U Thrive Book Summary - U Thrive Book explained in key points

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U Thrive summary

Name: U Thrive
Rating: 4.3 (36 reviews)
Author: Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter

Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter

How to Succeed in College (and Life)

4.3 (36 ratings)

15 mins

Brief summary

The self-help book 'U Thrive' written by Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter is a comprehensive guide to help students find happiness and success in college and beyond. It provides insightful tips for students to navigate various challenges and build healthy habits for a fulfilling life.

Topics

Higher Education

Table of Contents

U Thrive
Summary of 6 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Thrive in college.

College is a place of opportunity. But for many young adults, getting the news that they have been accepted brings along a complex mix of emotions, with feelings of excitement, relief and anxiety all swirling around at once. Some may suddenly start wondering if they’ll be able to thrive in their new surroundings, among new friends, communities and learning environments. But with proper preparation, there will be nothing to worry about – and these blinks are a good place to start.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

how students today are much less social than previous generations;
why physical exercise is the key to success in college; and
how there are two different mind-sets you can have – and only one is good for your college years.

Good grades and success don’t bring happiness; rather, happiness brings success and good grades.

There’s a popular belief that one of the keys to happiness is to thrive at school and be successful in your endeavors.

As we grow up, we’re led to believe that getting into the right college, earning good grades and a spot on the school football team are all steps that bring us closer to happiness.

But this isn’t how life works. Earning degrees and acing exams are no guarantees of happiness.

Being accepted to a university certainly isn’t a direct precursor to happiness. When a group of college freshmen were asked to rate their emotional well-being on a scale of zero to one hundred, their average score was only 50.7.

We’ve also been led to believe that some jobs are a marker of success and are therefore more desirable. Being a lawyer is one such highly-regarded profession, but in one poll of over 800 lawyers, the results showed that they were the least happy of all white-collar professionals and, as a result, drank and smoked more than any of their counterparts from other professions.

A better way to think about life is to understand that success doesn’t lead to happiness; rather, happiness will help you find success.

Whatever field you hope to thrive in, be it business, finance, the arts, sports or entertainment, happiness and a positive mind-set will increase your chances of success. In 1997, an experiment at Cornell University had three groups of doctors diagnose a case. To lift their spirits, the first group was shown a bag of treats that they could indulge in later, the second group was reminded of how medicine was a humanitarian pursuit and the third group was given no encouragement whatsoever.

Both of the groups that had received positive encouragement performed better, diagnosing the case 20 percent faster and more precisely than the group that received no positive priming. This illustrates how positive emotions can help you perform better.

So, remember: let happiness into your life and move forward with positivity in mind. This will help you find success and make your dreams come true.

Avoid isolating yourself in times of stress; friendships and socializing are keys to a healthy mind.

College can be a scary place. Not only do you have the pressure of trying to get good grades, but you’re facing a whole campus full of strangers for the first time, which can lead to a lot of social anxiety.

This kind of stressful situation can cause a person to retreat into their shell and seek the comfort of isolation. And, sure enough, an increasing amount of college students are doing just that.

Let your talents guide you on your career path and stay determined along the way.

It’s clear that engaging with others is central to thriving in whatever pursuit you choose, and when you identify your talents and put them to use, it will naturally lead to collaboration with others in your community.

If you’re not sure what your talents are, think of any activity that you excel at, or a skill that you’re motivated by and hope to improve. Often, your talent lies in any skill that causes time to fly by when you’re practicing it. This deep engagement with a skill is known as flow, and it’s a sure sign that it is something you should keep practicing.

Avoid a fixed mind-set by being open to change and accepting constructive criticism.

It’s important to have the strength to forge ahead in tough times, but to do so this demands the right mind-set.

If you’re inflexible and unwilling to change or accept critical feedback, this is a sign you have a fixed mind-set and it’s unlikely that you’ll thrive with this attitude.

A healthy mind thrives in a healthy body, so stay on the move and keep your heart rate up.

Changing your mind-set will only take you so far if you’re neglecting the rest of your body. To really thrive in college, you need to make sure you’re not sitting in lecture halls or your dorm room all day.

A thriving person is someone who stays on the move.

To achieve excellence, practice deliberately, set reachable goals and find an apprenticeship.

Everyone wants to be excellent at what they do. But to get there, you need to be familiar with deliberate practice.

According to the psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, greatness and excellence aren’t a matter of being born with a genetic advantage; rather, they are all about putting in hard work and practicing your craft. Whether you’re a doctor, dancer, musician or business manager, practice makes perfect.

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What is U Thrive about?

U Thrive (2017) provides the tools necessary to thrive on a college campus and beyond. Informative and actionable in equal parts, these blinks provide great insights and offer helpful advice on everything from alleviating stress during final exams to surviving nightmarish dorm mates.

U Thrive Review

U Thrive (2017) is a practical book that offers insights and strategies for thriving in college and beyond. Here's why you should definitely read it:

With its actionable advice and exercises, the book provides valuable tools to help you navigate the challenges and pressures of college life.
It combines expert research, real-life stories, and personal anecdotes to make the content relatable and engaging.
The book's fresh perspective on topics like happiness, relationships, and stress management keeps you hooked from start to finish, making it anything but boring.

Best quote from U Thrive

Reaching our goals does not automatically flip on some circuit breaker labeled HAPPY LIFE.

—Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter

Who should read U Thrive?

College students
Recent high school grads
Parents of prospective university students

About the Author

Daniel Lerner is a clinical instructor at the University of New York, where he teaches the wildly popular elective class “The Science of Happiness” with his colleague, Alan Schlechter. With his background in positive psychology, he also works as a performance coach for many prominent artists and executives.

Alan Schlechter is an assistant professor at the Langone Medical Center at the University of New York. Schlechter graduated from Wesleyan University and Mount Sinai Medical School, and now heads the Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

Categories with U Thrive

Education Personal Development

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