One of the social contract theories is that of Thomas Hobbes’ expounded on the book Leviathan where he stated that the nature of man and life is poor, nasty, and brutish – and with how the world is currently, it is easy to think so too.

 

There are many other social contract theories out there that claim otherwise. John Izzo, the author of the book The Five Thieves of Happiness, debunks this claim saying that happiness is actually human’s natural state. Dr. John Izzo has over two decades worth of credentials in the field of business, leadership, success, social responsibility and happiness where he’s written books, and spoken numerous conferences and summits.

 

Plenty to learn and realize on this episode where we discussed leadership, happiness and what is it that prevents us from sustaining happiness and success. Specific topics we’ve covered in our conversation includes:

 

• Questions that boggled his mind ever since he was a young boy which served as the precursor to his book The Five Thieves of Happiness (1:23).
• The concept of leadership, not just in the corporate setting, but every facet of our lives where we can influence others in a positive way (2:31), and how his insights on leadership tie up with his perspective of happiness (4:12).
• A 10-month Sabbatical that led him to his realizations on happiness which he hasn’t quite unlocked after years of study (6:03).
• The practice of stillness, mindfulness and disconnecting which allows for a deeper understanding of things and life (8:50).
• Happiness defined through etymology, activity, as a virtue and an inner state (12:12).
• The thief which makes us believe that life is a contest of constant comparison, and how to counter it through gratitude (16:42).
• The things that Dr. John Izzo compared the state of happiness to (20:30; 38:30).
• Happiness as human’s natural state as seen in children, and the idea that humans survived and thrived because of our inherent goodness and compassion (23:34).
• The biggest thief that people struggle with, and how surrendering with curiosity instead of resisting can bring happiness (26:48).
• How another thief leads us to believe that happiness is dependent on what happens around us, when in reality, happiness and contentment is a choice, even in the face of adversity (33:16).
• How the obsession with our own story prevents us from experiencing happiness, the story of Narcissus and a game he plays with himself when this thief takes over him (40:00).
• Ways to get out of depression through kindness instead of self-serving initiatives towards happiness (44:45)
• Why human’s dependence to routine and patterns, is a thief to happiness, and examples on how this manifest (47:55).
• Dealing with the thieves by unmasking and stopping them, and replacing it with a new mindset and a personal experience when doing so helped him a lot (57:15).

This episode shifted gears a little bit and focused on personal happiness as a way to improve our relationships. Dr. John Izzo dropped so many truth bombs and statements that you’d probably need quite some time to digest and take it all in. To learn more about the five thieves of happiness, purchase his book on Amazon.

 

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