Ed Neuhaus 
I wrote about Shawn Achor’s TED Talk on a previous blog way back when it first came out in 2011. Then I wrote about it again in 2016. Now I’m writing about it again in 2026. Fifteen years later it’s still one of my favorite TED Talks of all time, and apparently I’m not alone because it’s been watched over 4.5 million times. It’s just as relevant now as it was then. The premise is simple. A positive brain performs better than a negative, neutral, or stressed brain. Achor calls it the happiness advantage, and the research backs it up across sales, medicine, school, and just about every other field he tested.
Here’s where most people get it backwards. We tell ourselves “when I sell $5MM, I’ll be happy” or “when I lose 20 pounds, I’ll be happy” or “when I get the promotion, I’ll be happy.” But Achor’s research shows that reaching the goal doesn’t make you happier, because your brain just moves the goalpost. By the time you get there, the benefits you imagined have changed or stopped mattering. Money cannot buy happiness, right? So why is the entire success machine pointing us at goals?
I once read a Ted Turner quote that said “never set a goal you can obtain.” I looked everywhere to verify it and never could outside the book that mentioned it. But the point still lands. A goal should be a direction, not a self-worth statement. Set unobtainable goals. Get happy now with what you got, because happiness predicts success better than education, tools, or the team around you. If you can’t be happy at step one, the peak won’t fix it.
I read Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, and it’s genuinely one of the better business and life books I’ve read. If you want a copy, grab it on Amazon here. Heads up, that’s an affiliate link, so I make a small commission if you buy through it. But I’d recommend the book either way.
Watch the talk below.
