Solve For Happy - Mo Gawdat - Cheatsheet

CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER,
GOOGLE [X]
SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR
SOLVE FOR HAPPY HEAD OF EMERGING MARKETS
(MICROSOFT)
“What keeps us alive and propels us forward are our actions,

not our fears. Fear, if anything, paralyzes us. It blurs our
judgment and blocks us from making the best possible
decisions. Fear of failure doesn’t drive our best performance. All
it does is add anxiety. What truly drives us to success is our
hard work. And you don’t need to be afraid to work hard.”
Mo Gawdat
30 SECOND SUMMARY
After tragedy struck his family, Mo, like any good

engineer, spent his time deconstructing the world’s
literature on what makes us happy. What he found was
that not only does success not beget happiness (it’s the
other way around), but happiness is controllable. In
fact—it’s a choice. His happiness equation is a
never-ending tussle between our expectations and reality.
The more our expectations meet reality, the happier we
are. Simple! Though first we must see through the Six
Grand Illusions: thought, self, knowledge, time, control,
and fear; then fix the Seven Great Defects of our brain,
BIG IDEA #1
namely that it has an over tendency to: filter, assume,
HAPPINESS IS OUR DEFAULT STATE
recall, predict, feel, label, and exaggerate; then stay
anchored in the Five Ultimate Truths: now is real, change
is real, and that love and death are real. Know this— You are meant to be happy. Look at children
at play. Think of yourself without any specific problem. This
is how we are meant to be.
What to do— Eliminate the Six Grand Illusions, the
Seven Great Defects, and become anchored in the Five
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT Ultimate Truths.
Studies show that happy professionals are 12% more

productive (and therefore have a competitive advantage)
over their unhappy counterparts.
BIG IDEA #2
SECRET PRODUCTIVITY
Once you have reached your financial and business
“goals” there is often a lack which proceeds such success.
It’s important, therefore, to foresee this trouble and plan Know this— Studies show that happy workers are 12%
more productive than their unhappy counterparts.
for it ahead of time. What to do— Prioritize your happiness, not only
because this is the point of life, but also because it will
No matter how stressful your current life, there are make you a more traditionally successful businessperson.
easy-to-follow, guaranteed ways of becoming happier. So
why not take advantage of them?
BIG IDEA #3 BIG IDEA #4
MAKE IT PERSONAL BUT WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
Know this — What makes you particularly happy is different Know this — Happiness is when reality meets or exceeds what
than what makes others happy. we imagine it should be.
What to do — For five minutes, write down everything that What to do — For five minutes, write down everything that
makes you happy—then prioritize these activities above makes you happy—Understand that there is no “should be.”
activities that do not make you happy. There only is what is. Do not judge yourself instead, observe.
THOUGHTS VS. REALITY SUFFERING VS. PAIN
Know this — An event or occurrence does not itself make us Know this — Pain is temporary and useful because it is a trigger
unhappy. Thinking about an event does. that we could be in danger, though suffering is self-imposed, a
What to do — Avoid rumination. Think about something else. thought-prison.
Imagine a new project. Solve a problem. Distract yourself. Get What to do — Learn to distinguish between when a pain
some perspective. happens and when it ends. Once it’s over—stop thinking about it.
STATES OF THOUGHT THE SIX GRAND ILLUSIONS
Know this — There are four states of thought: Escape, Know this — The Six Grand Illusions are thought, self,
Confusion, Joy, and Incessant. knowledge, time, control, and fear.
What to do — Your goal is to move from Confusion, to What to do — Free yourself of the grand illusions in order to
Incessant, to Joy. feel weightless and in control.
THE SEVEN BLIND SPOTS THE FIVE ULTIMATE TRUTHS
Know this — The Seven Defects are that your brain has a Know this — The 5 Ultimate Truths are an acknowledgement of
tendency to filter, assume, recall, predict, feel, label, and what is real: now, change, love, death, and a grand design.
exaggerate. What to do — Accept and live in accordance with the five
What to do — Fight the urge to filter, assume, recall, predict, ultimate truths.
feel, label, and exaggerate.
If nothing else—remember this…
1. Happiness is a choice. It is not relative to your circumstances.

You are in charge.
2. Happiness comes when your reality is equal to or better than
what you expected it to be.
3. In order to leave a state of confusion (unhappiness), you must
first eradicate the Six Grand Illusions from your life.

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CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER,

“What keeps us alive and propels us forward are our actions,

After tragedy struck his family, Mo, like any good

Studies show that happy professionals are 12% more

BIG IDEA #5 BIG IDEA #6

THOUGHTS VS. REALITY SUFFERING VS. PAIN

BIG IDEA #7 BIG IDEA #8

STATES OF THOUGHT THE SIX GRAND ILLUSIONS

BIG IDEA #9 BIG IDEA #10

THE SEVEN BLIND SPOTS THE FIVE ULTIMATE TRUTHS

If nothing else—remember this…

1. Happiness is a choice. It is not relative to your circumstances.

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