It’s easy to simplify happiness and claim that it’s obvious that successful people are happy. Many people believe that success is the answer to happiness. However, if you interview 100 successful people, you may be surprised that a large percentage of them are not as happy as you think they ought to be. The fact is, you can be a millionaire, have a wonderful spouse, great kids, and everything you think you want and still not be happy. The truth is, success does have a stake in happiness but it is really happiness that fuels success.
- Happiness Leads to More Productivity – When people are happy with their work, they tend to be willing to do it a lot more, even for free. Assuming other needs (food, shelter, health) are met a happy person can find joy doing the most mundane things because they can focus on outcomes instead of just what they are doing.
- Happiness Leads to Higher Profits – In companies that keep their employees happy by offering a living wage, benefits, and a flexible schedule the profits tend to be a lot higher. One reason is that when a person feels respected in their job even if the work is hard, they are happier about doing it.
- Happiness Leads to Stability – When people are happy, they tend to be a lot more stable, stick to tasks longer, and are more likely to complete an assignment. In addition, they tend to job hop a lot less. This is one reason smart employers know that by making work a happy place they can reduce turnover.
- Happiness Leads to a Higher Work Ethic – Most people think of work ethic as something you must suffer to experience, but for happy people, they tend to stick to their jobs longer and work even harder. The main reason is that they have the energy to do it and can see the outcomes more positively.
- Happiness Is Not About Wealth – Everyone knows someone who has plenty of money but is not happy and maybe even downright mean. They seem to have everything but happiness. Because of this fact, it’s clear that being happy doesn’t always directly correlate to someone’s bank balance.
- Happiness Colors the Lens by Which You See Life – The surprising truth about happiness is that if you practice happiness it will begin to affect how you see everything in the world. You’ll be able to pick out the most positive things no matter the situation. People want to be around happy people. They bring people up because they are always looking for opportunities for success in any circumstance.
- Happiness is About Today – Happiness is really all about today. If you’re happy today, you’re more likely to eat right, move more, get your work done, and do everything well. Naturally, that is going to affect the future too.
- Happiness is a Mindset – It’s hard to imagine it is true, but it is. Happiness is about your mindset. Thankfully, with work, you can train your mindset to be happier and more positive despite your current circumstances.
As Ingrid Bergman said “Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.”
Remember, happiness is a state of mind with a focus on the larger picture, the journey and the experience. Know who you are, your values and your purpose. Happiness can be experienced by anyone, regardless of where they are in life in terms of success. Bad things happen to good people and can bring them down. How they deal with it is the difference. Be content and appreciate the moment for what it brings.
A few other quotes I found about success and happiness:
- Success is measurable; happiness is limitless
- Success is earned; happiness is achieved
- Success is the race; happiness is the finish line
- Success is being right; happiness is being true
- Success is doing what you love; happiness is loving what you do
- Success is pursuing your dreams; happiness is living your dreams
A final closing thought, happiness with be there when success is not.
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