientation.”Askyourselfeachmorningasyoustartyourday,“WhatisoneactionIwilltaketodaythatwillgetmeclosertomymeaningfulgoals?”Evenifyouweregoingtodo that task anyway, highlighting the fact that you are doing ameaningful action daily will train your brain to constantly andautomaticallyreadjustandreorientyourmaparoundmeaning.

3.Mapyour life.Drawanactualmapofyourcurrentworkplace,neighborhood, or city. What areas or people did you drawlargest?Whichareclosesttothecenter?Nowthinkaboutwhat’smissing.Are there importantpeopleorplacesor resources—likethequietbutfiercelysmartengineeronyourteam,orthelibrarybrimming with professional tools—that you overlooked? If so,chancesareyouareoverlookingtheminyouractualworklifeaswell.Thinkaboutwaysyoumightbetterutilizethesepeopleandresources.

4.Spotandstopthehijackers.Identifythreemaphijackersthatyouknowpull youoff yourpath (for example, getting e-mail alerts,hanging out with negative people, envying others’ possessions,gossiping,havingmorethantwodrinksaday,shoppingonline).Whatcanyoudo today toavoid thosehijackers?Whatpositive,meaningfulhabits canyou replace themwith? If you’reworried

aboutthehijackersrearingtheiruglyheads,giveacopyofthelistto a close friend, a colleague, or your spouse to help you stayaccountable.

5. Use a treasure map. For the next big meeting, project, orpresentationyouhave,makeamentaltreasuremapinsteadofanescape route map. Commit to focusing your brain on what itwouldtaketonailit,ratherthanwhattodoifyoufail.Ifothersstartfocusingontheproblemsorworrying,steertheconversationback to the positive: “Let’s figure out how success is possiblebeforetalkingaboutwhatmightgowrong.”

6.Updateyourmap.Takeamonthly,one-hoursabbaticaltoreflectonyourmentalmap.PickaSaturdayoraSunday,atsomepointin the day when you are not occupied with family or workresponsibilities, and spend some time just thinking about whatyour current ambitions are and whether you are still on track.Thisbriefrespiteiscrucialtoensurethatyourmapisup-to-dateandaccurate.Youdon’tknowhowmanypeopleIworkwithwhocreatemaps,thenjustkeepfollowingthepaththeydrewadecadeago without thinking about whether that’s still the destinationtheywanttogetto.

thex-spot

FINDINGSUCCESSACCELERANTS

Therearefewbetterwaystowitnessthesheerpowerofhumanpotentialthantowatcharunnercrossthefinishlineofamarathon.It’sincredibletoseethemonthsandyearsofphysicaltraining,determination,andself-disciplineculminatinginthatonemomentofpureachievement.What’salwaysfascinatedmeaboutthosefinalmomentsofamarathonisthatIhaveneveronceseenarunnerslowdownasheorsheapproachesthefinish line. Despite how exhausted they must feel by that point,marathonrunnersactuallyspeedupandsprintwiththefullforceoftheirremainingenergyacrossthefinishline.How?Whenrunnersare26.1miles into the26.2-milerace,aspecialbrain

eventoccursrightatthespot,calledtheX-spot,whererunnersturnthecornerandcanfinallyseethefinishline.Theirbrainsreleaseafloodofendorphinsandotherchemicalsthatgivethemtheenergytoacceleratethrough that final leg of the race. If you are a runner, or any kind ofathlete, you have probably experienced some formof this.When yourbrainseesthatsuccessisnotonlypossiblebutnowprobable,thereactionisphysicallypowerful—sopowerful, in fact, that a very smallhandful ofmarathonerscan’thandleit.Incredibly,intheentiregrueling26.2-milerace,theX-spotisthemost

likelyplaceforacardiacarresttooccur.Thisiswhy,atthePhiladelphiaMarathon, Dr. Lewis Maharam, board chairman of the InternationalMarathonMedicalDirectorsAssociation, brilliantlyplacesmedics right

at the X-spot. He knows that in some rare cases ultrafatigued bodiescan’thandle the incrediblesurgeofneurochemicalaccelerantsdumpedinto their bodies, and he’s right. Maharam has had ten successfulresuscitations right at the X-spot in 2011 alone!1 But of course, thediscoveryoftheX-spotisnotaboutstoppingtherareheartattack.TheX-spotrevealsoneofthemostimportantattributesofourbrains.Attheprecisemomentyourbrainrealizesthatattainingyourgoal isnotonlypossiblebutprobable,itreleasesapotentstreamofchemicalsthathelpyouspeedup.TheX-spotillustrateshowpowerfulthefinishlinecanbeintermsofincreasedenergyand focus.As soonas thatgoal comes intoview,ourefforts rampup.That’sbecauseonceourbrainsare convinced thatwewillfinish,theyreleasethesepowerfulaccelerants.Similarly,infootballrunningbacksareknowntorunfasterandhardertheclosertheygettoscoring (this iswhy they are said to have a “nose for the end zone”).Withtherewardrightthere,theirbrainssanctionthereleaseofgreaterenergy,ratherthanreservingit for laterrewards.Andthebodyisthusrewardedwithincreasedvigor,speed,mentalclarity,andtoughness.Soif youwant to accelerate your success rates, youneed to find yourX-spotsearlyandoften.Of course, this phenomenon doesn’t occur only in sports.Nomatterwhatyourgoalis—whetherit’sfinishingthemarathon,completingabigproject at work, or losing twenty pounds—your brain behaves in theexact sameway.As soonas yourbrain registers that youaregoing toachieve your goal, it releases these same chemicals that give you theextraboostyouneedtoaccelerate.Thecloseryouperceivesuccesstobe,inotherwords,thefasteryoumovetowardit.Whatifwecouldaccessthatincreasedenergy,focus,anddriveasweapproachednotjustthefinishlinebutanypointintherace?Andwhatifwe could apply those same techniques to speed toward any goal wewishedtoaccomplishinourprofessionallives?Positive psychology research reveals thatwe can. The brain releasesitsaccelerants,notjustwhenarunnerseesthefinishline,butassoonastherunnerrealizestheprobabilitythatheorsheisgoingtosucceed.Whatthatmeansforallofusintheworkingworldisthatwedon’tneedtobeat the end of the race to reap the cognitive rewards of theX-spot. Bychangingourperceptionsofthedistancetothefinishline,wecanprime

our brains to release those chemicals earlier to accelerate our success.Thegoalof thischapter is tomakeyourpossible,positiverealityseemmoreprobable.

PAINTINGTHETARGET

AspartofmytrainingformynavyROTCscholarship,Ispentasummerduringcollegetrainingindifferentwarfarespecialties.Oneweekduringthetraining,myfellowcadetsandIwereinvitedtogooutononeofthenavy’scrownjewels:anAegisclassdestroyer.Theseextraordinaryshipswerethefirstof theirkindtobebuiltentirelyaroundthecutting-edgeAegiscombatsystemandSPY-1phasedarrayradar,meaning that theywere basically a super-high-tech floating guidedmissile system. These9,200-tonbehemothshadoverninetymissilesandwoulduseaseriesofinterconnectedweaponsystemstoscanforpotentialthreatstotheshipandneighboringcountriesandthenshootthemdown.The technology employedby these ships is beyond the scopeof thisbook(andmyunderstanding),butatthebasiclevel,whenamissilefiredfromashipneareditstarget,itwasabletodetectthescatteredenergycomingfromthattargetandadjustbothitstrajectoryanditsmomentumon the basis of these data. This was called “painting the target,” andtheseshipscoulddoitwithincredibleprecision.Why am I telling you this? Because “painting the target” is exactlywhatyourbrainmustdoanytimeitdesirestoaccomplishagoal.Onceyour brain hasmapped a path toward a goal youwant to attain or atargetyouwant tohitatworkor inyourpersonal life, it isconstantlyreadingsignalsaboutwhatitwilltaketogetyouthere.Bynowyouhavelearnedhowtosetgoalsrootedinmeaningandhowto map your way toward them. But if you are truly interested inbecomingapositivegeniusatwork, thenextquestion shouldbe,Howcanyou construct realities thathelpyouachieve thosegoals faster?Inotherwords,howcanyounotonlyachievesuccessfuloutcomesinyourlife and career but accelerate them? What you need are successaccelerants.Your brain is a goal-orientedmachine. Atwork,when you set salestargets, assignproject deadlines, or set anyother kindof objective for

personalorcareergrowth,yourmindsubconsciouslymakesanumberofassessmentsabouthowfarawaythatgoalis(proximity),howlikelyyouare to achieve it (the size of the target), and the effort (thrust) itwilltake to do so. As youwork toward the goal, your brain is constantlycalculating and recalculating these three variables, just as the Aegismissile system is constantly reevaluating the position of its mark. Buthereisthething:researchcomingoutofneurosciencelabsallovertheworld is finding that these variables are not based only on objectivemeasures; in fact, theyarebased largelyonourperceptionof the facts.Think about it thisway.Unless you can see into the future, you can’tpossiblyknoworcontrolhowfarawayyourgoalis,howlikelyyouaretoattainit,andhowmucheffort itwill take.Butyoucan controlhowyouperceivetheproximityofthegoalandtheeffortrequiredtosucceed.Thatmeansyouhavethepowertoacceleratethespeedatwhichyouhityour targets—whether they are sales goals, productivity gains, careerbenchmarks, or personal resolutions—simply by changing yourperceptions.InPartOne, I describedhow thequestionofwhether a glass ishalf

full or half empty doesn’tmatter asmuch as the question of whetherthereisapitcherofwateronthetable.That’sbecausehowyouchoosetointerpretthat50percentmarkisinmanywaysasubjectivejudgment.If you are at the 50 percent mark of a marathon and not feeling tootired,youwillprobablybeencouragedbyyourprogressandmotivatedtorunevenharder.Ifyouare50percentofthewaythroughamarathonand are worried about your knee pain flaring up, that remaining 50percentwillprobablyseemdaunting,andyoumaygetdiscouragedandgiveup.Thesame is truewithyourprofessionalgoals.Yoursuccess islargelydeterminedbyhowyouperceiveyourcurrentprogress.Forexample,didyouknowthatyourperformanceona test like the

SATs can be influenced by the number of people you see in the roomtakingthetestwithyou?Didyouknowyou’remorelikelytoholeaputtingolfifyousurroundtheholewithacircleofsmallercirclestocreatean optical illusion that makes the hole look bigger? Or that if youhighlight reaching the 70 percent mark as you progress toward yourgoal,youcanspeedup?Creatingmorepositiveperceptionsofourgoalscan dramatically increase our engagement, focus, productivity, andmotivationandthusincreasethespeedatwhichweattainthem.

Inthischapter,youwilllearnthreeskillstohelpyoudoexactlythat.Strategy1:ZoominontheTarget(Proximity).Researchshowsthatthe closer people get to a target, the harder and faster they work.Changingyourbrain’sperceptionofthedistancetoatarget—whetherasales goal, the completion of a project, a promotion, or any otherprofessional goal—provides drive, focus, andmotivation and gets yourbrainworkingatmaximumcapacity.Strategy 2: Magnify the Target Size (Likelihood of Success). Inarchery,thebiggeratargetis,themorelikelyyouaretohit it.Bythesame token, thebiggera target looks, themoreyourbrainbelievesyouwillhitit.Variousstudieshavedemonstratedthatwhenpeopleperceivetheir chance of hitting the target as higher, success increasessignificantly: golfers putt more successfully, baseball players hit morehomeruns,employeesaremore likely to staywithabigworkproject,andteamproductivityrisesasmuchas31percent.Strategy3:RecalculateThrust(EnergyRequired).Toachieveanygoal,professionalorotherwise,acertainlevelofenergyisrequired.Butdifferenttypesofgoalshavedifferentmentalcosts.Thelowerthementalcosts, thefasteryouspeedtowardsuccess.Researchhasshownthatbychanging your perceptions of these costs, you can increase your speedtowardyourtargetbyasmuchas35percent.Everyone,pessimistsandoptimistsalike,setsgoals.Thedifference isthat positive geniuses construct the facts in their reality so that thosegoalsseemwellwithintheirreach.Asaresult,theyareabletoharnessall their other mental resources and intelligences to accomplish thosegoalsfasterandmoreeffectivelythantheirpessimisticcounterparts.Youtoocanlearntodothisbyusingthethreestrategiesyou’llreadaboutinthischapter.

STRATEGY1:ZOOMINONTHETARGET(PROXIMITY)

Itissaidthatthosewhodonotlearnfromhistoryaredoomedtorepeatit.Thisisevenmoretrueinscience.WhenItookpsychologycoursesincollege,professorswouldoftenscoffatresearchthatwasonlytenyearsold. With a knowing and derisive laugh, they would dismiss thosestudies as passé, outdated, old-fashioned. Their opinion was clear: we

had advanced way beyond the scientific discoveries of the previousdecade.Weasscientistsgetsoexcitedaboutlearningnewinformationthatwe

oftenforgettheimportanceofpreviousdiscoveries.Thatisperhapswhy,whenItalktoeducators,onlyahandfulhaveheardofRobertRosenthalandLenoreJacobson’sfamousPygmalioneffectfrom1968,whichfoundthat studentsperformat the level expectedby the teacher, even if theteacherneververbalizesthatexpectation.2Thatiswhy,whenIspoketodoctorsatretirementcenters,fewhadheardofHarvardprofessorEllenLanger’s1979studyinwhichshewasabletoreversetheeffectsofagingmerelybyhaving seventy-five-year-oldmenpretend for aweek that itwastwentyyearsearlier.3Andthatiswhyyouhaveprobablynotheardof Clark Hull’s goal gradient theory, though it affects virtually everybusiness,educational,andpersonaloutcome.4

THEINCREDIBLEHULL

ClarkHullwasbornin1884,whichmeanthegrewuprightasmodernsciencewascomingofage.5Hulldidnothaveaneasylife.Asaboy,hecontracted typhoid and almost died. Miraculously, Hull lived, buttyphoidlefthimwithapartingblow,impairinghisvisionandmemorycapacity for life. Yet Hull persevered, and when he graduated fromcollege, despite his terrible recall and eyesight, it seemed that he hadfinally overcome adversity. That was when the unlucky twenty-four-year-oldwasdiagnosedwithpolio.PolioravagedHull’sbody;oneofhislegswouldneverworkproperly

again. But Hull would not abandon the goals he had set for himself.While somepeopleuse life’s burdens as a crutch, or as a rationale forgivingupontheirhighambitions,Hullmadealiteralbraceforhimselfsothathecouldcontinuetochasehis. It tookhimtenyearstogethisPhDinpsychology,forhehadtoquitseveraltimestogetextrajobstopay for his education. This tremendous feat accomplished, Hull couldeasilyhaverelaxedandslowedhispace.Buthewasjustgettingstarted.Themoregoalsheaccomplished,thelesstimeittookhimtoachievethenextone.Wehavea joke in the fieldofpsychology that youendup studying

whateveryourrealityis.Wecallit“mesearch.”Ifyoustudydepression,you’re probably prone to depression. If you study the psychology ofobesity, you’re probably overweight. If you’re studying angermanagement,well…we’reusuallytooafraidtotellyouwhy.SowhatdidHullstudy?Ifdailylifeisaconstantstrugglebecauseofa

diseased or sick body, yet you persevere to accomplish great thingsanyway, you might be interested in studying why some peopleaccomplishtheirgoalswhenothersdonot.Youmightwanttostudytheimpactofhigh-orderprocesses likedrive,engagement,motivation,andenergyonaperson’ssuccessrate.In1926,Hullwrote,“Ithasstruckmemany times that thehumanorganism isoneof themostextraordinarymachines—andyetamachine.”Hebelievedhumansweremachinesthatcouldbetweakedoradjustedforimprovedspeedandaccuracy.Atthetime,itwasunheardofforapsychologisttoconductbehavioral

researchonrealhumanmachines.SoHullhadtosettleforthenextbestthing:rats.Andwhatbetterwaytostudygoalattainmentthantowatchratstryingtofindtheirwaytoarewardattheendofamaze?Afterovertenthousandhoursofobservation,Hullstartednoticinga

phenomenonthatmusthaveseemedveryfamiliar:theclosertheratsgotto the end of the constructedmaze, the faster they seemed to get. Toconfirmthesefindings,Hulldesignedelectricsensorsallalongthemazetogetprecisereadingsoftherat’sspeedovertime.Andwhathefoundwas that the ratsdid indeedspeedupas theyapproached theirgoal—justasmarathonrunnersdowhentheyreachtheX-spot.Haveyouevernoticedthatyoustartreadingfasterwhenyougetclose

totheendofabook?Orthatyoustarttalkingfasterwhenyouknowaphonecall isabout towrapup?Or thatyouworkmorediligentlyandefficientlywhenthecompletionofabigprojectisinsight?ThisisHull’sgoalgradienttheoryinaction:theclosertoyourgoal,thefasteryougo.Hullwasabehaviorist,meaningthathebelievedthatourbrainsrely

on objective rules of behavior. But I’m a positive psychologist, whichmeans I believe our brains are powered not only by objectivemeasurementsbutalsobyperception.Onthebasisofmyresearch—notwithratsincagesbutwithrealliveemployeesinbusinessesandoffices,andusingnotmazesbut real-worldgoals and teams—I contributeoneimportantaddendumtoHull’shypothesis:weworkharderandfasternotonly when we get objectively closer to our goal but also when we

perceive that we are closer to our goal. In other words, the closer weperceive success to be, the more successful we become. And by carefullypaintingourtargetscloser,wecanspurourselvestounleashthedrive,energy, focus,motivation,andcognitiveresourcesthatwillhelpgetustherefaster.Sonowlet’slookatexactlyhowyoucancreateX-spotstoaccelerateprojects, increase productivity, raise profits, and improvepersonal andprofessionalresults.

RATMAZESANDFREECOFFEE

In 2006, researchers at the Columbia University Graduate School ofBusinessdidaseriesoffascinatingstudiesthatbroughtHull’shypothesisinto the business world. One, which would later be published in theJournal of Marketing Research, looked at whether the goal attainmenthypothesiscouldbeused toaccelerateconsumer spending.ButhowtoreplicateHull’sresearchwithrealliveconsumers?Noonerunsmazesinthe real world (unless it’s onWipeout). They needed a situation thatwouldsimulategoalattainmentinaretailcontext.Cleverly,theydecidedtolookatratesofparticipationandpurchaseina customer reward program at a local coffee shop. Here is how itworked:allcustomersweregivenastampcardandweretoldthateverypurchasewould count towarda reward; in this case ten stampswouldequalafreebeverage.Thentheysimplyrecordedthedatespeoplemadethecoffeepurchasestoseeifpeoplewouldcomeinandbuycoffeemorefrequently as they got closer towinning their free coffee.And indeed,thatwasexactlywhathappened;justasHull’shypothesispredicted,thecloserthecustomersgottothegoal,thefastertheywouldracetowardthefinishline.This is where the research takes a really interesting turn. Theresearchers repeated thecoffeeshopexperiment,but this timehalf thecustomersgota“buytencoffeesandgetone free”card,andtheotherhalfreceiveda“buytwelvecoffeesandgetonefree”card—withthefirsttwo already stamped. So in both cases a person needed to buy tencoffees togeta freeone—thegoalwasequally faraway—butgroup2was given a perceived head start. Think about it thisway: before even

buyingasinglecoffee,group2seemedtobeone-sixthofthewaytowardthereward,whereasgroup1hadn’tevenstartedtheirlongroadtoafreecoffee.6 Ifyouwere ingroup1,your firstcoffeewouldbringyouonlyone-tenth(10percent)ofthewaytowardyourreward,whereasingroup2itwouldbringyouone-third(33percent)ofthewaythere.Howdidthisaffectpurchasingbehavior?Fascinatingly, thepeople ingroup2—those who perceived the goal as closer even though it was the samedistance away—burned through those ten stamps significantly fasterthanthepeopleingroup1.This series of studies is preciselywhy theHull hypothesis has to berevised.Whatpredictsyourbehaviorisnotobjectiveproximitytoyourgoalbutyoursubjectiveperceptionofthatobjectivereality.As you can imagine, this has enormous implications for businesses,giventhatcustomerswhobuymorefrequentlywillobviouslybuymoreover time. So, the researchers wondered, would this also apply toconsumer behavior online, where the stakes for businesses are evenhigher?Afterall,withonlineshoppers’shortattentionspansandallthecompeting noise, it’s critical to get consumers to that “buy” button asquicklyandasfrequentlyaspossible.Tofindout,researchersdesignedareward system, similar to the coffee shop’s offer of one free drink forevery ten that customers bought: peoplewould receive gift certificatesfor rating a certain number of songs.Once again, they found that thecloserpeoplegottoearningtheirnextcertificate,threethingshappened:(1) they ratedmore songspervisit to thewebsite, (2) theyvisited thewebsitemoreoften,and(3)theypersistedlongerintheratingeffort.Inotherwords,theyworkednotonlyfasterbutlongerandharderastheygotclosertothegoal.7Evenmoreimportant,thesestudiesholdsomeveryusefullessonsforbusinessesandforanyonedealingwithclientsorcustomers.Thefirstisobvious: if you want to incentivize your customers to visit you morefrequently,makesuretodesignyourrewardprogramssothatpeople(1)haveaperceivedheadstartand(2)canperceivegreatprogress.Thesefindingsalsohavehugeimplicationsforhowweshouldsetandstructuregoals forourselvesas individualsand forour teams.Forone,giveyourselfaperceivedheadstartbydesigningyourgoalswithsomeprogressalreadyworkedin.Forexample,ifyourNewYear’sresolutionis to raise $1,000 for a charity, don’t start with the fundraising

thermometer at zero; instead, start with some money you’ve alreadyaccumulatedthroughsomeothermeanssothatyoucanfeelasifyou’realreadypartwaytowardyourgoal.Orinsteadofstartingsalestargetsat0percenteachquarter,structurethemtoincludethepreviousmonthorweek of sales. The distance to the goal may still be the same (forexample, if your original target was $10,000 and you’re startingwith$1,000,youcansimplyraiseyourtargetto$11,000),butyouandyourteamwillwork fasterandharder toget therebecause the target seemscloser—just as it did for the customers who received a twelve-punchcoffeecardwiththetwo-stampheadstart.Nomatterwhatindustryyouworkinorwhatyourjobresponsibilities

are,thebestwaytoturnamarathonofworkintoasprintistochangeyourperceptionofthefinishline.CreateX-spotsforyourteamwheneverand wherever you can, and show them how close success could bethrough repeated positive feedback, shorter goal horizons, andgraphic/visualdisplaysofprogress.Thiscouldbeaspracticalandsimpleasmakingweekly goals, rather than yearly ones. Or trymaking dailyhabit chartswhere you check off each positive habit or action, ratherthandiscretetasks,whichoftentakelongerandinvolvemultiplesteps.It’saloteasiertoseethefinishlinewhenthatfinishlineis“Respondtoboss’se-mail,”ratherthan“Getthroughe-mailinbox.”Breakupbigprojects intosmaller, incrementalgoals.Butalsocreate

X-spots by setting mileposts for yourself at the 70 percent mark. Forexample, if the incremental goal is $1,000,000 in revenue, set aremindertohighlighttoyourselfandyourteamwhenyouhit$700,000.Or if thegoal is toreturntenclientcalls,besuretonotewhenyou’vecompleted that seventh call. Simply knowing that you are nearing thefinishwill cueyourbrain to release those successaccelerants thatwillincreaseyourdriveandproductivityandspeedupyourprogress.One of the best ways to create X-spots at work I learned from an

employeeatMicrosoftinEurope.Hesaidwhenyoumakealistofthingstododuringtheday,writedownthethingsyouhavealreadydonethatdayandcheckthoseoffimmediately.Justliketherewardcardgiventoacoffeedrinkerwith two stampsalreadydone,yourdaily listof taskscancreate thatX-spotbenefit.And include three thingsyouknowyouare going to do anyway, like attend your weekly staff meeting, thencheck those off as well. This increases the likelihood of an X-spot

experiencebecause it highlights howmuchprogress you’vemadeoverthe course of the day. What matters is feeling that you are movingtowardthefinishinsteadoffocusingonhowfaryoustillhavetogo.

LOOKBACKWARD

The newest research coming out of goal theory labs adds anotherimportantdimensiontotheX-spottheory.Itsoundscounterintuitive,butMinjung Koo and Ayelet Fishbach at the University of Chicago havefound that insituationswhereyou’re lesscommittedormotivated, thebestwaytoaccelerategrowthistolook,notaheadtothefinishline,butbehindyou,atwhatyou’vealreadyaccomplished.8Itmakessensethatthemoreyoucareaboutagoalortarget,themore

energy and effort you will invest in achieving it. Turns out that thisworks in the other direction too; the more you invest in a task orchallenge,themoreyoubegintocareaboutit.Thisiscalled“escalationofcommitment,”andyouhaveprobablyseenitatworkmanytimes.Themoremoney, time,andenergyyouhave sunk intoaproject, evenonethatisilladvised,themoreyoufeelthatyouhavetokeepputtingintheextraefforttomakesureyougetsomethingoutofit.Thefurtheralongyou’vegotten inaboringbook, themore likelyyouare to read to theend. The more time you put into learning a new skill, the moredetermined you become to master it. Even if you weren’t fullycommitted to the taskat theoutset,highlightingyourprogress todateand the effort you’ve already invested tells yourbrain to releasemoresuccessaccelerants,givingyoumoreenergyandfocustokeepgoing.Looking back at all the energy and resources you’ve already put

towardagoalcanbeanincrediblemotivator,particularlywhenthegoalisoneyouweren’tparticularlyengaged inorcommitted to in the firstplace.It’sastrategythatcanbeincrediblyusefulintheworkingworld,where we’re often involuntarily placed on a project or committee orassignment that we aren’t necessarily excited about. Think of animportantgoalatworkthatyouarehavinglowcommitmentto.Maybeyou’ve been given the task of staffing a newdepartment, but the newhires won’t be reporting to you—and you hate conducting interviews.Insteadoflookingathowmanymorerésumésyouhavetosiftthrough

andhowmanycandidatesyouhaveyettomeet,lookathowmanyarealready done. Maybe you are having trouble eating more healthilyduring theworkday. Your commitment to the goal of losingweight iswaylowerthanyourcommitmenttobuffalowingsandbagels.Sotrytofind points of progress—think about those two pounds you lost lastmonth, or that time you chose fruit for dessert over chocolate.Researchers have found that when people start exercising, theysometimesstarteatingmorehealthily,becauseoncethey’veinvestedthebrainresourcestoexercise,itseemslikeamassivelossofinvestmenttothengoeatacupcake.Whatever the target, and no matter how frustrated you feel about

progress,takeafewminutestowritedownalltheworkyou’vedoneandthestridesyou’vemadesofar.Lookathowfaryouhavecome,orhowmuch you have already invested in this project.Make those points ofprogressyourX-spots.Remindingyourselfofpastsuccesswillhelpyourbrain perceive that you are closer to the ultimate target, which willenergizeandmotivateyoutospeedup.

STRATEGY2:MAGNIFYTHETARGETSIZE(LIKELIHOODOFSUCCESS)

Theproximityofyourgoalisn’ttheonlythingthatmatterstoyourbrainwhen it comes to constructing a reality. Just like those state-of-the-artAegismissiles,yourbrainisconstantlycalculatingthesizeof the target,or how likely you are to hit it. Here’s something that is important tounderstandaboutthisskill:targetsizereferstotheperceivedlikelihoodofattainingagoal,nothowbigorimportantorhowambitiousthegoalis.Ironically,someofthebiggestgoalshavethesmallesttargetsizes.Forexample,becomingtheCEOofAppleisahugegoal,butthetargetsizeisextremelysmall—realisticallyspeaking,yourchanceofattainingit isslim to none. Think about darts. The larger the bull’s-eye, the morelikely you are to hit it. Does that make hitting the bull’s-eye a greataccomplishment?Notparticularly(thoughIknowsomeundergraduateswho’dbegtodiffer).Butitdoesmakeitmoreachievable.Thegoodnewsisthatnewresearchoverthepastfiveyearsshowsthat

changing how you perceive the size of your target—that is, how you

perceive the likelihood of succeeding—can have the same cognitivebenefitsasincreasingyourperceivedproximitytoit.Oneofmyfavoriteexperimentsonthisparticularsuccessaccelerator

involves golf. In this study, participants were asked to putt from 1.7meters away from the hole.9 Using a video projector, the researchersshoneanimageofaringofeitherfivelargecirclesoreleventinycirclesaround the hole, creating the famous Ebbinghaus illusion. In thisdiagram,whichmiddlecircleisbigger?The answer of course is neither: they are the same size. In the

Ebbinghaus illusion, a circle simply looks bigger if it is surrounded bysmaller circles, and vice versa. So to recreate this illusion, theresearcherssurroundedagolfholewithlargecirclestoseeifthegolferswould perceive it as smaller, even though they, of course, knewconsciously that the hole was the same size. Then they looked atwhether the golfers’ perception of the size of their targetwould affecttheirperformance.

