Happiness and Sucess

The TED talk, Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work is an inspirational talk. It makes me reflect on my study and work. The main theme of this talk is happiness leads to better work and higher success. Before watching this TED talk, I believe that most of people think that the more successful we are, the happier we will be. People believe in a clear formula, working hard, then you'll be successful, and then you'll be happier.

 

However, Shawn Achor gives me a new perspective about happiness and success. He pointed out that our brains actually work in an opposite order. It's hard to find happiness after success if the goal keeps on changing. We generally want to purchase more and more. It makes us feel stressful and tends to be unhappy.

 

In the TED talk, Shawn Achor points out that our intelligence level, creativity and energy level would raise when we are happy, and all these help to improve our performance and contribute to success. At the end of the talk, Shawn Achor also teaches us how to train our brain to be able to become more positive, such as writing down the positive experiences or things that we are grateful and let our brain relive it.  It would dramatically increase our happiness and optimism. Being a happy person is actually not that difficult, just spend a short period of time each day, and we can then march towards success.  

 

It makes me reflect about my ways of studying and working. I want to get higher score in assignments and exams. Therefore, I worked really hard for it. I think that I might be happy after I got an A in my assignments or exams. However, it makes me really stressful. The stress affects my performance and I cannot do my best in the exam. I would then be sad about the result and become more stressful. It is a vicious cycle.

 

Therefore, I think I have to change my attitude and thoughts about my study and work; and try to maintain happiness and be positive.  I believe I can have a better performance and higher productivity when I am happy. It is also important to enjoy the leaning process, but not just focus on the result. I hope I can be a optimistic person and be more motivated in my study and work after trying to write down  grateful things or events every day.