Shawn Achor

New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Advantage, Before Happiness, and Big Potential

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Book Recommendations:

Recommended by Shawn Achor

Wendy Steele is one of the bright lights attempting to tip this world away from negativity and division to a world that sees a viable path to optimism and positive change. Importantly, in Invitation to Impact, she demonstrates how we can move connection and meaning from a longing to a lifelong practice. A positive and connected brain is the greatest advantage in the modern world, but it is something we do with one another instead of alone. This book provides a practical and clear path to light the way. (from Amazon)

You are the right person, at the right time, to do something generous. What if you and just a handful of other dedicated, generous women could affect powerful change? That’s the question Wendy H. Steele set out to answer when she founded Impact100, one of today’s most significant grassroots organizations. In Invitation to Impact, she shares her story of creating a unique, successful giving model, as well as the stories of the amazing women who helped to make it grow, empowering you to spark change in your own community. From Impact100’s launch to its global spread, you will follow Wendy on her path to challenging the status quo of and democratizing women’s roles in philanthropy. By illustrating how small sacrifices, when shouldered collectively, can lead to big outcomes, Wendy reveals that every person can take action to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems despite their financial or time constraints. Between Wendy’s life story, inspirational anecdotes from regional Impact100 chapters, and current research on philanthropy patterns, Invitation to Impact demonstrates that women have an incredible capacity to transform this world for the better.

Recommended by Shawn Achor

Aliénor Salmon doesn't just walk the talk, she dances it. Timely, insightful, and practical, Finding Rhythm reminds us of the importance of not just knowing but actually embodying powerful research on how to be resilient and find happiness in a constantly changing world. (from Amazon)

One woman embarked on a dance journey around the world, finding out how each dance tells a story of its country and learning how beautiful life can be when you take the lead. If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be? Aliénor Salmon was working as a happiness researcher in Bangkok when a friend asked her the question that turned life as she knew it on its heels. A novice dancer but experienced social researcher, the Franco-British Aliénor headed west from Bangkok to dance her way through Latin America. As she learns eighteen dances, each native to the countries she visits, she engages with esoteric customs, traditions, and cultures. Through conversations and arduous studio hours, she learns that every step, pivot, and shake thrums with an undeniable spirit of place. And that in a world where we are over-connected but increasingly disconnected from one another, dance offers an authentically human experience. One that allows her to develop tolerance, kindness, truth, and love by holding the hands of a stranger and gazing into their eyes for the time of a song. With her fearless and candid approach, Aliénor will inspire you to take the reins of your own life—and have some fun along the way. In this dance-travelogue, you’ll learn the history and steps of dances like salsa, samba, and tango, enjoy a resplendent meditation on happiness and wanderlust, and receive a life-affirming answer to the question: How do I take the first step?

Recommended by Shawn Achor

Neil Pasricha is a life coach for the next generation! He makes happiness attainable by using scientifically proven habits that require low time investment and reap massive rewards! (from Amazon)

The #1 international bestseller from the author of The Book of Awesome that “reveals how all of us can live happier lives” (Gretchen Rubin). What is the formula for a happy life? Neil Pasricha is a Harvard MBA, a New York Times–bestselling author, a Walmart executive, a father, a husband. After selling more than a million copies of the Book of Awesome series, wherein he observed the everyday things he thought were awesome, he now shifts his focus to the practicalities of living an awesome life. In his new book The Happiness Equation, Pasricha illustrates how to want nothing and do anything in order to have everything. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms, you simply have yet to unlock the 9 Secrets to Happiness. Each secret takes a piece out of the core of common sense, turns it on its head to present it in a completely new light, and then provides practical and specific guidelines for how to apply this new outlook to lead a fulfilling life. Once you've unlocked Pasricha’s 9 Secrets, you will understand counter intuitive concepts such as: Success Does Not Lead to Happiness, Never Take Advice, and Retirement Is a Broken Theory. You will learn and then master three brand-new fundamental life tests: the Saturday Morning Test, The Bench Test, and the Five People Test. You will know the difference between external goals and internal goals and how to make more money than a Harvard MBA (hint: it has nothing to do with your annual salary). You will discover that true wealth has nothing to do with money, multitasking is a myth, and the elimination of options leads to more choice. The Happiness Equation is a book that will change how you think about pretty much everything—your time, your career, your relationships, your family, and, ultimately, of course, your happiness.

Recommended by Shawn Achor

Positive feedback loops are crucial for creating virtuous cycles. Anyone interested in becoming better and bringing out the best in others, start here. Feedback Reimagined is a well-researched and practical guide for putting humans back into the equation for happiness and success. (from Amazon)

Discover how to provide feedback that's human, energizing, and effective. You've probably experienced the discomfort of receiving or giving feedback. It's no surprise that research confirms traditional feedback models are broken, often causing more harm than good. If you're a leader, coach, or leadership development professional feeling stuck on how to best retain and develop talent, Feedback Reimagined will show you the way. Inside these pages, executive coaches Pete Berridge and Jen Ostrich invite you to reimagine a new way of experiencing feedback that creates more empowered and engaged workforces. Grounded in the science of positive psychology and social support, the Shift Positive(R) Method will teach you how to: Discern what makes your current approach to feedback ineffective and whyEngage in transparent feedback that is psychologically safeUse the science of positive psychology and social support for better resultsBuild a culture of two-wav accountability and allyshipCreate a shift in mindset that positively impacts employee engagement across the entire organization

Recommended by Shawn Achor

Practical, well written and timely, Chris Bailey tackles one of the most important topics today as we seek success at work and attempt to raise positive kids in the modern world. What you attend to becomes your reality. Hyperfocus provides a practical path to using our attention to create an adaptive reality. If you want to achieve greater success and happiness, we need to start by focusing upon what our brain is attending to. (from Amazon)

A practical guide to managing your attention--the most powerful resource you have to get stuff done, become more creative, and live a meaningful life Our attention has never been as overwhelmed as it is today. Many of us recognize that our brains struggle to multitask. Despite this, we feel compelled to do so anyway while we fill each moment of our lives to the brim with mindless distraction. Hyperfocus provides profound insights into how you can best take charge of your attention to achieve a greater sense of purpose and productivity throughout the day. The most recent neuroscientific research reveals that our brain has two powerful modes that can be unlocked when we use our attention effectively: a focused mode (hyperfocus), which is the foundation for being highly productive, and a creative mode (scatterfocus), which enables us to connect ideas in novel ways. Hyperfocus helps you access each of the two mental modes so you can concentrate more deeply, think more clearly, and work and live more deliberately every day. Chris Bailey examines such topics such as: • identifying and dealing with the four key types of distraction and interruption; • establishing a clear physical and mental environment in which to work; • controlling motivation and working fewer hours to become more productive; • taking time-outs with intention; • multitasking strategically; and • learning when to pay attention and when to let your mind wander wherever it wants to. By transforming how you think about your attention, Hyperfocus reveals that the more effectively you learn to take charge of it, the better you'll be able to manage every aspect of your life.