Chasing Success to Be Happy

Some people hate to get on a treadmill because you walk or run and never arrive anywhere. Sometimes, we get on a similar treadmill in life where we chase success (as we individually define it) in order to be happy. The problem with chasing success is that the bar is constantly raised as you arrive. And the effect is that we are never happy.

If we set ourselves on a course of being happy in the present, our performance will be better—which will lead to more success. It’s important to understand that happiness comes before success, not after. Success is always a target moving directly away from us.

I really like the work of Shawn Achor on positive psychology. He stresses that in his studies, he determined that 75% of our job success is tied to three things that have nothing to do with the work itself. A positive attitude, not viewing the stress of high performance as a negative, and a strong, healthy social/family support system are all big keys to our success.

I believe in striving for our full potential, we need healthy tension to be our best. I also think it’s important that we are happy and positive every step of the way. What are you chasing today?