Many people think that success will guarantee happiness. But delaying being happy until you’ve got that promotion, or a bigger car is a mistake. Tying your happiness to achieving your goals almost guarantees you’ll never be satisfied. Here are three reasons to choose happiness over success.
- You’ll never get there!
Have you noticed that there are always more goals to achieve? As soon as you get that job, your eye is on the next promotion. Setting goals and making them is important but waiting to be happy until you’re successful is like chasing butterflies. There will always be another better butterfly just out of reach.
- Happiness breed success
There’s increasing evidence that happy people tend to be more successful. By focusing on being happy and living life on their terms, they are already successful. Choosing happiness in your current circumstances creates greater self-confidence. You will act and talk like you’ve already made it. And that sort of confidence is contagious and inspiring. Just by choosing to be happy you have a competitive edge!
- Success is what you make it
Ask ten people for their definition of success, and you’ll get ten different answers. For some people, it is the consumer dream of an executive job, a fancy car, and a big house. For others, it will be the freedom to travel or paint or write or own their own business.
Probably the most critical decision you’ll make is to work out what success means for you. And the most meaningful progress is to choose what makes you happy. What is your passion? What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?
It’s up to you to decide what is going to make you happy. It’s still okay to want to have the trappings of success but think about why you want them. Chances are it’s the feeling you wish to have rather than the thing itself.
If you think making more money will make you feel secure, or enable you to travel or support your favorite cause, maybe there are other ways you can do those things right now? Perhaps you can volunteer for your charity, or choose cheaper vacation options, or start a savings plan.
There’s no need to delay being happy until you’ve reached a level of material success. You can choose to be happy right now and find contentment in the things that already make you feel good!
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