Category Archives: Career Success

Do You Have “The Happiness Advantage”?

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Today, I want to share with you a secret of success.

That secret is happiness.

Perhaps your first thought is, “John, don’t you have that backwards? Happiness comes AFTER I succeed.”

Nope. Success does NOT breed happiness. If you aren’t happy before you succeed, you won’t be happy after you achieve any measure of success. (Note that momentary joy or satisfaction are not the same as happiness.)

In fact, research shows that being happy is a precursor to success. And that is “the happiness advantage.”

What is “the happiness advantage”? It is a 31 percent improvement in productivity. It causes a person to be 37 percent better at sales; 19 percent better at problem diagnosis and problem solving.

But don’t take my word for it. Shawn Achor has been researching happiness and success for over 10 years. On this TED Talk, Shawn shares what they’ve learned… and what it means for us. It’s about 12 minutes and they go by really fast (that happens when you are laughing a lot.)

Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work
Shawn Achor The Happiness Advantage
(Click on the picture. If it doesn’t start playing for you, copy and paste the following URL (between the brackets) into your browser.)

[http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html]

To sum up what Shawn has to say:

Happiness is not the result of success, but rather the inverse. We are more productive, creative, have more stamina, and lower stress when we are happy.

For 21 days in a row, do these things each day:

  • 3 Gratitudes
    Write down 3 new things that you are grateful for
    (This teaches your brain to scan for the positive things.)
  • Journaling
    Journal about 1 positive experience you have had over the past 24 hours
    (This allows your brain to re-live it.)
  • Exercise
    Every day.
    (This teaches your brain that behavior matters.)
  • Meditation
    Focus your brain on one thing.
    (This allows your brain to get over the cultural ADHD that we have been creating by trying to do multiple tasks at once and allows us to focus on one thing at a time.)
  • Random/conscious act of kindness
    Write one positive email to someone in your social network praising or thanking them.
    (This trains your brain to positivity and spreads it to others.)

Go ahead and give it a try. The clients I have shared this with have reported a major turnaround and breakthrough in their lives and in their businesses. Wouldn’t you like “the happiness advantage”, yourself?

What has been your experience? Has it worked for you? Tell us about it in the comments.

Need some accountability? Or maybe you’re not sure about that meditation thing… or journaling… or you need some additional, personalized instruction on this. Contact me and let’s talk. I’ll bet we can find a way forward for you.

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Are Your Goals Too Short?

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I have written recently about persistence and it’s importance in being successful. However, persistence is difficult and “un-fun”. Many of us can only force ourselves so far and then “self-sabotage” kicks in.

One of the things that can short-circuit our efforts to succeed is how our brain is wired to achieve a goal.

You see, when our brain perceives that we have almost reached our goal, it starts slowing down the efforts to finish. It starts “coasting” if you will. (I don’t have space here to go into why it does this but it is a by-product of our long-ago survival mechanisms.)

You can see this “coasting effect” at work in many aspects of our lives. When psychologists did a study of fatigue, they were surprised to discover that fatigue starts to set in about 2 hours before whatever the endpoint is. In other words, if you have a 12 hour shift, about 10 hours into it, you get tired (fatigue starts setting in.) But, it you have a 10 hour shift, it starts setting in at about 8 hours. And an 8 hour shift results in fatigue beginning at about hour 6. You have probably seen this at work in your own worklife.

In the study, the work did not change. The effort expended in any given hour did not change. Only the expectation of the amount of hours changed. The fatigue set-point was purely psychological.

Knowing the above, would you care to guess why the last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose? That’s right. The brain starts into the “coast” cycle.

The same thing happens in our business goals, as well. It is well-known in business that a project will remain 95% complete indefinitely unless special measures are taken to force it to the 100% mark. (Those extra measures are the usually some kind of negative incentive.)

However, the more effective solution, is to extend the “short” goal. Yes, make the goal “longer”. (You may have heard that saying, “No job is complete until the paperwork is done.” It is an effort to extend the goal to encompass the last 5%.)

If you have an 8 hour work shift, but have plans for after work where you need to be energetic and at the top of your form for several hours later, you will likely find that you have the energy you need… right up until the last hour of your secondary event. Of course, if your goal is to also complete some work at home after the event, you will probably hang right in there until you start making good progress on the work at home.

Are you starting to see how this works?

In one sense, it is a psychological trick. But you have to be careful. If you set out simply to trick your mind, it won’t work. The mind is too smart for that. You have to *really* set the goal out further, even if the last part is not crucial to the overall success of the goal.

In other words, you have to really believe that the endpoint you set for your goal is the *real* endpoint.