Indeeditdid.Thoughbothholeswereexactlythesamesize,whenthehole looked bigger (because of the projected images of the smallercircles),thegolfersmadesignificantlymoreputts.Whentheholelookedsmaller,theymissedsignificantlymoreshots.10Thisisaveryimportantstudybecauseitshowsthatwhenweperceive

areality inwhichsuccess is likely, thatsuccessbecomeaself-fulfillingprophecy.What kindof realitydoyou seewhenyouare facedwith achallenge at work or in your personal life? Does it seem that yourchancesofsuccessaresmallor large?Fortunately,therearesomeverysimple ways of improving your chances of succeeding, simply byincreasingthattargetsize.

Let’s say thatyouarestruggling to finishacomplexandchallengingproject forwork thatwas assignedbyyourboss at the last second.Atfirst,thehole—yourchancesofcompletingtheprojectwellandontimeforsuccess—mayseemsmall.Butwhatifyouremindyourselfofalltheotherprojectsyouhaveaccomplished in thepast thatwereevenmoredifficult and rushed than this one? Suddenly, success will feel morelikely,andyourbrainwillchannelallofyourexperiencesandstrengthsandintelligencestowardhittingthatlargertarget.Astudyinvolvingoneoftheoldestvideogames,Pong,offersagreat

way of understanding how this particular success accelerantworks. InPong, youmoveahorizontal bar, generously called thepaddle, left torighttoblockaballfromgettingpast.It’slikeplayingairhockey,exceptthat thegoal is theentire sideofyour screen.The longeryou survive,thefastertheballgoes.Thefastertheball,thegreaterthechallengetointerceptitandbounceitbacktotheothersideofthescreen.

Inone clever study, researchers JessicaWitt andMilaSugovicmadesomesimplechangestothegametomanipulateparticipants’perceptionsoftargetsize.11Someoftheparticipantsgottoplaywithalargerpaddle(which makes the game easier), and others got a shorter one (whichmakes the game harder). Though the size of the paddle affects howlikely you are to win the game, it has absolutely no effect upon thespeedof the ball. Yetwhen theparticipantswere asked to gaugehowfasttheballwasmoving,theoneswiththelongerpaddlethoughtthattheballwasmovingmuchslowerthanthoseintheshortpaddlegroupdid. In other words, their estimate of the ball’s speedwas colored by

whethertheyalreadyperceivedthetaskaseasyorhard.Thepointis,whenfacedwithachallengeatwork,whetherit’sabouttacklingacomplexproject,dealingwithadifficultmanager,ortryingtogrowrevenuesinadowneconomy,ifyouperceiveyourpaddle—thatis,yourabilitytoovercomethesechallenges—assmall,theobjectsinyourworking reality seem to come at you faster. But if you perceive yourability,orpaddle,as large, theobjects inyourworkingrealityseemtocome at amanageable speed, and you can face those challenges withgreaterenergy,confidence,anddrive.Oneoftheeasiestwaysofdoingthiswe’vealreadydiscussed:makealistofyourcurrentresourcesandafew “champion moments” that remind you of when you have beensuccessfulinsimilarsituations.SeveralathletesI’veworkedwithtellmethat their secret to not choking at the end of a championship is toremember times when they have been in similar situations and theywere successful. Find your work championshipmoments, even if theyarenotasdramatic,andusethemtoincreasethesizeofyourtarget.

THEN-EFFECT

Remember, theX-spot isaboutnot justhow faryouare from thegoalbut how achievable your goal seems. One of the most fascinatingcorollaries to theX-spot is apsychological phenomenon called the “N-effect.” Any science geeks among you will know thatN refers to thenumberofparticipantsinastudy.Ifyouarearesearcher,youwantyourNtobeashighaspossiblebecausethehigherthesamplesize,themorereliable the data. (For example, if you were testing whether someonelikedCokeorPepsiandyouhadanNofonly fivepeople, it’spossiblethat the first five peoplewould just happen to all like Pepsi, and youmight erroneously conclude that 100 percent of all people liked PepsimorethanCoke.)Why is this important toourdiscussionof target size?Because,as itturnsout,N is oneof the factorsusedbyyourbrain todetermine thelikelihoodofsuccess,andasaresult, thesizeof theN—thenumberofpeopleinastudy—actuallyaffectshowparticipantsperform.This holds true for performance in the real world, not just thelaboratory. Inonestudy,StephenGarciaandAvishalomTorcorrelated

thenumberofstudentsateachtestinglocationwiththeCollegeBoard’s2005SATscores.12OfallthethingsthatwethinkmattertoSATscores,thenumberoftesttakersintheroomisneveroneofthem.Whatdoyounormally think ismost predictive of SAT scores? Scores at the schoolover the past decade? The amount of federal funding received? Thepercentageofminoritystudents?Socioeconomicclass?Nope.TheN,ornumber of test takers. Amazingly, the researchers found a –0.68correlationbetweentheNoftesttakersperlocationandtheirSATscore,meaning that the more test takers in the room, the lower their SATscores.Andthatisahugeeffect.Acorrelationof–1.0wouldmeanthattest takers’ entire SAT score was determined solely by the number ofpeopleintheroomandthatnoneofitwasbasedupontheirintelligenceand education. A –0.68 correlation is massive. Holding all thingsconstant,oneof theeasiestandmosteffectivewaysof improvingyourSATscoreismerelytotakethetestinaroomwithfewerpeople.Whywouldthenumberofpeopleintheroomlowerone’sscore?Thereasonlies intargetsize.Theauthorsofthestudyexplainthat if thereare fewer people in the room, your brain perceives the competition aslow, and your perceived likelihood of coming out on top goes updramatically.Ifyouaresurroundedbyatonofothercompetitors,ontheotherhand,youunconsciouslyperceivea lowerchanceofbeing in thetop percentile. In other words, when we perceive there are fewercompetitors,webelievethereisgreaterlikelihoodofsuccess,whichresultsinmoreengagementandconcentrationandimprovedperformance.For further confirmation of this theory, the researchers hadparticipantsansweraseriesofshortquizzes.Beforetakingthequiz,alltheparticipantswere told that if theyendedup in the top20percent,theywouldreceive$5.Thentheyweresplitrandomlyintotwogroups.Though each personwas placed alone in a room to take the test, theparticipantsingroupAweretoldtheywerecompetingagainsttenotherindividuals, whereas the participants in group B were told they werecompetingagainstonehundredindividuals.13Now,asasavvyreader,yourealizethattheNshouldhavenoeffectuponaperson’sactuallikelihoodofsuccess,sinceinbothcasesonehasa20percentchancetogetthereward.Nevertheless,theparticipantsingroupAfinishedsignificantlyfasterthangroupBoverall.That’sbecausethe people in group A perceived that they had to beat out just eight

peopletogettheirreward,whereasthepeopleingroupBperceivedtheyhadtobeatouteighty.Thatmonumentalchallengeloomedhigher,andthuschancesofsuccessseemedsmaller.Justlikethosegolfersputtingtotheperceivedbiggerhole,thepeopleingroupAperceivedsuccesstobemorelikely,sotheyworkedhardertowardthereward.Thiscouldhavefascinating implications about whether it is good to work in a largecompanyorasmallone,tocompeteinDivisionIorIIsports,orto letourkidsbesmall fishatareallygoodschoolorbigfishata lessgoodschool.Sohowdoweutilize thisknowledgewhen facedwithacompetitivesituation or challenge? You need to find ways to make your brainperceive the N, or the number of competitors, as being as low aspossible. Ifyouareapplying fora job, scheduleyour interview for thebeginningofthemorning,whentherearen’tlikelytobeasmanyotherapplicantswaiting in the lobby. If you’re starting a business, considersettingupshopinapartofthecitywhereyouwon’thavetowalkpastyour competitors’ offices everymorning. If you are studying for a bigtest,donotstudyinahugeroomwithalotofotherstudentsstudyingforthesametest.Ifyouareanauthor,nothingcanbemorediscouragingthanwalkingintoaBarnesandNoble,whereyouareinstantlyremindedthat therearealreadymorebooks thananyhumanbeing canpossiblyread in a lifetime. I can tell you from personal experience that thisreminderwillsignificantlyslowdownyourwritingprogress.

MOVETHEFENCES

Ifyouhaveeversteppedonamajorleaguebaseballfield,youknowthatthe stadium seems cavernous and the home run fences seem a mileaway.But abaseball field looks a little different toPrinceFielder (hisrealname).PrinceFielderspentsevenyearsknockinghomerunsoutofMiller Park in Milwaukee as easily as I would hit a T-ball out of asandbox (though our paywould be very different). Fielder is a powerhitter.Hisjobistohithomeruns.Nomatterwhatstadiumheisin,heisaimingforthefences.Butnotallplayersswingforthefenceseverytime.Ifyou’reinthemajorleaguesandyouareanormalorconsistenthitter,who is sometimes capable of hitting home runs but generally gets on

basewithsinglesanddoubles,youhavetochoosehowtohiteachball.Do you hit for a single or swing for the fences? That choice is baseduponyourperceptionofyourtarget.OnethingIloveaboutbaseballisthatitissomuchaboutscienceandnumbers (on theotherhand,baseball is slowasadrunk tree sloth, sothere’snotmuchelsetodobutthinkaboutthenumbers).Accordingtosports statisticians, different stadiums are better for hitting home runsthan others.14 And it’s not just the size of the park that matters: the“parkfactors”thataffectthelikelihoodofaballsailingoverthefencesalso includewind, building features that block thewind, temperature,altitude,humidity,andsoon.15Playersknowexactlywhichstadiumsaregoodforhittinghomerunsandwhicharen’t.Sowhathappensifaplayerismovedtoateamwhoseballparkhashigherparkfactorsthanhiscurrentone—say,28.6percentbetter? Statistically, onewould expect that he should hit 28.6 percentmore home runs. But one analysis has found that the player’s ratio ofhomerunstotimesatbatactuallymorethandoubles;hehits60percentmorehomeruns.16Why?Theanswerliesinthetargetsize.Ifyouareinaballparkwhereyouthinkyouhaveahigherlikelihoodofhittingahomerun,youaremorelikely to swing for the fences. But if you perceive a more negativereality, in which your chances of hitting the ball out of the park aresmaller,yourbrainwillsendyousignalstojusttryforasingletogetonbase.In business and life, just as in baseball, our perceptions can affectwhether we swing for the fences, or give something our all. But thebaseballresearchshowsusthatwhatmatters isnottheactualdistanceto the fence but what our brains perceive that distance to be. Lookaroundat yourwork andyour current life.Are theredomains in yourlife where you believe you could never hit a home run because thefencesseemamileaway?Simplymovethefencessothatitseemseasier.Onewayistosetreasonablegoals.Ifwebelievewehavelessthana70percent chance of succeeding at creating a new habit or achieving agoal, our likelihood of stickingwith it plummets. So structure all yourgoalssothatyoucanbelieveyouhaveatleasta70percentchanceofmakingthem.Forexample,let’ssayyouwanttoincreasethenumberofclientsfrom

fifteentotwenty-fiveinthenextmonth,butyoubelieveyouhaveonlya50 percent chance of adding those ten clients in that time. Why notmove in the fences and set the seeminglymore doable goal of addingfivenewclientsintwoweeks’time?Thenumberofclientsyouhavetoaddwithinacertaintimeframehasn’tchanged,ofcourse,butbecauseaddingfiveclientsatatimeseemslessdaunting,successsuddenlyseemsmorepossible.Oryoucould resize the targetanotherway.Maybeyouwantedtenmoreclientsbecauseyouthoughtthatmightleadto$50,000more, a goal that seems more attainable than adding the ten clients.Simplymake the$50,000your goal, andyour brainwill releasemoreenergy,engagement,andfocustoaccomplishit.

STRATEGY3:RECALCULATETHRUST(ENERGYREQUIRED)

Thethirdaccelerantofsuccessisthrust.Thrustistheamountofenergyyourbrainperceivesisnecessarytohityourtarget.Researchshowsthatnotalldemandsuponthebrainareequivalent:weperceivecertaintasksas requiring farmoremental energy, effort, and resources thanothers.Researchalsoshowsthatthemorethrust,ormentaleffort,webelieveisnecessarytoaccomplishagoal,themorelikelywearetogiveup.For example, in one study, researchers led byDennis Proffitt at the

University of Virginia found that if you place an object up on a hill,peoplearelesslikelytoexpendenergytogoretrieveit.17Howoftendowemisperceivesometaskorchallengeasanuphillbattle,onlytofindout thatmaking that sale or winning that negotiation or landing thatpromotion was much easier than we thought? I saw this in my workwith the National MS Society. Researchers had previously found thatwhen you put an object down a long hallway, someone with chronicneuromuscularpainwill(understandably)perceivethehallwayasmuchlonger thanapersonwhohasno troublewalking. In their reality, thathallwayislongerbecausetheyhavetoexertsomuchmoreefforttowalkdown it. But the good news is thatwe have the power to change ourperceptionsof theamountofeffort,or thrust,needed toovercomeourgreatestchallengesorobstacles.In 2011, I had the opportunity to give a talk at amajor animation

studioinCalifornia,andoneoftheattendeesobserved,“WhenI’mdoing

normalwork, Iusuallyhave tonsofenergyafterwork togoworkout.ButwhenI’mbeingcreativeworkingonanewproject,Ihaveaboostofenergy,butthenI feeltooexhaustedtoworkout. Isatatmydeskthesameamountoftime,butit’s likeIputinthreeorfourdaysofwork.”Corporatecoacheshavethesameissue.Theyhavenoproblemrunningtraining sessions for eight to ten hours a day, but make them give aforty-five-minute keynote, and they often feel wiped out. You haveprobablyseenthiseffectinyourownworkmanytimes—maybeyoucansit for five hours nonstop writing computer code without breaking asweat,butstayingfocusedonthischapteristakinguphugeamountsofmentalenergy.Whyisthishappening?The reason is that cognitive functions are like muscles. If you are

doing tasks thatyouknowwelland thatuse thepartof thebrainyouworkoutoften,youcanputineighthoursandnotfeelexhausted.Butanytimeyouhavetouseskills,intelligences,orpartsofyourbrainthatyouuselessfrequently,anhourcanseemasdepletingasthreeorfournormaldaysofwork.The reason for this lies in yourbrain’s levels of glucose, its primary

sourceof fuel.Becausedifficult tasksrequiremoreglucosethansimpleones, trying touseparts of yourbrain that areoutof shape, and thushavetoworkharder,comesatahighcognitivecost.SusanWeinschenk,president of theUserExperienceNetwork, has dedicatedher time andresearch to understanding how to reduce cognitive costs, or thrust,associated with business and social interactions. According toWeinschenk,mentalcostsincreaseasyougofromphysical(i.e.,movinga mouse), to visual (i.e., scanning and observing), to cognitive (i.e.,logic, decision-making) processing.18 The following goes beyond thefocus of her research, but on the basis ofmyworkwith Fortune 100companies,Iwouldaddonemoreprocesstothemostexpensivesideofher spectrum:“emotionalandsocialprocessing.”Someexamplescouldinclude agonizing over how to phrase something in an e-mail to yourbossor trying to read theexpressionsof thepeople sittingacross fromyouinameeting.Justas,whenyou’rephysicallyfatigued,walkingupaflightofstairs

can seem as exhausting as running amarathon,when you’rementallyfatigued, even a task as simple aswriting an e-mail or looking over areportwill automatically seemharder.This iswhy, ifyouare facinga

difficultordauntingchallengeatwork,avoidingmental fatigue iskey toreducingyourbrain’sperceptionofthrust.Sinceeverychoiceyoumakerequiressomecognitiveeffort,andyou

haveonlyafiniteamount,thekeytoavoidinggettingburnedoutwhenitmatters is tobudgetyourcognitiveresourceswiselyandhoardthemfor those tasks and challenges that take priority. For example, avoidhavinglunchwithadifficultcoworkeronadaywhenyouhavetoworkonanimportantproject.Don’treadadenseacademicarticlerightbeforegoingtoanetworkingeventwhereyouneedtobe“on.”Further, as researchers Kathleen Vohs and colleagues have found, if

you are required tomakemultiple decisions before having to regulateyour emotions, your brain wears out faster, you are more likely toprocrastinate, youhave lower energy, and you aremore likely to quitthe task early.19 So the more you can routinize unimportant tasks atwork, thuseliminatingtheneedtomakeconsciousdecisions, themorethrustyou’llhavetocompletetheimportantgoals.Trytoroutinizewhattimeyougettowork,whatyouhaveforbreakfast,whenyoutakecoffeebreaks, and soon.Thisway, youdon’t have towaste valuablementalenergydecidingonwhether toeat amuffinoroatmeal,orwhether totakeyourbreakat10:30or11:00.Second,putthemostimportantworkearlyintheday(itdoesn’thave

tobe the first thingyoudo), andnever schedule two really importantmeetings or mentally taxing tasks back to back. Researcher RoyBaumeisterhas found thatyourbrain’s self-regulation,orwillpower, isexactly likeamuscle inyourarm.Youcanstrengthenyourwillpower,butonlyifitisrested.Youwouldn’ttrytohelpsomeonemovefurnitureimmediatelyafterliftingweightsatthegym.Sowhywouldyoutrytodoyourmostimportantworkaftermakinglotsofemotionalandcognitivedecisions?Remember,itisyourperceptionoftheamountofeffort involvedthat

matters most. If you are getting overwhelmed by a task or a goal atwork,youmightbemisperceivingitasharderthanitis.Onesolutionistothinkabouttasksintermsofobjectiveunits,ratherthanintermsoftheeffortinvolved.Forexample,ifyourinboxisoverflowing,calculatehowmanye-mailsyouneedtorespondto, insteadof fixingyourmindon how much effort it will take to reply to that one difficult e-mailyou’ve been avoiding. If running an errand seems as if it will take

forever because your destination isway across town,Google-maphowmanyminutesitactuallytakes.Ifyoufeelthatitisridiculouslyhardtogetalltheinformationyouneedtomakeadecisionorsolveaproblematwork, write down the names of the people you need to talk to. Inalmost all cases, thinking about a task in terms of discrete units willmakeitseemmuchlessdifficultanddaunting.

WATCHINGTHECLOCK

Mentaleffortisn’ttheonlythingthatshapesourperceptionsofthrust.Inthe same way that the belief that a task will require extreme effortdrainsourenthusiasmandmotivation,sodoesthebeliefthatthetaskorproject will take a long time. Interestingly, our experience of time isdictatednotasmuchbytheclockasbyourbrains.PhilipZimbardo,theStanford psychologistwho became known for his famous prison studyshowingthelengthspeoplewillgotoobeyauthority,laterwroteabookcalledTheTimeParadox,whichexploreshowhumansperceivetime.Hisbasic premise is that themoremental energy you have to exert during agivenperiodoftime,thelongerthatperiodseems.Ifyouaredoingamenialtaskatworkandyouhavenothingto thinkaboutbut thetask, itmayseem that time is going very slowly. But if you are on an ellipticalmachine and you are watching your team play the final quarter of aclose game, time will pass very quickly and you will find that yourtwenty-minuteworkoutfeltlikenotimeatall.This has huge implications for businesses and employees who deal

directlywithcustomers,becausethemorementalprocessingyourequirecustomers to do—the more fine print they have to read, the moreselections they have tomake—the longer those taskswill feel. And intoday’seraofinstantgratification,ifcustomersperceivedoingbusinesswith you as requiring too much time and effort, they simply won’tbother, just like the participants in the study who didn’t retrieve theobjectuponthehill.AnexecutiveatGoogleoncetoldmeaboutthetimehewantedtoget

some pump-up music for running, so he Googled “best NFL pump-upsongs”andfoundasite(intheendnotesifyouwantit)thatboastedonehundredpump-upsongs.20Buthehadtoclicktoseeeachone,thenwait

for each page to refresh on his phone with the new picture anddescription.Hejokedthatbythetimehemadeittosong#,hewassomentallyexhaustedthathedecidednottogorunningafterall (andhehasyettogetexerciseintohisroutine).Iwenttothesiteandfoundthathewasright:Ididn’tevenmakeitpastthetoptensongs.Tomybrain,thethrustseemedtoomuch.Thelongeryouthinkitwilltaketoaccomplishachallengeortask,the

moredifficult youperceive that challenge or task to be.And aswe’veseen, the harder your brain thinks something is, the harder it willactuallybetoachieveit.InTheHappinessAdvantage,Iwroteabouthowjustathree-totwenty-seconddelaybetweenyouandtheactivityyouaretryingtomakeyourselfdocanoftenbeasoliddeterrent.I’dliketoe-mailthatpotentialclient,butIdon’tknowwhereIputhise-mailaddress…soI’lldoitlater.Iwouldliketoeatapieceoffruit,butit’sinthekitchen,andthesejellybeansarerightonmydesk…sopuresugaritis.ButIalsodescribedthe “Twenty-Second Rule” to help your brain craft a path of leastresistance toward positive habits and away from negative ones. ImentionedhowIstoppedwatchingthreehoursofTVadaybykeepingmyremotecontrolbatteriestwentysecondsawayinanotherroom,andhowIfinallycreatedalifehabitofmorningexercisebygoingtosleepinmy gym clothes for twenty-one days. Bothwere essentially techniquesforreducingtheperceptionofthrust.Emotional expectations also play a large role in shaping our

perceptions of time. If you have a client on hold and your company’sautomatedsystemsayssomeonewillpickup inunderaminute,but ittakes four minutes, the client will find that four-minute delayinterminable.Butifthecustomeristoldthewaittimeistenminutesandthecustomerservicereppicksupinfour,thatsamefourminutesdoesn’tseemsolongatall.IfatrainislatebyfiveminutesinGermany(wherethe trains “always run on time”), people get antsy and angrily keepchecking theirwatches. But if the subway is fiveminutes late inNewYork,youthankyourluckystars.Today,ifawebsitetakessevensecondsto load,we’ll be long gone,whereas twenty years agowewouldhavemarveledatthemiraculousspeedofourbrand-newmodem.Thepoint is that time isaverysubjectiveandrelativeexperience. If

you’veeverwonderedwhyaweekcanfeellikeaneternitytoaneleven-year-old but the blink of an eye to a fifty-five-year-old, think about it

this way: twenty-four hours for an eleven-year-old is one-four-thousandthofhislife.21Forafifty-five-year-old,that’sonlyone-twenty-thousandthofher life.Similarly,aone-yeareconomicdownturnmightseem more survivable to a sixty-year-old entrepreneur for whom thatyearisone-fortiethofhisworkinglife,butitseemsutterlycatastrophicto a twenty-five-year-old forwhom a year constitutes one-third of hertimeinthebusinessworld.In one fascinating study, researcher Peter Mangan found that when

peopleworking on a taskwere asked to estimatewhen threeminuteswasup,eighteen-totwenty-five-year-oldswerequiteaccurate,butsixty-to eighty-year-olds overshot by forty seconds. In other words, timeseemedtotheoldergrouptopass20percentfaster.22This may seem like a meaningless finding, but there are a lot of

practical benefits to perceiving time like an eighty-year-old. Forexample, ifyouhavebeenworkingonaproject foreighthours,but itonly feels like six, you will havemore energy and endurance to keepgoing.Ifyou’vebeenrunningonatreadmillfortwentyminutes,butyouperceiveittobeonlythirteenminutes,you’remorelikelytohavesevenmoreminutesofstamina.Haveyounoticedhowyourenergygivesoutright when you expect it to? Like you plan on running for twentyminutes, and as soon as the twentyminutes are up, you feel like youcan’trunanotherminute.Oryouplanonworkingonaprojectuntil5:00p.m.,andafterthatyou“justcan’t lookat itanymore.” Ifyouwanttoharness the energy to work longer and harder, all you need to do ischangeyourperceptionofhowlongyou’vebeenworking.Ironically, the key to managing time is to lose time—or, more

precisely,tolosetrackoftimeintervals.We’veallexperiencedhowtimeseems to fly when we’re fully immersed in something. This happensbecausewhenyourbrain is fully engaged, its “timekeeper,” located inthecerebralcortex,diverts its resources to thepartsofyourbrainthatareworkinghard.Itthereforedoesn’thaveenoughresourceslefttokeepup with its job: keeping track of time. As a result, time seems to gofaster,allowingyoutoworkharder,faster,andlonger.Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in his seminal research on happiness,

describesthisstate, inwhichanindividual iscompletelyabsorbedinataskandnearly100percentofconsciouscognitivefunctioningisaimedat that task, as “flow.”23 Csikszentmihalyi argues that flow correlates

with thegreatest levelsofhappiness, suggesting that there is scientifictruthtothesaying“timeflieswhenyou’rehavingfun.”One very practicalway to purposely lose track of time is simply to

turntheclockaroundsoyoudon’tlookatit,ortotakeoffyourwatch.WhenIrunonthetreadmill,Iintentionallyputmytowelovertheclockfunctionbecause,otherwise,that’sallmybrainfocusesonfortheentirerun. Themore you focus on time, the slower it will feel and the lesspresentandengagedyouwillbe.Thissameistrueforanyexperienceoractivity you find dull or boring. If you don’t believe me, watch howmanytimesyouchecktheclockduringthenextboringmeetingyouareattending.Moments of fear, worry, anticipation, and boredom keep your

timekeeperonhighalert,makingitimpossibletofocusonanythingbuttime. That’s why when you are waiting for 5:00 p.m. before summerholidays,orwhenyouaredelayedonatarmac,itseemstotakeforevertopass.It’swhy,whenyouhavetowaitadayfortestresultsfromyourdoctor,thedayseemslikeaweek.It’salsowhysoldiersreportthatwhentheyareincombat,itseemsasiftheyhavebeenfightingforhourswhenit’sonlyminutes.Themoreyoucandecreaseyour focuson the thingsyouworryaboutorfear,theeasieritwillbetolosetrackoftimesoyoucandirecttheentiretyofyourbrain’sresourcestowardsucceedingatthetaskathand.

TRAJECTORYMATTERS

AsIlearnedduringmystintinthenavy,aweaponssystemcanhavethefastestmissile in theworld, but if it’s not locked on its target, it willwhiz right past it. Similarly, at work you can have all the successaccelerantsyouwant,butifyouaren’tontherighttrajectory,youwon’taccomplishwhatyouwanttoaccomplish.Onerough,cloudymorninginMaui, I joinedasurfingschool.There

were very few amateur surfers out that windy day, as the water waschoppy, but I had never surfed before and was determined to try itbeforemylecturethatafternoon.Ifpositivepsychologyresearchershaveonecommonlyheldcharacterflaw,it’soverconfidenceinourabilitytomaster new skills almost instantaneously through the power of our

minds.Unfortunately, since I’d grownup inWaco, Texas,my sea legswereaboutasgoodasadrunkcow’swithvertigo, so Iwasataslightnaturaldisadvantage.After paddling out with me through the increasingly irritable

whitecaps,andjustbeforegivingmeahelpfulpushtowardthebreakingwave, the instructor yelled, “It’s okay to fall, just don’t hit the rocks.”That’swhenIsawthattheentirebeachseemedtobecoveredbyhugeboulders, except for a small sandy spot about fifty yards to the right.“Justlookatthesandybeach,”heyelledabovetheoceanspray.“Whereyoulook,theboardwilltakeyou.”Thenhepushed.Ahugeswellofwatercamebehindme,andIgrippedtheboard,then

pushed myself up. It is with overwhelming pride that I report that Istoodupmyvery first timeon a surfboard.Of course,mymoment ofpridewassooninterruptedbyawallofrocks.Iwouldhavebeensmartertohopoff the board, but Iwas so impressedwithmy surfing abilitiesthat I keptgoing, even though Iwasonadirect trajectory toward therocks. I knew the instructor had said to look at the sand, but at thatmomentitseemedtomethatthesanddidnotneedtobelookedat,therocksdid.Butmyinstructorhadalsosaid,“Whereyoulook,thewaveswilltake

you,”andhewasright.Thewavepushedmefastandhardrightattheboulders. I tumbled,myneckhit the rocks justunder thewater,and Itried tostandup justasmysurfboard, trailingbehindmeonmywristcord,hitmerightinthechest.Iwaslucky:Icouldhavebrokenalimbor been paralyzed, but all that was bruised was my pride. When theinstructorsawmesheepishlypaddlingbackouttohim,hejustshookhisheadandmuttered,“Keepyoureyesonthesand.”(Inmydefense,whyintheworldwasabeginners’classsurfinginfrontofdangerousrocks?)Inmyworkwith companies, I have seen this pattern over and over

again:we spend ourworking lives trying to avoid the rocks, and as aresult we end up steering right into them. Themorewe focus on theoutcomes we fear—losing the client, the merger falling through, notgettingpromoted,notgettingintotheschool,andsoon—themoreourbrains dwell on and process this information, and we end up on atrajectoryaimedstraight forourpessimisticassumption.And themoreour reality conforms to our worst assumptions, the more time andenergyourbrainsspendfearingtheworstinfutureoutcomes.

