CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER, GOOGLE [X] SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR SOLVE FOR HAPPY
HEAD OF HEAD OF EMERGING MARKETS (MICROSOFT)
“What keeps us alive and propels us forward are our actions, not our fears. Fear, if anything, paralyzes us. It blurs our judg ju dgme ment nt an and d bl bloc ocks ks us fr from om ma maki king ng th thee be best st po poss ssib ible le decisions. Fear of failure doesn’t drive our best performance. All it does is add anxiety. What truly drives us to success is our hard work. And you don’t need to be afraid to work hard.”
Mo Gawdat
30 SECOND SUMMARY
After tragedy struck his family, Mo, like any good engineer, spent his time deconstructing the world’s literature on what makes us happy. What he found was that not only does success not beget happiness (it’s the other way around), but happiness is controllable. In fact—it’s a choice. His happiness equation is a never-ending tussle between our expectations and reality. The more our expectations meet reality, the happier we are. Simple! Though first we must see through the Six Grand Illusions: thought, self, knowledge, time, control, and fear; then fix the Seven Great Defects of our brain, namely that it has an over tendency to: filter, assume, recall, predict, feel, label, and exaggerate; then stay anchored in the Five Ultimate Truths: now is real, change is real, and that love and death are real.
WHY IS I S THIS IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
BIG IDEA #1 HAPPINESS IS OUR DEFAULT STATE
Know this— You are meant me ant to be
happy. Look at children at play. Think of yourself without any specific problem. This is how we are meant to be. What to do— Eliminate the Six Grand Illusions, the Seven Great Defects, and become anchored in the Five Ultimate Truths.
Studies show that happy professionals are 12% more productive (and therefore have a competitive advantage) over their unhappy counterparts.
BIG IDEA # 2 SECRET PRODUCTIVITY
Once you have reached your financial and business “goals” there is often a lack which proceeds such success. It’s important, therefore, to foresee this trouble and plan for it ahead of time. No matter how stressful your current life, there are easy-to-follow,, guaranteed ways of becoming happier. So easy-to-follow why not take advantage of them?
Know this—
Studies show that happy workers are 12% more productive than their unhappy counterparts. What to do— Prioritize your happiness, not only because this is the point of life, but also because it will make you a more traditionally successful businessperson.
BIG IDEA #3
BIG IDEA #4
MAKE IT PERSONAL
BUT WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
Know this —
Know this —
What makes you particularly happy is different than what makes others happy. What to do — For five minutes, write down everything that makes you happy—then prioritize these activities above activities that do not make you happy.
BIG IDEA #5
Happiness is when reality meets or exceed s what we imagine it should be. What to do — For five minutes, write down everything that makes you happy—Understand that there is no “should be.” There only is what is. Do not judge yourself instead, observe.
BIG IDEA #6
THOUGHTS VS. REALITY
SUFFERING VS. PAIN
Know this —
Know this —
An event or occurrence does no t itself make us unhappy. Thinking about an event does. What to do — Avoid rumination. Think about something else. Imagine a new project. Solve a problem. Distract yourself. Get some perspective.
BIG IDEA #7 STATES OF THOUGHT
There are four states of thought: Escape, Confusion, Joy, and Incessant. What to do — Your goal is to move from Confusion, to Incessant, to Joy. Know this —
BIG IDEA #9 THE SEVEN BLIND SPOTS Know this — The Seven Defects are that your brain has a tendency to filter, assume, recall, predict, feel, label, and exaggerate. What to do — Fight the urge to filter, assume, recall, predict, feel, label, and exaggerate.
If nothing else—remember this… 1. Happiness is a choice. It is not relative to your circumstances. You are in charge. 2. Happiness comes when your reality is equal to or better than what you expected it to be. 3. In order to leave a state of confusion (unhappiness), you must first eradicate the Six Grand Illusions from your life.
Pain is temporary and useful because it is a trigger that we could be in danger, though suffering is self-imposed, a thought-prison. Learn to distinguish between when a pain Wha t to do — happens and when it ends. Once it’s over—stop thinking about it.
BIG IDEA #8 THE SIX GRAND ILLUSIONS Know this — The Six Grand Illusions are thought, self, knowledge, time, control, and fear. What to do — Free yourself of the grand illusions in order to feel weightless and in control.
BIG IDEA #10 THE FIVE ULTIMATE TRUTHS Know this — The 5 Ultimate Truths are an acknowledgement of what is real: now, change, love, death, and a grand design. What to do — Accept and live in accordance with the five ultimate truths.
