Anna Akbari, PhD, is a sociologist, writer, and entrepreneur. She holds a PhD in sociology and has taught at NYU and Parsons. She is the founder of Sociology of Style, an image and life coaching company, and a partner in HVCK, a Silicon Valley innovation consultancy. She is a frequent public speaker and media personality, and has written for and been featured by Forbes, CNN, The Atlantic, The Economist, TIME, The Financial Times, TED, Bulletproof Executive, New York Observer, DailyWorth, The Huffington Post, and dozens more. Favorite Success Quote “Happiness is not a goal, it is a byproduct” ~Eleanor Roosevelt Key Points 1. True Happiness is Never the Goal All too often in our modern Western culture, people chase happiness. Happiness is something that they try to attain, it is a goal that they pursue, and in the end, it is this pursuit of happiness that ultimately leads to its demise. True happiness doesn’t come from simply meditating, chanting a mantra, or looking at yourself in the mirror and saying “I am happy, I am happy, I am happy”. True happiness is a multifaceted feeling that is derived from creating a multifaceted and fulfilling life. I want you to imagine two men on their personal growth journey. Man #1 spends his mornings meditating, screaming incantations about happiness, and journaling about how he wants to feel happy. He is constantly chasing happiness, but finds that every time he experiences unhappiness, he spirals into a downward plunge thinking to himself “Why am I not happy? What am I doing wrong? Life sucks!” Man #2 on the other hand, is not concerned with feeling happiness, but rather with creating an optimal life where happiness is the byproduct. He meditates in the morning, says his affirmations in the mirror, and writes in his journal, sure. But he is focused on something bigger. He is building a business, growing a family, taking care of his body, and putting himself into flow every day. And as a result of these actions, he experiences true and recurring happiness. Stop chasing happiness and let it come to you. 2. Develop Your Personal Rulebook  There is an old saying that “Life doesn’t come with an owners manual”. Life is unpredictable and we are often left confused and clueless about what we should do. However, the only way that we can truly experience any level of consistency in this crazy thing called life is to hold ourselves (the only thing that we are truly in control of) accountable to our own set or rules and values. In other words, to create our own personal rule book for what we will allow in our lives and what we won’t, how we will act and how we will not, what we will and will not tolerate, and most importantly, who we will show up as every single day of the week. Life may not come with an owners manual, but whenver you create rules for your life, you don’t need one. You don’t have to look outside of yourself for the answer to problems that you face. Instead, you approach each a

How to Hustle and Hack Your Way to Happiness With Anna Akbari

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