Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer
The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. – Allan K. Chalmers
Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others. –Buddha
Happiness is an allusive trait, and many mistakenly believe that it follows success. The truth is it’s actually the other way around; professionals who work with a positive mind-set are more likely to become successful. In a 2010 book published by Eric Karpinsky, he calls it the “happiness advantage.”
In a recent Entrepreneur.com article, author Lisa Evans shares four of Karpinsky’s tips in generating more happiness in order to maximize your business’s success. Here we share three:
1. Share the glad, hide the bad. That may seem disingenuous, but what we focus on becomes our reality. And because happiness (and grumpiness) is contagious, it’s important that your staff and clients see you as upbeat and positive. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give yourself time to grief or experience frustration; it just means that negativity should never become your primary focus.
2. Boost moods for enhanced brainstorming. Happy professionals make innovative professionals. As a leader, you should make staff mood-boosting a priority. Karpinsky explains, “Happier people see more in their periphery. When you’re negative, you only see what’s right in front of you, but when you’re primed with positivity you see more things, so that opens you up in other ways of thinking.”
3. Keep a gratitude journal. Looking for the positive in our lives will help us generative more positivity. Karpinsky suggests noting three things you’re grateful for every day. These three things don’t have to be life-changing; they can be simple, yet meaningful things you’ve appreciated throughout the day: clear skies, a child’s smile, the smell of fresh-cut grass. You’ll find that as you search for the good, you’ll find a lot more of it.
Happiness is a choice, and you can choose to be happy today. Once your do, success will follow, simply because the best clients and employees will be drawn to you.
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Resource
Evans, Lisa. “4 Ways to Turn Happiness into a Competitive Advantage.” 12 April 2013 Entrepreneur.com
