I love watching TED Talks. I love to improve my mind, my skills to make me a better person and a better boss. Now, in that journey of trying to make me the best boss ever, I thought I’d watch one of the more popular videos about The Secret to Better Work. And this is a TED Talk from someone named Sean Agart. It is a very popular, one of the most popular TED talks out there in the work environment. And he speaks to two things that I think everyone wants in their life. The capabilities to be happy and the capabilities to be more productive. And he shares this thought that I found to be the most thought provoking statement in the entire talk. It goes, we’re finding that it’s not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens which your brain views the world. This is what shapes your reality. And if we change that lens, not only can we change our happiness, but we can also change every single educational and business outcome at the same time. So how we view things really shapes our reality. So how do we actually make that shift happen? Here are four tips that I recommend.

The first step is actually being positive about yourself. Now, this may seem like, all right, this is okay, captain obvious, but it’s often harder than what it seems. A lot of us, including me, are our own worst critics. We easily bring out our flaws and we’re quick to point out our shortcomings. But if you wanna change your mindset, you really have to start seeing yourself in a positive light. Number two, be positive about others. And that’s another way to shift your mindset, is to be positive about other people. Instead of seeing the negative in them, the worst about them, try to see it from their point of view. Everyone has something good about them, and there are two handles to all situations.

Number three, be positive about your circumstances. No matter what situation you’re in, there are always some positive. You can look upon some lesson, you can learn, something you can derive from the situation you’re in. Maybe you’re late for appointment. Well, this is a lesson in patience. Maybe someone cut you off when you’re angry. This is a lesson in not being angry.

Now, it may not be easy to see it first. Certainly for me, it’s not for sure. But over time, you start to develop this muscle. We can see different sides to a situation. And once you find that positive value, you can focus on it and make that a way for you to learn and get better. And number four, be positive about the future. Know that no matter the challenges you’ve had, you can overcome them. You’ve done it in the past, you can do it now. You’ve struggled before, but you’ve made it through. You’ve overcome those hurdles and know that you have the confidence to do that in the future. No matter what life throws at you, you bend down to the bottom.

You can rise back up. No matter what you’re facing in life, the power to choose how you interpret that experience is going to affect how you feel and how your outcomes are going to be. Choose to focus on the positive and let that drive you forward to a better life and a happier life. The formula for success typically goes like this. If I work harder, I’ll be more successful. If I’m more successful, I’ll be happier. But what if we had it backward? What if the way to success is to change our view of happiness? What if the way to success is to change the way we view success?