Scan barcode
lconrad15's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of easy, actionable advice to improve your life personally and professionally.
birthdaysalsa's review against another edition
2.5
This book had some interesting insights but was a bit challenging to get through for me. I may not have been in the right mindspace to read it, but most of the advice felt simplistic and not as motivating to me
juliemsimons's review against another edition
4.0
A bit dry at times but good information based both new research & good reminders.
andyreadsfantasy's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook.
I thought 65% of this book was good, and 10% was really good. The other 25% was almost worthless because the information was so obvious. (For example, when you feel like you are close to accomplishing a goal there’s a surge in motivation and effort - duh).
Overall, I recommend this book, and it made me want to read his first book.
I thought 65% of this book was good, and 10% was really good. The other 25% was almost worthless because the information was so obvious. (For example, when you feel like you are close to accomplishing a goal there’s a surge in motivation and effort - duh).
Overall, I recommend this book, and it made me want to read his first book.
highladyofthenightcourt21's review against another edition
4.0
This is definitely one of the best books on happiness and positive mindset I've read!
Shawn Achor uses such great examples to back up his points -- I loved reading the studies he gave as examples.
I definitely thought the first 3 chapters were the most actionable, and the last 2 didn't have as many actionable exercises. Even so, I enjoyed the concepts and thought the book was very well researched and thought out!
Would definitely recommend to anyone, whether you already have a positive mindset or you're just starting your journey towards working on your mindset!
Shawn Achor uses such great examples to back up his points -- I loved reading the studies he gave as examples.
I definitely thought the first 3 chapters were the most actionable, and the last 2 didn't have as many actionable exercises. Even so, I enjoyed the concepts and thought the book was very well researched and thought out!
Would definitely recommend to anyone, whether you already have a positive mindset or you're just starting your journey towards working on your mindset!
bfraynt's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up after hearing Shawn Achor speak at a conference. He is a truly engaging and humorous speaker, and I felt very motivated by what he had to say about the relatively simple choices we can make to be happier and more successful. I've even taken up exercising more and gratitude journaling after hearing him speak... and have noticed a bump in my mood.
The premise of this book is that if we do simple, practical things every day to change our perspective to a more positive one, we will be more successful and capable of solving real problems. This idea makes lots of sense, and, particularly as I am getting more involved in political organizing, there are some good tips to increase effectiveness.
So why did I give this book only three stars? Because Achor's philosophy can be used to justify oppressive systems by telling the people being crushed by those systems that the problem is simply one of their perspective. A prime example is Achor's own work at Walmart (for which I am sure he was paid handsomely). Here is how he describes his partnership with Walmart in his own words, "...when Walmart came knocking in 2012, wondering how to create a happiness movement for their 1.5 million associates--- many of whom do not have much education, are at the poverty line, have relatives in prison, are single parents, don't have much time away from the floor for training, don't have access to computers, work part time, and are overweight... my company, Good Think Ic., partnered with Walmart visionary David Hoke and Jamie Brunner at B & B to help design a program where we went into stores to get to get employees to create sustained positive habits around domains of their lives: family, fitness, food, and money." (p. 211)
What Achor discretely leaves out of this lovely description is that Walmart employees "don't have much time away from the floor" because they are at times locked in the building in order to keep them on the job. At least a large part of Walmart employees' problems with money stem from the fact that their salaries are so low that many still qualify for food stamps and Medicaid, and that they are at least in part in poor health because working conditions in many Walmart stores are unsafe, and the company provides extremely cheap and low quality health coverage. https://www.dailydot.com/via/walmart-labor-unions-bad-company/
Furthermore, given Walmart's obsession with busting unions, and the recent deluge of class action lawsuits filed against the company by their associates (for a whole range of issues including discrimination against pregnant workers and associates with disabilities) one wonders if their "Happiness Initative" isn't actually an effort to just shut people up.
I am not trying to say that using positive thinking strategies is a bad thing or something Walmart shouldn't be doing. But, from an ethical perspective, if you are a "happiness consultant", shouldn't you advocate for corporations to do the basics of providing a living wage and decent health insurance to their employees before paying you big bucks to organize a "happiness initiative"? Otherwise, aren't you essentially colluding with that corporation to implicitly blame vulnerable people who are being mistreated for their circumstances and perpetuating a corrupt and unjust system?
I still like Achor's message, and I will still apply many of the tips he shares in his book. I would still even recommend this book to colleagues and friends for its practical advice and easy writing style. But I would recommend reading this with a grain of salt. Yes, our perspective is important, And yes, regardless of your life station, there are things you can do to improve your lot. But real change happens when we hold the changes we can make in ourselves as individuals in balance with recognizing actual societal problems and working to create more just systems. And it's easy to forget that systems part if you're accepting hefty paychecks from horrible, corrupt businesses like Walmart.
The premise of this book is that if we do simple, practical things every day to change our perspective to a more positive one, we will be more successful and capable of solving real problems. This idea makes lots of sense, and, particularly as I am getting more involved in political organizing, there are some good tips to increase effectiveness.