Isawthisviciouscyclebeinglivedoutbyasixty-year-oldinvestmentbankerfromaprestigiousfirminNewYork.Wesharedacarafteratalkat an investment conference inPhoenix. Tenminutes into the ride, hehad toldme his networth and had stated that he still worked eightyhours aweek. I thinkhe thought Iwas aworkaholic likehim (since ItoldhimItraveledallthetimeformyresearchandlectures)becauseheopenedupandtoldmethatwhenhewasgrowingup,hisfamilyhadn’thadmuchmoneyandthattheirlackofmoneyhadcausedalotofstrifeandhadeventuallyresultedinhisparents’divorcing.Hiscash-strappedchildhoodhadbeensopainful,hetoldme,thathehadvowedtoavoidrepeating it at all costs when he became a father. That’s why he hadgone into banking. Yet his fear became all-consuming. He said heconstantly feltveryanxiousaboutmakingmoney to sparehiskids thedifficult family life he’d experienced. But the more he worried aboutmakingmoney,themoreheworked,andthemoreheworked,thelesstimehespentwithhis family.Prettysoonhewent frommissingpianorecitalsandbaseballgamestomissingbirthdaysandotherimportantlifeevents. In theend,hiswifecouldn’t take itand filed fordivorce.He’dkepthiseyesontherocks,andasaresulthe’dheadedsquarelytowardthem.Whatwefocusonbecomesourreality,whichiswhyitissoimportant

for our brains to focus on real,meaningful, andpositive goals. This istrue in just about every realm of life you can think of. A top collegebasketball coach from California once told me that if a player isthinking,“Don’tmiss this shot,”he isalmostcertainlydoomed tomissthat shot. Rather, the player should be focusing his brain on whatmakingtheshotlookslike.Similarly,JamieTaylorandDavidShawdidan experimentwhere they had participants visualize eithermaking ormissinggolfputts.Sureenough,thosewhohadmentallyenvisionedandmentallyexperiencedmissingweremore likelytomiss thanthosewhohadvisualized succeeding (their scoreswere significantlyworse).24Nomatterwhat your goal or challenge is, visualizingwhat successwouldlooklikewillhelpsteeryoutothebeachinsteadoftherocks.Another technique to help you stay focused on your goals is to put

visual cues in your environment to remind you of your meaningmarkers.Oneof themostmisappliedways of doing this is the “visionboard.” “Vision boarding” is a strategy in which people dream their

wildestfantasies,cutoutmagazinepicturesofthosefantasies,thenputthemonacorkboardintheirbedroomoroffice.Theproblemwiththistechnique is that these boards almost always reflect an unrealistic,commerciallymotivatedvisionofwhatpeople think their life“should”looklike(remember,thedefinitionofamostvaluablerealityisonethatispositiveandalsotrue).Notonlyisthisunproductive,butitcanhaveanegativeeffectonourfuture.AsresearchersatNewYorkUniversityhavefound,puttingunrealistic,fantasticalgoalsontoavisionboardactuallymakesus feelworseaboutourselvesbecause itmakesus thinkwearemissingoutonlife.25Unrealisticfantasiesarethesirencallsthattemptour boats toward the rocks. But that does notmean vision boards arebad; theycanbehelpful ifdonecorrectlyusing (1) realisticgoals thatare (2)baseduponyour realmeaningmarkers and (3) possible in thenearfuture.Ifdoneproperly,theprocessofvisionboardingcanhelpusto determine what our real goals are (eatingmore healthily this yearthan last) versus the ones societywants us to have (like getting a six-pack).It isquiteamazingwhatapowerful effect the simpleactofpositivevisualization canhaveonour reality.TheClevelandClinicFoundationfundeda study inwhichonegroupofhealthyvolunteers spent fifteenminutesadaypracticing“fingerabductions,”whicharebasicallylikeabiceps curl butwith one finger. A second group of healthy volunteerswas asked topracticevisualizing doing finger abductions for that sametime period, and the rest did nothing. After twelveweeks, the peoplewho worked out their fingers every day showed, on average, a 53percent increase in finger strength. The control group, unsurprisingly,showed no change. But the fascinating thing was that the people ingroup 2, who literally did not move a finger (except in their brains),showeda35percentincreaseinstrength.Incredibly,mentallypracticinganactionincreasedphysicalstrength.26Whydidthishappen?Becausewhenyoumentallypracticesomething,whetherit’sathoughtoranaction,andwhetherit’spositiveornegative,yourbrainincreasesacorticaloutputsignalforthatthoughtoraction—that is, it becomes more proficient at creating that result. Of course,visualization doesn’t take the place of action; if you just spent all dayvisualizing working out, you would not be nearly as strong as if youactuallyworkedout.Visualization isnot themeans toyourgoals. It is

theaccelerantthatgetsyouontherighttrajectorytowardthosegoals.Sodon’twastetimestaringattheskyortherocksallday,butinsteadkeepyoureyesonyourtruegoal,thatsandybeach.Remember,positivegenius is all about focusing more of your brain and its resources onsuccessratherthanonfailure.Whateveryourpersonalorprofessionalgoalsmaybe,keepyoureyesonthetargetandcreateX-spotsusingthethreeaccelerants(proximity,target size, and thrust), and your brain will corral the energy, drive,intelligences,andcognitiveresourcesyouneedtosucceed.

MAKINGITPRACTICAL

1.IdentifyyourX-spots.X-spotshelpyourbrainbelievethatsuccessisclose,possible,andworthwhile.Theyneednotbeneartheendofsuccessfullycompletingaproject; theycanbefoundallalongtheway.When you are atwork, designminigoals that you canachieve daily so that you can be sure to reap the benefits ofmentalaccelerantseachandeveryday.Setmarkers tohighlightforyourselfwhenyou’re70percentofthewaytoeachminigoal—thatwill cue your brain to release the productivity-enhancingchemicals thatwill speedupyourprogress.And forparticularlychallengingormundanetasks,focuson“progresstodate”ratherthan “what’s left to do.”Oneof the bestways to do this:whenyoumake a list of things to doduring theday,write down thethingsyouhavealreadydonethatdayandcheckthoseoff.Andwrite down things youknowyou are going to do anyway, thencheck those off too. This increases the likelihood of an X-spotexperiencebyhighlightinghowmuchprogressyou’vemadeoverthecourseoftheday.

2.Giveyourselfaheadstart.Designyourgoalswithsomeprogressalready worked in. For example, if you have just startedexercisingandyouwant tocontinue itbymakingahabitchart,designtheexercisecheckofflistwithseveraldaysalreadycheckedoffinsteadofstartingatday1.IfyourNewYear’sresolutionistoraise $1,000 for a charity, don’t start with the fundraising

thermometer at zero; instead, start with some money you’vealready accumulated through some othermeans so it feels as ifyou’realreadypartofthewaytowardyourgoal.

3.Beobjective. If you’regettingoverwhelmedbya taskatwork,think about it in terms of objective units, rather than the effortinvolved.Forexample,ifyou’regoingonaclientmeetingorsalescallthatseemsasifitwilltakeforeverbecauseitisacrosstown,Google-maphowmanyminutesitactuallytakes.Ifyoufeelthatitisridiculouslyhardtogetalltheinformationyouneedtomakeadecisionorsolveaproblematwork,writedownthenamesofthepeopleyouneedtotalkto.Whenyourbrainusesobjectiveunits,you can avoid becoming emotionally hijacked by the perceivedeffort—orthrust—involved.

4.Usechampionmoments.Ifyouoryourteamisfacingadauntingproject,create“championmoments.”Before startingon the task,write a list of three instanceswhen you’ve succeeded in similarsituationsinthepast.Whenyourbrainisremindedthatsuccessislikely, givenpast successes, achieving your goalswill seem thatmuchmorepossible.Yourbrainwillbebetterabletochannelallyourmultiple intelligences and resources toward that project orchallenge.

5.Keepyoureyesonthebeach,nottherocks.Mentallypracticeandvisualizeaccomplishingthesmallstepsyouneedtotaketogettoyour goal. Your brainwill naturally steer you towardwhateveryou focus on, so instead of visualizing failure, visualize whatsuccesscouldrealisticallylooklike.

6.Make70percentyourgoal.Designgoalsorminigoals thatyougenuinely believe you have more than a 70 percent chance ofachieving. If you doubt your likelihood of success from thebeginning,thenyoudramaticallydecreaseyourchancesofhittingyour target. If you honestly believe you have less than a 70percent chance to complete the goal, adjust it to make itslikelihoodofsuccessmorethan70percent.

7.Makeyourgoalsvisible.Createarealisticandmeaningfuldigitalslideshow or wall in your office with pictures or words

representing goals you would like to accomplish. The mostpracticalwayI’vefoundfordoingthisistokeepaseriesofphotoson my computer desktop or in a revolving screen saver.Remember,thesegoalsmustbe(1)realistic,(2)meaningful,and(3) possible in the near future. It takes fifteen minutes to findpictures of your goals from your smartphone or laptop (one ofminewasapictureofabookI’dbeenwantingtoread)andtoputtheminafolderonyourcomputer.Youcanthensetyourscreensavertorunpicturesfromthatfolder. Ifyoudon’tknowhowtodothis,I’veputalinkinthenotes.27

noisecanceling

BOOSTINGYOURPOSITIVESIGNALBYELIMINATINGTHENEGATIVENOISE

When Iwas a freshmenproctor atHarvard, theUnited Stateswent towar with Iraq. When a massive protest was promptly organized oncampus,somenationalnewsstationscametofilmtheunrest.Onecrew,immediatelyuponarrivingoncampus,followedallthenoiseuntiltheyfoundahugecommotionaroundthefreshmandininghall.Studentshadsurrounded the building, holding posters and chanting loudly. Thecameras began rolling, and the news reporter began describing thepandemoniumthathaderuptedinresponsetoPresidentBush’sdecisiontosendtroops.Midway through the live newscast, a student dressed up

(coincidentally as it turns out) as a plush elephantwalked behind thereporter screaming something unintelligible before sauntering off. Thenewscaster again referenced the students’ rage over the Republicanpresident’s decision, pointing to the posters,which boremessages like“We Didn’t Want You Anyway” and “Quaded” (which she must havepresumed to be a reference to a single-term presidency). Thenewswoman finishedher report, the cameraswerepackedup, and thestorywasuploadedtothenewswebsitefiveminuteslater.TenminuteslateritwasyankedofftheWeb.As it turned out, the news team had made a rather embarrassing

mistake. They had, in fact, filmed not the Iraq war protest, but the

annual Housing Day ritual, in which freshmen students are randomlyassignedtoupperclasshouses(thinkthe“sortinghat”fromHarryPotter,butwithmore noise). Freshmen are dressed up asmascots, screamingupperclassmen wear war paint, and, by the time breakfast is served,students find out whether they will be living in the luxurious RiverHousesorrelegatedtotheQuad.Thatmorning,theritualhaddevolvedinto complete chaos. Sowhen thenews team showedupand followedthenoise,itledthemtothisridiculousHousingDayriotratherthanthewarprotestontheothersideofthecampus.Thepointofthestoryisthatnoisecanbeahugedistorterofreality.Vegas casinos know this; that’s why they overload your brain withsounds and lights to distract you from the reality that you are losingmoney. But noise is much more than just a distraction; it blocks outsignalsthatcanpointyoutowardpositivegrowth.Whilenoisecan lead toanegative reality inwhichyourpotential islimited, a positive signal can help you create amore valuable reality,mappathstosuccess,andaccelerateyoutowardyourgoals.Butbecauseofthesheeramountofinformationwe’reexposedtointoday’sworld,itisn’talwayseasytohearthesignalthroughthenoise.Luckily,amazingresearch in positive psychology and neuroscience has found that byconsciouslydecreasing the flood of information your brain receives byjust 5 percent, you can substantially improve your chances of findingthatpositivesignal.But it’s important tounderstand that it is not just theoutsideworldthat makes noise. Your own brain is a huge noisemaker. HarvardpsychologistWilliamJamesoncesaid,“Partofwhatweperceivecomesthrough our senses from the object before us, another part alwayscomes…outofourownhead.”1Inotherwords,muchofourrealityiscreatednotbyoutside factsbutbyourowninternalvoices.Andwhenthose voices are a deafening chorus ofworry, anxiety, negativity, andfear,ourengagementandsuccessratesplummet.Soifwewanttocreatethe most valuable reality and be more effective in our personal andprofessional lives,wealsohaveto findawaytoblockoutnot just theexternalnoisebuttheinternalnoiseaswell.In this chapter you’ll learn simple strategies for canceling negativenoise and boosting the signal that will point you to better decisions,more innovative solutions, more robust sales, improved health, and

greaterachievement.Strategy1:RecognizetheSignal.Inthisstrategy,I’llshowyouhowtorecognizenoiseby fourcriteriaandtrainyourbrain topickout thesignalfromthenoise.Strategy2:StoptheAddictiontoNoise.Inthissection,you’lllearnpractical,dailystepsyoucantaketoreduceyouroverallnoiselevelandincreasethestrengthofyoursignalbyupto25percent.Strategy 3: Cancel the Internal Noise. In the final section, you’lllearnhowtoboostyoursignalbyactivelyeliminatingtheinternalnoiseoffear,pessimism,andself-doubt.Youwilllearnhowtoboostthesignalbysilencinganxietyandnegativitythroughtwosimplehabits.

STRATEGY1:RECOGNIZETHESIGNAL

Let’sbeginbyrecappingthedefinitionsofsignalandnoise.Signal is information that is true and reliable and alerts you to theopportunities,possibilities,andresourcesthatwillhelpyoureachyourfullestpotential.Noise is everything else: any information that is negative, false, orunnecessary or that prevents you from perceiving a world in whichsuccessispossible.Noise isanythingthatdistortsyourpositiverealityanddistractsyoufrom harnessing your multiple intelligences that chart a path towardyour goals. It can be anything from the memory of the high schoolguidancecounselortellingyouthatgirlsreallydon’tgointoengineering,tothatbossberatingyouforbeingonedaylatewithareport,totheonenegative review you received onAmazon. (I heard there are only twotypesofauthors:thosethatareaffectedbynegativereviewsandshowitandthosewhoaredeeplyaffectedbutdon’tshowit.)Thesignal,ontheotherhand,istheA+yougotinengineering,orthekudosyoureceivedfromyourbossonthelastfivereports,orthehundredpositivereviewsyour book garnered on Amazon. There is also signal in pieces ofinformationthatmightseemnegativebutcontainimportantknowledge.Forinstance,authentic,helpfulconstructivecriticismmightnotinitiallyfeelgreattotherecipientbutcansparkachangethatleadstoimmensepersonalgrowth.Thekeyisfiguringoutwhatdeservesyourattention.

Your brain is receiving all types of information right now, from thetemperature of the air to the smell of your coffee. Most of thatinformation, like the fact that your coworker iswearing a fashionablyirresponsibleshort-sleevebusinessshirt,ismeaninglessnoise.Themoreyourbrain focuseson thismeaninglessornegativenoise, theharder itbecomes tohear thesignal.Theproblemis that inouroverstimulated,information-saturated, loud world, it can often be challenging, if notimpossible,totellthedifferencebetweensignalandnoise.Yetifwecandecreasetheoverallnoiseinourlivesbyjust5percent,wecangreatlyincreaseourchancesofpickingoutthesignal.Andit’sworththetroublebecause,asitturnsout,theabilitytodifferentiatenoisefromsignalnotonly can make you happier and healthier but could even make youmillions.

RICHERTHANOPRAH

InhisNewYorkTimesbestsellingbookTheGreatestTradeEver,GregoryZuckermandescribeshow, in2006,JohnPaulson,ownerofoneof theworld’s largest hedge funds, saw the signs that the housing subprimemarketsweregoingtocollapseandmadeawhopping$19billion—$15billionforhisfirmand$4billionforhisownpocket—bybettingagainst,or “shorting,” the market. Nineteen billion dollars: that’s more thanOprah’s,TigerWoods’s,andJ.K.Rowling’snetworthcombined.So how was Paulson able to sift through all the stock prices and

predictions coming across his trading desk, all the twenty-four-hournews prognosticators shouting at him from his television, and all theconventional “wisdom”echoing inhisownbrain toheara faint signalthat thevastmajorityofbrilliant andexperiencedeconomists, traders,lawyers, congressmen, financial experts, and media people missed?Becausenotonlywasheattunedtothesignsthattherewasdeeptroublein the market, but he was willing to accept the signal, which wassomethingthattherestofAmericadidnotwanttohear.Paulson was relatively unknown to most of America until his huge

windfall in the markets made headlines. On the other hand, anothereconomist, Irving Fisher, was a living business legend, the WarrenBuffett,BillGates,andSteveJobsofhistime.Hisacademicpedigreewas

impeccable, his IQ off the charts. Milton Friedman, the world-famousand Nobel Prize–winning economist, called Irving Fisher “the greatesteconomistthattheUnitedStateshaseverproduced.”StudentsofeconomicsreadingthismayknowofFisher.Butthere’sareasonmostpeopletodayhaven’theardofhim.Hedisastrouslymissedthesignal.OnOctober21,1929,“thegreatesteconomistthattheUnitedStateshaseverproduced”proclaimed,“Stockshavereachedwhatlookslikeapermanentlyhighplateau.”Three days later, calamity would strike, effectively wiping out 40percent of the wealth in the nation and catching the United Statescompletely off guard. That day, October 24, 1929, dubbed BlackThursday, was the worst stockmarket crash in history. So how couldsuch a distinguished economist as Fisher completely miss the signs?Because, unlike Paulson, Fisher bought into irrational optimism, thebelief thatahighmarketwould forever remainhigh.Hedismissed thewarningsigns frommorerationaleconomistsasnoise,and indoingsohecompletelymissedthesignal.Twelve years later, as World War II raged in Europe, the U.S.intelligence services started picking up chatter that Japan mightpreemptivelyattacktheUnitedStates.ThemostelitebrainsintheU.S.militaryswiftlydecreedthatthischatterwasnothingtoworryabout—justnoise.ThatmayexplainthefollowingquotefromtheU.S.secretaryofthenavy,FrankKnox:“Whateverhappens,theU.S.Navyisnotgoingtobecaughtnapping.”ThedatewasDecember4,1941.Three days later, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, catching the UnitedStates completely off guard and destroying 40 percent of the nation’sbattleships.2 Ina short time, theU.S.Navy, like theeconomy in1929,was dealt a devastating blow that would require years and years torepair.So how could such smart people have gotten it so wrong so manytimesinhistory?Theproblemwasnotthattheyweren’tintelligentbutratherthattheywereusingthewrongtypeofintelligence.IQmayhavehelped them design aircraft carriers or develop complex financialmodels,andsocial intelligencemayhavehelpedthemfoster teamworkwithintheirbattalionsorcollaboratewithfelloweconomists,butittakespositiveintelligencetoeffectivelydifferentiatesignalfromnoise.But wait, you might be thinking, isn’t the signal supposed to be

positive? At first glance, these signals—that the market was about tocrash, that the United States was about to be attacked—don’t soundpositive at all. But here’s the thing: negative events can be positivesignals if they inspire action that leads to a more successful outcome. Inthesecases,ifFisherhadalertedthepowers-that-beinWashingtonthatfinancialdoomwasimpending,orifSecretaryKnoxhadputthemenatPearlHarboronhighalert,theoutcomeofthoseeventscouldhavebeenfarlessdisastrous.Onlywhenweareabletoseetherealityinwhichourbehaviormatters,eveninthefaceofmajorcalamity,canweharnessallourintelligencestopickoutthesignalthroughthenoise.Remember,positivegeniusisn’taboutseeingtheworldthroughrose-

colored glasses. Positive geniuses can see problems just as well aspessimists; the difference is that when a pessimist sees a problem, heforesees only more problems, whereas a positive genius foreseesovercoming that problem and thus works harder and smarter to findsolutionsandavenuesfordoingso.Ofcourse,notevenapositivegeniuscan always predict the signal; positive genius is not a crystal ball. Butwhatitdoesdoishelpyourbrainabsorbtheinformationandideasandresources you need to succeed (the signal), while tossing out thenegative, extraneous, or flawed information that hinders growth (thenoise).

BRAINOVERLOAD

Yourbrainfiltersoutinformationallthetime.Ithasto;thehumanbrainsimplydoesn’thavethecapacitytoabsorballthenoisethatassaultsusdailyintoday’sworld.Aswelearnedearlier,researchershavefoundthatoursensescanreceiveup toelevenmillionpiecesof informationeverysecond.3 However, your conscious brain can effectively process onlyaboutfortybitsofinformation,whichmeanstherestiseitherprocessedbyyourunconsciousbrainoreliminatedas“spam.”Soourbrainshavetoactivelydecidewhattotossoutandwhattolistentoandabsorb.Wecanchooseeithertohearnegative,flawed,orirrelevantinformationorto absorb information that will help us accomplish our goals. Butbecausetheamountwecanhearislimited,thereisatrade-off;themorenegative informationwe take in, the less positive signalwe can hear,

andviceversa.Toseehowyourbrain filters information inreal time, try thisquick

experiment.See ifyoucanfocusonignoringthenonboldedwordsandreadingonlytheboldedwords.Seehowquicklyyoucandoit.

IfAmongyouarethemostconstantlyspectacularlisteningtocognitivethenoise,traitsyourisbrainyourcannotabilityfindtothesignal,quicklyselectwhichonemeansmessageyoufromwillanother.Formissoutexample,onyoupossibilitiescaninyourdetectenvironmentthisatwork.messageForthat example, thehiddenweatherbeneath tomorrowyourwillseatberightrainy,nowisthatatheboxstockthatmarketcontainswillanevertreasuregomapdownagain, thatand leads that to ita is chestbest filled towithalways one planmillion for dollars’ the worth worst of so gold. thatWe you need are to never cancelsurprisedthebybadnoisethings!4

Howwell did you do?Congratulations! If you are likemost people,yousucceededat filteringout thenonboldedwords.Yourbrainshouldhave been able to easily eliminate the noise (in this case the nonboldwords) and focus on the signal (the bolded words). But don’tcongratulate yourself fully just yet;while our brains’ ability to do thiscanbeadvantageousinsomesituations,itcanalsobeverydangerous.Irevised this experiment fromonedescribed at theWBlog in a specialway.Ichangedthenonboldedtext.Why?Rereadtheitalicizedtextandyou’llseewhereI’mgoingwiththis.Didyoumissthetreasure?InthisexampleIpurposelyhadyoufocusonthenoiseandfilteroutthesignaltoshowhoweasyit is forourbrainstoconfusethetwoandwhatcanhappenwhenwedo:weruntheriskthatourbrainswillautomaticallyfilteroutimportantorvaluableinformation.To see how this affects us in our everyday lives, let me ask you a

simplequestion:IsSplendagoodorbadforyou?Searchfortheansweron Google and you’ll get at least 170,000 hits, most of them wildlycontradictory.Ortakeanyothersubjectivequestion.Isthedeathpenaltyfair or unfair? Is the stock market going to go up or down? Theresponses you’ll receive are limitless. So how do you decidewhich tolistento?Lawyersknowthepowerofnoise.Wanttoconfuseajury?Overwhelm

them with information so they have to go on emotion rather thanlogically thinking through the argument. Want to stymie the

prosecution?Givethemamillionfilesfordiscoveryandwatchthemtrytowadethroughthem.BobGomes,formerCEOofRenewDataCorp.,aforensic company that helps companies, including law firms, manageandsortdata,isquotedassayingthat“oneofourclientshasforty-twothousandbackup tapesholding2,500 terabytes of data.” To put this inperspective,theLibraryofCongresshasonly10terabytesofdata,saysGomes.That’sone clientwith250 times theamount of data in the sumtotal of all the books in America. Finding the signal in even a tinyfractionofthesedataissimplytoomuchforthehumanbraintohandleunaided.In theworkingworld,wherewe’resubject toaconstantandendlessstreamofinformation,noisecanbeparticularlydangerous.Ifyouattendto the noise, your reality at work will be made up of the wronginformation: information that will only hijack your motivation anddecrease your focus. Worse yet, because our brains’ capacity forinformation is limited,whenwe focus on this negative information, itcomesatthedirectexpenseofthevaluableinformationthatwillhelpusspotopportunitiesandsolutionsinourenvironment.Inshort,thereisadirect trade-off between hearing signal and hearing noise, and this iswhy,tobesuccessful,weneedtolearntoboostoursignal-to-noiseratio.Butfirstthingsfirst.Beforewecanbegintoboostourratio,weneedto hone our ability to wade through the astronomical amount ofinformation that assaults us daily and learn to tell the differencebetweensignalandnoise.

THEFOURCRITERIAOFNOISE

Learningtodistinguishsignal fromnoise isn’teasy. Inanarticlecalled“The Evolution of Superstitious and Superstition-like Behaviour,”published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, biologistsKevinR. Foster andHannaKokko offered an evolutionary explanationforwhyhumansareinnatelywiredtofinditdifficult.5Becausethecosttoourprehistoricancestorsofmissingasignal—likeasignalthatatigerwasabouttoattack—wassohigh,ourprimitivebrainssimplycouldn’taffordtofilteroutorignoreanyinformation.That’swhy,thousandsandthousandsofyearslater,wehavetofightagainstourprimitivenaturesif

we are to filter out false or misleading information (noise) from theinformationthat’strulyimportant(signal).Butwhilethismaynotcomenaturallytous,itcanbedone.Thankstorecentadvancesinpsychologyandneuroscience,mycolleaguesandIattheInstituteforAppliedPositiveResearchhavebeenabletoisolatefourguidelines to help you identify the meaningless or distractinginformation that reduces your output, leads to errors, and slows yourtrajectorytowardyourgoals.If information coming into your brain fits just one of the followingfourcriteria,it’salmostcertainlynoise.

1.Unusable:Yourbehaviorwillnotbealteredbytheinformation.Iftheinformation won’t spur you to change your behavior, it isextraneous.Onceyoustartapplyingthismentalalgorithm,you’llrealize that, sadly,mostof the informationthat floods intoyourbrainonadailyorevenanhourlybasisfitsintothiscategory.Anexcellentexample isourtendencytoobsessabouteventsweseeonthenews.AnearthquakeinBurma,forexample,istragicbutcompletely out of your control. So unless you plan on doingsomething to help the victims, filling your daywith updates onthatstory isnothingmore thansurroundingyourselfwithnoise.If,ontheotherhand,youwillsendaid,prayforthevictims,orvow to liveyour life inamoremeaningfulandpurposefulway,then that news is a helpful signal. When you are distracted ordepressedbysomepieceofinformation,ifitdoesn’tspuryoutochangeyourbehavior,thenthatinformationisunusableandthusnoise.

2.Untimely:Youarenotgoingtousethatinformationimminently,anditcouldchangebythetimeyoudouseit.Ifyouboughtstocksthatyouwant to hold for the long run, then checking the NASDAQeverydayisnotonlycreatingnoisebutwastingvaluablementalresources and energy that could be spent doing somethingproductive to create realwealth. If the informationwill becomeirrelevant by the time you are ready to use it, do your brain afavorandstopseekingitout.

3.Hypothetical:Itisbasedonwhatsomeonebelieves“couldbe”instead

of “what is.”Classic examplesof this aremostweather forecastsand market predictions. What if you could have back all theminutesofyourlifeyou’vespentlisteningtothepredictions—90percent ofwhich turned out to bewrong? Research shows thateven most “expert” predictions fare no better than randomchance.Take, forexample,a studyofweatherpredictionby theBBCforCambridge,England,whichshowedthatforecastsforthenextday(nevermindthreedaysoraweekintothefuture)wereonly 53 percent accurate.6 Weather predictions are almostentirelynoise, or, as researcher J.D.Egglestonwasquoted inaFreakonomics blog, “It is unfortunate that 13 percent of eachnews telecast (actually about 20 percent if you discount thecommercials) is dedicated to a weather forecast that is mostlytime-consuming fluff.”7 Hypothetical predictions, in almost allcases,arenoisethatdrownsoutusefulinformationyoucouldbeusingtomakebetterdecisions.

4.Distracting:Itdistractsyoufromyourgoals.Thinkaboutthegoalsyouhavemappedforyourself(basedonyourmeaningmarkers):gettingpromoted,gettingbettergrades,savingenoughmoneytoretire comfortably,beingagoodmother,and soon.Nowwatchthefloodof incominginformation.Doesitrelatetooneofthosedomains?Ifyourgoalistogetyourworkdonesoyoucanspendmore timewith your family, reading ESPN.com all afternoon isnoise(unless,ofcourse,youworkasasportscaster,orabookie).

Notonlywillthesefourrulesofthumbhelpyouspotthenoise,butasabonustheywillsaveyoutime!Iusedtospendabouttwohourseveryday surfing the Web, reading about politics, checking the news, andwatching analysts on TV. But using these criteria, especially the oneaboutwhether the informationwouldchangemybehavior, I realized Icouldeliminatemostofthatnoise(keepingjustenoughtostayrelativelyinformed) and focus on research, my business, my family, and acharitable cause I believed in—all the areas where my behavior didmatter.Nowthatyou’ve learnedsomecriteria to tell thedifferencebetween

the signal and the noise, in this next section you’ll learn how to raiseyoursignal-to-noiseratiobycancelingoutjust5percentofthenoise.

STRATEGY2:STOPTHEADDICTIONTONOISE

When I give talks, I often get questions about why the media are sonegativeorsensationalorbiased—or,inaword,noisy.Asapsychologyresearcher,theprevalenceofnoiseinthemedia—orsocietyingeneral—doesn’t surprise me, given that our ancient brains are wired fornegativity.Thisisn’tjusttheory.Ourbrainsarewiredtorespondfasterto threats in the environment.8 Remember that we learned that high-performingteamsneedmorethan2.9positiveexperiencespernegativeexperience tomaintainhigher levels of performance.9We also learnedthat we need over three positive events in our working and personallivestooutweighonebadevent.10Tounderstandwhythisisso,letmetakeyoubackacoupleofmillionyears.

