john B. Izzo - The Five Thieves of Happiness

More Praise for The Five Thieves of Happiness

The only things holding you back from complete peace of mind are mental, and this book shows you how to remove these barriers once and for all.

Brian Tracy, author of The Power of Self-Confidence

Five Thieves is a perfect complement to Five Secrets. Dr. Izzo gives us not only a pencil with which to sketch the good but now the eraser to rid the bad.

Dr. Geoff Smart, founder and Chairman, ghSMART, and coauthor of Who

In a world on the brink of either returning to the dark ages or entering the next great renaissance, Johns book comes along to help us remember that happiness is available to us all, despite our circumstances, if we become present to the things that are keeping us from it and choose it for ourselves.

KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, founder and CEO, Sustainable Brands

Skip this book and you will steal from yourself. The Five Thieves offers a gift of awareness and a vision for finding peacefulness within ourselves and our society.

Noah Blumenthal, bestselling author of Be the Hero

The Five Thieves of Happiness is brilliantly conceived, beautifully written, and thoroughly engaging. John Izzo gently challenges, provokes, and nudges us to rethink our fundamental assumptions about the pursuit of happiness and how we may just be picking our own pockets of the well-being that we seek. Its a sparkling gem of a book, rich in timeless wisdom and abounding in contemporary truthsa book that you will want to return to again and again as you ponder what it means to live a good life.

Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Deans Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

I continue to be inspired by John Izzo as a professional and as a friend. I hope that The Five Thieves of Happiness can help you as much as he has helped me!

Marshall Goldsmith, bestselling author of What Got You Here Wont Get You There

Happiness is a choice, but it requires effort and wisdom to pursue. In this thought-provoking book, Izzo helps identify the biggest stumbling blocks so that you can find a clearer path to sustained happiness and meaning in your life.

Shawn Achor, happiness researcher and New York Times bestselling author of Before Happiness

A powerful guide to becoming world-class happy.

Robin Sharma, #1 bestselling author of The Leader Who Had No Title and founder of The Titan Academy

Many people have spent many decades searching for the lost secret of happiness, but John Izzo is the one who found it and shows us how to steal it back, naturally! For anyone hoping to live better, this book is an essentialand perhaps life-changingread.

Richard Leider, bestselling author or coauthor of The Power of Purpose, Repacking Your Bags, Life Reimagined, and Work Reimagined

Dr. John Izzo brilliantly depicts the five thieves that separate us from happiness. Not only does he powerfully explore what this means for each of us as individuals, but he elevates the conversation to the implications on society. This is a must-read for personal and societal transformation.

Arthur Woods, cofounder of Imperative

A new book by John Izzo is a cause for celebration. Thats because Izzo tackles meaning and purpose in ways that are honest and hopeful. His latest book, The Five Thieves of Happiness, is no exception. In it, he challenges us to lean into our better nature and recapture a state that was ours to begin with: happiness. An important and entertaining read.

Mark Levy, author of Accidental Genius

the five thieves of happiness

Other books by John Izzo:

Stepping Up: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything

Second Innocence: Rediscovering Joy and Wonder, a Guide to Renewal in Work, Relationships, and Daily Life

The Five Secrets You Must Discover before You Die

Awakening Corporate Soul: Four Paths to Unleash the Power of People at Work (Fairwinds Press, 1998)

JOHN IZZO PhD

Copyright 2017 by John B. Izzo.

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First Edition
Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-62656-932-4
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-933-1
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-934-8

2016-1

Cover design by Nancy Austin. Interior design by Detta Penna. Composition by Gary Palmatier, Ideas to Images. Elizabeth von Radics, copyeditor; Mike Mollett, proofreader; Rachel Rice, indexer.

To Janice Halls, my partner in life who teaches every day what it means to claim happiness

In nearly four decades as an executive coach, I have worked with some of the worlds most influential leadersbrilliant, highly accomplished people who have made a positive difference in the lives of millions.

Recently, I coached three physicians who are standout exemplars: Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank; Dr. John Noseworthy, president of the Mayo Clinic; and Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. As part of my coaching, I suggested they ask themselves a series of questions each day, one of which is Did I do my best to be happy?

Its a pretty simple question, and these men are smart, experienced, and highly credentialed. Yet they werent sure what to say. Do you have a problem with trying to be happy? I asked.