Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Orange Frog: A Book Review

Title: The Orange Frog
Author: Shawn Achor
Review:

What makes someone happy? Is it a result of what you accomplish? What you think? Is your happiness a result of your circumstances or your reaction to your circumstances?

The Orange Frog is a parable that takes a look at these questions and nails down the concept that "happiness is a choice." Now, that might seem like a no-brainer to you. It was to me.  But how does that play out in your normal day to day life?  Are you happy in your work? Are you a positive-thinking person? Do you take joy in helping others? Do you look for the positive in your circumstances? Do other people see you as a happy person or do they hear you complain all the time? How does this affect your productivity as well as those around you?

In this parable, one frog is an outlier. While the social norms tell him to conform to the other frogs, the more of an outlier he is, the happier he becomes. As time goes on, we start to see him as a positive agent of change for the other frogs.  As a team, they become more productive, more happy, more... well, don't let me spoil it all for you.

The bottom line of this parable is that you can be happy.  You can be a positive outlier. You can choose to improve your attitude and in turn help others improve as well.  The big question is HOW you continue to find the good in life and make happier choices.


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