LIONSVERSUSRABBITS

I’massuming that sinceyou’ve read this far in thebookyouarenotaprehistoricrabbit,butlet’spretendforamomentthatyouare.Youarecontentedlychewingonsomegrassandyouhearsomethingrustlinginthebushes.Isitapredator?Ifyouthinkit’sapredator,youwillrunandwillmostlikelyescapetosafety.Ifyoudonotrun,anditisapredator,gameover. Ifyoudorun,andyouwerewrong,youdon’tget tofinishyourlunch.Losingyourlunchisnothingcomparedtolosingyourlife.Soyoumaybehungry,butatleastyousurvive,enablingyoutopassyourgenesdowntosubsequentgenerationsofbunnies.Mostofyoureadingthatwillsaythattherabbit,thoughskittish,was

right to run at any sign of a predator, however faint. Butwhat if youwerealioninsteadofarabbit?Ifyouknowyou’reatthetopofthefoodchain,there’snoneedtorunfrompredators,becauseyou’regoingtobeabletohandlewhatevercomes.Most of us are at the top of the proverbial food chain in our

professionallives,evenifwedon’talwaysrealizeit.By“topofthefoodchain”Idon’tnecessarilymeanthecorporatehierarchy;youcanbetheworkequivalentofalion,whetheryouareaCEOoramidlevelmanagerorevenanentry-levelassistant.WhatImeanbytopofthefoodchainisthatyouarea smart, competent,valuedprofessional—and ifyouhave

read this far into this book, you’re also well on your way to being apositivegenius.Sowhydowesooftenbelieveotherwise?Whydoweallowourbrainstoseenotmakingonesale,notgettingonepromotionwewanted,orhavingonenegativeinteractionwithourbossasevidencethatwedon’tdeservetosucceed?Becauseascavemenwewerenotatthetopofthefoodchain,andthus

wehadtolearntorunfromanysignofdanger,justliketherabbit.Asaresult,ourprimitivebrainshavebeenprogrammed,overthousandsandthousandsof yearsof evolution, tobehighly attuned to threats inourenvironment.This iswhynegativenoise registers somuch louder thansignalandwhynegativeeventsaffectusmorethanpositiveones.While being attuned to threats in the environment may have been

advantageous to our tiger-fleeing ancestors, in today’smodern era wepay for it inmoreways thanone.Whenwe read thenews,weabsorband remember the sensational stories better than we do the moremeasuredones.Whenwewatchtelevision,wemorereadilytakeadvicefrom the loudest andmost vocal pundits andpersonalities thanwedofrom the more credible ones. In other words, to our brains, noiseregistersfivetimeslouderthansignal.Take JimCramer, host ofMadMoney, one of themost entertaining

financial experts and prognosticators. He makes his case so forcefullyand charismatically thatwhenever I used to listen, Iwould feel stupidfor not havingalready followed his advice. But in 2008,when analystMichael Zhaung, in an article from Seeking Alpha, evaluated Cramer’sexpertadvicefromthepreviousyear,hefoundhiscombinedaccuracytobe 35.6 percent—in otherwords, 15 percent less accurate than a cointoss.11This is not to bash Cramer, who clearly possesses a great deal of

conventional intelligence (having graduated magna cum laude fromHarvard).And that statistic evaluatesonlyoneyearofhis predictions.Yet listeningtohisadviceclearlyviolatesrule3ofournoisedetectioncriteria—itisbasedonwhatsomeonebelieveswillbeinsteadofwhatis.Thiswouldbefairlyharmlessifweweretotakenoactionsbasedonhispredictions (i.e., if you merely listened to advice you would not use,violating rule 1). But let’s say you heeded every investment tip heimpartedinayear.IfyoustartedinJanuarywith$100,000andinvestedit all, come December you would have lost two-thirds of that, or

$65,000.IwouldbesadifareadercameawaythinkingthatthisisaboutJim

Cramer.Ilikehimandthinkhe’ssmartandentertaining.Mygoalhereisnot to knock his track record but to demonstrate that just becauseinformationisloudthatdoesn’tmakeitvaluable.Not only can noise lead you to poor (and expensive) decisions, but

researchshowsthat itcandecreasecompanyprofits. In2000,Stanfordand Columbia social psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepperconducted an ingenious, creative study looking at how noise affects aconsumer’sdecisionaboutwhethertomakeapurchase.12The researchers set up shop at an upscale grocery, disguised as

employees offering free tastings. For half the day, they displayed sixdifferent kinds of fruit jams for people to try; for the other half theydisplayednofewerthantwenty-fourdifferentjars.Whenthecornucopiaoftwenty-fourwasdisplayed,60percentofpeoplestoppedtotastethejams,whereaswhentherewereonlysixjars,only40percentofpeoplestopped.Soifyouareajammakerandyourgoalasacompanyistogetpeople to taste things for free, more choice—that is, noise—is clearlybetter. But noone is in that business (or if they are, theywon’t be inbusiness for long).Clearly, thegoalofbusiness is to sellmore.This iswhere the results got interesting:while 31 percent of the peoplewhotastedatthetableofsixboughtajarofjam,only3percentoftheshopperswhostoppedatthetwenty-four-jartablemadeapurchase.Why?All those extra choices overwhelmed the customers, drowning

outthesignalthatwouldhaveotherwisepointedthemtoapurchase.It’sjustoneofmanyexamplesofwhysuccessinbusinessrestsontheskillwe’re about to learn next: reducing the overall noise in your externalenvironment.

YOURBOSEBRAIN

Over thepast fiveyears, Ihavegivenmore than fivehundred talks inmorethanfiftycountries.Asaresult,I’monplanesquiteabit.WhenIfirst started travelingsomuch forwork, I thought Iwouldgeta lotofwriting done while on planes. But I very quickly found that I couldbarelyevenfocusonaSudokupuzzlebecause Ikeptgettingdistracted

byall theannouncements,cryingbabies, loudtalkers,andevenenginenoise. (I have met enough flight attendants with bad hearing to beconvincedthattheenginesalonearecausinghearingloss.)SoIboughtapairofBosenoise-cancelingheadphones,andsuddenlyIfounditmucheasier to focus on my writing. I began getting more and more done.What if there existed a similar noise-canceling technology to help usimproveourfocusandproductivityinourworklives?Researchcomingoutofmultiplefieldssuggeststhattheremightjustbe.Scientifically speaking, there are twoways to cancel noise: passively

andactively.Puttinginearplugsisanexampleofpassivenoisecanceling(eventhoughyouhavetoactivelyputtheminyourears)becausetheirpurposeistosimplyblockthenoise.Mynoise-cancelingheadphones,ontheotherhand,areanexampleofactivenoisecanceling,becausetheyactively emit opposite soundwaves (as youmay remember from highschoolphysics,soundwavesarejustenergy)thatcancelouttheambientnoise.

We passively block out sound all the time. I’m sure you’ve had theexperience of being so engrossed in a TV show, for example, that youdidn’t even notice that your spousewas yelling at you from the otherroom.It’snot thatyoucouldn’thearhimbecausetheTVwastoo loud(thoughyoumightusethatasyourexcuse);it’sthatwhenourbrainsarehyperfocusedonsomething—whetherit’stheTVorabookoraniPhone—we become oblivious to the outside world. Of course, you can

passivelycancelallthenoisejustbyclosingyoureyesandears,butthenyouruntheriskofmissingthesignaltoo.Whatweshoulddoinsteadisreduce the overall amount of informationwe take in. By reducing theamount of noise we take in by even just 5 percent, we can greatlyincreaseourchancesofhearingthesignal.There is nothingmagical about 5 percent. It is just a small enoughincrement tonotoverwhelmyourbrain (see theZorroCircle fromTheHappinessAdvantage). Ifyoucandomore than5percent,great,butasreaders of The Happiness Advantage know, real, lasting change isincremental, and positive growth builds on positive growth. So evensmallchangeaddsupover timetohigherandhigher levelsofpositiveintelligence.

THE5PERCENTEXPERIMENT

It will come as no surprise that there is a lot of noise in themodernworld,butjusthowmuchmayshockyou.RogerBohnandJamesShort,two researchers from the University of San Diego, have compiled anextensive census of the amount of information consumedbyAmericanhouseholds(notincludingwork).Accordingtothecensus,thepercapitatime spent consuming information rose 60 percent between 1980 and2008, from7.4hoursperday in1980 to11.8hours in2008.13 That’salmost four more hours a day, and remember, that excludes workinghours!This is even more staggering when you think about the fact that,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 half of the U.S.populationworked(kids,stay-at-homeparents,theunemployed,andtheretiredmadeuptherest),andtheaverageworkweekwasfortyhours.14So with an average of four hours a day working for both groupscombined,andsevenhoursadaysleeping,theaverageAmericanspent75percentofhisorherwakingtimeathomeoverloadinghisorherbrainwithinformation.Inanotherstudy,researcherIthieldeSolaPoolestimatedthatin1990,Americansconsumed4,500trillionwordsifyouincludeTV,printmedia,books,andhandwrittenletters.15(IhadtolookonWikipediatofindoutwhat “handwritten letters”were—they soundprecious.) In2008,Bohn

andShortcalculatedthatthenumberofwordsconsumedhadincreasedto10,845trillionwords,about100,000morewordsperday!(Ironically,for researchers concerned about the amount of information consumed,when I did a word count of their write-up, it worked out to 20,000words.)In today’s world of Google, smartphones, and always-on media, wehavebecomeaddicted to information.As every addict knows, the firststepinrecoveryisrecognizingthatwehaveaproblem.Thenextstepisto extricate ourselves from tempting situations. Just as a recoveringalcoholicshouldstayawayfromthebar,orkeepliquoroutofthehouse,soshouldnoiseaddicts(whichisallofus)avoidnoisysituations.Let’s pretend you are at a neighborhood party (if you are actuallycurrentlyataparty,putthebookdown),andBobcomesuptoyouandstarts talking about a recent car accident in the neighborhood, then amurder he saw on the news, then a new study that talks about howalcoholkillsbraincellsandmakespeoplestupid.Whatwouldyoudo?Well, firstyoumightputdownyourglassofwine (thanksa lot,Bob);thenyouwouldprobablywavetoanimaginarypersonontheothersideof the room and excuse yourself, and you would spend every futurepartyactivelyavoidingBob,withouteventhinkingtwiceaboutit.So why do we have so much trouble avoiding this same kind ofnegative information in other contexts? Why do we spend hourswatching thenewscoverageof the latestearthquake inAsia?Or focusonallthenegativenumbersinthequarterlyreportsatwork?Orindulgeour spouses when they come home fromwork complaining about thetrafficorthelonglineatthesupermarketortheirannoyingboss?Unlesswe are going to take immediate action to improve these situations,dwellingonthemcreatesnoiseandshouldthereforebeavoided.Soforthe nextweek, start treating those negative noisemakers like Bob at aparty. It doesn’tmean youhave to completely turn a blind eye to thenewsortothemorningreportsortoyourspouse;itjustmeansyouforceyourselftodisengagefromconversationsormediathatmeetanyofthefourcriteriaofnoise:unusable,untimely,hypothetical,ordistracting.Your brain will surely be throwing up some defenses, just as analcoholic’s brain might in the equivalent situation. What if I misssomethingbig?ThisisthemostcommonquestionIgetwhenItalkaboutnoise reduction, and it’s no surprise, given thatwe arewiredwith an

evolutionaryneedtocheckouteverynoise.Intuitively,thisfearofmissingoutmakessense.Whatifignoringtheadviceofafinancialexpertcausedyoutomissaninvestmentthatcouldhave made you thousands of dollars? Or what if ignoring thethundershowerwarnings on theWeather Channel caused you to drivethreehourstothebeach,onlytospendtheafternoonsittinginyourcar?AsJimCollinswritesinGoodtoGreat:WhySomeCompaniesMaketheLeap… andOthers Don’t, every event is always predicted by someone.Everydayinthemarkets,someoneisalwaysright,andtherehasneverbeen a stockmarket crash that some contrarian didn’t predict. Like abrokenwatch that is right twiceaday,everynoisemakerwillbe rightoccasionally,andwetendtoremembernoisemakersonlywhentheyare.But ifwewanttopreservethementalenergytopickoutthevaluable,reliable, and positive information from the information that is only asaccurate as a broken watch, we need to cut back on our overallinformationconsumption.Let’s try an experiment I’ve now performed at companies likeFacebook,Google,UBS,andFreddieMac:fortwoweeks,trytodecreaseyourinformationintakebyjust5percent.Thisdoesn’tmeancutanyold5percent:cutspecificallytheinformationthatfitsoneofthecriteriafornoise.ThekeytothisexperimentistodecreaseyourINFOtotal,orthetotalamountofinformationyourbrainistryingtoprocess,soyoucanfreeupmoreenergyandresourcestopickupandprocesstheimportantstuff.Ihave,infact,beenstrivingtodothisinmyownlife.Itoldyouearlierabouthow,inTheHappinessAdvantage,IdescribedanattempttowatchlessTVthatinvolvedtakingthebatteriesoutofmyremotecontrolandleaving them twenty seconds away in my bedroom. More recently Idecidedtotrynewstrategies.IcanceledmycablesoIdon’tmindlesslysurfchannels,andIhookedupacomputertothetelevision.SonowifIwanttowatchsomething,Ihavetospecificallyseekitoutbygoingtoanon-demandsite.Sure,I’mstillwatchingtheoccasionalmindlessepisodeofGleeonHulu,butI’mgettingmyINFOtotaldowninsmallincrements.Here are some other practical tips for reducing your noiseconsumptionby5percentthatI’velearnedfromleadersbothinpositivepsychologyandatcompaniesworldwide.Nonearehardandfast,butIhavetriedthem,andtheywork.

1.Leavetheradiooffforthefirstfiveminutesofbeinginthecar.2.Turnoffthecarradiowhiletalkingtopeople.3.MuteTVandInternetcommercials.(Don’tgetfreakedoutifyou

areamarketer;when Ido this, I intentionally turnbackon thesoundforcommercialsthatlookfunnyorrelevant).

4.Removenewsmedialinksfromyourbookmarktoolbar(amazingthat typing in three letters like “CNN” seems to take forevercomparedtoclickingonabookmark).

5.Limitwatchingofpredictionnews(“experts” trying topredictwhatwillhypotheticallyhappeninpoliticsorthemarkets).

6.Donot read articles on tragedies that you cannot orwill notaffectwithyourbehavior.

7.Whenworking,listentomusicwithoutlyrics.

These seven strategies are greatways to boost the frequency of thesignal by passively blocking out ambient noise. But as I mentionedearlierinthechapter,it’snotjusttheexternalworldthatcreatesnoise;our own brains create noise as well. So if we want to truly curb ournoiseaddiction,weneedtolearntocanceloutnotonlythenoisesinourexternalenvironmentbutalsothevoicesofworry,self-doubt,fear,andpessimismrattlingaround inourownheads. In thenext sectionyou’lllearnhowtoactivelycancelouttheinternalnoiseofnegativethinkingbyusingthementalequivalentofthoseBoseheadphones.

STRATEGY3:CANCELTHEINTERNALNOISE

Remember, active noise canceling involves not just blocking the noisebut emittingmore powerful, positive energywaves to counter it. As Imentioned in the first part of this chapter, Bose noise-cancelingheadphones work because they have microphones that pick up theambientnoise, thenemitopposite soundwaves.Ourbrainscando theexact same thing; we can actively create positive thought patterns tocounterthenegativeenergy.Thisstrategycanbeusedtocanceloutnotonlythenoisecomingatus

from the outsideworld but also the noise that our own brains create.Negative thinking—whether in the form of fear, anxiety, self-doubt,pessimism, or worry—is the most dangerous type of noise aroundbecause it not only impairs our ability to hear the positive signal butunderminesallourothereffortsatcreatingpositivechange.Pessimism,oneof themostcommonandpervasive formsof internal

noise,isadefensemechanismyourbrainputsuptotrytominimizetheimpact of negative events you experience in life. I encountered atextbookexampleofthisin2008whenIwastalkingwithatopbankingofficialinChina.Hetoldmethathehadasimpleapproachfordealingwiththeuncertaintyoftheturbulentmarket:“Ijustexpectthemarkettogo down each day and [his company’s] stock price to drop. ThatwaywhenIleavework,I’veeitherproventomyteamhowsmartIam,orIgohomepleasantlysurprised.”Hehadconvincedhimselfthatifhejustconstantlyexpectedbadthingstohappen,hewouldalwaysbepreparedforthebadandsurprisedbythegood.Butnoticetwoproblemswiththisstrategy.First, pessimism lowers the probability of a good outcome. In The

HappinessAdvantage, I describe the research about howmuch of yoursuccessispredictedbythebeliefthatyourbehaviormatters.Toseehowpessimism limits this, imagine thatyou, like this leader inChina, starteach day believing that no matter what you do, something bad willhappen. You will end up spending no energy or cognitive resourcestrying to achieve a better outcome. You will spend all day hunkeredundercoverinsteadofgoingontheoffensive.Theotherdangerousaspectofpessimismrarelygetstalkedabout,so

bearwithmeforaminute.LikemanyfutureHarvardmen,Ispentmostofmytimeinhighschooltravelingwiththedebateteamandspentmostofmysummersatdebatecamp.Thisincrediblygeekypastimehadtwopositiveoutcomes.First,IhadlotsoftimeforstudyingbecauseIdidn’thavetoworryaboutdating.Second,Igota letter jacket indebate.(AtsomepointpeopleinmyTexastownstartedrightfullycomplainingthatitwasunfairtoawardletterjacketsonlytovarsityfootballplayersandstarted demanding that other “sports,” like the chess team and debateteam,shouldbeawardedthemaswell.)Ireceivedaletterforwinningthestatechampionship(twice)because

Ihadasurefiredebatestrategy:nomatterwhattheotherteamargued,I

countered with at least one argument about how their plan or policywould eventually lead to nuclear war. You want to change ourenvironmentalpolicies?ThatwillangertheChinese, leadingtoatradewar, which will eventually result in escalating tensions in the PacificRim, leading to nuclearwar betweenPakistan and India. Youwant tooffer universal health care? That will cause the markets to panic,resulting in a weakened dollar, leading to a global depression, whichwill inevitably lead to conflict and… nuclearwar. Youwant to offerschoolvouchers?Yep,Iwouldfindsomeexplanationforhowthiswouldendinnuclearwar.Howcouldanyonecompetewiththat?Eveniftheywon all their arguments and convinced the judges of the myriadadvantagesoftheirplan,ifitalsocausednuclearwar,therewasnowayitwasworthit.Gameover.Thatstrategysoundsridiculous(anditwas),butImentionitbecause

it is exactly the line of reasoning that a pessimist would use. And itdemonstratesthekeypointIwanttomakeaboutnegativethinking:themore negative and pessimistic the thought, the more it trumps anddrowns out any positive argument. By exaggerating the negativeoutcomes,inotherwords,Idownplayedthelikelihoodofallthepositiveones.Inthissectionyou’lllearnhowtocanceloutthethoughtpatternsthat

lead toanegativerealitybyemitting threeopposingwavesofpositiveenergy:

Wave1:Iwillkeepmyworryinproportiontothelikelihoodoftheevent.

Wave 2: I will not ruin ten thousand days to be right on ahandful.

Wave 3: I will not equate worrying with being loving orresponsible.

Just like those Bose headphones, these waves will cancel out theinternalnoisesofpessimism,fear,anxiety,andworry.

ICINGTHEKICKER

In the National Football League, coaches often use a strategy called“icing the kicker.” Right before the kicker is about to attempt thewinningfieldgoal, theopposingcoachwillcalla time-out.Theideaisthat if you call a time-out at the last second, it disrupts the kicker’srhythm, and then hewillmiss. The problem is that this hypothesis isfalse. According to theWall Street Journal, an NFL kicker has a 77.3percent chance of successfully hitting the field goal in the final twominutesofagameor inovertime.But ifyoucalla time-out to ice thekicker,thelikelihoodofasuccessfulkickactuallyrises to79.7percent,regardlessofthedistance!16So why do some coaches still ice the kicker? Because if at the last

secondyoudon’t call a time-outwhenyoucouldhave, and thekickermakes the field goal, you feel as if you didn’t even try. As NewYorkGiants punter Steve Weatherford explained it to theNew York Times,“Coachesliketofeellikethey’redoingsomething,andwithfieldgoals,that’s what they can do.” The fear of being responsible for a lossoverwhelms reason; inaction feelsworse thanmakingevena last-ditcheffort.Inotherwords,icingthekickerisaperfectreal-worldexampleofhow fear ofmaking amistake can actually cause us tomake aworsemistake!Thefearofbeingwrongcanleadtoperpetuallyskeweddecisionmaking.Theonethingallsuccessfulpeoplehaveincommonisthattheytake

chances.Every successful executivehas takena chanceonanuntestednewbusinessmodel,oraquestionablenewpartnership,oranuncertainstrategicmaneuver.Every successfulmanagerhas takenachanceonadubiousnewhireoranunverifiednew initiativeoranunconventionalnew process. Every successful entrepreneur has taken a chance on aninnovativeproductoraforayintoanunchartedmarketoranunplannedpivot.Butbeforeyoucantakethekindsofchancesthatleadtosuccess,youfirsthavetolearntosilencethefearthatyouwillfail.Ofcourse,fearisaverynaturalandhumanemotion.Wefeartonsof

things:peoplenotlikingus,ourbossskippingoverusforapromotion,gettingsickfromtouchingthefaucetinanairport,notgettingaskedona second date, and so on. I cannot list them all here because the sadtruthis,mostofourdailydecisionmakingisfearbased.Thisisashame,because a fearful brain that over-weighs the negative will continually runfromsuccess.

InJuliusCaesar,Shakespearewrites,“Cowardsdiemanytimesbeforetheirdeaths,/thevaliantnevertasteofdeathbutonce.”IlikeTupac’sversion better: “A coward dies a thousand deaths, a soldier dies butonce.” I love that line and have used it multiple times to help mesummonthenervetodosomethingIwasscaredtodo.Thepointis,whetherit’skickingafieldgoalorstartingabusinessin

yourbasementortakingonariskyclient,ifwewanttofindthecouragetotakethekindsofchancesthatsuccessismadeof,weneedtomakesurethattheworryorfearwearefeelingisinproportiontotheactuallikelihoodofthefearedoutcome.Thisisn’tashardasitsounds;allittakesisabitofresearch. Worried about losing your job? Look up the rates ofemployment inyour industry inyourarea.Nervousabout losingabigaccount? Check and see how many times that client has switchedvendorsorsuppliers (orwhateveryourcompanydoes for them) in thepast.Terrifiedaboutcatchingsomeawfuldisease?Findouthowmanypeople your age and in similar health condition are actually afflicted.Chancesare,thesenumbersarealotlowerthanyouinitiallythought.Hereisoneofmyfavoriteexamplesofhowridiculouslyirrationalour

deepest fears can be.Nearly all the parents I knowwarn their kids toinspecttheirHalloweencandybecauseofthethreatofneedles,poison,or razorblades in them. If youdon’t do this, ask around,mostpeoplewilltellyouthesame,andyoumightevencatchwarningsonthenewsabout it. There areno known or recorded cases of someone poisoningothers’kidswithHalloweencandy.None.17Still, insomecases,wherethelikelihoodofanegativeevent ishigh,

worrycanbeadaptive—thatis,aslongas(rememberthefirstcriterionofnoise)itcausesustotakeactiontopreventthatevent.Sohowmuchshouldweworry?There’saverysimpleformula:theamountyoushouldworryshouldbeindirectproportiontothelikelihoodoftheevent.Thusif you have a 95 percent chance of getting the job or winning theaccount or nailing the presentation, you should refuse to spendmorethan5percentofyourtimeworryingaboutit.This iswhy the firstwaveofpositive energy is: “Iwillkeepmyworry in

proportiontothelikelihoodoftheevent.”When Iwasahouse tutor inHarvard’sKirklandHouse,my students

usedtocometomyofficeandtellme,withgreatdramaandflair,“I’mgoingtofailsuchandsuchaclass.”Imusthaveheardthatlineliterally

hundreds of times during my eight years of counseling students atHarvard.Of course, the students rarely actually failed. Still, to protectthem from the self-fulfilling nature of negative prophecies, I wouldalwayshavethemstopandanswertwosimplequestions:

1.Howoftenhasthisnegativeeventhappenedtomeinthepast? 2. How often does this negative event happen to people inmy

situation?

Usually,thesestudentshadfailedzerotimesinthepast—atanything.Andasforthesecondquestion,fewerthan1percentofpeoplefailoutofHarvard,andusuallytherearespecialcircumstances.Thesimpleactofremindingthemselvesthattherewasvirtuallyzeroprobabilityoffailureallowed these students’ brains to emit positive energy that counteredtheirinternalvoicesofself-doubtandworry.You can use this same noise-canceling technique at work. Once,

during one ofmy talks about hownegative thinking derails success, anervousGoogle employee raised his hand and asked, “What about foranxiouspeople?IstheresomethingIcoulddo?IconstantlyfeellikeI’mnever going to get all this coding done in time so I’ll get fired or I’llnevergetpromotedorsomething.”To be honest, I answered his question inadequately at the time, but

now,afterdoingmoreresearch,here’swhatIwishIhadsaid:Youneedtoengageinsomeactivenoisecanceling.Askyourself,howoftenhaveyouactuallyfailedtogetyourcodingdoneinthepast,orscrewedupsobadlythatyougotfired?Howoftendopeoplearoundyougetfiredfornotmanaginganimpossiblyhighworkload?I’mguessingalmostnever.Afterall,youwouldn’tbeatGoogleifyouhadabadtrackrecord.Ifyoutakeadeepbreathandrealizethatyourbrainisjustlyingtoyou,you’llemitthepositiveenergyneededtocanceloutthenoise.Sothenexttimeyouarefeelingoverwhelmedandanxious,takeouta

sheetofpaper.Writeoutthepotentialoutcomes,bothgoodandbad,ofthesituationordecisionthatisdistressingyou.Thenwriteoutyourbestguess as to the percentage likelihood of each outcome. Let’s say youdecidedtoquityourjobandgetanMBAbutarenowworriedyoumayhavemadethewrongdecision.Outcome1: I getmyMBA, then return tomy current companyat a

higherpaygrade.Likelihood:90percent,given thatmyemployerpromised shewould

hiremebackwitha20percent raise,andshe’snotplanningongoinganywhere. Plus, the data reveal that 90 percent of business schoolgraduatesreceiveatleastasmallpaybumpafterreceivingtheirMBAs.Outcome2:TheeconomycrasheswhileI’minschool,andwhenIget

out,therearenojobstobehad.Likelihood:Atmost 10 percent, asmostMBAs findwork, I have an

employer already interested, and having an MBA makes me moreresilientinadownjobmarket.Suddenly,yourfeelingsofstressandregret lift.Whetherornotyour

estimationsarecompletelyaccurateisn’tthepoint;thepointisthatjusttheactofassigningprobabilitytobothpositiveandnegativeoutcomesforcesyourbraintothinkaboutthemobjectively.Of course, drowning out worry is easier said than done. Emotions,

especiallynegativeones,canregisteratdeafeningnoiselevels.Whichiswhy it’s all that muchmore important to understand the real cost ofworry—sothatjustmaybewecanstoppayingforit.

