Big Potential – The Secret We Need to Magnify Success and Happiness
Today I completed reading one of the most useful and practical self-help books I’ve ever encountered. The book title is Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being. The author is Shawn Achor, a major advocate of the positive psychology movement, and one of the world’s leading experts on happiness, success and potential.
Achor’s premise is simple:
…helping those around us achieve more raises the limit on what we can achieve as well.
The overall belief of Achor is that potential, success, and happiness are all linked. What’s more, all three of these things shouldn’t be pursued in isolation if you want the best outcome. Achor states:
The conclusion of a decade of my work is clear. You can be a superstar; you just can’t be one alone. What you need is a star system: a constellation of positive, authentic influencers who support each other, reinforce each other, and make each other better.
If you are a person who is struggling with feelings of not maximizing potential, then this book is exactly what you need. Achor’s useful and practical action steps are summed up in the acronym SEEDS.
- S: surround yourself with positive influencers by creating a star system
- E: expand your power by leading from every seat
- E: enhance your resources by creating a prism of praise and recognition
- D: defend against negative influences by protecting the system
- S: sustain the gains creating collective momentum
In short, this book inspired me and I know it will inspire you. Shawn Achor’s research is just so very refreshing. Unquestionably, his advocacy for happiness, positive psychology and “big” potential is just what our world needs.
To conclude, I will leave you with one final quote from the book that sums it up nicely:
The key to real leadership is inspiring others to be leaders. The key to good parenting, and strong relationships, is helping to bring out the best in the people we love. The key to true happiness is finding joy in helping others become happier. And the key to achieving your highest potential starts by helping others achieve theirs.