Dr. Todd Rose

So when people who desire authenticity believe they are acting on it, and we've seen this with neuroimaging studies and everything, they get the same reward response because your brain's like, that, do more of that.

And then you get the anticipation of it.

And one small act leads to another, leads to another.

It becomes habit.

Then it becomes your identity.

It becomes who you are.

And you won't even realize it happened.

And then you'll become the person that everyone looks at and goes, I want to be like them.

I want to be around them.

The energy you bring into a room.

And the thing is, it's absolutely contagious.

Not only because you create permission for other people to unbutton their pants at the table, right?

I was like, did I button them back up?

Because we know this from the research that happiness itself is contagious.

When the people around you within your network increase their happiness, you get about a 25% boost for free.

Become that person.

And if you worry too much about the end goal, it feels insurmountable.

I remember thinking when I was minimum wage, welfare, two kids, no high school diploma, if I tried to think about what life might be like in the long... It just seems insurmountable.

All I thought was, what's the next step that I can take?

And then you take another step.