THEHIDDENCOSTOFWORRY

Thebeliefthatworryingwillpreventbadthingsfromhappeningisoneof the greatest enemies of positive genius. Yet it is a disturbinglycommonmyth.AseniormanageratMorganStanleySmithBarneytoldme, “Worrying is just being responsible. If I didn’t worry that thingswere going to go badly, can you imagine what would happen to myteam?Ormykids?”Ihaveheardcommentslikethisoverandover,butifyoustopandthinkforaminuteyou’llrealizehowsillythisreasoningis.Themanagerwasworryingaboutnotworryingenough!Perhaps you know people like this at work—people who think

worryingistheirjob.Orworse,perhapsyouknowfamilymemberswhoequateworryingwithlove.Thisworshipofworrycomeswithsignificantcosts.I’mnotjusttalkingabouttheemotionaltoll.Iwouldgladlysufferanemotionaltollifitwouldactuallyhelpmyteamormyfriendsormyfamily,andI’mguessingyouwouldtoo.I’mtalkingabouthowworryingharms your team, your friends, and your family by distracting you

(remembernoisecriterion4?)fromthethingsthataretrulyproductiveormeaningful.Imagine, for example, that you’re worried about your child getting

injured at school. Chances are, youmight be right three or four timesoverthecourseofthechild’sentireeducationalcareer.Butifyouworryaboutyourchildgettinginjuredeveryday,oreveneveryweek,ofthosetwelvetofifteenyears,youwillhavementallyexperiencedtheanguishandcost literally thousandsof times.Now thinkabout the toll all thatworrying can take on a child.Not only is the child sure to internalizeyouranxietyandemotionalstress,butyouwillbedistractedfrommanyother important aspects of parenting, like checking your child’shomeworkor keeping trackofwhohis friends areormaking sure thefamily sits down to dinner together. Worrying does the opposite ofhelpingyourchild.This brings me to the second and third waves of active noise

canceling:“Iwillnotruintenthousanddaystoberightonahandful”and“Iwillnotequateworryingwithbeinglovingorresponsible.”Ifwewanttotrulydowhat’sbestnotonlyforourlovedonesbutfor

our careers, our teams, and our companies, we need to let go of ourdeath grip on fear, anxiety, pessimism, and worry. Not only that, weneedtoletgooffearandworrybecauseitcouldbekillingus,literally.Researchers fromHarvard and a handful of other institutions togetherfoundthatphobicanxietyandfeardestroytheproteinsattheendofourchromosomescalledtelomeres,achangethatdramaticallyspeedsuptheagingprocess.18Andthereisnewresearchtoshowthatworkexhaustionandworrycanspeedupagingaswell.19Sotrytakingafewminutestowritedownfivethingsyoufeelpositive

about—your children, your sports, your values, your faith. This maysoundlikeasillyexercise,butresearchersat theUniversityofChicagofound that when people wrote about their positive feelings for a fewminutes, they significantly lowered their levels of worry andpessimism.20 Not only did it decrease their anxiety, it raised theirperformanceontestsofmemoryandcriticalskillsby10to15percent.Whenyouemitthiskindofpositiveenergy,younotonlyblockoutthe

negative noise but improve your concentration, focus, and ability toemployyourmultiple intelligences. (Andwhile you’re at it, youmightalsowanttoupyourexerciseregimen.Researchersinameta-analysisof

forty clinical studies of three thousand subjects found that exercisedecreasesanxietyandworrybyawhopping20percent.)21Byemittingpositiveenergyandcancelingoutthatinternalnoise,you

can get back the signal that leads to meaning, success, sustainedhappiness,andevenalonger,healthierlife.Negative noise is everywhere in our society and can drown out the

positivesignalthatpointsustowardopportunitiesandinformationandhelps us harness the cognitive, emotional, and social resources thatenableustosucceed.Tofindthesignalofsuccess,weneedtofirstlearntodifferentiatesignalfromnoise;thenweneedtousebothpassiveandactivestrategiestoreduceandcancelboththenoisecomingatusfromthe external world and the noise in our own heads. Every percentagepointofnoisewedecreaseincreasesthestrengthofthesignalandraisesthelimitsofourpotential.In this chapter we’ve covered the four criteria for determining if

external information is noise, providedpracticalwaysof strengtheningthesignalbyreducingjust5percentofthenoise,andfinallydiscussedwaystoblockoutinternalnoisebyactivelycounteringfear,worry,andnegativethinking.Theseskills,combinedwiththoseyoulearnedintheprevious chapters—perceiving multiple realities, mapping your goalsaroundmeaningmarkers,andacceleratingyourprogresstowardsuccess—willhelpyoubuildamorevaluablerealityatworkandathome.But to be a true positive genius, it’s not enough that you create the

mostvaluable reality foryourself.The final step,whichyou’ll learn inthenextchapter,istobringthatrealitytootherpeoplesothatyoucanharness the exponential power of all your combined intelligences andachieveunprecedentedlevelsofsuccess.

MAKINGITPRACTICAL

1.Noise-checkyourlife.Checktoseeifinformationcominginmeetsthe criteria of noise: unusable, untimely, hypothetical, ordistracting.Ifso,eliminateit.

2.Do the 5 percent experiment. For twoweeks, try to decrease yourinformationintakebyjust5percent.Andwhatyoushouldcutisn’t

justanyold5percentbutinformationthatfitsoneofthecriteriafor noise. The key to this experiment is to decrease the totalamountofinformationyourbrainistryingtoprocess(INFOtotal)sothatyoucanfreeupmoreenergyandresourcesforpickingupandprocessingtheimportantstuff.Remembersomeofthetrickswe talked about above, including keeping the car radio off forthe first fewminutes of your commute, limiting TV news, andreadingfewerarticlesthatreportonnegativeeventshalfaworldaway.

3.Createactivenoisecanceling.Postasignnexttoyourdesklistingthethreewavesofpositiveenergy:

“Iwillkeepmyworryinproportiontothelikelihoodoftheevent.”

“Iwillnotruintenthousanddaystoberightonahandful.”

“I will not equate worrying with being loving orresponsible.”

4.Fact-check. Keep yourworry in proportion to the likelihood oftheeventbyaskingyourselfthesetwoquestions:

Howoftenhasthisnegativeeventhappenedtomeinthepast?

How often does this negative event occur to people like menormally?

Ifyouansweredthesequestionsobjectively,youshouldfindthatthepercentagewillbelowerthanyoufeared.

5. Do a five-minute writing exercise. Any time you start hearingdoubtingvoices,takejustfiveminutestowriteaboutthingsyoufeel passionate and positive about—your children, your sports,your values, your faith. By actively canceling such internalnoises,youcan increaseyourperformanceon intelligence tasksby10to15percent.

6.Exercise.Addexercisetoyourroutinetodecreaseanxietybyasmuch as 20 percent. If you are finding it hard to activelydecrease the internal noise ofworry, hit the gym.Exercise canmutetheworrycentersinthelimbicportionofthebrain,lowercortisollevels,andincreaselevelsofoptimism.

positiveinception

TRANSFERRINGYOURPOSITIVEREALITYTOOTHERS

Onceyouhavemasteredthe first fourstrategiesofpositivegenius, themostimportantonestillremains—howtotransferthatpositiverealitytoyourteam,colleagues,familymembers,andothers.In director Christopher Nolan’s film Inception (2010), Leonardo

DiCaprio plays a man named Cobb who uses (never fully explained)futuristic military technology to steal people’s corporate secrets bydigging into their subconscious while they sleep. Then a secretiveentrepreneurnamedSaitohiresCobbtodosomethingalittledifferent:plantanidea—inception—insteadofstealingone.ThetargetofinceptionistheheirofanenergyconglomeratewhomCobb’snewemployerswanttopersuadetobreakupanempireherecentlyinheritedfromhisfather.SoCobb’steamenterstheheir’sdreamstoplanttheideathattheheir’sfather never wanted his son to go into the family business and isimploring him, from beyond the grave, to go out and build his ownbusiness.Forinceptiontobesuccessful,theideathatCobbplantsintheheir’s

mind has to be simple, emotional, and positive. So instead of “Imustbreakupmyfather’sempire”or“Ihatemyfather,”heplants“Myfatherwantsmetobuildsomethingformyself.”AsCobbexplainstohisteam,“Thesubconsciousismotivatedbyemotion,right?Notreason.Weneedto find a way to translate this into an emotional concept.… Positiveemotion trumps negative emotion every time.” For Cobb, positive

realitiesaremucheasiertotransfertoothersthannegativeonesbecausetheycreatelastingchange.Out of the fantasy world and into the world of neuroscience andpositive psychology, the research supportsCobb’s claim.Over the pastseveralyears, researchershavebeen investigatinghowperceptionsandmindsetscanbetransferredtoothers.Andasitturnsout,thethreebeststrategiesfortransferringpositivegeniustoothersarenotthatdifferentfromtheonesCobbemployed.Theyare:success franchising (comingupwithapositivebehavioralchangethatiseasilyreplicated),scriptwriting(changingaprevailingsocialscriptbymakingitpositive),andcreatingasharednarrative(creatingvalueandmeaningbyappealingtoemotion).While it’s true that we cannot force others to see the world in apositiveway—theultimatedecision rests in theirhands—wecanplantseeds of positive realities into their brains. The benefits of positiveinception are twofold. Not only will we reap the obvious benefits ofhavingotherpositivegeniuses inour companies,onour teams,and inour families, but new positive psychology research covered in thischapter proves that it is easier to sustainour own positive reality andbuildonourownsuccesseswhenwehelpotherstoraisetheirlevelsofpositivegeniusaswell.Miserymaylovecompany,butpositivitycannotlivelongwithoutit.Restassuredthatthistechniquedoesnotrelyonsomefuturisticmindcontrol method that exists only in the realm of fantasy and sciencefiction. To the contrary, researchers in the fields of neuroscience andpositive psychology are churning out some fascinating findings abouthow to spread a positive reality that leads to success, both in ourpersonallivesandintheworkingworld.Inmylastbook,TheHappinessAdvantage,Iwroteabouttherippleeffect,whichreferstohowhappinesscanbecontagious.Thischaptergoesmuchdeeper to theheartofhowideasspread.Positiveinceptionisnotjustaboutspreadinghappinessbutabouthelpingothersseetherealityinwhichsuccess(andhappiness)ispossible. Inception is about better helping others to tap into theirmultiple intelligences and cognitive resources, and thereby to createhappierandmore successful teams.That involves themasteryof threekeystrategies.Strategy 1: Franchise Success. The first step in creating positiveinceptionistoidentifyoneaspectofareality—yoursorsomeoneelse’s

—that, if replicated, would help other people harness their drive,motivation, and multiple intelligences and become more successful.Researchshowsthattobecontagious,these“successfranchises”mustbebased upon a simple, easy-to-replicate idea. I’ll demonstrate how thisworks in the real world by describing how a hospital was able toeffectively improve patient happiness, doctor job satisfaction, andhospital reputation by franchising a positive behavioral change calledthe 10/5Way. You’ll read how the widespread inception of a simplebehavioral change lednotonly to improvedpatientoutcomesbut toapotential$30millionincreaseinrevenueforthehospital.ThenI’llshowyouhowtofindandcreateapowerful,simplechangeinyourownlifeandhowtousepositive inception to franchise thatpositivechange forothers.Strategy2:RewritetheSocialScript.Everyaspectofourworkandhome life is guided by hidden social scripts. But certain social scriptswield more influence on our collective behavior than others. Socialpsychologists have found that themore positive one’s social script, thegreaterone’sabilitytocreatepositivesocialinfluence:infact,apositivesocialscriptcanincreaseworkplaceengagementupto40percent.Soifyouwanttowieldpositivesocialinfluence,youoftenhavetorewritetheprevailing social script. Speaking first, or using a “power lead,” andutilizinghumorare twotechniques forwritingthekindofsocialscriptthatleadstopositiveinception.Strategy3:CreateaSharedNarrative.Finally,forpositiveinceptionto occur, you need to appeal not just to reason but to emotion.Fascinating new research shows thatwhen just one person on a teamappealstoemotionandhighlightsmeaninginspecific,positiveways,itcanraisetheteam’srevenuebyasmuchas700percent.Oneofthebestwaystoplantapositiverealityistoconstructanarrativearoundsomeshared emotional experience, positive or negative. Interestingly, myresearchshowsthatcreatingasharednarrativearoundpastadversityorfailure is one of the best techniques for creating positive inception.What’smore,researchfromWhartonBusinessSchoolshowsthatpositiveinceptionworksbestwhenitcomesfromsomeoneotherthantheteamleader:inotherwords,anyone,withanyroleortitle,cancreatepositiveinceptionifheorsheappealstovalueandmeaning.The goal of this chapter is to help you transfer yourmost valuable

reality toyour teams, colleagues, friends, and family. Indoing so, youwill create a renewable, sustainable source of positive energy thatmotivates,energizes,andsummons thecollectivemultiple intelligencesof those around you.Without inception, our own reality becomes lessstable.

Anunshared,negativerealityisdelusional.Ashared,negativerealityisdisastrous.Anunshared,positiverealityisshort-lived.Ashared,positiverealityisgenius.

STRATEGY1:FRANCHISESUCCESS(MAKEITCONTAGIOUS)

WHATISASUCCESSFRANCHISE?

In the introduction toA Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Brysonwrites,“Welcome.Andcongratulations.…Whycongratulations?Becausetrillions of particles had to come together in just the right balance foryoutoevenbeinexistencetoholdabookoraneReader,muchlessreadit… and for that, every single one of your direct descendants had toovercomedangers, looks, and sickness long enough tobe able tohavesex.”1WhileBrysonis,ofcourse,beinghumorous,healsomakesagoodpoint.Theonlyreasonyouhavesurvivedlongenoughtoreadthisbookisacontinuedpatternofsuccessfulreproduction.Anysuccess that isnotdue toblind luck isdue to thereplicationof

someeffectivepractice,procedure,ormindset.Only invery rarecasesdo these successes happen in isolation; the biggest and bestaccomplishments involve the coordinated efforts of many peoplereplicatinganeffectivebehaviororprocess.“Successfranchising”isthetechniqueofgettingotherstoreplicateapositivecognitiveorbehavioralpatternthatcontinuallyleadstosuccess.Thegreatnewswhenitcomestosuccessfranchisingisthatanysuccessthatcanbeobservedcanalsoberepeated.Successfranchisingisapracticeasoldashumanityitself.Theability

to make fire, one of the most primitive yet monumental humanachievements, is an example of success franchising.After all, cavemen

didn’tkeepreinventingfire;oncetheylearnedthesecret,theyreplicatedwhat they had learned and then passed that knowledge on to eachsubsequentgeneration.Similarly, in the sixteenth century, the Venetian Arsenal created asuccessfranchisesostrongitenabledthemtobuildanentireshipfromstart to finish in a single day (and that’s without any modernmachinery)! In the morning they would start with piles and piles ofresourcesand rawmaterials, andby theendof theevening, thanks tothe coordinated efforts of many people following the same pattern ofsuccess that they had perfected, an entire oceanworthy ship stood intheirplace.In your modern working life, too, you must take the piles ofintellectual and emotional resources you and your teams have at yourdisposaland“buildashipwiththem”byreplicatingpatternsthathaveworkedwellinthepast.Consciouslyornot,weallhavepatternsinourprofessionallives,butthe key is to create and repeat patterns or behaviors that continuallylead to success, rather than those that produce the samemediocre ornegativeresults.Ifthemanagerofasuccessfulrestaurant,forexample,decided to expand her empire by starting a chain but decided not toreplicate any of the elements that had made the previous restaurantssuccessful,youwouldthinkthatshewasinsane(andabadinvestment).This principle sounds obvious, yet we choose the wrong realities toreplicateallthetime.Untilwelearnhowtoreplicateourpositivereality,we will be forced to waste valuable resources trying to reinvent thewheeleachtime.Butitdoesn’tendthere.Ifwewanttobesuccessfulinourprofessionallives—whether that success is defined as higher profits or increasedmarketshareor theretentionof top talent—weneedto learnnotonlyhowtoreplicateourownmostvaluablerealitybuthowtospreadittoour teams, colleagues, and even customers or clients. One of the bestexamples of this came out of some work I was doing at a group ofhospitalsinNewOrleans,anditholdssomeinvaluablelessonsforhoweveryoneofuscancreatepositiveinceptioninourbusinessesandlives.

THEFIVE-STARHOSPITAL:CONTAGIOUSREALITIES

In a 2012 article for the Harvard Business Review, I wrote about theextraordinarystepstheLouisiana-basedcompanyOchsnerHealthSystemmadeafterKatrinatoraisepositivegeniusamongtheireleventhousandhealthcareproviders,administrators,salespeople,andstaff.2Ihadbeeninvitedseveral timesover thecourseof twoyears tohelp their leadersimplementmyHappinessAdvantage research. But what I soon realizedwasthatifwereallywantedtohelpthemtransformtheirorganization,itwasn’tenoughtojustconvinceafewtopleadersthatthebestwaytoimprovethehospital’sbottomlinewastoraiselevelsofhappinessfirst.Theyhadtoplanttheideathat“happinessiscontagiousandadvantageous”inthebrainsofeveryoneintheorganization.The character Michael Scott from NBC’s The Office is famous for

needlesslyandoftenhilariouslypointingouttheobvious.Inoneepisode,he declares, “I do not like hospitals. Inmymind, they are associatedwith sickness.” This is funny (to me) because of course hospitals areassociatedwithsickness.Theproblemis that,asresearchshows,whenwethinkaboutsomethingasbeingunhealthy,ithasanunhealthyeffectuponus.That’swhypeopleoftenstarttomanifestthesymptomsofthediseases they most fixate upon, and it’s the reason first-year medicalstudentsgettheinfamous“medicalschoolsyndrome”inwhichtheystartbelievingthattheyhaveeachdiseasetheyarestudying.3Butthisposesasignificant problem for hospitals: How can you make people feelhealthierinaplaceassociatedwithsicknessanddisease?Simple.YouturnyourhospitalintoaRitz-Carlton.TheRitz-Carltonhotelbrandhasbecomesynonymouswith“five-star”

customer service, and for good reason. Contrary to what you mightthink,it’snotjustbecauseoftheirplushtowelsorlargeswimmingpoolsor comfortablebeds. It’sbecause theRitzdoesbusinessaccording toasimple code of service: make the guest feel valued, and exceedexpectations. I once stayed at aRitz inD.C., paid for by a client, andwhenIaskedtochangeroomsbecauseminesmelledofsmoke,thehotelimmediatelyfoundmeabetterroom,thenpaidformydinneranddrinksandeventhrewinafreemassagetocompensatemefortheveryminorinconvenience. But most people don’t know the secret ingredient inRitz’ssensationalservice:theyfranchisedapolicycalledthe10/5Way,which turns out to be the perfect example of how to transform anorganizationthroughpositiveinception.

The10/5Wayinvolvesjustafewsimplebehavioralrulesthatallstaffaretrainedtofollow.IfaguestwalksbyaRitzemployeewithintenfeet,theemployeeshouldmakeeyecontactandsmile.Ifthatguestwalksbywithinfivefeet,theemployeeshouldsay,“Hello.”Thisissimilartothepolicy Sam Walton instituted for his greeters at Walmart, who weresupposed to smile whenever they were within ten feet of a customer(now sadlyno longer required).4 It sounds simplistic, but researchhasshown that these small changes can have a huge impact on customersatisfaction,employeeretention,andthebottomline.After consulting the experts and reviewing the research, the folks at

Ochsner Health System figured that if they wanted to improve theperformance in the hospitals by creating a reality of happiness andcomfort, who better to emulate than one of the best-known luxuryfranchisesontheplanet?Sotheyadoptedthe10/5Way.Some companies “adopt” ideas or policies by sending around a

perfunctorye-mail, thenforgettingaboutit.Ochsnerreally adopted the10/5Way.Theyformallytrainedmorethaneleventhousandphysicians,nurses,managers,andadministratorstosmileanytimetheywerewithinten feet and say hello anytime they were within five feet of anotherperson—patientorfellowemployee—andevenevaluatedthemonitasacomponentoftheirperformancereviews.Ofcourse,ahospital isnevergoingtobeasluxuriousastheRitz,butthatwasn’tthepoint.Thepointwas to instillamorepositiverealityamongthehospital staffandthenfranchisethatpositivemindsetandperspectivetothepatients.Asaresearcher,though,it’smyjobtobeskeptical,soInaturallyhad

a lot of questions about how thiswouldwork.Would people find thesmiling tobe inauthenticand forced?Wouldall this time spent sayinghello to everyone distract doctors and nurses from all the otherimportant things they were supposed to be doing? Would negativeemployees find a loophole and simply walk eleven feet away fromeveryoneinthehospital?Atfirst,manyofthedoctorsandhospitalstaffwereequallyskeptical.

Somewould say, “Aren’t these just cosmeticchanges?Smilingcouldn’tpossiblyaffecttheunderlyingperformanceofahospital”or“Idon’thavetime to waste on this silly HR initiative. I’m busy saving lives here.”Therewere some stubborn individuals that were too hard to reach atfirst. But for the next six months, every time one of those resistant,

negative doctors walked down the hallway, something was different.People were saying hello or smiling at them. Not just employees, butpatientsaswell.You’veprobablynoticedhowwhensomeonesayshelloorsmilesatyou,yourautomaticreactionistosayhelloorsmileback.Well that’s exactly what those doctors started doing. Eventually, theystarted adopting the 10/5Way—even if theyweren’t fully aware theyweredoingit.In short, thebehaviorbecamecontagious.KaraGreer,vicepresidentof organizational development and training at Ochsner, told me thatsoontheemployeeswhooriginallydidn’t followthe10/5Waybecamesuch anomalies that even they began unconsciously to adopt the newpositivepatterns,simplysotheywouldn’tstandoutforbeingunkind.The 10/5 Way completely transformed the shared reality at thehospital. Someof thedoctorshadoriginallyhadahard timebelievingthat something so seemingly trivial as saying hello or smiling couldpossibly have any real impact on health outcomes. But what thoseskeptics had momentarily forgotten was the scientific and directcorrelationbetweenpatientsatisfactionandsuccessfulhealthoutcomesoneverythingrangingfromcardiacrecoverytoorthodonticswork.5Wesometimes think that thebestdoctorsare theoneswhohave themostspecialized knowledge or the fanciest degrees, but in fact, study uponstudy, includingonepublished in theNewEnglandJournalofMedicine,showthatthebestdoctorsaretheoneswhoalsoknowhowtoconnectwith their patients.6 It’s not just because they make the patient feelwarmandfuzzy;patientswhofeelconnectedtotheirdoctorsaremorelikelytofollowthetreatmentregimenandreturnforvitalcheckups.7Notonlydidthisinitiativeimprovepatients’satisfactionwithcare;itimprovedoutcomesforthehospital.Moreover,patientsatisfactionwithcareisoneofthegreatestpredictorsofprofitforahospital;andindeed,withinoneyear,accordingtoOchsner,thehospitalsthatfranchisedthe10/5 Way had a 5 percent increase on Press Ganey’s Likelihood toRecommend score (which evaluateswhether patientswould send theirfriendstothathospital),a2.1percentincreaseinuniquepatientvisits,and significant improvement in the medical practice provider scores.Ochsnerreported$1.8billioninrevenuein2011.Soiftheyexperiencedevena0.1percentincreaseinrevenue,positiveinceptionsavedmillionsof dollars to help care formore sick people!8 That gives awhole new

meaningtothephrase“million-dollarsmile.”Whenwelookaroundatourcompaniesorworkplaces, itseemsthatthe employees are all unique individuals with different personalities,thought patterns, beliefs, values, and learning styles.Andwhile this istechnically true, itmisses an importantpoint.Ourpersonalitiesmay bedistinct andunique, but ourbrains arehighly interconnected; they arelinkedonawirelessmirrorneuronnetwork.Mirrorneurons,asreadersofThe Happiness Advantage may remember, are those receptors in ourbrainsthatcauseustounconsciouslymimictheactionsofthosearoundus.Whenweseesomeoneperformanaction,likeayawnorasmile,ourmirror neurons light up and signal our bodies to perform that samemotion.Butmirrorneuronsaresokeytopositiveinceptionbecauseourthoughtsandperceptionsarewhatdictateournonverbalactions.Sowhenyou nonverbally express excitement, for example, my mirror neuronspick up on and imitate your expression of excitement. This, in turn,makes my brain think I’m experiencing the same excitement you areexperiencing.ResearcherPaulMarsdenattheUniversityofSussexwroteagreatreviewofthisresearchshowingthatnotonlyyawnsandsmilesare contagious but also emotions like stress, anxiety, optimism,confidence, boredom, and engagement.9 Thanks to our mirror neuronnetwork,inotherwords,wearehardwiredforinception.Historyofferssomedramaticexamplesofhowweareprogrammedforsocialcontagion.In1962,inwhatwasknownastheJuneBugincident,sixty-two factory workers at a textile mill were “bitten” by an insectwhose venom apparently caused terrible nausea, vomiting, andnumbness of limbs.10 Many of the dressmakers were hospitalized. Yetaftermonthsof investigation, theCommunicableDiseaseCenter (CDC)found that the symptoms had been caused not by the venom of amysteriousinsectbutbysheer,communicableanxiety!Asitturnedout,thedressmakershadbeenbittenbymasshysteria.Perhaps my favorite example of social contagion on record is theDancing Plague of 1518 (not quite as scary sounding as Ebola or theBlackDeath,butmoreinteresting).Accordingtoreports,itbeganwhenawomaninStrasbourg,France,knownasFrauTroffea,starteddancingin the streets and could not stop.11 Eventually she collapsed fromexhaustion.Atfirstpeoplethoughtshehadhadapsychoticepisodeandthatwas theendof it.But then she starteddancingagain. In thenext

fewdays,thirtyotherpeoplealsoexperiencedthissameuncontrollableneedtospasticallydance.Bytheend,theauthoritieshadtogetinvolvedbecause four hundred villagers were compulsively dancing day andnight…andnotoutof joyeither.Thiswasmanic,desperatedancing,resulting inheartattacksand, incredibly,deaths.FrauTroffea’sbizarrebehaviorhadbecomewildlycontagious.Asolitarymentalbreakdownstartedmonthsofmasshysteria.Asingle

caseof false illness createdan imaginaryepidemic.These stories showhow easy it is for us to “catch” the mindset of even a single person.Therearetonsofstorieslikethisinsocialpsychology.Butifyou’vereadthe research or taken a class on the subject, you’ll know that peoplerarely talkabout thepositive contagions thathaveoccurred throughouttime:massdecisionstoabolishslavery,globaldeclinesinsmokingrates,or widespread nonviolence movements in India or Egypt. Positiveoutbreaks can also begin with a single dancer. If we can create negativefranchises,wecanequallymakepositiveones.ThemainpointIwanttohighlighthereisthatyouhavethepowerto

franchise positive habits in your home or workplace. So tryimplementing the 10/5 Way in your office or household. Or, if thatsoundsliketoobigataskorcommitment,tryadoptingavariationIusedin the PBS lecture “The Happiness Advantage for Health” called FlexYourSmile.Allyouhavetodoisflexyourmostpowerfulmusclethreeextra times a day. But by this I don’tmean smile three times a day. Imean give three extra smiles. For example, smile at a colleague youwouldn’tnormallysmileatintheelevator,smileatthebaristawhenyouorder yourmorning coffee (yes, I know it can be hard to smile beforeyou’ve had your morning coffee, but try it anyway), and smile at arandom stranger on your way home from work. Or smile three extratimesduringthecourseofameetingorasalespitchandwatchhowthissimple behavior change can transform the environment almostimmediately. Itmightsoundsillyor implausible,butaswe justsawatOchsner, I doubt that any other one-second behavioral change couldcreatethathighareturnoninvestment.Plus there is scientific proof that you can also raise your social and

emotional intelligence simply by smiling. When David Havas andcolleaguesattheUniversityofWisconsinhadparticipantsflexthefacialmuscles involved in smiling, he found that merely simulating a smile

reduced their ability toget angryat anotherperson.12Andon the flipside,whenpeopleusedthemusclesassociatedwithfrowning,theyhadahardertimebeingsocial.IfItoldyouthatyoucouldincreaseyoursocialintelligence bywearing glasses, youmight consider getting some clearglassesforwork,right?Well,puttingasmileonyourfaceiseveneasier(and less expensive) and can reap the same benefits. Moreover,researchers have found that when you smile, your brain releases theneurochemicaldopamine,whichimprovesyourmoodandyourrealityaswell.Remember,positiverealitiesarecontagiousinbothdirections.Thepointofthisresearchisnottohighlightthevalueofsmilingbut

toshowthevalueoffranchisingsmall,simplechanges.Anothersimplefranchise adopted by Ochsner was the “no-venting rule.” Employeeswere trained never to vent in the presence of a patient. They couldcontinuetoventaboutlackofsleep,fatigue,obnoxiouspatients,andsoon to one another, but never in the presence of a patient, even if thepatientwasnottheirs.Theno-ventingruleappliednotonlywithintheconfines of the examination room or the doctor’s office but in thehallways, the cafeteria, and so on. These days office buildings havespecific smoking areas where we cordon off smokers so their smokedoesn’t bother others; perhaps we should start implementing “ventingareas”tocordonoffcomplainerssotheydon’tpoisonotherswiththeirnegativityattheoffice.Beforeyouaccusemeofsuggestingthatpeoplebeforbiddentovoice

negative feedback or point out problems that need to be fixed, letmeexplain.Iamnotsayingthatadoctorshouldbesilentifthenursemakesacarelesserrororifhe’sforcedtoworkatwenty-four-hourshift.Inbothscenarios staying silent would be irresponsible and dangerous.What Iamsuggestingisthatadoctorrefrainfrommakingcommentsthatonlyspread negativity and lessen the likelihood of success. Here’s the keydifferencebetweencomplainingandpointingout solvableproblems.Acomplaintisanobservationaboutsomerealitythatyourcommentcouldnot possibly ever change. If you plan on taking positive action, yourcommentisnotacomplaint.LastweekIheardawomaninamovietheaterwhisperloudlytoher

husband,“Itiswaytoocoldinhere.”Icouldn’thelpbutthink,eithergetupandask themanagement to turndown theair-conditioningor stopcomplaining! I don’tmean that in a callousway; I’m saying it for her

owngood.Givenwhatwe’velearnedfrompositivepsychology,weknowthatbycommentingonthecoldshe’smakingherbrainmoreconsciousofthecold,whichmakesherfeelcolder(again,whatwefocusonbecomesour reality!). So, out of kindness to yourself, if you find yourself in asimilar situation, go ask the manager to change the temperature, getyour sweateroutof thecar,or focusyourattentionelsewhere, likeonenjoyingthemovie.Similarly, if you say, “I’m not getting paid enough,” but you aren’t

goingtorequestaraise,highlightyourpositivebehaviorinanovelwaytoyourboss,findanotherjob,ortakesomeotheractiontochangethesituation(rememberthefirstcriterionofnoisefromthelastchapter—ifthe information is not going to spur positive change, it is noise andshouldbecanceled), thenthatcommentisacomplaintandhaswastedcognitiveenergy.You might try implementing the no-venting rule in your office or

household—or at least exile complainers to a cordoned-off “ventingarea.”Thisisasmall,simplechange,andthatisexactlythepoint.Thesmallerthechange,theeasieritistospreadittoothers.Tryit.Forthenext twenty-four hours, smile at everyonewho comeswithin ten feet,and abstain from venting. You’ll be amazed to see how quickly andpowerfully this can change the tenor of all the interactions you have.Anddon’tbesurprisedifprettysoonthepeoplearoundyouhavepickedupthesesamehabitswithoutevenbeingawareofit.Suchisthepowerofpositiveinception.Finally, don’t forget thatpositive realities canbe contagious inyour

personal relationships as well. One of my freshmen at Harvard onceconfided inme that shehadbeen fightinga lotwithherparents,whoshefeltdidn’ttrusthertomakegooddecisionsnowthatshehadleftthenest.Insteadoftellinghertowritethemoffasobnoxiousparents,whichwouldprobablyresult inthekindofbehaviorthatwouldonlyconfirmtheirworstexpectations(again,whatwefocusonbecomesourreality),Ihadherwatchforpatterns.Shecamebackwithanunusualobservation.Every time she called themafter 9:00p.m., she and theywould fight,but thisalmostneverhappenedwhenshecalledbefore9:00.Thiswasusuallybecausesheworkedreallyhardonherpre-medstudies,andbythe time9:00p.m. rolledaround, shewascognitivelydepletedandnolonger had themental reserves to be patient, to explain her thoughts

clearly, or to let things go. A simple solution: she decided she would“call family before 9:00 p.m. and never after unless there was anemergency.” But also observe how this tiny change created positiveinception. Her parents soon noticed how much more positive theirinteractionswiththeirdaughterwerebecauseofhernewfoundpatienceandopenness (though theyprobablydidn’t know the reason for it). Inturn,theybecamemoreopenandpatientonthephoneandsoon,toherexcitement,begantotrustmoreinherdecisions.Asaresult,shefoundherselfwanting to sharemore about collegewith them,which createdeven more trust and goodwill. So you see how positive genius is acontinualfeedbackloopiffranchisedcorrectly.

