My wife felt the need to share a video with me this weekend. If you’re an overachiever, a goal setter, an alpha performer at work or even the person just trying to get your practice to the next level, you might want to take a minute to listen to this Harvard professor. He’s about to impact your world.

Shawn Achor delivered a funny, but enlightening presentation at a Ted Talk in Bloomington, IN. This video’s been out there for a few years, but it was the first time I’d seen it. His presentation is called “The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance.”

My blog and my business deal with helping attorneys and other small business professionals to become more efficient and more profitable. I usually focus on the strategies and mechanics of growing market share. To be sure, I’m very results-oriented. But I’ve got to admit, this video struck a cord somewhere inside me. That’s why I’m sharing it with you.

Many of my clients are Kentucky attorneys. They deal with high-pressure situations both in court and in their respective businesses. Many run so hard that they risk getting stressed out, burned out, or even much worse. It’s a terribly demanding profession.

What drives these professionals so hard? They’re intensely competitive – if not with others, definitely with themselves. For that very reason, if you are an attorney, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch this video at the end of this post.

“90% of your happiness comes from how your brain processes the world.”

Mr. Achor makes an interesting statement in his video: “Your lens shapes your reality.” He’s referring to how we see our personal and professional environments. For many solo attorneys, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There’s a lot on your plate. I get it. I’m a small business owner as well.

Many of us have heard statements about the power of positive attitudes. However, you’re going to learn some interesting insight into how and why this is true.

We’ve been taught that you have to work harder to become successful. We begin to believe that that success is the answer to our happiness. You might be surprised at how we actually deal with the issue in our own lives. Mr. Achor goes on to explain why we actually have this backwards.

In a world in which we are all chasing a dream or a vision, we can’t let go of the power of how we view our journey (even if it takes us through some valleys). Our mind and our attitude are incredibly important. Take time to learn from the outliers, those who are performing at exceptionally high levels. It may surprise you to learn that IQ isn’t the primary reason.

Luckily for me, he claims only 25% of job success in predicted by IQ.

Positive psychology can work to help each of us to achieve higher rates of success and happiness. So remember to take a deep breath. Recharge and refocus. If normal is merely average, here’s to striving to be the happy outlier.