The Gap and The Gain: Why Most People Aren't Happy (Introduction)

86% of US adults say they aren't happy.

Why?

The book The Gap and The Gain tries to answer this question by blaming The Gap mentality, which is this:

"You’re in the GAP every time you measure yourself or your situation against an IDEAL."

I'm not sure I agree with the premise that the GAP explains why most of us are unhappy.

But that doesn't mean I don't LOVE the concept of *The Gap and the Gain--*because I do.

I like any framework that helps me understand myself and that I can immediately apply in my own life.

Here are 3 stories in the book's introduction we'll discuss:

1. Why Edward met his financial goal of $5 million in his investment portfolio and still wasn't happy.
2. Why arriving 5 minutes late to a concert can ruin the rest of your evening.
3. Why we shut down our children by only seeing their faults.

“Everything that psychologists know about how to create a high functioning and successful person can be achieved using The GAP and The GAIN.”
--Benjamin Hardy

Further background
The idea is to have fun discussing concepts from the book and inspire you to apply these concepts in your own lives.

You DO NOT need to have read the book.

Brief summary of the book courtesy of ChatGPT
The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy explores how people measure progress and happiness. It argues that when we focus on “the Gap”—the distance between where we are and our ideal—we feel frustrated and unfulfilled, but when we focus on “the Gain”—how far we’ve come—we feel motivated, grateful, and successful. The book offers practical tools to help individuals reframe setbacks, increase confidence, and experience greater well-being by measuring progress backward, not forward.