STRATEGY2:REWRITETHESOCIALSCRIPT(MAKEITPOSITIVE)

WhenIwasateachingfellowforasocialpsychologycourse,oneofmyfavoriteassignmentswastosendthestudentsoutintoHarvardSquaretobreakasocialruleandobservewhathappened.TheymightgetintotheelevatorinWilliamJamesHallandslowlyturnaroundandstareatthepeoplebehindthem.Ortheymightliedownintheelevator(whichflipspeopleout).Theywouldeatoffotherpeople’splates,tiptheirprofessorsafterclassforagoodlecture,asksomeoneonadatewhiletheywereonadatewithsomeoneelse,answeraphonecall inthemiddlea lecture,andsoon.Therearemyriadsocialrulesgoverningourlives,andweallinstinctivelyknowwhat theyare.Noonehaseverhadto tellyouthatyoumustn’t liedowninelevatorsorplucka french fryoffastranger’splate. These unwritten rules that govern our social interactions areknownassocialscripts.To be sure, social scripts play a valuable role in our society. The

problemariseswhen these scripts infectuswithnegative realities thatlessen our likelihood of success. That’s why the second technique forcreatingpositiveinceptionisfindingwaystorewritethesocialscripts.In2012,a largecompany,which Iwill leaveunnamedbecause they

were experiencing very low engagement scores, invited me to comespeak to a group of managers about the research on praise andrecognitionandhowtheycouldbeusedtocreateamoreenergizedwork

environment. Afterward, the senior HR manager pulled me aside andsaidthatshelikedmytalkbutthatitwasalittleawkwardbecausethemanagershad recentlybeenencouragednot tobeencouraging. Imusthave looked confused, so she explained, “We are in the midst of ourfourth massive restructuring in three years, so we don’t feel like it’sappropriate to be ‘rah-rah’ about anything right now. It doesn’t seemrespectfulbecausewe’vehadtoletpeoplego.Andwearen’tsurewhenthe restructuring will end, so we have toned down praise. Otherwise,peoplemight think, ‘Oh, I’m going to getmy bonus’ or ‘I’m definitelygoingtokeepmyjob,’neitherofwhichiscertainrightnow.”I was stunned. How could this company not see that essentially

banning positivitywas just about theworst thing you could do in themidst of massive uncertainty? After all, if they weren’t going to bemotivating people with raises and promotions, they’d better bemotivatingthemwithpraiseandpositiveleadership!Haveyouworkedfor a company or on a team like this? The unwritten rules at thecompany said, “We can talk about the negatives, frustrations at theleadership,andthestresses,butpraiseisinappropriate.”Andtheyweresurprised that they had low engagement scores? Clearly, they needed,andweneed,amorepositivesocialscript.

THREEMENMAKEATIGER

Whileall social scriptsaffectour interactionswithothers,notallhaveequal influence. According to psychology researcher Bibb Latané fromColumbia University, every social script has three components: thestrength of the message (S), the immediacy (I), and the number ofsources (N).13 So the degree of social influence a script exerts isdeterminedbythefollowingequation:S+I+N=SocialInfluence.(Iwillrefrainfromthetoo-obvioustheologicaljokes.)This equation intuitively makes sense. The stronger and more

important themessage is, and themorepeopledelivering it, themoreinfluenceitwillhave.Atwork,you’veprobablyseenthismanytimes.Ifmanymembersontheteamhearaforcefulexplanationaboutwhytheyare not receiving more information from senior management, forexample, they aremore likely to believe that explanation than if they

hearditfromasinglecoworker.WhenIwasindivinityschool,IstudiedsomeBuddhistandConfucianthinking.OneofmyfavoriteChineseproverbswas“Threemenmakeatiger.”Thestorybehinditwentsomethinglikethis:

Onastarlessnight,threemenaresittingquietlyandlisteningtothejungle.Allofasudden,awildpigrunspast,knocksoveroneofthemen,andescapesintothenight.Thefallenmanyells, “Tiger!” Two of the othermen, panicked, also yell “Tiger!” As a result, thewholevillage awakens, and chaos erupts, as the threemen tell theharrowing story of the tigerattack.Ahuntingpartyiscreatedtoridthevillageoftheterror.Thepig,calmnow,watchesimpassively from the trees as the villagers begin to build wooden fences and worriedmothers keep their children inside their huts until the “tiger” can be killed. The (false)realityofatigerontheloosehascometodominatethesocialrulesofthevillage.

I finished divinity school in 2002. InMarch of the following year, Iwatched several senior U.S. politicians repeat a version of this story.Theirtigerwasweaponsofmassdestruction.ThewholeWMD fiasco demonstrates just how disastrous a negativescript can be, especiallywhen it is high in social influence. Clearly, ifyou want to effectively rewrite a more positive script in yourprofessional life, you’re going to have to increase your level of socialinfluence.Sometimes,dependingontheculturalnormsatyourcompany,itcanbedifficulttoincreasethestrengthofapositivemessagewithoutbeingwritten off or ostracized. And it is hard to increase the immediacywithoutsoundinghystericalorshrill.SothebestapproachistoincreasetheN, the number of people buying into the positivemessage. Like apoliticiansecuringhisorherbase, focusonthe low-hanging fruit—thelike-minded,positivepeople—first.OnceyouhaveincreasedtheN,youwillhavemoreinfluenceoverthemiddle-of-the-roadgroup.Thenonceyouhaveplantedtheseedsofpositivechangeinboththosegroups,youcan work on the most intractably negative coworkers or managers orclients. That seems intuitive, but you’d be surprisedhowmanypeopleget it backward.Many people identify the most negative people and thenthrowall of their energy and resources into trying to get them to seemorepositives.Thatisadoomedstrategy.It’sfarbettertofirstfindpeoplewhoaremorelikelytotiptopositive;onlythen,onceyouhaveincreasedyoursocial

influence, should you go after the cynics. There is great strength innumberswhenyouareplanningpositiveinception.

USETHEPOWERLEAD

Themorewecanspreadourpositivereality,thebetterchancewehaveof making our companies healthier and more positive places.Unfortunately, the script for how we should act and respond tochallenges at work is often written by the most vociferously negativepeople.Butcontrarytowhatyoumightthink,ifyouwantyourpositivemessage to be heard, the solution is not to be the one who speaksloudest.It’stobetheonewhospeaksfirst.In2009,CameronAndersonandGavinKildufffromtheUniversityofCalifornia, Berkeley, did an interesting experiment demonstrating thepowerofspeakingfirst.14Theyhadonehundredparticipants split intotwenty-fivegroupsoffourmenorfourwomentosolveaseriesofGMATmath questions (the test that applicants to business schoolmust take).Theresearchersvideotapedthegroupsastheyworkedtogethertocomeupwiththecorrectanswers.Afterthetestswerefinished,theyshowedthevideotapes toapanelofpeople(whodidnotknowthestudents inthe video) and asked themwho they thought the leader in the groupmightbe.Intruth,noneofthestudentsinthegroupshadbeenassignedtheroleof leader,yettherewasfullagreementamongthenaiveratersabout who the leader was. It was whoever spoke first. Even moreincredible, an astonishing 94 percent of the final answers the groupsgaveweretheanswersofferedbythepersonwhospokefirst.Notonlydidthethird-partyobserversperceivethesepeopleashavinghighsocialinfluence, but their own teammates, who knew that no one had beenassignedaleadershiprole,didtoo.Theseperceivedleadersdidn’tbullytheirteammatesintopickingtheiranswers,anditwasn’tthattheyhadmorecorrectanswerseither.Myfavoritepartofthestudywasthattherewas no correlation between math skills and being the first person tospeak(whichonlyconfirmsmylong-heldsuspicionthatthefirstpersononateamwhospeaksupisusuallytheleastqualifiedpersontodoso).One person simply heldmore sway over the group because he or shespokefirst.

Thepoint is that simplybybeing the first to speak, you can set thesocial script. Michelle Gielan from the University of Pennsylvaniadescribesthisasthe“powerlead.”15Beforegettingamaster’sdegreeinpositivepsychology,GielanwasanationalnewsanchoratCBSNewsinNewYork.Asajournalist,shesawhowoftennewscastswouldstartwiththemostsensational,negativestoryoftheday.Thatleadstorywouldsetup the entire program. Think about howmuch of an impact the firststatementinanydialogueorconversationhasonthetenorofthewholeexchange. Ifyouarehavingaconversationwitha sick friend,and sheleads by talking about a particularly unpleasant doctor’s visit, theconversationwillrevolvearoundsympathyanddisease.Butifyoutakethepower leadandstartwith thepositive,perhapsby tellingherhowmuchbettershelookssinceyoulastsawher,youcanrewritethescriptoftheentireinteraction.Whetheratworkorathome, it’seasy touse thepower lead to turnyour conversations positive. Simply be the first to speak, and startconversationswithapositive topicbefore someonecanstart the socialscriptwithgossip,complaints,ornegativity.ThisideahasinspiredmetochangethewayIstartcertaintypesofphonecalls.Before,anytimeIwasslowtogetbacktosomeoneaboutsomething,Iusedtostartthecallbysaying, “I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you—I’ve been so incrediblybusy”or“Oh,I’mswampedrightnow.”Thatimmediatelysetthetoneofthe social script as negative and stressed (or all about me). So now,instead,Istartwithsomethinggreatthatisgoingon,orwhyI’mexcitedtoworkwiththemonaproject.It’samazinghowpeopleconformtothepositivescriptwhenIdothis.Likewise,whenyou’reputintogroups,ifyouwanttoset thetoneormood,makesureyougetsomeofthefirstwords in. Think about it, whichmeeting would you prefer to attend?One that starts with “Let’s get going becausewe have somuch to dotodayandalotoffirestoputout”oronethatstartswith“I’mhappytoseeyoualltoday—it’sgreatthatwehavesuchastrongteamworkingontheseexcitingnewprojects”?Samerealitybutaverydifferentoutlook.Then sit back and watch how people’s engagement and motivationimprove in response to your power lead. It’s one of themost effectivetoolsinthisbook.

CHANGEYOURFACE

Whenitcomestosocialinteractions,manyindividualshaveablindspotright in front of their faces. Literally.What I mean is that they oftenforgethowbigarolefacialexpressionsplayintransferringourrealities.Worse,theyoftenfailtorealizewhentheirfacesarecommunicatingthecompleteoppositeofwhattheyactuallyfeelorbelieve.IcannottellyouhowmanytimesI’velookedoutatamemberofanaudiencewholookedasifhewerejusthatingmytalk,thenhadhimcomeupafterwardand,withthesamesourexpressiononhisface,tellmethatthetalkwaslifechanging. It’s as if we were all walking around talking in a foreignlanguagethatnooneunderstood.A 2010 study by Joshua Davis of Barnard College highlights theimpact our facial expressions have on others. In a somewhat shockingprocedure,participantswereinjectedwitheitherBotoxorRestylane.16(Ihavenoideahowintheworldhegotpermissionfromtheinstitutionalreviewboardtodothis.IttooktheIRBatHarvardthreemonthstoallowme to videotape freshmen playing charades with Tufts students for astudy.) Anyway, both chemicals are substances meant to reducewrinkles,butBotoxworksbykillingthenervesthatcontrolyourfacialmuscles,which limits the rangeofemotionalexpression.Restylane,ontheotherhand,doesn’tdeaden thenerves that control themuscles, soyourfacecanstillproducenormalemotionalexpressions.Afterinjectingtheparticipants,theresearchersshowedthemvideosthathadpreviouslybeen determined to be very emotional and asked them to rate theemotional impact.Whathappened?Thepeople in theRestylanegroupreportedthemovietobemuchmoreemotionallychargedthandidtheBotox group. In other words, Botox not only killed their ability toexpresstheiremotionsfaciallybutmutedtheiremotionalreaction.Thisisaclear indication that failing toshowpositiveemotiononyour facecanhampernotonlyyourabilitytoexperiencepositiverealitiesbutalsoyourabilitytospreadpositivitytoothers.Itisalsoawarningtoteamsandorganizations(anddefinitelythemilitary)thatbelievethatshowingnoemotionatworkhasnolong-termeffectsonmoraleorengagement.Of course,nonverbal communication includesmore thanyour smile:body language and tone also set the stage for inception. In one study,researchersattheYaleSchoolofManagementfoundthatthetoneofthe

leader’s voice actually predicted the outcome for the team.17 Studentvolunteerswere put in teams to collaborate on various business tasks,with the goal of earning money for an imaginary company. Then incame the “manager,”whowas actually an actor instructed to speak ascriptinoneoffourways:with“cheerfulenthusiasm,”“serenewarmth,”“depressedsluggishness,”or“hostile irritability.”Itwastheexactsameactorwiththeexactsamescript(i.e.,thewordshesaidwereexactlythesame), but the social script was altered by the nonverbals.Unsurprisingly, the team who experienced the cheerful, enthusiasticleader was more positive. But perhaps more surprisingly, when the“manager” read the script in a positive tone, the teams were alsosignificantlymoreprofitable.Nonverbalshavebeenfoundtoexertpowerfulsocialinfluenceinthe

military as well. Researchers discovered that in the U.S. Navy annualprizesforefficiencyandpreparedness—twoleadershipqualitiesthat,onthe surface, should have nothing to do with positivity—are far morefrequentlyawardedtosquadronswhosecommandingofficersareopenlyencouraging.18Ontheotherhand,theteamsledbycommanderswithanegative, controlling, and aloof demeanor generally receive the lowestperformancescores.Eveninanenvironmentwhereonewouldthinktheharsh“militarytaskmaster”styleofleadershipwouldbemosteffective,positivitywinsout.Atsomecompanies,thereisanunwrittensocialrulethat“happinessis

weakness”: that if you have time to chitchat with a coworker by thewatercoolerorleaveearlyforason’sbaseballgame,you’renotworkinghardenough.Butaswe’veseen,thesekindsofscriptsdon’tjustmakefortoxic, unpleasant places to work; they undermine productivity,engagement,andultimately,profitability.Thegoodnewsis that,givenwhatwehavelearnedaboutpositiveinception,weknowthatyouhavethe power to rewrite that script. After all, the social script in everyworkplacehastobewrittenbysomebody—whynotyou?If,aswesawwiththe10/5Way,somethingassimpleassmilingcanchangethesocialscript to positive, think about all the other easy ways nonverbalcommunicationcando the same.Forone,whenyougivepraise,don’tjustsayitwithyourwords;besuretomakeyourfaceandtonefityourwords.Noddingencouraginglywhilecoworkerstalknotonlyraisestheirfeelings of being understood but increases connection.Make sure that

your tone and nonverbals are not connoting fatigue or boredom. Asimplebut incrediblypowerfulway toensure thatyournonverbalsarepositive is one that I learned from a manager out in Las Vegas whoworksatZappos(oneoftheworld’sbestcompaniesintermsofpositiveculture). Here’s the secret: take a look at the person talking to you.Thanks toourneuralnetwork,weunconsciouslymirror thepeopleweare with. So if the person you are talking to is not smiling, seemsfatiguedordisengaged, or seemsanxious, chances areyour nonverbalsare not as positive as they need to be. If you don’t likewhat you areseeing,changeyourselffirstandseeiftheotherpersonfollowsthenewscript.

CHANGETHESCRIPTFROMTRAGEDYTOCOMEDY

Thebest scriptwritersare thosewhowritecomedies,not tragedies,atwork.Thisisnotjustbecausepositivepeopletendtolikecomedies;it’sbecause humor wields more social influence—and is therefore moreeffectiveincreatingpositiveinception.LookatthepopularityofshowslikeTheDailyShowandTheColbertReport,whichinfusejournalismwithhumor.Theydiscussthesamestoriesthatconventionalnewsbroadcastsdiscuss, but because they present them in a way that is funny, theirratings are actually higher than those of many conventional newsbroadcasts. And their popularity doesn’t just lie in the fact that theydeliverthenewswithaspoonfulofentertainment;asitturnsout,funnypeopleareperceivedasbeingsmarterandmorecredible.19Humorhasbeen continually found tobea strongpredictorof a leader’s ability tocreate profit and performance. In one study, Yung-Tai Tang found adirectandpositivecorrelationbetweenthehumoroftheleaderandthelevelofinnovationinR&Ddepartments.20We are all innately attracted to funny people. But why? From an

evolutionary perspective it makes sense that when looking for aromantic partner, we are attracted to those who look fit or strongbecause theycandefendouroffspring. Italsomakessense thatweareattracted to people with good skin, healthy hair, symmetrical bodies,andsoonbecausethesearesignalsthatthegenestheywillpasstoouroffspringwillbehighqualityandhealthy.Butwhyareweattractedto

humor? Telling a joke won’t improve reproductive success or stop asaber-toothedtiger fromattackingyourkids.Researchershaveactuallyfoundthereason.Humorisattractive,notjustinromanticpartnersbutin business partners, politicians, journalists, and anyone elsewriting asocialscript,becauseitisasignalofcognitivefitness.21Yourbrainmustbe flexible, quick, and sharp to comprehend or create humor. Thefunniestpeoplearethosewhoareabletoseeaversionofrealitytherestof us might miss. You could say that humor is a marker of anindividual’sabilitytoaddvantagepoints.Forthreeyears,Iwastheheadteachingfellowforaclasscalled“Wit

and Humor” at Harvard. In that course, designed by Professor LeoDamrosch,wedescribedhoweverythingfromleadershiptoproductivitycanbedramaticallyimprovedbyimprovingyourabilitytoaddvantagepointsthroughhumor.Inmywritingonthetopic,Idefinehumoras“theawareness of an alternative way of viewing the world which showsabsurdityorcommonalitiesof life.” (Nothingkillshumor likescientificdefinitions.)Butwhatisitthatcausespeopletofindhumorinsomerealitieswhen

others find only irritation or embarrassment? Not surprisingly, theanswer lies in positive genius. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson’s“broadenandbuildtheory”suggeststhatexperiencingpositiveemotionsexpandspeople’smomentary“thought-actionrepertoires,”thosepathstousing our intellectual resources in the most productive way. That’s afancy way of saying that your perception of reality determines youractions:ifyouseeapathtoapositivereality,yourbrainwillbequickertoseehumorinthenegativeeventsofyourexternalworld.Thus,whenyou have a negative externalworld atwork, you can use humor as astrategictooltohelpothersseeamorepositivereality.The Oxford professor C. S. Lewis said that there are two kinds of

people:thosewholookformiraclesandfindthem,andthosewhodon’tlook formiracles and see none.22 The same is true for humor. If youaren’tlookingforthehumorintheexternalworldasyouleadmeetings,introducepeopleataconference,talktoaclientonthephone,orcreatea PowerPoint report, youwillmiss opportunities to introduce comedyinto your social script. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a stand-upcomediantousehumorforpositiveinception;youdon’tevenneedtobetheonetocreatethejokes.Youmerelyneedtoshareorlaughatthem.

Keep an e-mail folder with forwards you receive of funny articles orvideos, then find ways to work them into the social script during ameetingoratalk.Makealistofthefunnystoriesyoutellinyourfamilyor embarrassing moments growing up, and share those (whenappropriate)withyourcolleaguesorteams.Ioncedidthisincollegeforan English course, and from then on, whenever I needed to insertsomethingfunnyintoatalk,Ihadalistofoptionsatmyfingertips(seetheunicornstoryatthebeginningofmyTEDtalk).Youmightalsomakealistoffunnylinesfromyourfavoritemovies,books,orTVshowsand“borrow”thoseaswell.HowmanytimesinyourworklifehassomeonereferencedalinefromthemovieOfficeSpaceortheTVshowTheOffice?Probablyabillion,buteventhen it still“getsa laugh likeaquarterofthetime”(caseinpoint,AndrewBernardexplainingthehumorinsaying“Beerme,”whichprobablyonlyaquarterofreaderswouldget).Finally,researchers suggestwatchingmore comedies to improve your comedictiming.Wegetbetteratsportsbywatchinggoodathletes,andthesamegoesforhumor.Humorisoneofthemosteffective—andfun—waystoturnscriptspositiveatwork.

STRATEGY3:CREATEASHAREDNARRATIVE(MAKEITMEANINGFUL)

Howdoyou spreadpositive inceptionat theworld’s largest company?The same way you might create a happiness movement for peoplesuffering from a devastating chronic illness: you find champions tocreateanemotional,meaningfulnarrative.InthissectionI’llexplainthelink.Ifyoucanmakeyourmessageemotional,yourchancesofcreatinginception improve dramatically. What’s more, you don’t need to be aboss or a leader to spread positivity; anyone at any level of theorganization can create a shared narrative grounded in emotion andmeaning.Thereare fewprojects I’ve feltmoreproudof thangetting tobe the

positive psychology expert for the Everyday Matters campaign. TheNational MS Society’s Everyday Matters, supported by Genzyme, aSanoficompany,wasanationwide interactiveprogramtouncoverandfeature the authentic stories of people who are facing the everday

challengesthatMScanbringonthepathtoone’sbest life.WhenIgotinvolvedwiththeprogram,IknewlittleaboutMS,butthemoreIread,the more vicious the currently incurable disease seemed. This illnessliterallytearsapartyourbrain’sabilitytocommunicateeffectivelywiththe nerves in your body, resulting in recurring bouts of bone-deepweariness, pain, andparalysis. Themore I learned, themore dauntingthediseasebecame.Enter the champions: 1,200 brave individuals dealing with the

physical,emotional,andsocialchallengesofMSappliedtobepartofaprograminwhichtheywouldusesomeofthetechniquesfrommylastbook,TheHappinessAdvantage, to improve theircopingskillsandevenreduce their symptoms. Then, from this large group, we chose fiveindividualswhowould become our champions of inception.We didn’tselect thesepeoplebecause theywere thehappiest,but ratherbecausetheirstorieswouldshowtherestof theMSSocietyandtheworldthathappinessisachoice.ImetthefiveinDenver,wherewespentaweekendgoing through positive psychology findings and laying out a plan fortheir next fewmonthswith their happiness coach,Michelle Clos,whoalso has MS. From July to November, they were filmed by KristenAdams,anEmmyAward–winningTVproducer(whoalsohasMS),andthefilmwasshowntotherestofthesociety.Iwasblownawaybytheirstories.OneelementaryschoolteacherinruralOklahomanamedSalliewouldwakeupeverymorning,hitwithadelugeoffatiguethatmanyofuswillneverexperience,andinsteadofquittingwouldgetupeachdayand go to school, bringing hope and inspiration to her students. As avisual reminder of that commitment to her passion, she evenmade acharmbraceletwithonecharmforeachstudentinherclass,sothatshecouldthinkaboutwhyshewasgratefulforthatstudenteveryday.I learned something very valuable from this experience. We could

havespokentothoseaffectedbyMSforhoursonendaboutthescienceofhappiness,anditwouldn’thavehadnearlytheeffectofthosevideosonthewebsite(everydayMSmatters.org).That’sbecause tobetterplanttheseedsofapositiverealityinagroupofpeoplewhoareconfrontingacertain challenging experience, you need an emotional narrativedeliveredby individualswho share that experience. In short, to createpositive inception, what we needed were champions. And we foundmanymorethanjustfiveofthem.Imetindividualswhogotdiagnosed

withMSandstartedrunningmarathons,eventhoughthey’dneverrunbefore. I met people who found love, even though the first-dateconversationstartedwith“Ihaveadebilitating,degenerative,incurabledisease.” These were positive geniuses, and they started a movement.They gave us a narrative that when things are hard, there are verysimplewaysthatwecanchoosetostaypositive,motivated,andfocusedonovercominglife’sgreatchallenges.Inspired by the Everyday Matters campaign, when Walmart came

knocking in2012,wonderinghowtocreateahappinessmovement fortheir 1.5 million associates—many of whom do not have mucheducation, are at the poverty line, have relatives in prison, are singleparents, don’t havemuch time away from the floor for training, don’thaveaccesstocomputers,workparttime,andareoverweight—weknewone of the keys. Positive inception works best when you have anemotional,meaningful,anddeeplypersonalnarrative.With that in mind, my company, Good Think Inc., partnered with

WalmartvisionaryDavidHokeandJamieBrunneratB&Btohelpdesigna program where we went into stores to get employees to createsustainedpositivehabitsarounddifferentdomainsoftheirlives:family,fitness, food,andmoney.Atthetimeofpublicationthisproject,calledTheZipChallenge,isongoing,butourplanisthatfromthethousandsofemployees’ stories we will select champions to go around to storessharingtheirstoriesandinspiringWalmartassociatestocreateapositivehabit in their lives. Then, at each of the stores, more and morechampionswillbeselectedtokeepspreadingstoriesofsuccess,therebycreatingpositiveinception.Astheprogramtakesoff,andwearetestingto see the effects upon health, happiness, and profits, that researchshould be available on my website, HappinessAdvantage.com, as itcomesout.ThekeytothisprogramwasfindingpeopleinsideWalmarttoleadthe

movement. So whether the change you want to spread is improvedhealth or betterworkplace habits, sometimes all it takes is a positive,emotionalnarrative.

MOVINGBEYONDTHELEADER

Mostofusassumethatyouneedtobe ina leadershiprole inorder totransform the culture ormindset of a team or organization. But someinterestingresearchbya truepositivegenius,ProfessorAdamGrantatWharton Business School, shows that, in fact, it’s more important toconnect with people on a deep emotional level as he describes in hisfascinatingbook,GiveandTake.Grant’sresearchfocusedonaclassofnewhiresatacallcenterwho

wereundergoingasalesandservicetraining.Hesplittheclassintofourgroups and subjected them to slightly different training conditions. Atthefirstgroup’straining,theleadergaveamotivationaltalkinadditionto the normal training.At another training, the leader didn’tmake anappearance,butafellowemployee(calledabeneficiarybecausehewassomeonewho had benefited from the success of the company) gave ashorttalkonwhythecallcenterwassoimportantforthefunctioningofthe company.He talkedabouthowprofits from the call centerhelpedthe company pay everyone’s salary and allowed the company tocontinue to grow. The third group received just the normal training,withnoadditionalspeakers.Butat thefourthtraining,boththe leaderandthegratefulemployeecametospeak.Even if you guessed that the training with both the leader and the

beneficiarywasmosteffectiveinmotivatingthenewhires,Idoubtyoucould guess how positively this affected the performance of the team.Whenthetrainingwasrunasusualwithoutanymotivatingspeakers,thegroupmade46 saleswith a total revenue of $3,738.When the leadershowed up, sales jumped from 46 to 151, or about 300 percent. Buthere’swhere it gets really interesting. In the final group, inwhich thetraineesheardtheleaderspeakabouthowimportantthecallcenterwasand got to meet one of the people positively affected by their futurework, the sales jumped from 46 to 271, and the revenue skyrocketedfrom $3,738 to $21,376. In other words, when a leader shared hispositive vision of reality, the revenue increased, but when a fellowemployee deepened the emotional connection by showing how thatreality affected him, revenue increased by 700 percent and sales by 500percent.23This study shows that people are much more likely to adopt your

reality when it is both emotional and real; in this case, the benefitedemployeelentcredibilitytotheleader’smessage.Ifyou’realeader,you

cantalkuntilyou’reblueinthefaceabouthowyourteam’shardworkbenefits the company, but that samemessagewill be perceived as farmore credible and powerful if your team also hears it from a fellowrank-and-file employee. This is exactly why politicians invite averagepeopletostumpforthemonthecampaigntrail:theirmessageresonatesmoreemotionallywithvoterswhen it’sdeliveredbya citizen just likethem.Here’s anothergreat example fromGrant regardinghowmuchmore

impactamessagecanhavewhenit’sdeliveredbysomeoneweconnectwith.BobAustin,amanageratVolvo,oncewroteablogpostintendedto increase engagement and to ripple positive performance in thecompany. He decided to relate a story in which the son of a VolvocustomergotinaterriblecaraccidentbutcameoutalivethankstothesafetyfeaturesofhisVolvo.“Hadhersonbeendrivinganyothercar,hewould have been killed.… The work we do at Volvo genuinely saveslives,”Austinsaid.24His story was powerful, to be sure, but now let’s compare it to a

speechaboutaseconddeaththathadbeenavoidedthankstothehighsafetystandardsatVolvo.Thistime,themotherherselfgotuponstagewith him and related the story: “My daughter escaped with minorbruisesandscrapes.Thepoliceofficer’sstatementtome: ‘If itwasn’taVolvo, they probablywould not have survived.’ ”25Which version doyou think was more effective in implanting the message that Volvoemployees were positively changing the world with their work? Thepoint is thatpositive inceptiondoesnothave tocome fromthe formalleader;infact,sometimesitworksbetterifitdoesn’t.IoncespoketoasalespersonatalargetechcompanyinAustinwho

wasfrustratedthathecouldn’tgethisteamtobeasengagedashewas.Hetoldmethathehadspenthislastmonthlymeetingtrottingoutgraphaftergraphtoshowhowmuchthecompanyhadbeengrowing.Butforallhispositivity,itdidn’tseemtohaveabitofimpactonhisemployees’reality. So at his next monthly meeting, he invited a client to speakabout how pleased hewaswith the service he had received from thecompany, as well as one of the salespeople to talk about how muchhappierhewasworkingherethanathisoldfirm.Suddenly,hesaid,itwasas if hehadawholedifferent team:peoplewerenoticeablymoreengaged, motivated, and productive for weeks following the meeting.

