Is success and happiness related
Do you have to have success to be happy? Is success and happiness related or interconnected somehow? Let’s go over, in my opinion, what success and happiness are and how I view them as related to one another.
Definition of Success and Happiness
One example definition of success is the “attainment of wealth, position, honors, etc”.
One definition of happiness is “characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy”.
The question though “Is success and happiness related” is more a question of “Does success create your happiness”?
Common Perception of Success and Happiness
It seems in modern society the common perception equates attaining wealth, luxury, a hot girl or boyfriend, a super fit body, or other external things as success, and that “when you have that thing out there” you will be happy.
If success is looked at in this kind of manner then I believe this is why many people making millions of dollars a year are unhappy. As anyone starts making progress towards a goal knows, as you go along you are setting new goals and pushing the image of what you wish to accomplish further and further away. This unfortunately has the effect of meaning we will never attain what we started off wanting meaning we can never be happy.
To further explore what success looks like to you check out this article
The Connection between Success and Happiness
Success as a means to achieve happiness
Materialistic achievements and their impact on happiness
While materialistic achievements may provide temporary satisfaction and a fleeting sense of accomplishment, their impact on long-term happiness is limited.
After you earn enough money for food and shelter, additional wealth has diminishing returns in terms of increasing happiness. This phenomenon is known as the “hedonic treadmill,” where individuals adapt to increased material wealth and require even more to maintain the same level of satisfaction.
An example of a “hedonic treadmill” is when you go and buy something new and are excited and happy about it, only to have that excitement fade away, happiness only being temporary with increased materialistic acquisitions.
Achieving personal growth and its influence on happiness
External acquisitions as a catalyst for being happy seem to always be fleeting. For me, the most lasting measure of happiness is in accomplishing personal growth. Gaining the understanding needed to make progress toward my goals is of far more value to me than the stuff I get from increased income, health, fitness, etc.
Achieving personal goals can have a profound impact on one’s sense of happiness. When we set goals that align with our values and aspirations, reaching them gives me a sense of fulfillment because it means the understanding I gained was correct and worked when implemented.
Happiness as a catalyst for success
Positive mindset and its effect on productivity and achievement
Contrary to popular belief, happiness does not solely depend on external circumstances; rather it can be an internal state cultivated through positive thinking and mindset.
I know that when I let myself listen to all the negative beliefs like “I can’t”, “I’m not worthy”, or “It won’t work for me so why try”, then I get very withdrawn, and frustrated, which all leads to bitterness and discontent.
Having a positive attitude has allowed me to let my creativity come forth and challenge those beliefs regardless of my circumstances or outcome. In fact, that is what I have heard and read about many people whom we now call geniuses.
In order to change your circumstances you need to spend years diligently working towards what you want no matter how things look from the outside. So what if you don’t have a 6 pack or millions in the bank, keep going.
I have found that when I know what work needs to be done before I can even consider it possible to win or achieve success and I don’t take that action because of those negative beliefs THATS when I feel the worst, because I am affirming the negative beliefs I know aren’t true unless I give in to them.
Emotional well-being as a foundation for long-term success
Emotional well-being is the bedrock upon which true success is built. Since we know external stuff won’t bring lasting enjoyment what happens if we get stuck seeking more and more material stuff as what defines success and happiness?
When you are focused on achieving material things there is never enough. This feeling of NEEDING MORE never goes away and success feels hollow.
Prioritizing a mindset that focuses on gaining the understanding needed to achieve the success you desire, or something similar, will help you gain emotional well-being.
Neglecting emotional well-being can have detrimental effects on our overall health and wellness. For myself the more I tried chasing success, the more demoralized I became when I didn’t attain it. I kept running into the same problems over and over again thinking that if I joined a new opportunity that it would change.
As you might expect things didn’t go differently. It wasn’t until I started working on discovering the information I didn’t know how to do that I started to make progress in the way I thought I should have before.
