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#397 - Dr Benjamin Hardy - A High Achievers' Guide To Happiness

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Nov 13, 2021

Guest

Benjamin Hardy

Dr. Benjamin Hardy, an organizational psychologist and author, tackles the paradox of high achievers' unhappiness. He explains how the drive for success often leads to feelings of inadequacy and jealousy. Hardy provides insights on reframing success to prioritize personal contentment over societal standards. He stresses that true happiness stems from within and offers strategies to combat complacency. Listeners will gain practical advice on setting values-driven goals and measuring progress against their past selves, fostering genuine fulfillment.

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insights

INSIGHT

Unhappy Achievers

High achievers are often unhappy due to the "hedonic treadmill".
They constantly measure themselves against an ever-moving horizon of ideals, devaluing current achievements.

insights

INSIGHT

Happiness as a Burden

Happiness becomes a burden when pursued as an external accomplishment.
True happiness isn't found externally, but within oneself.

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ADVICE

Focus on Gains

Measure progress against your former self, focusing on gains.
This fosters gratitude, confidence, and intrinsic motivation.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Exploring Happiness and High Achievement

01:45 • 2min

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Redefining Success and Happiness

03:37 • 25min

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Vision and Values: Shaping Future Success

28:21 • 26min

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Staying Engaged: Overcoming Complacency in Personal Growth

53:54 • 3min

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The High Cost of Success and Finding Personal Happiness

56:58 • 3min

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The True Measure of Success: Happiness vs. Achievement

Cristina Pizarro Mato

Robert Greene

50 Cent

The 50th Law is a semi-autobiographical account of 50 Cent's life, combining his experiences as a young hustler and musician with lessons and anecdotes from historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Sun Tzu, and Malcolm X. The book focuses on the principle of fearlessness, illustrating how embracing and overcoming fear can lead to success in both personal and professional life. It is divided into ten chapters, each exploring a different aspect of fearlessness and how it can be applied to achieve one's goals.

Essentialism

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Greg McKeown

In 'Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,' Greg McKeown argues that by applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, individuals can regain control of their time and energy. The book is divided into sections such as Explore, Eliminate, and Execute, providing practical advice on distinguishing the vital few from the trivial many and eliminating non-essential activities. McKeown emphasizes the importance of clarity of focus, the ability to say 'no,' and living 'by design, not by default. ' This approach helps readers achieve more by doing less and making the highest possible contribution in their personal and professional lives.

Atomic Habits

James Clear

Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth.

The Gap and The Gain

The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success

Dan Sullivan

Benjamin Hardy

This book introduces the concept of 'The Gap and The Gain', developed by Dan Sullivan, which helps high achievers understand why they are often unhappy despite their accomplishments. It explains that measuring oneself against an ideal (the Gap) leads to dissatisfaction, while measuring against past achievements (the Gain) fosters happiness, gratitude, and motivation. The book is a masterclass on positive psychology, healthy relationships, mental well-being, and high-performance, offering practical advice on how to shift focus to appreciate progress and achieve greater fulfillment and success.

Willpower doesn't work

Benjamin Hardy

In 'Willpower Doesn't Work,' Benjamin Hardy argues that willpower is not a reliable tool for achieving success. Instead, he advocates for the power of environment in shaping behavior and outcomes. The book provides strategies on how to create an environment that supports your goals, such as removing distractions, investing in personal growth, and using 'forcing functions' to ensure desired behaviors become automatic. Hardy draws on psychological theories and the experiences of successful individuals to illustrate how adapting to and designing one's environment is crucial for personal and professional success.

Dr Benjamin Hardy is an organisational psychologist and an author.

Many high achievers are unhappy because the same motivation which drives exceptional performance often also leads to feelings of insufficiency, jealousy and comparison. So how can driven people reframe their worldview to come from a place of gratitude and happiness, whilst still keeping that competitive edge?

Expect to learn how comparing your performance to your potential is a recipe for disaster, why success without happiness is a pointless pursuit, Ben's best triggers for realising when you've fallen into The Gap, how to protect yourself against complacency when feeling happy with your performance and much more...

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Extra Stuff:

Buy The Gap and The Gain - https://amzn.to/309uLLy

Check out Ben's website - https://benjaminhardy.com/

Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/

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