Tal Ben-Shahar is a bestselling author, a Harvard professor who is responsible for creating two of the university’s most popular courses, and a co-founder of a leadership consulting company called Potentialife.

Tal is also an important figure in the Positive Psychology movement, a movement that focuses on learning about what makes people happy and well, as opposed to what makes them sad and sick.

In this episode, we're discussing what it means to put people first, and how doing so can help you achieve success. Tal will also talk about discovering passions, the benefits of giving, and why money doesn’t bring happiness, as well as what actually can help you find happiness.

Tal also talks about why failure is a necessary component of success. He shares examples of failure from his own life, and illustrates why he feels that it’s important to share his failure with others. He explains how you can build resilience that will help you get through failures, periods of suffering, and difficult times.

At the end of the episode, Tal also recommends resources that can help you learn how to take a people-first approach to success.

• [00:01:48] What it means to Tal to succeed by putting people first
• [00:03:31] The importance of cultivating a strong sense of self
• [00:05:05] Tal’s thought experiment for discovering one’s passions
• [00:06:41] The connection between Tal’s passion for sports and his line of work
• [00:07:42] Why failure is essential to achieving success
• [00:10:07] How money doesn’t bring happiness, and what does bring happiness instead
• [00:11:03] Tal’s explanation of deep happiness
• [00:13:02] What people should do when they’re in a job that they don’t feel passionate about
• [00:15:51] An exercise that people can use when they’re looking to move into their calling
• [00:17:51] How people can look for meaning in their lives and jobs
• [00:21:35] The benefits of giving
• [00:23:38] How the benefits of giving apply in a business context
• [00:26:09] How Tal learned to share his failures with others
• [00:31:38] Why it’s natural to go through periods of suffering or doubt
• [00:35:25] How you can develop resilience that will help you get through difficult times
• [00:38:08] How to observe negative emotions rather than trying to change them
• [00:40:40] How to convince people that embracing a people-first approach in business is the most sustainable way to succeed
• [00:41:44] Resources recommended by Tal