"Escaping the Cult of the Average"

TEDTalks recently aired a talk given by Shawn Achor, which discusses happiness and reality, and how to change your approach to the former, in order to transform the latter. In presenting his thoughts and findings, Achor introduces two thoughts that very accurately reflect the Momentous philosophy.

First, he presents the idea that those who fall outside of the norm aren’t simply anomalies, they are stars. They should be where the average aims to go, and not the other way around.

At Momentous, we’re always looking for the next star. Stars are out of this world – incredibly bright, enduring, can light up the sky, and yet can share that brilliance with all the other stars. We don’t like to follow norms at Momentous, and so ‘average’ is not a target skillset when we hire. We are looking for those outliers, those stars, who are truly remarkable, and thus become unforgettable.

Second, Achor suggests that we all improve our outlook on our reality, rather than waiting for our reality to improve our outlook. This approach aligns well with one of Momentous’s treasured values: ‘know your ABCs’ (Attitude, Behavior, Competence). Those ABC’s are the criteria we hire for and evaluate with, stressing attitude over competence, potential over past, forward thinking over negative dwelling.

Achor says they are finding that "it’s not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.”

His belief that our happiness should be a greater influence on our reality than our reality is on our happiness is well-founded. Perspective or attitude (which you can control) towards situations, events, or people (things which you cannot always control) will shape the way you react to those things. A great attitude wins every time – positivity helps you be your best, and helps others see your best.

And that’s not just an opinion – it’s a fact, according to Achor: “Only twenty-five percent of job successes are predicted by IQ. Seventy-five percent of job successes are predicted by your optimism levels, your social support, and your ability to see stress as challenge instead of as a threat.”

Further, he adds, a positive outlook not only contributes to higher intelligence, creativity, and energy levels, but “your brain at ‘positive’ is 31% more productive than at 'negative,' 'neutral,' or 'stressed.'”

The rough takeaway? The world is full of average and negative people – be abnormal, be a star, and be positive.

Watch the video. At the least, you’ll enjoy some laughs. Hopefully, however, you’ll walk away with the right attitude: you control how you see the world, and as consequence, how the world sees you.

So – how do you want to be seen?