Social Comparison: The Perils of Keeping Up with the Joneses
The never-ending pursuit of comparing ourselves with others
Social media feeds are filled with carefully curated highlight reels, showcasing only the best moments of people’s lives. This constant exposure to others’ achievements can inadvertently shape our perception of success and happiness.
When we constantly measure our own progress against that of others, we may find ourselves feeling inadequate or unfulfilled, even if we have achieved great things. Engaging in social comparison robs us of the joy and contentment that comes from embracing our own individual journeys.
It’s important to remember that everyone is on their own unique path, with their own challenges and successes. Instead of fixating on what others have accomplished, it is more fruitful to focus on our personal growth and celebrate our own achievements, no matter how small they may seem in comparison.
Another thing to consider is how meaning is made up, so check this article about inherent vs implied meaning
Cultural Influences: Rewriting the Script for Success and Happiness
How societal expectations shape our pursuit of success
Our definition of success and expectations for happiness are heavily influenced by cultural values ingrained in us from a young age. Society often places great emphasis on external markers such as wealth, prestige, or career accomplishments as measures of success.
However, this narrow view fails to consider the nature of human fulfillment. Cultural influences can lead us down a path where external validation becomes paramount, causing us to prioritize achievement over personal well-being.
It is crucial to challenge these societal norms by exploring alternative definitions of success that align more closely with your values and aspirations. By questioning societal expectations and redefining what truly brings us happiness, we can craft a more authentic path toward fulfillment.
Personal Values Alignment: Nurturing Lasting Satisfaction
Finding fulfillment by aligning goals with core values
Achieving success and happiness requires more than simply checking off a list of external accomplishments. True satisfaction comes from aligning our goals and actions with our deeply held core values.
When we identify what truly matters to us on a fundamental level, we can make choices that are in harmony with our authentic selves. By aligning our goals with our values, we create a sense of purpose and meaning in our pursuits.
When goals, values, and interests align our actions towards those goals bring fulfillment not focused on external validation or outcome. This allows us to stay in integrity to ourselves which brings true satisfaction regardless of success, big or small.
Self-Acceptance: Beyond External Achievements
Embracing oneself as enough regardless of accolades
Society often teaches us that worthiness is contingent upon external achievements – academic degrees, job titles, or material possessions. However, true happiness lies in accepting ourselves unconditionally, independent of any external validation or accomplishments.
Self-acceptance means embracing both our strengths and weaknesses without judgment or comparison. It involves recognizing our value as individuals is not contingent upon external factors of perceived success. If our value was based on “having” then people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and others that didn’t have wealth before “succeeding” shouldn’t have tried to begin with.
Conclusion
Recognizing the Complex Relationship between Success and Happiness
On our journey for a fulfilling life, it is crucial to acknowledge the interplay between success and happiness. While success is often viewed as the key to happiness, we must realize that this relationship goes beyond material achievements. Throughout this article, we have explored various aspects that highlight how success and happiness influence each other.
Success can undoubtedly contribute to happiness, but its impact ultimately depends on how it aligns with our personal values and aspirations. Pursuing materialistic achievements alone may provide temporary satisfaction, but true lasting happiness comes from setting goals that resonate with our core values.
It involves finding meaning in what we do rather than solely focusing on external validation. Conversely, happiness can act as a catalyst for success.
When we cultivate a positive mindset and nurture our emotional well-being, we are more likely to flourish in our endeavors. By embracing positivity and practicing self-care, we become better equipped to handle challenges and persevere toward success.
Many factors influence our perception of what happiness and success look like. Be it society, culture, media, family, religion or other, what you visualize as success and happiness has a huge impact on how much enjoyment or discontent you get out of pursuing your goals.
The acquisition of what you don’t have now as the definition of success that then allows you to be happy is a destructive and scarcity-minded vision to have. Working on your personal growth to understand what’s important to you and how to work through the sticking points you have will lead to real enjoyment that leads to progress which eventually becomes success.
If you like this article check out how success comes before work
Maybe you are ready to build some passive income, or already are, and want to increase your results, if so then this article about infinite banking is a great place to learn about doing just that.