So why did I give this book only three stars? Because Achor's philosophy can be used to justify oppressive systems by telling the people being crushed by those systems that the problem is simply one of their perspective. A prime example is Achor's own work at Walmart (for which I am sure he was paid handsomely). Here is how he describes his partnership with Walmart in his own words, "...when Walmart came knocking in 2012, wondering how to create a happiness movement for their 1.5 million associates--- many of whom do not have much education, are at the poverty line, have relatives in prison, are single parents, don't have much time away from the floor for training, don't have access to computers, work part time, and are overweight... my company, Good Think Ic., partnered with Walmart visionary David Hoke and Jamie Brunner at B & B to help design a program where we went into stores to get to get employees to create sustained positive habits around domains of their lives: family, fitness, food, and money." (p. 211)
What Achor discretely leaves out of this lovely description is that Walmart employees "don't have much time away from the floor" because they are at times locked in the building in order to keep them on the job. At least a large part of Walmart employees' problems with money stem from the fact that their salaries are so low that many still qualify for food stamps and Medicaid, and that they are at least in part in poor health because working conditions in many Walmart stores are unsafe, and the company provides extremely cheap and low quality health coverage. https://www.dailydot.com/via/walmart-labor-unions-bad-company/
Furthermore, given Walmart's obsession with busting unions, and the recent deluge of class action lawsuits filed against the company by their associates (for a whole range of issues including discrimination against pregnant workers and associates with disabilities) one wonders if their "Happiness Initative" isn't actually an effort to just shut people up.
I am not trying to say that using positive thinking strategies is a bad thing or something Walmart shouldn't be doing. But, from an ethical perspective, if you are a "happiness consultant", shouldn't you advocate for corporations to do the basics of providing a living wage and decent health insurance to their employees before paying you big bucks to organize a "happiness initiative"? Otherwise, aren't you essentially colluding with that corporation to implicitly blame vulnerable people who are being mistreated for their circumstances and perpetuating a corrupt and unjust system?
I still like Achor's message, and I will still apply many of the tips he shares in his book. I would still even recommend this book to colleagues and friends for its practical advice and easy writing style. But I would recommend reading this with a grain of salt. Yes, our perspective is important, And yes, regardless of your life station, there are things you can do to improve your lot. But real change happens when we hold the changes we can make in ourselves as individuals in balance with recognizing actual societal problems and working to create more just systems. And it's easy to forget that systems part if you're accepting hefty paychecks from horrible, corrupt businesses like Walmart.
anamaria427's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Muy bien explicado. Una perspectiva sustentada para elegir la resiliencia. Propone estrategias muy fáciles de incluir en la vida cotidiana. Puede ser un poco más corto.
kmc3050's review against another edition
4.0
I’d say I liked the majority of this book, but let’s get the negatives out of the way (luckily this one does have more positives than negatives).
The author assumes that most readers work a job where they will be able to do things like control their own schedule, decide which tasks to work on and when, that they have experienced previous success at school/work, and that they have the ability to implement some of the noise canceling tactics while on the clock. That is just simply not true for most people. A lot of times people are assigned what to work on that day or hour or even which desk to sit at if you are assisting patrons/customers. Some workers are only give a specific amount of time to prep or work on other projects so that hour may be the only time they can do it regardless of how mentally prepared they are.
Other than the assumption that readers have more freedom/control over their jobs than they probably do, I think most of his tips and tricks could really work. It really does make you feel good and accomplished to write down everything on your list and cross it off. Setting smaller goals that one can achieve faster does help moral, and being more present at work and engaged with co-workers and patrons/customers does make the day more enjoyable. I also like how he promotes looking at things another way. People always get stuck in ruts and it is a good brain exercise to mix things up.
Things I look forward to implementing: daily lists, smaller goals leading to the main goal, a practical vision board, creating and maintaining fluid plans for the future, the 10/5 Rule, and some of the noise canceling tactics at home. There are more, but these are the ones that stand out the most.
The author assumes that most readers work a job where they will be able to do things like control their own schedule, decide which tasks to work on and when, that they have experienced previous success at school/work, and that they have the ability to implement some of the noise canceling tactics while on the clock. That is just simply not true for most people. A lot of times people are assigned what to work on that day or hour or even which desk to sit at if you are assisting patrons/customers. Some workers are only give a specific amount of time to prep or work on other projects so that hour may be the only time they can do it regardless of how mentally prepared they are.
Other than the assumption that readers have more freedom/control over their jobs than they probably do, I think most of his tips and tricks could really work. It really does make you feel good and accomplished to write down everything on your list and cross it off. Setting smaller goals that one can achieve faster does help moral, and being more present at work and engaged with co-workers and patrons/customers does make the day more enjoyable. I also like how he promotes looking at things another way. People always get stuck in ruts and it is a good brain exercise to mix things up.
Things I look forward to implementing: daily lists, smaller goals leading to the main goal, a practical vision board, creating and maintaining fluid plans for the future, the 10/5 Rule, and some of the noise canceling tactics at home. There are more, but these are the ones that stand out the most.
krismarley's review against another edition
The first couple chapters are kind of la la la li lah rainbows and kittens. Then it begins to get a lot meatier. I feel like I already practice a lot of the tips he suggests. So why I am not on Super Soul Sundays with Oprah?