Before Happiness
by Shawn Achor
Achor's second book on the mindset that precedes happiness and success: reality architecture (choosing the most valuable reality), mapping success routes, the X-spot, noise-cancelling, and positive inception. It is more conceptual than The Happiness Advantage and overlaps with it. The practical chapters on reducing noise are the most useful.
Read it if…
you liked his first book and want more.
Skip it if…
you have not read The Happiness Advantage; start there.
Three things you will actually use
- Choose the reality that produces the best action.
- Reduce noise before adding signal.
- Map multiple routes to a goal; it increases persistence.
Do this first
Cut your information intake by five percent this week, news, feeds, notifications, and notice the effect.
Our verdict
Decent sequel; the first book is enough for most readers.
Compare with other Mindset books
Chatter
Ethan Kross · Mindset
Clear, researched and immediately useful; the best book on the voice in your head.
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Transcend
Scott Barry Kaufman · Mindset
Substantive and humane; a serious book on becoming whole.
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The Power of Regret
Daniel H. Pink · Mindset
Thoughtful and practical; a useful reframe of a painful emotion.
CLICK TO SEEBrowse all Mindset book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.
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