An amazing book that lifts the spirits and leaves a lasting positive impression with the reader. “How Full is your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life,” by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton, Ph.D., makes its strong points in a clear, simple, and convincing way. If there was one book that everyone should read about positive reinforcement, regardless of age, profession, or role, then this book would be it. It is a short book 126 pages, of not so packed pages, with simple illustrations and quotes with high inspirational value dispersed throughout the book.

This is a book about the importance of being positive and helping others be positive by providing them and self with positive reinforcement, whether at work or in personal life. It builds a case for why everyone, regardless of position or role, should deal with everyone in a positive manner. It makes a case for avoiding disrespectful and demeaning behavior against others, while building up, respecting, and focusing on the positive aspects in others.

The book is based on decades of research and fieldwork on the subject. It uses a simple metaphor about a dipper and a bucket to show how the briefest interactions affect our relationships, productivity, health, and longevity. It states that everyone of us has an invisible bucket. On regular basis, the bucket is either filled or emptied, depending on how others treat us and say to us. When the bucket is full, we are happy, but when it is empty, that brings with it negative feelings. The water in the bucket is someone’s reserve of positive reinforcement. Every time people say or do something positive for you, that fills your bucket with drops of water, representing positive energy, and whenever someone does or says something negative, it takes away from the drops of water in the bucket. All interactions either add drops to the bucket if they are positive, or reduce drops from the bucket if negative.

The additional crucial revelation the book makes is that every time a person fills someone else’s bucket, he is also filling his own. And vice versa, whenever someone says something negative to another, he is also emptying his own bucket. So, the idea is to fill own bucket and keep it filled. This can be achieved in one of two ways. One is by filling other people’s buckets, which means remain positive with them. The other is by avoiding negative people who empty your bucket and theirs through harmful behaviour and statements.

 Whether at home or in business, we all need the advice from this book. It applies, regardless of culture, race, religion, or anything else, because it addresses human behavior that is common to all and has similar effect on everybody. For positive people who feel as if sometimes they are pursuing a lost cause in this world where many things seem to be going for the negativity and pessimism, it gives them hope to continue spreading their positive attitude as it helps them as much as it helps others. For those of us who have lost hope in humanity and feel that there is not much good in this world anymore, it warns that this very thought drains us and other people of valuable energy. It cautions, based on solid scientific research, that such negativity will adversely affect our outlook to life, our productivity, and our health.

The book is a bestseller on many book lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Business Week national bestseller.

About the author:

 The authors of the book in themselves are a living proof of the ideas advocated in the book. They are a man and his grand father. They are both world renowned experts on leadership and motivation. The grandfather was cited by the American Psychological Association as the “Father of Strengths Psychology.” He coauthored multiple best seller books including “Now, Discover your strengths.” The grandson is a global practice leader at the Gallup organization. He has led in the creation of assessments and books. The grandfather became terminally ill as he was working with his grandson on the book. But that did not stop them from completing and publishing this very successful best seller. The grandson has a genetic problem that causes multiple tumors to build throughout his body.

Nonetheless, he says he never thought about it in a negative way, and he felt it never limited his horizons or potential.

This background of the authors gives the reader a bigger motivation to believe in the book’s message and to take its teachings more seriously out of respect to the experiences of the people who wrote it. They are people who could have easily gotten away with being very negative, given their circumstances. It is so refreshing to see people who lived their lives based on what they preach.

One of the most inspiring books one could read. Despite its short and abbreviated content, the 125 pages book delivers a clear and assertive message about the importance of positive reinforcement at work and in personal life. The authors did not just talk about it, but their life is a living proof of the value of its message.

Everybody should read this book, as it confirms earlier research and thinking that the positive reinforcement has stronger effect than the negative.

There is a website based on the book at www.bucketbook.com. It offers many assessments, quotes, and other resources related to the subject of the book.