100% of Happy People are Successful (Prove me wrong)
Happiness versus success
As most of you know I like to flip things on their head. One of the things I’ve been thinking of recently that has had a huge impact on me and on the clients that I’ve been working with is the whole idea of happiness versus success.
Most people chase things that they believe will make them successful… hoping, hoping, hoping, hoping that by the time they get there, that they are going to be happy.
Only a fraction of truly, “Successful people,” are actually happy
Why? Because the journey to their successful status actually sucked.
Flip it.
What if you sought only to do the work, hanging around the people, have the environment, build a schedule that made you happy?
If you do that, you will naturally want to do the things that will grow more of that happiness, and if you align the things that make you happy with all of the things that make you money (because there are lots of different ways we can grow our businesses and become, “Successful”), then by the time you actually reach your goals, you’re thrilled. It’s awesome.
100% of happy people are successful
The main difference is that 100% of happy people are successful – however they define that success.
But only a fraction of what many of us think of as successful people are truly happy.
I grew up in a very privileged life. I lived in a 12,000 square foot home, with eight cars, the whole nine yards.
My dad worked for a $4B steel company, so we had parties at the house all the time. I met a lot of really important people, and I can count on one hand, with three fingers…of all of the people that I met, that I can truly say that they were successful by society’s standards, and also truly happy individuals.
What makes you happy?
I love having classical music playing in the background while I work. Why? Because it makes me happy. It makes me creative, and I look forward to those little gaps in my day when I don’t have calls, when I can turn that on and just be creative.
Right now, I’ve got a bunch of presentations I’m putting together. I’ve got some other writing that I need to do today as well. This makes me happy. Its’ not all work that I absolutely adore doing, but if you’re like, “Wow. This outcome that I’m working for, now that makes me really happy. I just want to do more of the work that will generate that result” then you WILL show up to do the work. It all makes you happy.
What makes me happy is being able to talk with people and open up something that was closed before. To take an obstacle out of someone’s way, to bring a new idea into someone’s life for business that makes them go, “Wow. That’s going to change things.” That’s what I love. So any work I need to do to have more of those conversations is good work, indeed.
Love the end game
Think about what you’re doing right now. How much of what you do truly makes you happy?
I had a conversation with someone yesterday about this. He had a bunch of things that he was doing, he lived a very stressful life, lots of stuff on the go, so I asked him, “Which of all of those things makes you happy? And why does it make you happy? Can you articulate what it is about that, that makes you feel like it just turns on all the lights in your head?”
Through the course of the conversation, we isolated what made him most happy and created a plan to get the other work off his plate. Magic!
Define your happiness
When you can really nail down what makes you happy, you will be successful. It’s that simple. Don’t worry about how society defines “success.”
I posted in a Facebook group the other day that 100% of people are successful, but not every successful person is happy. And someone’s like, “What if someone is poor? Can they be happy?” And I’m like, “Yes.” Because maybe success in their mind is not being stressed out. To not have to work at a really stressful job. And that for them is success.
They’re happy because they’ve built up a life that they want.
Step 1: What kind of work makes you happy?
Start first with defining what makes you happy. What kind of work would you feel that, if you could do it every day, would deliver that sense of contentment you’ve been chasing?
Step 2: What environment makes you happy?
I don’t have a bricks-and-mortar office because I hate them. When I worked for Corporate Canada it was like, “Um, excuse me. You’re two minutes late for work. You took one hour and five minutes for lunch.” And I wanted to just stab everybody. Not a good feeling. What environment makes you happy?
Step 3: What people make you happy?
What kind of individuals do you want to work with? What kind of clients do you want more of? The more clearly you define this, the better chance you’ll have of getting more of them in your world.
Step 4: What schedule makes you happy?
I like to be able to work from anywhere, anytime I please. I built a business that allowed me to control that. What schedule would you like most to work from? How much control do you want to have?
When you understand those four aspects, the type of work, people, schedule, and environment that make you happy, you will be successful and you will not have to chase all of your dreams anymore…because you’re just going to invite them for dinner instead.
Turn on the lights
If you feel like you are chasing your dreams like you’re doing all this work but they keep pushing further and further away from your chances are you’ve got a block, it’s likely because you’re not doing what makes you happy. Figure out the pieces of the puzzle that actually turn all the lights on in your head, and make you really, really excited, and then everything will become clear.
You always have a choice
You always have a choice and there are three choices you can always make. You can live with it, you can change it, or you can leave it. Make one of those choices and be a happier person today.
Want help getting happier?
If you’re sick of being miserable (like I was a few years ago), then click HERE and start the process of finding more happiness in your world. This free 30-minute call will provide you with the strategies you need to shake the blahs and introduce a daily dose of awesome.