Once you have extended your goal to a believable end-point, you will find that it is easier to persist and persevere, achieving more than before… right up until you get close to the end. But, by then, all the significant and important parts will be done… and if you stay at 95% of your goal indefinitely, it won’t make any difference (practically speaking.)

So, take a look at your goals and see if you have been “shorting” yourself. Then find a way to extend the goal. Finally, watch as your brain finds a way to make it happen.


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3 Reasons Why You Should Have a Coach

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The first full week in February every year is International Coaching Week. Do you have a coach? If you don’t, you should.

Why? Because people who are coached accomplish a LOT more than people who don’t.

I was sharing in one of my mastermind groups recently about coaching. One of the things I pointed out was that the coaching process is so powerful that benefits happen from it, even if the coach isn’t very good. And when you have a coach who is good? Magical things happen.

What about the process makes it so beneficial? Let’s examine 3 things – accountability, perspective, and support.

To start with, there is a built-in accountability. If you know someone is going to ask about a goal, a task, or a process, you make an extra effort to attend to it. This is because there is a part of the brain that activates when you verbalize a commitment to someone else. You see yourself as a certain kind of person. And once you commit, your brain strongly wants to make it (whatever you said) happen so that your image of yourself remains consistent.


Then, there’s perspective. Having a coach brings another set of eyes (and perspective) to the situation. Even if the coach doesn’t say a word as you explain the problem or situation, you often gather a whole new perspective. There is a reason we often gain crucial insights when we use someone else as a sounding board.

And, then, there’s support. We all need someone to support us and offer encouragement. The coaching process provides that support by its very nature.

When a coach knows what he is doing and is a good coach, magic happens.

Let’s take accountability, for example. The coaching process provides accountability. A good coach will help you pick the important things to be accountable for. And he will ask insightful questions that help you be specific about the task or goal you are accepting accountability for. Just that alone can result in being two or three times as productive, for you are being accountable for the things that matter in your life.

We saw that the coaching process can bring perspective even if the coach is merely a sounding board. Imagine how effective you can become when the coach asks his insightful questions that lead you to a whole new perspective. I have seen people have significant breakthroughs just from that new perspective.

A good coach goes beyond merely being a support for the client (I hate the term “coachee”). He becomes a champion for the client. If you have ever had a champion for a project, a cause, or for yourself, you know that a champion is not passive, but active. A supporter follows your lead and, well, supports you. A champion doesn’t just follow your lead, he encourages your lead. He doesn’t just support you, he acts as a cheerleader for you. Additionally, he will provide objective feedback in a way designed to build you up, not tear you down.


You have probably realized, by now, that this role of coach can be filled by many different people in your life. If you work in a large corporation, you may have a manager or other person who is assigned the role of coach for you. (We won’t address their skill in coaching here.)

But what if you are a small business owner? Or what if you work in a small company and things are too busy to allow time for coaching? In that case, you need to look elsewhere. You might be able to find someone who is willing to act as a coach for you in a trade association, in a church or similar non-profit group, or even a friend. If they follow the coaching process, you will be better off than without coaching.

However, as you might suspect, I recommend that you find a professional coach. While you will have the expense of his coaching fee, your results will be measured in weeks and months, rather than years. In this light, the coaching fees are more of an investment (in yourself and in your success) than an expense. (By the way, most people report a return on that investment of 2 to 10 times what they paid. To put it another way, if I gave you 2 dollars for every one you gave me, how much would you make available?)

Thinking it might be time to find a coach? Connect with me and let’s talk. (Hint: you can comment on this post to start the conversation.) We’ll explore what you are looking for and find a good fit for you — whether you are looking for a business coach, a relationship coach, a life coach, a fitness coach, or another of the flavors of coaching. (I am a certified, professional life coach who helps small business owners and entrepreneurs build their business and get out of their own way. So, yes, I am a good fit for some of you… and no, I am not a good fit for all of you. If we are not a good fit, I will connect you with someone who will be.)

Whatever you do, do yourself a favor and explore coaching for your life. I promise you will never be the same again.

If you have had a professional coach before, I would love to hear your experiences with it. Was it good? Was it bad? Use the comments and share with us.

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When “The Answer” Isn’t

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One of the 7 Mistakes That Sabotage Your Success is “Trying to do it all on your own.” And it’s true that a huge percentage of us do this. You probably know the correction for it is to get help.

I advocate getting help. In fact, my business is built around helping people — through teaching and through group or private coaching. However, there is an undercurrent that I see that can be very dangerous to your efforts.

