CONVERSATIONS WITH
SHAWN ACHOR
SHAWN ACHOR,
founder of happiness
consulting firm goodThink,
is one of the world’s
leading experts in the
science of happiness and
positive psychology. A
former faculty member at
Harvard University, Shawn
has become a best-selling
author and speaker. His
most recent book, Big
Potential, demonstrates
how achieving
happiness and unlocking
one’s true potential is
only possible through our
connections with others.
His other books include
The Happiness Advantage
and Before Happiness.
Shawn was a keynote
speaker at the 2018 ISPA
Conference & Expo in
Phoenix, Arizona.
Pulse: For those who aren’t familiar, how would
you summarize the premise of Big Potential?
Shawn: New research has shown us that when you
look at a mountain you need to climb—when you look
at it by yourself—your brain perceives a mountain that
is ten to twenty percent steeper than a mountain of
the same height perceived while standing next to a friend who
will climb it with you. What we are finding is that when we evaluated happiness
and potential in the past, we were doing it wrong. We were ignoring the impact
of your “ecosystem” of potential around you. Happiness and potential must be an
interconnected pursuit, not a “self-help” or isolated one.
P: What makes Big Potential’s approach to potential unique?
S: Instead of competing and comparing, we are finding that we shine much
brighter together than we do alone. Change is much easier when we connect to
others around us, and in turn, by creating positive change in others, you make it
easier for you to choose to be positive.
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PULSE
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November 2018