Success and Happiness

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Are you successful?

What is success anyway?  Is it wealth?  Is it fame?  Is it power?  Is it great relationships?  Is it peace-of-mind?  Is it all of these things, or perhaps none of these things? 

The answer is "yes" - it all of these things and none of these things. 

In other words, it is different for everyone.  Just like everyone's Definition of Happiness is different, everyone's definition of success is also different.  And really, success and happiness are linked, but maybe not necessarily the way you may think (most people think that success brings happiness, but read on)...

Is a multi-millionaire business executive more "successful" than a working mother of two who is barely able to make ends meet?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

For one person, success may mean significant business accomplishment while for another person success requires mostly a strong spiritual connection.  For someone else success might mean outstanding physical achievements (like winning a gold medal at the Olympics) while for yet another person, success requires only a few strong interpersonal relationships.

To capture all this in a general working definition could be to define success as "the ability to live your life in your own way".  That really captures it all.  Most would agree that an ability to live life the way you want could qualify for "life success".

For example, if living a life full of luxuries, like a big house, a yacht, travel, adventure, and play is what would make you happy in life - truly happy - then the financial ability to do all that could mean you are successful, both financially and personally. 

On the other hand, if those things are important to your happiness, and you do have the financial ability to have and do those things, but you are too busy working to actually "live life" with all those things, are you really a success?

The bottom line is that you must know your definition of success.

Knowing what success means to you, though, starts first with your personal Definition of Happiness.  Click here or on the "Get Instant Access" button below to find out your Definition of Happiness (and get two free ebooks as a gift from me).  Then, keep reading more about success and happiness below.

Because as another example, let's say you are very "successful" financially (by most people's standards), but your Definition of Happiness includes a simpler life, with many close relationships, a clear sense of peace-of-mind, and a strong spiritual connection. 

But now, let's say for this example that, because of the time commitment required for your "work" (which creates your financial success), you have no extra time for close relationships, you are stressed out much of the time due to all the pressures in your job, and you don't have time to really connect with your spiritual self.

Are you really successful overall?  The answer may be "no".

Like many things in life, though, it's not an easy issue to address. 

As stated previously, much of it depends on your personal Definition of Happiness and your individual definition of success. 

Again, though, to be truly successful you must be truly happy.  This actually has a dual meaning:

1.  Defining Success and Happiness

The first meaning of the statement above (to be truly successful you must be truly happy) is what was just discussed in the examples above, which goes back to the general definition of success I suggested previously - "to be able to live your life in your own way". 

We can achieve great "success" in several areas, but if these areas don't make us happy, then we may not really be successful.  It's the reason many very accomplished (successful) actors, musicians, sports stars and other celebrities are so miserable.  It's because they may not really be happy - mainly because they have either (a) never defined happiness for themselves (which is the case for most people) and, therefore, don't really know what would make them truly happy or (b) have defined happiness clearly for themselves, but have not yet achieved all the requirements for that Definition of Happiness fully.  In other words, in this "celebrity" example, there is more to their Definition of Happiness than just fame and fortune (which is nearly always the case).

2.  Being Happy Creates Greater Success

The second meaning of the above statement that "to be truly successful you must be truly happy" relates to the abundance of research which shows that happy people make more money, are healthier, have better relationships, and even live longer than unhappy people.  In very simple terms, therefore, happy people are more "successful".  It's really that simple (not easy, but simple).

The key here, then, if you want to be really successful, you must be happy!  By being happy, you will have a better chance of achieving your goals and meeting your personal requirements for success - whatever that means to you. 

Again, though, to really be happy, you still have to go to point number 1 above, which is to define happiness clearly for yourself.  It's really the foundation of life.

To achieve the success you want in your life, therefore, here are the basic steps to take:

  1. Create your personal Definition of Happiness (if you haven't done it yet, either click here or on the "Get Instant Access" button in the banner above to learn how - and get my two ebooks free as a gift)
  2. Define what success means to you (physically, financially, mentally, and spiritually)
  3. Create a Happiness Plan for your life (click here to get a free "Happiness Plan" template I've developed)
  4. Monitor your happiness and your success regularly and frequently (learn more on how to do this by getting the free video course on "The Happiness Formula" by clicking here and get a free autographed copy of my best-selling book, BeHappy! by clicking on the "Order Free Now" button at the bottom of this page)

Just make sure to define happiness clearly and completely for yourself.  Then do whatever you need to do to truly be happy.  This is the only way to really achieve success in life.

You can also check out some of the great resources below to help you get the success and happiness you want.

BeHappy! (and successful) my friends


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