That undercurrent is to expect the upcoming help to be your “deliverer”. Or perhaps, “The Answer.”

I see this in pitches from newsletter marketers all the time. If you just take this course… or buy my coaching package… or invest in my home study program, you will have the (money, wealth, love, weight, happiness, clients, business) you long for.

There probably isn’t a one of us who hasn’t succumbed to such a pitch at one time or other. People buy lottery tickets in order to “get rich” without having to expend effort for it. They are looking for “The Answer.”

The thing I have noticed is this attitude cheats us. It cheats us from actually doing the thing(s) that will really accomplish whatever it is that we desire.

We start deferring any real effort that we would otherwise apply to achieving our goals in favor of waiting. In our minds, we justify this because “the Answer” is going to take care of it all. Except that it doesn’t.

No matter what we endeavor, success comes as a result of our efforts. (Yes, knowledge, skills, and luck play a part, too, but our efforts are what provide the critcal catalyst that results in success.)

Take a look around you and see if there are areas where you are waiting for “the Answer” instead of creating your own answer.

Or maybe you have found the exception? I would love to hear about it.

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Eagles, Turkeys, and Soaring to Success

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“It’s hard to soar with the eagles when you work with turkeys.”

Soar_witth_Eagles_Work_With_Turkeys.jpg

Do you remember that sign/poster/bumper sticker? It has been around for quite a few years. I was reminded of it recently, but not quite in the context you normally think of.

As you know, the sign is generally meant as a put-down for one’s co-workers (or boss or subordinates). I don’t know of anyone who views it in a complimentary fashion. And, of course, sometimes an office wit will add “Birds of a feather flock together” to the sign as a put-down for the original poster (sort of a “it takes one to know one” retort you hear from schoolyards.)

I could take this in a couple of different directions… such as “whose fault is it that you work with turkeys?”, or “you get more of what you focus on… so why are you focusing on that?”.

But this blog is about helping you soar to success, not placing blame or encouraging one-upmanship.

No, I would like to return to the original context that brought this sign to mind and offer a different perspective on it… a reminder that who we spend our time with is vitally important.

In “What’s Your Average?“, I wrote about the truism that you are the average of the five people you are around the most. In it, I also talk about why that may be and what you can do to increase your average.

So, in that light I would like us to return to that eagles/turkeys sign. With that understanding, the sign is true… not as a put-down, but as an observation of how life works.

If you really are an eagle, it will be hard to soar when you are spending your time with heavy-bodied turkeys who can hardly get off the ground. Soon, your own flight muscles will atrophy. When you do take flight, you will easily tire, your ability to navigate will be rusty, and your skills at reading the wind and soaring on them will diminish.

Additionally, your self-confidence will be shaken. You will start to identify more with turkeys than with eagles.

What if you really are a turkey? If so, you will feel right at home and wouldn’t think about flying. You are comfortable where you are and think your companions are fantastic. Life is good, work is good, your flock is good. No need to change.

So, if you begin to suspect that there is more to life, then you may be an eagle who is starting to yearn for the skies. In that case, you need to take the lesson of the sign… it is hard to soar with the eagles when you keep hanging out with turkeys.

But the answer is not to put them down for being turkeys. You need to change who you hang out with. The responsibility lies with you.

Will that mean a job change for you? Possibly. Will it mean changing your church, your club, or your fraternal affilitations? Maybe. Will it mean getting new friends? More than likely. Is that scary? It can be.

However, you don’t need to make an abrupt switch and go “cold-turkey”. (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.) Instead, begin to look for others who are already in the skies where you want to be. (They already have some of what you are wanting.) Then begin to find ways to spend time with them.

In other words, don’t break off contact with your current circle of friends or associates — simply adjust the amount of time you are spending with them. Instead, find someone you connect with who is also closer to where you want to be… and develop a relationship (friendship) with them.

The idea here is to surround yourself both with people you admire (those soaring eagles) and with your current friends and associates (I am sure they aren’t all turkeys). If you only surround yourself with people you admire, you will have esteem problems because you will always come up short in your internal comparisons.

If you only surround yourself with people you are currently associating with, you will never move ahead (because they are comfortable and don’t see a need to change.) If you have a mixture of both, you will have something to stretch your wings and strengthen your flying skills — and a comfort that you are not alone… and not so bad (better than the turkeys, anyway).

Over time, you will grow and will probably find that you gradually spend more time with those you admired (but they have now become your flock). And one day, you may find yourself looking at those who are flying even higher than you… and you begin to soar with them, too.

I hope that whenever you see that eagles/turkeys sign or bumper sticker that it will have new meaning to you and inspire you rather than deflate you.

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