Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Penny Locaso, Wiley, $29.99.
Described as the ‘world’s first happiness hacker’, Locaso is on a mission to teach millions of people how to intentionally adapt and shape the future you want.
Success today is not about the perfect plan to achieve more, manage change and mitigate risk. Our brave new world is calling us to throw out any rulebook and leap into what we fear most — the unknown.
So why are you “so damn unhappy” if you have a successful life, a professional career, nice home, maybe kids or even a dog? Since you’re spread so thin at work, nothing gets the attention it needs. You are tasked with leading others through rapid change, while you’re not sure where you’re heading yourself. Disruptive technology, catastrophic global events and increasing mental health problems means your secure and linear pathway to happiness no longer exists.
Penny says happiness is not necessarily about what you do, but rather what you are avoiding. It’s taking the chance to venture into an unidentified realm in order to future-proof gladness and bring more joy into your everyday lives.
That’s exactly what happened when one of the most influential female entrepreneurs is Australia turned her life upside-down to tackle the happiness-deficit problem. Locaso also emerged as the inventor of the Intentional Adaptability Quotient: a quantifiable method for individuals and organisations to become more skillful at, and even relish, adapting to rapid change.
Of course, grand missions like this are born from moments of courage. We learn that for Penny, the turning point was realising she had the success equation the wrong way around — instead of focusing on success to realise happiness, she started to focus on her happiness to realise success.
You have to learn to love uncertainty — and shape the future you want.
