Before Happiness: The 5 Hidden Keys to Achieving Success, Spreading Happiness, and Sustaining Positive Change Hardcover – September 10, 2013

Let me preface this review by saying I am not a good non-fiction/self-help reader. Shawn Achor is brilliant and I love his presentations...I’ve used his ideas with my students with great success. This book is good, but I’m just having the hardest time getting through it. The things I like about the author in person (his stories and humor) are just not translating well to written form (OMG. Just get to the point already). I blame this solely on me, though. I am NOT patient nor good at reading anything I feel required to read (I picked this book as my “proof” of working toward my professional/teacher review goal). I’ve really had to force myself to read it and I couldn’t really tell you what I’ve read (except that the SAT is only accurate in predicting future success 15% of the time - take that College Board!). I’m about 1/3 of the way through the book (after 8 months) and I haven’t even gotten to the “how to” portion yet. I’m going to try & finish before the end of the school year, so I can be compliant with my yearly review, but it won’t be easy. Mr. Achor, if you ever read this, I apologize! I truly wanted to love it, but I’m just too picky/spoiled/busy to read anything that isn’t a murder mystery.

This book is REAL. Pithy, unique, and humor sprinkled with scientific vigor.There have been many recipes for happiness and success, but Achor is the first one to tell you WHY you need to harness hope and a can-do attitude first. Why it is imperative before tackling goal-setting. Next, he enlightens you with scientifically proven ingredients and step-by-step instructions how to do it. How you dive into your personal motivational reservoir. How to get your emotional mojo moving, focus your intelligence, and engage your values to get what you want in life.Yes, this takes work. But in a cool, clear writing style, Achor's "Before Happiness" charms. It is very easy to comprehend, despite its scientific mettle. He maps out how you begin with an honest internal look/see. After you explore your psyche, you ascertain what is hindering your positivity. Then he gives you a crisp recipe for putting frosting on your life's experiential cake.Achor teaches you how to focus your microscope until you hone in on what is blocking your journey to happiness/success reality. To explore your beliefs then employ 5 strategies (and many valuable sub-strategies) to clear your way to personal and professional success. In his constellation of brilliant success tips, the star that shines brightest to me was flexibility. You are constantly morphing. The closer you PERCEIVE success to be, the more successful you become.I enjoyed reviewing the arena of social support, as he wrote in his previous book, "The Happiness Advantage". How one of the greatest predictors of positive genius is providing social support to OTHERS. Our own happiness and meaning absolutely need to include others. Instead of whining about your job or life, do something in service of someone else. Watch your happiness and fulfillment soar.Achor tells it like it is. I loved his story-telling format. I could feel his gritty perseverance. His poignant self-disclosure, how he suffered depression when he was studying at Harvard, was an eye-opener. His personal anecdotes add huge value. He walks his happiness talk.This windfall of fascinating learning is a must read. A+.

Practical strategies blended with aspiration to live a more inspired and energized life for yourself and those you care about. Needed voice in a time of chaos, confusion, and ugliness in our society. Let’s make these changes and collectively create a better world for all of us.

In this book, Shawn Achor provides convincing, actionable advice for anyone seeking to both find happiness for themselves and to influence others in positive ways. I will be aiming to be more of a “positive genius” as a result of his advice. I hope that others will read this book and do the same.

This was a gift and the recipient really likes the book. I have a copy as well and I also like the advice the author gives.

I'll start with the disclaimer that I've read Shawn Achor's The Happiness Advantage several times before coming to this book, and my rating is largely based on the differences between the books. The Happiness Advantage provides a slew of research and tools which are easy to implement and highly effective. You can adopt any of these at any point in your life and start seeing immediate results. I consider it one of the best books on understanding happiness and finding more of it in your life.Before Happiness takes a different approach. It lays out and recommends a more structured plan to follow that looks a lot like other success formulas - understanding your values, setting goals, and then using various techniques to reach them. This is a much broader and bigger picture approach designed to shape your life around the things that really matter. While this approach has value it's much harder to implement for many people (including myself).The books approach the subject very differently, and some people are more likely to get more out of the first book. So don't be fooled by the title - read the earlier book and decide for yourself!

Achor has provided another great book about happiness!

At first I recognized several ideas that were not new to me; just renamed/reframed. But once I got toward the middle and last couple of chapters I did gain greater insight. While I do consider myself a happy person. I found the problem solving for the work place particularlly relevant and DOABLE. While I can't change the world; I can change my way of thinking and solving my own little issues when I become frustrated with those around me who hinder my natural "let's get this done" attitude amid the sloths. Yes I would recommend this book; interesting and easy read.

A well researched, well written book. I have read many from this area and immediately noticed several others I have read have ripped of a lot of stuff from this one. Shawn writes with clarity and expertise and the book was easy to understand and the explanations of our perceptions and realities and their impact on our lives was excellent, as was the path to changing them. A life enhancing tool for sure. Also very applicable to life outside of business.

This book gives upbeat, sensible and practical advice on getting to where you want to be - not just at work but in life. One of the few really helpful books about from a guy who makes change happen

Good book that gets you to think about how happiness and success are linked. Good writing with funny stories that keep you entertained throughout the book. Also some interesting interactive tasks.

Just brilliant.

Harness the positive genius within you, learn that you have the power to change yourself & others...& do it now!