Oftenthebestwaytoraisesuccessratesandincreaseyourbottomlineistousenotnumbers,butmeaning.The reason this research is so important is that it breaks down the

myth about where positive leadership comes from. If you want toconvince others of some positive reality atwork, find a beneficiary ofthat reality: a satisfied client, a happy coworker, or perhaps yourself.Then make sure you infuse your message with personal examplesshowing that thebeneficiary’s reality is realandvalid.Forexample, ifyou want to get people to donate to your favorite charity, bring insomeonewhohasbenefitedfromtheprogram.Ifyouwanttogetyourteam to feel more motivated, ask a client to record a thirty-secondYouTube video describing how pleased they are with something yourteamhasprovided.Andremember,themoreemotionalyoumakeit,themoreimpactitwillhave.

TURNINGADVERSITYINTOGLUE

Believe itornot,adversityandchallengeatworkdon’thave tobe theenemiesofengagementandmotivation;theycanactuallybetheglue.Irealize this doesn’t sound like something a positive psychologyresearcher would say, but it’s true. Why? The answer lies in LeonFestinger’s famous work on a psychological phenomenon calledcognitivedissonance.Cognitivedissonanceisastatethatoccurswhenthebrainrecognizes

thatitisholdingtwoconflictingbeliefs.Forexample,let’ssayyouhavealwaysdetestedolives.Thenonedayyourwifesneaksthemintoapastasauce, and you find them delightful. Your brain will experiencedissonancethatyouwanttodispel.Orlet’ssayyou’vealwaysconsideredyourself a conservative. Then an election rolls around, and you findyourself drawn to a liberal. Your brain experiences dissonance. Whatdoesthishavetodowithpositiveinception?Festingerarguesthatifyouspendatonofeffortonatask,yourbrainconsidersthataworthwhileexpenditureofcognitiveresources.Butwhat ifyouspendahigheffortonsomethingthatyourbrainsaysisnotimportant,notrelatedtoyou,not valuable, or not something you enjoy? That leads to cognitivedissonance. Your brain thinks, “Why, oh why, did I pay such a high

cognitive cost for something I care so little about?” Your brain hatescognitivedissonance.Soitcomesupwithajustificationtoexplainwhyyou paid such a high cost, usually by deciding that thework actuallywasofhighvalue.Thuscognitivedissonancecan trickyourbrain intoperceiving that you care deeply about a particularly odious task ordifficultchallenge.Adversityorchallenge, inotherwords,canbeusedtospurmotivationandengagement,and,inturn,itcanbeusedasatooltospreadthatmindsettoothers.Whereas businesses have been slow to catch on to these ideas, themilitaryhaslongincorporatedthem.Infact,there’salotwecouldlearnabout positive inception from the military. I realize I’ve told a lot ofstoriesaboutmystintinthenavy(andthenumberofstoriesIcouldtellcould probably take up an entire book), but this one is particularlyinstructive. When I started my scholarship, I went to a boot camp.Actually, they called it “orientation,” which my brain unfortunatelyassumedwouldbe less akin toarmedcombat than to summercamp. Iwas in for a rude awakening—literally. I fell asleep on the bus to“orientation”inNewport,RhodeIsland,andawoketoaU.S.Marinedrillsergeant yelling at me that I had five seconds to get off the alreadyemptied bus—but not before doing forty pushups. Over the next fewhours (though I haveno ideahow longbecause they tookmywatch),they confiscated all our possessions, including any family photos,phones, et cetera, shaved off our hair, and marched us aroundmercilessly.Each night we slept at attention fully clothed for our 4:00 a.m.wakeup.Weweregivenjustfiveminutesformeals(astheofficerswerefond of saying, if the fork goes into your mouth, you’re eating tooslowly). We were permitted only ten seconds to shave (usinggovernment-issuedblades,whichusuallyresultedinourgettingaccusedof trying to bleed to death to get out of marching). When I gotsunburned after marching in the sun for five hours, I got yelled at:“Achor, why the hell are you destroying government property?”(meaningme).But there is an underlying reason for all this, and it’s not that theofficers are secretly sadists (though some of them may have been).Obviouslyit’scrucialforthemilitarynotonlytoretaintoptalentbuttoenlist officerswith the fiercest commitment and loyalty; after all, they

havetobewillingtodiefortheirtroopsandtheircountry.Soyoumightthink,why in theworldwould theywant to scare away this talentbyputting them through thehellofboot camp?Becausewhencadetsaregoingthroughthishellishtraining, toavoidcognitivedissonance, theirbrainsconvincethemthattheymustreallyvaluewhattheyaredoing.“IamgoingthroughhellnowbecauseIwanttobeagreatofficersobadly,”thebrainthinks.“WhywouldIgothroughall thispain if Ididn’t?”Inotherwords,puttingcadetsthroughthewringerinstillshigherlevelsofcommitment, determination, and loyalty because their brains decidetheyvalueit.When done correctly, introducing collective team stress can havesimilar benefits in the workplace. In one series of experiments, ElliotAronson created several initiation scenarios for new hires.26 Someinitiationsweremildandeasy,likemerelyintroducingoneselfortellingaquickstory.Othershemadeembarrassingbyforcingtheemployeestoread scripts—aloud—that contained embarrassing words. Whathappened? The employees who had gone through the mild and easyinitiations described their group of fellow employees as having lowconnection and their group membership as having low value. Theemployeeswhohad read the scriptswithembarrassingwords reportedthat theirgroupwasmoreconnectedand that theyvalued theirgroupmembership more highly. Just like the ROTC cadets, when theseemployeespaidahighcosttotakepartintheinitiation,theyperceivedit as more meaningful in order to save their brains from the pain ofcognitivedissonance.Thinkaboutit:goingthroughroughperiodswhentheseare sharedwithothers can create someof thedeepestbondswemake.Whycan’tthishappenmorewithstressatwork?I’mnotsuggestingthatyougoaroundspreadingstressandhostilityinyourworkplace.Thisskillisaboutpositiveinception,afterall.WhatIamsuggesting is that you help people find themeaning in the stress andadversity.How?By focusingonhowthe teamovercame it.Lookagainatthe military. Sure, they put their cadets through hell, but they alsocreate a shared, positive,meaningful narrative bymaking their cadetsfeel a part of something bigger, letting them know what an amazinghonor it is to be part of such an amazing history, with such amazingpeople,fightingforsuchanamazingcountry.Adversity,linkedwiththeshared reality that our stress meant something, was what bonded us

cadetstogether.Thustoturnadversityintoglueinourteamsandinourorganizations,we need to plant and spread themessage that “the challengeswe areexperiencing are enhancing.” When I’m at conferences speaking, I’lloftenhearamazing leaderspresent.Forexample,afterWalmart’s2012shareholdersmeetinginBentonville,Arkansas,ratherthanignoringthechallengesimposedbybudgetconstraintsoverthepastyear,Walmart’sglobalheadofHRusedthosechallengestocreatepositiveinception.Sheplanted the idea that “this teamhasproven its ability to innovateandexceedexpectations.”Now,insteadofgettingboggeddowninnegativityand frustration, the team viewed the challenges as badges of honor,proving that optimism for the future was warranted. Every time yourteamorcompanygoes throughstress, it isanopportunity to showtheteamwhy that brought them closer together andmade them stronger.Stress is inevitable, but as we have proven before, its effects are not.Stresscantearateamapartifignoredorfeared,butifusedasapositive,itcanbetheglue.Thekeyistofindtherightnarrative.Forexample,whenIwasworkingwithAdobein2011,MariaYap,theproduct management director, sent me a fantastic video the companyhad made to create a shared narrative around a past challenge. Thevideo,BehindtheSplashScreen:TheMakingofCS5,tellsthestorybehindthe release of Creative Suite 5, one of Adobe’s flagship products: itnarrates how the team failed at first, then banded together, theneventuallysucceeded.Importantly,thevideofeaturesnotjusttheleaderoftheteambutalsomanyothermembersoftheteamtalkingabouttheirpride in overcoming the challenges in making CS5: how they had torevise the entire code and how they were given six months toaccomplishwhatwasnormallyayearlongtask.The positive genius of this video lies in the fact that it uses thenarrativeofatriumphoveradversitytocreateanemotionalconnection(muchasthemilitarydoesintheirrecruitmentvideos).27Themessageisclear: “We can band together through thick and thin to create andinnovate successfully.” I couldhear thepride inYap’s e-mail, andyoucanhearitinthevoicesoftheteammembersinthevideo.It’stheprideyouhearinpeoplewhodeeplyvaluetheworktheyaredoing.Most teams and leaders forget that there is amoment for incrediblepositiveinceptionafterasuccesshadbeenachieved.Toooften,wefinish

aprojectorhitasalestargetormeetadeadlineandimmediatelyareontothenexttaskorchallenge.Butindoingsowemissoutoncreatinganarrative of meaning. So when you achieve a major success at work,don’t move on without taking a moment to use the adversity youovercameasglueforyourteam.Youdon’thavetohaveaprofessionalteam to create a video like Adobe’s. You can do it with your words.Betteryet,a fewsmart-phonesandanhouronamoviemakerprogramon your computerwill do the trick just aswell. Create a narrative ofyour success, including any missteps, failures, and challenges youencounteredalongtheway.Ifyoudon’thavethetimetomakeavideo,pictures of past successeswork aswell. At Adobe, they have awholewallcoveredwithreproductionsofthecompany’spatentstoremindtheemployeesofalltheinnovationthatgoesonthere.Howelsecanyoudothisatyourownwork,or inyourpersonal life, tocreateanemotionalnarrativethatpeoplecanembraceandshare?Weneedtomakepositiveinceptionaconsciouspartofourleadershipat work and our ownership of our environments. How much of yourwork time is devoted to talking about howamazingbeingpart of thisteamis?Aregroupsuccessescelebratedasmuchas individualones?Isthereasharedemotionalnarrativeaboutthepastchallengesthegrouphasovercome?Orarechallengesseenastheenemyoftheteam,ratherthan the glue?Aswith theWalmart project and theEverydayMatterscampaignfortheMSSociety,anothergreatwaytocreateinceptionistofindchampionsorbecomeoneyourself.ThecompaniesI’veworkedwithwhohavebestspreadpositiverealitiesthroughtheirrankshavehadaninternalchampionbeatingthedrumofhowpositivechangematteredinhisorherlife.In the fall of 2012, my company Good Think Inc. partnered withDeliveringHappinessatWork,theZapposconsultingarmbasedonTonyHsieh’sbook, tohelpcreatepositive inceptionatcompanies.We lovedtheirapproachbecauseZapposisaprimeexampleofaculturefoundeduponpositiveinception.Ittakesalotofsocialcapitaltogeteveryoneona team to buy into an idea. Literally all the people who work thereidentifythemselvesaspartofZappos’culture;Zapposevenpublishesanannual“culturebook”withpicturesofalltheiremployeesandunediteddescriptions ofwhy they likeworking there. And this is due, in largepart, to the shared narratives that are created within the teams. For

example, each department in the call center has its own theme. Onemighthaveapiratetheme,andwhenpeoplecomebyontheVIPtour,theyallyell,“Arrghh!”(ofcourse,coveringthephoneswiththeirhandssoasnottofreakouttheircustomersonthephones).Youmightthinkthisbehavior isunprofessional,andinmanyorganizationsitmightnotfit in with company culture. But in this case it creates a sharedexperience,howeversilly,thatbindsteammembers.Butletmeflipthequestion:IsyourcurrentteamengagedandconnectedenoughthattheywouldbewillingtoyelllikeapirateinfrontofacrowdofVIPs?Oristheonlythingconnectingyourteamtheirtitlesanddeskproximity?I spoke at the company-wide Zappos All Hands Meeting in 2012,whereTonyHsieh, insteadof focusingon lastyear’s revenueandsalesnumbers,devotedahugeamountoftimetowhypeopleloveworkingatZappos.Someloveworkingtherebecausetheyareobsessedwithshoes.Some love it because they find deep meaning in delivering greatcustomerservice,andsomebecausetheyloveworkingforaninnovativecompanythatletsthemdressupandscreamlikeapirate.Whatareyoudoing tohelp people atwork fall in lovewith your company?Even ifyou aren’t a boss ormanager, it’s your responsibility/opportunity as apositivegeniustohelpothersseethevaluablerealitythatyoudo.Findwhatmakesworkmeaningfulforyou,andthencreateasimplenarrativetohelpothersseewhatyousee.

If you are successful at creating a positive reality but incapable ofsharing itwithothers, thenthatrealitywillbe limitedandshort-lived.But by utilizing the techniques of positive inception, you can create arenewablesourceofpositiveenergyforyouandthepeoplearoundyou.In this chapter, we have discussed the three big keys to positiveinception: franchising, script writing, and creating a shared narrative.The key tomastering them, though, is to let go of themyth that youcannotchangeotherpeople.Wecanchangepeople,butonlybyplantingthe seeds of a more positive reality. So remember, if you want tosuccessfully transfer your positive reality, you must make that realitycontagious, influential, andmeaningful.Onceyouhavedone that, youhave become a master mental architect, capable not only of creatingpositivegeniusbutofspreadingitonamassivescale.

Thefartherandwideryouspreadpositivegenius,themorepotentialyou’ll be able to unleash. Once you have amplified the collectiveintelligencesofyourteams,companies,families,andcommunities,thereistrulynolimittowhatyoucanachieve.

MAKINGITPRACTICAL

1.Usenumberstoyouradvantage.Weknowthatsocialinfluenceisdefined by S + I + N, strength of the message plus theimmediacyof themessageplus thenumberofpeopledeliveringit. The easiest variable to increase in this equation is N, thenumberof sourcesof thepositivemessage. Sogo after the low-hangingfruitfirst.Likeapoliticiansecuringhisorherbase,startby spreading your reality to like-minded, positive people beforetryingtopersuadethenegativeNellies.Raisingyournumberswillhelpyoubuild the influenceyouneed toplant seedsofpositivechangeamongthecynics.

2.Createafranchise.Findsimple,emotional,andpositivepatternsyou can replicate and franchise to others aroundyou.One suchpatternmightbeano-ventingruleinyourofficeorhousehold.Orlook forpatterns that lead to negative interactions—and changethem, as the college student did when she improved herrelationshipwithherfamilybyadoptingaruletocallthemonlybefore9:00p.m.

3.Usethepower lead.Thefirstpersontospeak inaconversationoftensetsthedirectionoftheentiresocialscript.Thus,ifwewanttocreatemeaningfulandproductiveinteraction,weneedtoleadwith something positive. Remember Michelle Gielan’s idea ofstarting each conversation with a compliment or encouragingcommentorevenjustbymentioningsomethinggoodthatisgoingoninyourlife.Theverybeginningofaconversationormeetingistheprimetimetocreatepositiveinception.

4.Addthreesmiles.Tryimplementingthe10/5Wayinyourofficeorhousehold.Or, if that sounds like toobigacommitment, simplyflex your most powerful muscle three extra times a day. Three

extrasmiles.5.Usehumor.Youdon’thavetobeastand-upcomedianyourselfto

turnyoursocialscriptintoacomedy.Whenyouhearahilariouslineinacomedysketchorsitcom,writeitinanotepadfunctiononyourphone,thenfindawaytouseitoverthenexttwenty-fourhours. Keep an e-mail folder of funny articles or videos youreceivefromotherpeople,thenfindwaystoworkthemintothesocialscriptduringameetingoratalk(justdon’tbecomethatguywho over-forwards).Make a list of the funny stories you tell inyourfamilyorembarrassingmomentsgrowingupandsharethese(whenappropriate)withyourcolleaguesorteams.

6.Createanarrative.Thisoneismoretimeintensivebutcanbeasourceofrenewablepositivityforyearstocome.Developasharedpositivenarrativeaboutatimeyourteamorcompanyovercamean obstacle or challenge, and share it, either in digital or inwrittenform.Writeoutarealstory,withconflict,climax,andaresolvingaction. Includepicturesorevenvideo.Turna triumphoveradversityintothegluethatbindsyourteamtogether,whileraisinglevelsofloyalty,drive,andengagement.

positiveinspiration

ACASEFORCHANGE

It is by experience thatwe discover and by science thatwe

prove.

Scientificdiscoveriesoftenhappenbyaccidentandexperience,notlogic.Forme, one such discovery occurred in the desert of theUnitedArabEmirates.Ifyouhavereadmyfirstbook,youknowaboutmysignaturemirrorneuronexperiment,whichIhavenowdoneinfifty-onecountries.Imerelypartnerpeopleupandhaveonepersontrytocontrolhisorherface to shownoemotion for seven full seconds.Then Ihave theotherperson“smilewarmlyandgenuinelydirectlyintotheeyesofthe[first]person.”Itismuchmoredifficultthanitsounds.Infiftyofthefifty-onecountries,80 to85percentof thepeople in theroombrokedownandsmiledbefore the seven secondswasover.But itwas in that fifty-firstcountry that I had a eureka experience that helped me understandpositivegeniusmuchmorefully.InMayof2012,IwasinvitedbytheroyalfamilyinAbuDhabitogive

atalk.Iwassoexcitedabouttheopportunitytogodunebashinginall-terrainvehiclesandridecamelsacrossthedesertthatwhenitcametimeformy lecture Iwasn’t thinking. Sheikha (a royalwife in AbuDhabi)Salama BintHamdanAl Nahyan askedme to speak at her foundationabouthowtochangerealitiesforwomenintheMiddleEast.Aswasmyhabit, Ikickedoff the talkwithmysmilingexperiment. Itwasn’tuntilmidwaythroughthatIrealizedmymistake:halftheroomwasveiled.

If I had thought about this, I might not have tried the experiment.Whowould think to trya smilingexperimentwithveiledwomen?ButI’msogladthatImadethaterrorbecause,incredibly,theexperimentstillworked.Thewomenintheaudiencetoldmethattheycouldseesmilesintheir partner’s eyes. Even behind the veil, these unseen smiles werecontagious.Noneofthesewomencouldseetheirpartner’sface,yettheystillbecameinfectedbyhersmile.The point here is that no matter what seemingly insurmountablebarrier is inour lives,wecanbuildandtransferourpositivereality toothers.And in fact, sometimes thegreatestopportunities todothisaretheonesthatareslightlyhidden.Thusapositivegeniusissomeonewhosees solutions, possibilities, and connections that are unseen by theaverageperson.Positivegeniusesknowthattoseethethingsothersmisswemust stepbackand takeadeparture fromthewaywehave lived lifeup tothismoment.In theearly1900s,HenriPoincaré, a famousFrenchmathematician,cameupwiththeconceptof“relativity,”adiscoverythatis,ofcourse,most commonly attributed toAlbert Einstein.1Notmany people knowthis (IhadnotheardofPoincarémyselfbefore takingaclassonhim),but Poincaré and Einstein revolutionized modern physics at the exactsame time. Whereas Einstein felt that the flaws in Newton’s thinkingcouldbesolvedwithphysics,Poincaréfeltthattheproblemwasmostlymathematical.Theysawthesameproblemthroughdifferentlensesandcame up with similar answers—but that is not why I’m highlightingthesetwogeniuses.Bylookingattheirwritings,Iwanttohighlightwhytheyweregeniuses.In 1908, in Science andMethod, Poincaré wrote: “Then I turnedmyattentiontothestudyofsomearithmeticalquestionsapparentlywithoutmuchsuccess…Disgustedwithmyfailure,Iwenttospendafewdaysatthe seaside, and thought of something else [italics mine]. Onemorning,walking on the bluff, the idea came to me, with just the samecharacteristicsofbrevity,suddennessandimmediatecertainty.”2Inthesameworkhealsowroteabouthowhehadsolvedadifferentproblem:“ForfifteendaysIstrovetoprovethattherecouldnotbeanyfunctions like those I have since called Fuchsian functions. Iwas thenvery ignorant; every day I seatedmyself atmywork table, stayed anhour or two, tried a great number of combinations and reached no

results.One evening, contrary tomy custom, I drank black coffee andcould not sleep. Ideas rose in crowds; I felt them collide until pairsinterlocked,sotospeak,makingastablecombination.BythenextmorningIhadestablishedtheexistenceofaclassofFuchsianfunctions.”3(Howmanytimeshavewebeatenourheadsagainstaproblem,tryingtoprovethatthereisnosolution,onlytolaterdiscoverwewerewrong?)And regarding yet another instance of creative activity, he wrote:“Thereupon I left for Mont-Valerian, where I was to go through mymilitaryservice;soIwasverydifferentlyoccupied.Oneday,goingalongthe street, the solution of the difficulty which had stopped me suddenlyappeared to me [italics mine].… So I wrote out my final memoir at asinglestrokeandwithoutdifficulty.”4Threesolutions,allbysurprise.Asa psychology researcher interested in innovation and intelligentcreativity,I lovehisphrasing.Hewaswalkingdownthestreetandthesolution“appeared”tohim.Ineachof thesemomentsofpositivegenius,Poincarécame to theseconclusions while not thinking about the problems. Actually, let mequalifythis:hewasverymuchthinkingabouttheseworkproblems,justnotusinghisconsciousbrain.Hewasallowinghisunconsciousbraintohelp. According to another brilliant scientist, Yale psychologist ScottKaufman, the unconscious portion of your brain works on problemsusingdifferentprocessesthanyourconsciousbrain.5Whatproblemsandobstaclesareyoutryingtosolveinyourlife?Howare you going about it?AsAdamGalinsky from theKellogg School ofManagement explains, “Conscious thought is better at making linear,analytic decisions, but unconscious thought is especially effective atsolving complex problems. Unconscious activation may provideinspirationalsparksunderlyingthe‘Aha!’momentthateventuallyleadstoimportantdiscoveries.”6Butthekeytounlockingtheseunconsciousprocessesistakingtimetonotthinkaboutyourchallengeorproblem.Inotherwords,toengageallofyourbrainandachievethose“ahamoments,”yousometimesneedtoshut a portion of your brain off. The greatest “aha!” moments in ourlives occur notwhenwe areworkingwithout stop, butwhenwe stopworking.Einstein reported the samephenomenonof positive genius. In1905,aftera frustratingconversationwithhis friendMicheleBesso inwhich

hetriedtoreconcilealltheproblemshesawwithNewtonianphysics,heconceded defeat and gave up.7While bouncing in a streetcar in Bern,Switzerland, the impoverished and defeated Einstein looked back overhisshoulderandsawtheBernclocktower.Hecasuallywonderedwhatwouldhappenifhisstreetcarsuddenlyzoomedawayfromtheclockatthe speed of light. Perhaps Einstein just wanted to get home faster.MaybethegreatEinsteinneededtogotothebathroom.Butashewouldputit,“Astormbrokelooseinmymind.”Thiswashisunconsciousbrainoffering his conscious brain a novel idea that would soon upendeverythingwe thoughtweknewabout theuniverse: that timewasnotthe same everywhere in the universe. Einstein was not squigglingincomprehensible mathematical formulations on the board when hemadehisdiscovery.Hewasnotinaphysicslab.Hewasjustonhiswayhome.In other words, the two greatest geniuses of modern physics made their

mostgroundbreakingdiscoverieswhentheystoppedthinkingandjustlettheirunconsciousbrainstakeover.That’sbecauseonceyouhavefullybuiltandembracedapositivereality,thatrealitybecomesembeddeddeepinyourunconsciousbrainprocesses.Thustheskillsofpositive intelligencecanbecome second nature, allowing you to harness all your intelligenceswithoutconsciouslytrying,orevenbeingconsciouslyawareofit.Think about the biggest challenge you are currently facing, the one

thathasbeenmostplaguingyou.Howdoyoutakeyourcurrentbusinessandscaleit?Howcanyoupivotintoanotherjobinyourindustry?Howcanyoufindawaytomanageyourfar-flungteamwhilenotbeinginthesame location?How can you get your beloved child or spouse to stopfeeling depressed andmaking poor decisions? Instead of beating yourheadagainstawall,spendingeightyhoursaweeksolvingthisproblem,juststop.Takeafewmomentsfromyourdailystreamoflifeandletyourunconscioustakeover.Thegreater thecomplexityofyourproblem—and I thinkwecan all

agree that Einstein and Poincaré were attempting to solve problemsmuchbigger andmore challenging than theoneswe face inourdailyworkinglives—thegreatertheneedforapositiverealitythattranscendsconsciousness. Success on a massive scale, in other words, requires areality inwhich, even if our consciousminds can’t see a solution, ourunconsciousmindsknowthatoneispossible.

Inallmy research, andallmyworkwith someof themostbrilliantbusiness leaders around the globe, one conclusion has remainedconstant: there is a big difference between being smart and beinginspired. Many brilliant people never feel the kind of inspiration thatleadstolife-changingdiscoveriesorachievements.That’sbecausetobeinspiredyouneedtostopseeingtheworldthroughthesameoldlens.NomatterhowhighyourIQ,youremotionalintelligence,oryourabilitytorelatetoothers,ifyoucan’tlearntochangeyourreality,you’llneverbetrulyinspired.Sotaketimeafterthisbooktoreflectuponallthatyou’velearned.Thinkabouthowtheseskillshavechangedyourmindset,yourhabits, your everyday life. Let your new reality seep into yoursubconscious. Once you do you’ll find yourself capable of the kind ofinspirationnecessaryfortruegreatness.I amhoping,withyourhelp, that thisbookand the researchwithinwillcontribute to leadingus towardamuch-neededrenaissance inourcompanies and schools, akin to the Renaissance in Europe, whichheraldedagoldenageofdiscoveryandgrowthaspeoplebecameawarethattheycouldknowmoreabouttheirworldthantheyeverimagined.Butofcourse,researchisuselessunlessitislived.Nowthatyouhavemade it this far in the book, youhave over thirty practical takeawaysand have read about over fifty scientific discoveries. But informationalonedoesnotcausetransformation.Thekeynowistoincorporatejustafewofthesestrategies,maybejustoneatatime,intoyourlife.The costs of changing nothing are stagnation and resignation to thestatusquo.But thebenefitsofchangingyour reality—andsharing thatpositiverealitywithothers—arethekindsofsuccesses,discoveries,andbreakthroughsthatcantransformnotonlyyourownlifebuttheworld.Weneedmorepositivegeniuses inour companies, our families, andourcommunities.Weneedyou.

notes

THEPOWEROFPOSITIVEGENIUS

1.ManfredZimmermann,“NeurophysiologyofSensorySystems,”inFundamentalsofSensoryPhysiology,3rd,rev.ed.,ed.RobertF.Schmidt(NewYork:Springer,1986),116.

2.A.R.Jensen,ClockingtheMind:MentalChronometryandIndividualDifferences(Amsterdam:Elsevier,2006).

3.DanielGoleman,EmotionalIntelligence(NewYork:BantamBooks,1995),36.

4.GlennElert,TheSAT:AptitudeorDemographics?,E-World,May11,1992,http://hypertextbook.com/eworld/sat.shtml.

5.ThomasJ.Stanley,TheMillionaireMind(KansasCity:AndrewsMcMeel,2001).

6.PeterSaloveyandJ.D.Mayer,“EmotionalIntelligence,”Imagination,Cognition,andPersonality9(1990):185–211.

