I recently read The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, and it struck me how often science arrives at truths Scripture revealed thousands of years ago. Achor’s research shows something simple yet revolutionary: our internal state determines our external outcomes more than any circumstance ever could.
His studies across Harvard and organizations around the world found that people who intentionally cultivate happiness (not the shallow, performative kind, but a disciplined, internal posture) consistently outperform their peers in nearly every area of life:
They navigate stress better
They solve problems faster
They build stronger relationships
They experience better mental and physical health
They tend to achieve more, rise higher, and recover quicker
And the most striking insight is this:
They become successful not because life is easier for them, but because their mindset is different.
The world teaches:
“When my life improves, I’ll feel happier.”
Achor shows the opposite:
“When I become happier, my life improves.”
But long before positive psychology developed these theories, God had already given His people the blueprint.
Paul wasn’t writing poetry. He was revealing a spiritual law:
Your thoughts shape your faith, and your faith shapes your outcomes.
Achor explains the mental mechanics: how focusing on what is good strengthens neural pathways, boosts dopamine, clears thinking, and improves resilience.
Scripture explains the spiritual mechanics: how focusing on what is good strengthens faith, silences fear, and aligns us with God’s character.
Both lead to this truth:
Where your focus goes, your future follows.
But let’s be honest. Negativity is easier.
Negativity has a certain seduction.
It’s louder.
It’s flashier.
It’s faster to access.
It often even feels justified.
But negativity doesn’t just change your mood — it limits your faith.
And when faith shrinks, outcomes shrink with it.
Wisdom demands something deeper:
Finding the light in darkness.
Choosing gratitude where others choose complaints.
Seeing possibility when others see obstacles.
Looking for God when the situation feels godless.
This is what separates the called from the common.
Remember Peter on the water.
Peter didn’t walk on water because the sea was calm. He walked because his focus was fixed on Jesus.
The moment he shifted his attention to the wind and waves, he began to sink.
The message is unmistakable:
We don’t drown because storms are strong.
We drown because our focus breaks.
Faith is not the absence of storms. Rather, it is the ability to stay locked on God in the middle of them.
And this is the essence of both Scripture and The Happiness Advantage:
Your focus determines your outcome.
A Challenge for This Week
When negativity calls, and it will, choose something higher.
Choose gratitude.
Choose expectancy.
Choose faith.
Choose to look for God’s fingerprints even in moments that feel heavy or unfair.
Happiness is not stumbled upon.
It is cultivated.
It is practiced.
It is guarded.
And the women who master this discipline,the ones who align their thoughts with truth, who meditate on what is good, and who keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, are the ones who rise higher, stand firmer, and walk into their calling with confidence.
Because darkness doesn’t stand a chance against a woman who has decided to focus on the light.
If you want to read the book for yourself, you can find it HERE.
If you do read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts, and feel free to share this newsletter to a friend. Let’s grow this community together.