#51 Positive Psychologist, Dr Andy Cope, How to be a Well-Being The Mindset Mentor Meets

The Two-Percenters: How to Embody Positivity with Andy Cope
If you were to write down what you feel at this very moment, you would probably be somewhere in the middle — not depressed but not exactly happy either. For most of us, we are in this middle ground. Knowing someone genuinely happy is entirely unheard of, especially at this time when the world is at its worst. But how can we embody positivity and keep the fire burning in our hearts amid all these?
In this episode, Andy Cope relays practical tips on how to have a more positive outlook. He talks about who the two-percenters are and what we can learn from them. Andy also shares his proudest moments and favourite books, which you may also find valuable.
If you want to discover different ways of thinking about personal development, this episode is for you.
Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
What is the difference between  happiness and positivity?
Find out Andy’s top tips on how to improve the chances of having more good days. 
Discover Andy’s secrets to success. 
Resources
Leading in the New Normal webinar 
Visit Angela’s website to learn more about her coaching and MeTreat experience! 
Shine: Rediscovering Your Energy, Happiness, and Purpose by Andy Cope
The Art of Being Brilliant by Andy Cope
The Little Book of Being Brilliant  by Andy Cope 
A Girl’s Guide to Being Fearless: How to Find Your Brave by Andy Cope
Diary of a Brilliant Kid by Andy Cope
Get a copy of Andy’s favourite books: Naked Leader by David Taylor, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, and Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
Episode Highlights
[2:27] The New Normal
The ‘new normal’ has been around for a while due to the pandemic. 
The bad news is nobody knows what it is or how it is going to end. But not knowing gives us a chance to shape our own new normal on a personal level. 
Making it up as you go along is the only viable strategy at the moment.
[5:16] Leadership and Flourishing
Your job as a leader is to be inspired. When you are flourishing, it creates a ripple effect on the people around you. 
We know what we need to do to feel great, but we are not doing it. Often, we are busy doing the wrong things. 
Psychologists have studied various illnesses and abnormal behaviour but never happy people. 
Andy wanted to study happy people: who they are, what they do that makes them feel amazing, and what we can learn from them. 
Personal remembering is trying to remind people how to be their best self because most tend to forget.
[9:43] Who are the Two-Percenters?
For Andy’s PhD thesis, he gave out diaries in the workplace and asked people to record their feelings during the working week. He then plotted people on a graph of well being or happiness. 
The mood hoovers are those who are not sad nor depressed but stuck in being negative about everything.
The two-percenters are near the top of the graph of wellbeing; they are anomalies and reported being genuinely happy. 
That 2% manifests on the outside but crucially starts on the inside. It has to do with habits and learned behaviour. 
The two-percenters live in the exact external world as everyone else, but the difference lies in how they make sense of it.
[14:17] Andy’s Three Proudest Moments 
First is Andy’s PhD, which took him 12 years to finish, but was proud that he stuck at it. He even graduated at the same time and day as his daughter, who finished her master’s degree. 
He is proud of his two children and how they turned out.
Lastly, Andy feels proud whenever he sees his books displayed in bookshops. 
[18:44] Happiness versus Positivity
Happiness is an emotion. You can open up to it or let it in, but you can’t choose it
Meanwhile, positivity is an attitude and something you can work on. It’s not easy, but you can get better at it. 
Two-percenters are a handful of genuinely optimistic and upbeat people. 
They do the difficult task of making a conscious and deliberate choice