7.HilaireFernandes,“DesigningInteractiveContents:ThalesandPyramidHeightCalculus,”usingDr.GeoIIinteractivegeometrysoftware,n.d.,http://people.ofset.org/hilaire/drgeo2/demos/2-thales/index.html.

8.Thisresearchissummarizedfrommypreviousbook,TheHappinessAdvantage(NewYork:Crown,2010).

9.ShawnAchor,“PositiveIntelligence,”HarvardBusinessReview,January-February2012,http://hbr.org/2012/01/positive-intelligence/ar/1.

10.A.Crum,P.Salovey,andS.Achor,“Re-thinkingStress:TheRoleofMindsetsinDeterminingtheStressResponse,”JournalofPersonality

andSocialPsychology,forthcoming,June2013.11.D.R.Proffitt,“EmbodiedPerceptionandtheEconomyofAction,”PerspectivesonPsychologicalScience1,no.2(2006):110–22;J.K.Witt,D.R.Proffitt,andW.Epstein,“PerceivingDistance:ARoleofEffortandIntent,”Perception33(2004):570–90.

12.Ifyouareinterestedinseeingthemetricsweusedincomingupwiththisresearch,youcantakethetestsontheUniversityofPennsylvania’swebsite,authentichappiness.org.YoucanalsotaketheSuccessScaleusedinmyresearch,developedinthespringof2010attheInstituteforAppliedPositiveResearch,positiveresearch.com.Wecreatedaseriesofthreeten-questionmetrics,whicharenowsomeofthefastestandmostpowerfulpredictorsoflong-termsuccessandengagement.Youcanreadmoreaboutthematpositiveresearch.com.

SKILL1:REALITYARCHITECTURE:CHOOSINGTHEMOSTVALUABLEREALITY

1.I’mtoldthenavyunderstandablydoesn’tallowuntrainedindividualstodothisanymoreafterafisherman’sboatwasdestroyedwhenasubdroppeddownonitandcrushedit.

2.ManfredZimmermann,“NeurophysiologyofSensorySystems,”inFundamentalsofSensoryPhysiology,3rd,rev.ed.,ed.RobertF.Schmidt(NewYork:Springer,1986),116.

3.ShawnAchor,“MakeStressWorkforYou,”February15,2011,HBRBlogNetwork,http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/02/make_stress_work_for_you.html.

4.N.Schneiderman,G.Ironson,andS.D.Siegel,“StressandHealth:Psychological,Behavioral,andBiologicalDeterminants,”AnnualReviewofClinicalPsychology1,no.1(2005):607–28;AmericanPsychologicalAssociation,“StressinAmerica:OurHealthatRisk,”pressrelease,January2012,www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2011/final-2011.pdf.

5.Ibid.

6.AccordingtoanArchivesofInternalMedicinestudycitedinKristaMahr,“AchyBreakyHeart,”Time,November1,2007,www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1678678,00.html.

7.JaneEisinger,“HighAnxiety,”AssociationManagement,August2001,www.asaecenter.org/Resources/AMMagArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=5252.

8.GeorgeChrousos,“StressandDisordersoftheStressSystem,”NatureReviewsEndocrinology5(July2009):374–81,doi:10.1038/nrendo.2009.106.

9.L.Cahill,L.Gorski,andK.Le,“EnhancedHumanMemoryConsolidationwithPost-learningStress:InteractionwiththeDegreeofArousalatEncoding,”LearningandMemory10,no.4(2003):270–74.

10.P.A.HancockandJ.L.Weaver,“OnTimeDistortionunderStress,”TheoreticalIssuesinErgonomicsScience6,no.2(2005):193–211.

11.E.S.Epel,B.S.McEwen,andJ.R.Ickovics,“EmbodyingPsychologicalThriving:PhysicalThrivinginResponsetoStress,”JournalofSocialIssues54,no.2(1998):301–22.

12.C.L.Park,L.H.Cohen,andR.L.Murch,“AssessmentandPredictionofStress-RelatedGrowth,”JournalofPersonality64,no.1(1996):71–105;R.G.TedeschiandL.G.Calhoun,“PosttraumaticGrowth:ConceptualFoundationsandEmpiricalEvidence,”PsychologicalInquiry15,no.1(2004):1–18.

13.BruceGoldman,“StudyExplainsHowStressCanBoostImmuneSystem,”InsideStanfordMedicine,June22,2012,http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/june/stress.html.

14.S.E.Palmer,E.Rosch,andP.Chase,“CanonicalPerspectiveandthePerceptionofObjects,”inAttentionandPerformanceIX,ed.JohnB.LongandAlanD.Baddeley(Hillsdale,NJ:LawrenceErlbaum,1981),135–51.

15.DanielP.JonesandKarenPeart,“ClassHelpingFutureDoctorsLearntheArtofObservation,”YaleNews,April10,2009,http://news.yale.edu/2009/04/10/class-helping-future-doctors-learn-art-observation.

16.Ibid.17.Ibid.18.RichardWiseman,“TheLuckFactor,”SkepticalInquirer,May–June2003,www.richardwiseman.com/resources/The_Luck_Factor.pdf.

19.S.Glazer,“SocialSupportacrossCultures,”InternationalJournalofInterculturalRelations30(2006):605–22.

20.M.P.Walker,“TheRoleofSleepinCognitionandEmotion,”AnnalsoftheNewYorkAcademyofSciences1156(2009):168–97;ElsvanderHelmandMatthewP.Walker,“OvernightTherapy:TheRoleofSleepinEmotionalBrainProcessing,”PubMedCentral,June23,2010,www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2890316/.

21.ShaiDanziger,JonathanLevav,andLioraAvnaim-Pesso,“ExtraneousFactorsinJudicialDecisions,”ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences108,no.17(2011),www.pnas.org/content/108/17/6889.full.

22.M.Losada,“WorkTeamsandtheLosadaLine:NewResults,”PositivePsychologyNewsDaily,December9,2008,http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/guest-author/200812091298.

23.BarbaraFredrickson,Positivity:GroundbreakingResearchRevealsHowtoEmbracetheHiddenStrengthofPositiveEmotions,OvercomeNegativity,andThrive(NewYork:Crown,2009).

24.Ibid.25.TomRath,“TheImpactofPositiveLeadership,”GallupBusinessJournal,May13,2004,http://gmj.gallup.com/content/11458/impact-positive-leadership.aspx.

26.LorettaMalandro,“DiscoverYourLeadershipBlindSpots,”Businessweek,September1,2009,www.businessweek.com/managing/content/sep2009/ca2009091_828190.htm.

27.TrinaC.KershawandStellanOhlsson,“TrainingforInsight:TheCaseoftheNine-DotProblem,”inProceedingsoftheTwenty-thirdAnnualConferenceoftheCognitiveScienceSociety,ed.JohannaD.MooreandKeithStenning(Mahwah,NJ:LawrenceErlbaum,2001),489–93,http://conferences.inf.ed.ac.uk/cogsci2001/pdf-files/0489.pdf.

28.A.M.IsenandJ.Reeve,“TheInfluenceofPositiveAffectonIntrinsicandExtrinsicMotivation:FacilitatingEnjoymentofPlay,ResponsibleWorkBehavior,andSelf-Control,”MotivationandEmotion29,no.4(December2005):297–325.

29.RichardNisbett,TheGeographyofThought(NewYork:FreePress,2003).

30.SharonK.ParkerandCarolynM.Axtell,“SeeingAnotherViewpoint:AntecedentsandOutcomesofEmployeePerspectiveTaking,”AcademyofManagementJournal44,no.6(December2001):1085–1100.

31.BillClinton,“ClintononClinton,”interviewbyDianeSalvatore,Independent,December20,2005,www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/clinton-on-clinton-8051116.html.

SKILL2:MENTALCARTOGRAPHY:MAPPINGYOURSUCCESSROUTE

1.EbonieD.Hazel,“SurveyFindsDepressionPervasiveinCollege,”HarvardCrimson,March31,2003,www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/3/31/survey-finds-depression-pervasive-in-college/.

2.S.AgrawalandJ.K.Harter,WellbeingasaPredictorofNewDiseaseBurden:ATwo-YearExaminationof11,306SurveyPanelMembers’HealthandWellbeing(Omaha,NE:Gallup,2011).

3.L.HermerandE.Spelke,“AGeometricProcessforSpatialReorientationinYoungChildren,”Nature370(1994):57–59.

4.AlexEdmans,“TheLinkBetweenJobSatisfactionandFirmValue,withImplicationsforCorporateSocialResponsibility,”AcademyofManagementPerspectives26,no.4(November2012):1–19;TomRathandJimHarter,TheEconomicsofWellBeing(Washington,DC:GallupPress,2010),www.ofyp.umn.edu/ofypmedia/focusfy/The_Economics_of_Wellbeing.pdf.

5.S.T.Innstrand,E.M.Langballe,andE.Falkum,“ALongitudinalStudyoftheRelationshipbetweenWorkEngagementandSymptomsofAnxietyandDepression,”StressandHealth:Journalofthe

InternationalSocietyfortheInvestigationofStress28,no.1(2012):1–10,doi:10.1002/smi.1395.

6.BillBarnett,“MakeYourJobMoreMeaningful,”HBRBlogNetwork,April25,2012,http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/04/make_your_job_more_meaningful.html.

7.TomRathandJimHarter,“Wellbeing:WhatYouNeedtoThrive,”interviewbyJenniferRobison,GallupBusinessJournal,May12,2010,http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/127643/wellbeing-need-thrive.aspx.

8.MichaelCorbin,“OntheTracksofAddiction,”Urbanite,March1,2011,www.urbanitebaltimore.com/baltimore/on-the-tracks-of-addiction/Content?oid=1378874.

9.AmyL.SheltonandTimothyP.McNamara,“SystemsofSpatialReferenceinHumanMemory,”CognitivePsychology43(2001):274–310,www.psy.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/mcnamara/lab/visual/CogPsyc2001.pdf.

10.JudySargent,RegArthurWilliams,BonnieHagerty,JudithLynch-Sauer,andKennethHoyle,“SenseofBelongingasaBufferagainstDepressiveSymptoms,”JournaloftheAmericanPsychiatricNursesAssociation8,no.4(August2002):120–29;CarolynSchwartz,“TeachingCopingSkillsEnhancesQualityofLifeMoreThanPeerSupport:ResultsofaRandomizedClinicalTrialwithMultipleSclerosisPatients,”HealthPsychology18,no.3(1999):211–20.AgreatsummaryisStephenG.Post’s“It’sGoodtoBeGood:ScienceSaysIt’sSo,”HealthProgress,July-August2009,18–25,www.stonybrook.edu/bioethics/goodtobegood.pdf.

11.MihalyCsikszentmihalyi,FindingFlow:ThePsychologyofEngagementwithEverydayLife(NewYork:BasicBooks,1997).

12.ShawnAchor,“TheHappinessDividend,”HBRBlogNetwork,June23,2011,http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/06/the_happiness_dividend.html.

13.ShawnAchor,“WhyaHappyBrainPerformsBetter,”HBRIdeaCast,November25,2010,http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2010/11/why-a-happy-brain-performs-bet.html.

14.PeterBregman,“TooMuchtoDo?TakeonMore,”HBRBlogNetwork,May10,2011,http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2011/05/i-know-how-to-handle.html.

15.“PrayerofSaintFrancisofAssisi,”www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pray0027.htm.

16.ShawnAchor,“TheHappinessDividend,”HBRBlogNetwork,June23,2011,http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/06/the_happiness_dividend.html.

17.BarbaraFredrickson,Positivity:GroundbreakingResearchRevealsHowtoEmbracetheHiddenStrengthofPositiveEmotions,OvercomeNegativity,andThrive(NewYork:Crown,2009),58–60.

18.Thisisoneofthemostinterestingandconvolutedstoriesinrecenthistory.SeeStevenLeeMyers,“ChineseEmbassyBombing:AWideNetofBlame,”NewYorkTimes,April17,2000.

19.LisaGetter,“U.S.MilitaryAccidentsLinkedtoFlawedMaps,”LosAngelesTimes,May16,1999,http://articles.latimes.com/1999/may/16/news/mn-37866.

20.FrankJacobs,“TheFirstGoogleMapsWar,”NewYorkTimes,February28,2012,http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/the-first-google-maps-war/.

SKILL3:THEX-SPOT:FINDINGSUCCESSACCELERANTS

1.JaneE.Allen,“Adrenaline-FueledSprintMakesSomeMarathonsDeadly,”ABCNews,November21,2011,http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDisease/marathon-deaths/story?id=15000378#.UAwJoY5alvY.

2.RobertRosenthalandLenoreJacobson,PygmalionintheClassroom(NewYork:Holt,RinehartandWinston,1968).

3.EllenLanger,Counterclockwise:MindfulHealthandthePowerofPossibility(NewYork:Ballantine,2009).

4.RanKivetz,OlegUrminsky,andYuhuangZheng,“TheGoal-GradientHypothesisResurrected:PurchaseAcceleration,IllusionaryGoalProgress,andCustomerRetention,”JournalofMarketing

Research43(February2006):39–58.5.DuaneP.SchultzandEllenSydneySchultz,AHistoryofModernPsychology,10thed.(Mason,OH:Cengage,2011),239–42.

6.Kivetz,Urminsky,andZheng,“Goal-GradientHypothesis.”7.Ibid.8.MinjungKooandAyeletFishbach,“DynamicsofSelf-Regulation:How(Un)accomplishedGoalActionsAffectMotivation,”JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology94,no.2(2008):183–95.

9.J.K.Witt,S.A.Linkenauger,andD.R.Proffitt,“GetMeOutofThisSlump!VisualIllusionsImproveSportsPerformance,”PsychologicalScience23(2012):397–99.

10.Witt,Linkenauger,andProffitt,“GetMeOutofThisSlump!”11.J.K.WittandM.Sugovic,“PerformanceandEaseInfluencePerceivedSpeed,”Perception39(2010):1341–53.

12.StephenGarciaandAvishalomTor,“TheN-Effect:MoreCompetitors,LessCompetition,”PsychologicalScience20,no.7(2009):871–77.

13.Ibid.14.“MLBParkFactors—2012,”2013,http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor.

15.See“ParkFactors,”www.parkfactors.com/,forexamples.16.BillPetti,“TheImpactonHittersWhoChangeParks,”March14,2012,www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-actual-impact-of-hitters-changing-parks/.

17.C.R.Riener,J.K.Stefanucci,D.R.Proffitt,andG.Clore,“AnEffectofMoodonthePerceptionofGeographicalSlant,”CognitionandEmotion25,no.1(2011):174–82;J.K.Witt,D.R.Proffitt,andW.Epstein,“PerceivingDistance:ARoleofEffortandIntent,”Perception33(2004):570–90;S.Schnall,J.R.Zadra,andD.R.Proffitt,“DirectEvidencefortheEconomyofAction:GlucoseandthePerceptionofGeographicalSlant,”Perception39,no.4(2010),464–82,doi:10.1068/p6445;J.R.ZadraandG.L.Clore,“EmotionandPerception:TheRoleofAffectiveInformation,”Wiley

InterdisciplinaryReviews:CognitiveScience2,no.6(2011):676–85.18.SusanWeinschenk,“100ThingsYouShouldKnowaboutPeople:#60—Cognitive‘Loads’AretheMost‘Expensive,’”WBlog,February17,2011,www.theteamw.com/2011/02/17/100-things-you-should-know-about-people-60-cognitive-loads-are-the-most-expensive/.

19.K.D.Vohs,R.F.Baumeister,B.J.Schmeichel,J.M.Twenge,N.M.Nelson,andD.M.Tice,“MakingChoicesImpairsSubsequentSelf-Control:ALimited-ResourceAccountofDecisionMaking,Self-Regulation,andActiveInitiative,”JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology94(2008):883–98.

20.DavidDaniels,“Top100PregamePumpUpSongsofAllTime,”BleacherReport,April20,2011,http://bleacherreport.com/articles/672617-top-100-pregame-pump-up-songs-of-all-time.

21.BobHolmes,“WhyTimeFliesinOldAge,”NewScientist,November23,1996,www.newscientist.com/article/mg16422180.900-look-how-time-flies.

22.SandraBlakeslee,“RunningLate?ResearchersBlameAgingBrain,”NewYorkTimes,March24,1998,www.nytimes.com/1998/03/24/science/running-late-researchers-blame-aging-brain.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm.

23.MihalyCsikszentmihalyi,FindingFlow:ThePsychologyofEngagementwithEverydayLife(NewYork:BasicBooks,1997).

24.J.A.TaylorandD.F.Shaw,“TheEffectsofOutcomeImageryonGolf-PuttingPerformance,”JournalofSportsSciences20,no.8(2002):607–13.

25.GabrieleOettingen,Hyeon-juPak,andKarolineSchnetter,“Self-RegulationofGoal-Setting:TurningFreeFantasiesabouttheFutureintoBindingGoals,”JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology80,no.5(May2001):736–53.

26.V.K.Ranganathan,V.Siemionow,J.Z.Liu,V.Sahgal,andG.H.Yue,“FromMentalPowertoMusclePower:GainingStrengthbyUsingtheMind,”Neuropsychologia42,no.7(2004):944–56.

27.“HowtoMakeaScreenSaverwithPictures,”n.d.,www.ehow.com/

how_2386316_make-screen-saver-pictures.html.

SKILL4:NOISECANCELING:BOOSTINGYOURPOSITIVESIGNALBYELIMINATINGTHENEGATIVENOISE

1.WilliamJames,ThePrinciplesofPsychology(NewYork:Cosimo,2007),2:103,quotedinPatriciaA.Knowles,StephenJ.Grove,andKayKeck,“SignalDetectionTheoryandSalesEffectiveness,”JournalofPersonalSellingandSalesManagement14,no.2(Spring1994):1.

2.DanielBukszpan,“14SpectacularlyWrongPredictions,”CNBC.com,May19,2011,www.cnbc.com/id/43094187/14_Spectacularly_Wrong_Predictions?slide=15.

3.ManfredZimmermann,“NeurophysiologyofSensorySystems,”inFundamentalsofSensoryPhysiology,3rd,rev.ed.,ed.RobertF.Schmidt(NewYork:Springer,1986),116.

4.SusanWeinschenk,“100ThingsYouShouldKnowaboutPeople:#98—AttentionIsSelective,”WBlog,April3,2011,www.theteamw.com/2011/04/03/100-things-you-should-know-about-people-98-attention-is-selective/.

5.KevinR.FosterandHannahKokko,“TheEvolutionofSuperstitiousandSuperstition-likeBehaviour,”ProceedingsoftheRoyalSocietyofLondon,B:BiologicalSciences276(2009):31–37,doi10.1098/rspb.2008.0981.

6.“HowGoodAretheWeatherForecasts?,”April7,2003,http://weather.slimyhorror.com/.

7.StephenJ.Dubner,“HowValidAreTVWeatherForecasts?,”Freakonomics,April21,2008,www.freakonomics.com/2008/04/21/how-valid-are-tv-weather-forecasts/.

8.LauraHelmuth,“FearandTremblingintheAmygdala,”Science,April25,2003,568–69,http://labnic.unige.ch/papers/PV_cns2003_science.pdf.

9.M.LosadaandE.Heaphy,“TheRoleofPositivityandConnectivityinthePerformanceofBusinessTeams:ANonlinearDynamicsModel,”AmericanBehavioralScientist47,no.6(2004):740–65.

10.B.L.FredricksonandM.Losada,“PositiveAffectandtheComplexDynamicsofHumanFlourishing,”AmericanPsychologist60,no.7(2005):678–86.

11.MichaelZhuang,“TrackingJimCramer’sPerformance:January2007StockPicks,”SeekingAlpha,March14,2008,http://seekingalpha.com/article/68536-tracking-jim-cramer-s-performance-january-2007-stock-picks.

12.SheenaS.IyengarandMarkR.Lepper,“WhenChoiceIsDemotivating:CanOneDesireTooMuchofaGoodThing?,”JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology79,no.6(December2000):995–1006;SusanWeinschenk,“100ThingsYouShouldKnowaboutPeople:#10—YouWantMoreChoicesandInformationThanYouCanActuallyProcess,”November13,2009,www.theteamw.com/2009/11/13/100-things-you-should-know-about-people-10-your-want-more-choices-and-information-than-you-can-actually-process/.

13.RogerE.BohnandJamesE.Short,“HowMuchInformation?2009ReportonAmericanConsumers,”ConsumerReports,December9,2009,lastupdatedJanuary2010,http://hmi.ucsd.edu/pdf/HMI_2009_ConsumerReport_Dec9_2009.pdf.

14.U.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,“LaborForceStatisticsfromtheCurrentPopulationSurvey,2008AnnualAverages—HouseholdData—TablesfromEmploymentandEarnings,”www.bls.gov/cps/cps_aa2008.htm.

15.SeeW.RussellNeuman,YongJinPark,andElliotPanek,“TrackingtheFlowofInformationintotheHome:AnEmpiricalAssessmentoftheDigitalRevolutionintheU.S.from1960–2005,”paperpresentedattheInternationalCommunicationsAssociationAnnualConference,Chicago,2009,www.wrneuman.com/Flow_of_Information.pdf.

16.“WhenIcingtheKickerCanBackfire,”WallStreetJournalOnline,September22,2010,http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704129204575506112194098670.html.

17.“HalloweenPoisonings,”Snopes.com,n.d.,www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/halloween.asp.

18.O.I.Kereke,J.Prescott,J.Y.Y.Wong,etal.,“HighPhobicAnxiety

IsRelatedtoLowerLeukocyteTelomereLengthinWomen,”PLOSONE7,no.7(2012):e40516,doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040516.

19.K.Ahola,I.Sirén,M.Kivimäki,etal.,“Work-RelatedExhaustionandTelomereLength:APopulation-BasedStudy,”PLOSONE7,no.7(2012):e40186,doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040186.

20.GerardoRamirezandSianL.Beilock,“WritingaboutTestingWorriesBoostsExamPerformanceintheClassroom,”abstract,Science,January14,2011,www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6014/211.abstract.

21.MatthewP.Herring,PatrickJ.O’Connor,andRodneyK.Dishman,“TheEffectofExerciseTrainingonAnxietySymptomsamongPatients:ASystematicReview,”ArchivesofInternalMedicine170,no.4(2010):321–31.

SKILL5:POSITIVEINCEPTION:TRANSFERRINGYOURPOSITIVEREALITYTOOTHERS

1.BillBryson,AShortHistoryofNearlyEverything(NewYork:BroadwayBooks,2003),9.

2.ShawnAchor,“PositiveIntelligence,”HarvardBusinessReview,January–February2012,http://hbr.org/2012/01/positive-intelligence/ar/1.

3.RogerCollier,“ImaginedIllnessesCanCauseRealProblemsforMedicalStudents,”PubMedCentral,March25,2008,www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2267854/.

4.SheilaRadatz,“WhatHappenedtotheFaceofWalmart?,”TribLocal,Plainfield[IL],February25,2012,http://triblocal.com/plainfield/community/stories/2012/02/where-is-the-face-of-walmart/.

5.ShellyReese,“PatientExperienceCorrelateswithClinicalQuality,”ManagedHealthcareExecutive,May1,2009,http://managedhealthcareexecutive.modernmedicine.com/mhe/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=595838.

6.A.K.Jha,E.J.Orav,J.Zheng,andA.M.Epstein,“Patients’

PerceptionofHospitalCareintheUnitedStates,”NewEnglandJournalofMedicine359(2008):1921–31.

7.W.Boulding,S.W.Glickman,M.P.Manary,K.A.Schulman,andR.Staelin,“RelationshipbetweenPatientSatisfactionwithInpatientCareandHospitalReadmissionwithin30Days,”AmericanJournalofManagedCare17(2011):41–48.

8.OchsnerHealthSystem,“AnnualFinancialInformationDisclosurefortheTwelveMonthsendedDecember31,2011,”http://media.nola.com/business_impact/other/12%2011%20OHS%20Financial%20Info%20final.pdf.

9.PaulMarsden,“MemeticsandSocialContagion:TwoSidesoftheSameCoin?,”JournalofMemetics2(1998),http://jom-emit.cfpm.org/1998/vol2/marsden_p.html.

10.A.C.KerckhoffandK.W.Back,TheJuneBug:AStudyinHystericalContagion(NewYork:Appleton-Century-Crofts,1968).

11.“TheDancingPlagueof1518,”Cogitz,September2,2009,http://cogitz.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/the-dancing-plague-of-1518/.

12.D.A.Havas,A.M.Glenberg,K.A.Gutowski,M.J.Lucarelli,andR.J.Davidson,“CosmeticUseofBotulinumToxin-AAffectsProcessingofEmotionalLanguage,”PsychologicalScience21,no.7(2010):895–900.

13.BibbLatané,“ThePsychologyofSocialImpact,”AmericanPsychologist36(1981):343–56.

14.CameronAndersonandGavinJ.Kilduff,“WhyDoDominantPersonalitiesAttainInfluenceinFace-to-FaceGroups?TheCompetence-SignalingEffectsofTraitDominance,”JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology96,no.2,(2009):491–503,http://web-docs.stern.nyu.edu/pa/traitdominance_kilduff.pdf.

15.AllanPulga,“MichelleGielan:ThePowerofPositiveCommunication,”iQmetrix,October17,2011,www.iqmetrix.com/article/2011/10/michelle-gielan-power-positive-communication.

16.JoshuaIanDavis,A.Senghas,F.Brandt,andK.Ochsner,“TheEffectsofBOTOXInjectionsonEmotionalExperience,”Emotion10,no.3(2010):433–40.

17.W.Bachman,“NiceGuysFinishFirst:ASYMLOGAnalysisofU.S.NavalCommands,”inTheSYMLOGPractitioner:ApplicationsofSmallGroupResearch,ed.RichardB.Polley,A.PaulHare,andPhilipJ.Stone(NewYork:Praeger,1988),citedinDanielGoleman,WorkingwithEmotionalIntelligence(NewYork:BantamBooks,1998),188.

18.Ibid.19.DanielHowriganandKevinMacDonald,“HumorasaMentalFitnessIndicator,”EvolutionaryPsychology6,no.4(2008):652–66.

20.Yung-TaiTang,“TheRelationshipbetweenUseofHumorbyLeadersandR&DEmployeeInnovativeBehavior:EvidencefromTaiwan,”AsiaPacificManagementReview13,no.3(2008):635–53,http://apmr.management.ncku.edu.tw/comm/updown/DW0810021530.pdf.

21.MatthewGervaisandDavidSloanWilson,“TheEvolutionandFunctionsofLaughterandHumor:ASyntheticApproach,”QuarterlyReviewofBiology80,no.4(December2005):395–430.

22.C.S.Lewis,Miracles(London:Collins/Fontana,1947).23.AdamGrant,“LeadingwithMeaning:BeneficiaryContact,ProsocialImpact,andthePerformanceEffectsofTransformationalLeadership,”AcademyofManagementJournal55,no.2(2012):458–76.

24.AdamGrantandDavidHoffman,“OutsourcingInspiration:ThePerformanceEffectsofIdeologicalMessagesfromLeadersandBeneficiaries,”OrganizationalBehaviorandHumanDecisionProcesses116(November2011):173–87.

25.Ibid.26.ElliotAronsonandJ.Mills,“TheEffectofSeverityofInitiationonLikingforaGroup,”JournalofAbnormalandSocialPsychology59(1959):177–81.

27.JulieanneKost,Julieanne’s5FavoriteFeaturesinPhotoshop13.1,video,www.youtube.com/photoshop#p/c/6B0B55A0B9EF5D93/1/yUQsPwjTsqQ.

POSITIVEINSPIRATION:ACASEFORCHANGE

1.HenriPoincaré,“ThePrinciplesofMathematicalPhysics,”translatedinCongressofArtsandScience,UniversalExposition,St.Louis,1904(Boston:HoughtonMifflin,1905),1:604,andchs.7–9ofTheValueofScience,inTheFoundationsofScience,trans.GeorgeBruceHalsted(1913;repr.,NewYork:SciencePress,1921),297–320.

2.HenriPoincaré,ScienceandMethod,inFoundationsofScience,388,http://books.google.com/books?id=qgkeAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.

3.Ibid.,381.4.Ibid.,388.5.ScottBarryKaufmanandJeromeL.Singer,“TheCreativityof‘DualProcess’System1Thinking,”ScientificAmericanGuestBlog,January17,2012,http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/01/17/the-creativity-of-dual-process-system-1-thinking/.

6.Chen-BoZhong,ApDijksterhuis,andAdamD.Galinsky,“TheMeritsofUnconsciousThoughtinCreativity,”PsychologicalScience19,no.9(September2008):912–18.

7.MichioKaku,“TheTheorybehindtheEquation,”NOVAbeta,October11,2005,www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/theory-behind-equation.html.

Internationalbestseller!

Amust-readforeveryonetryingtoexcelinaworldofincreasingworkloads,stress,andnegativity.Happinessisnotthebeliefthatwe

don’tneedtochange;itistherealizationthatwecan.

“ShawnAchorisfunny,self-deprecating,anddevastatingtomynotionsofwhathisfieldisallabout.”

—BostonGlobe

“TheHappinessAdvantagerevealsthemostimportantdiscoveriescomingoutofmodernpsychology.”

—RamBrafman,bestsellingcoauthorofSwayandClick