Why Success Won’t Make You Happy
To be successful we must have a clear vision (what we call a Definite Major Purpose), and be 100% committed to the achievement of our goal. The precipitant of this is we end up thinking “when I do or acquire x then I will have arrived, and when I arrive I will of course be happy.” But will you? I’m not so sure.
Certainly in your life there have been things you have desired, and you have achieved or acquired them, but did it make you happy?
When I returned to Canada from a failed business venture in Costa Rica, I had literally less than nothing. No car, no job, no apartment, no nothing. Me and my maxed out credit cards moved in with my parents. I got a job immediately, and had to take the bus to work in one of the worst winters in Canadian history. I wanted a car desperately so I would not have to walk and wait in the cold. I also wanted to get an apartment desperately to get out of my parents house. I acquired both within 3 months of my return, and while I took great pleasure in my success and not having to take the bus any more, I wasn’t really any happier than I was when I returned.
You have things now that others desperately want, yet your sights are set on the next big thing, and when you acquire/achieve that, you will set your sites on the next thing. This is important, this is how successful people make keep achieving and achieving.
So you must have dreams and things you want or want to do, the secret is to focus on being happy everyday. Everyday, you need to commit to being positive. Take responsibility for all the things in your life. If there is something that is making you unhappy, fix it, and live each day fulfilled while still intensely pursuing your ambition. Harness and channel your desire to serve your ambition while simultaneously being free from you desire and in a state of appreciation for the day and all that you have already acquired and achieved.
It’s a tricky balance, to remain ambitious while appreciating the day, but it is the secret to happiness and you can do it!
This philosophy is at the core of ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. It is also an excellent book and accounting 101 for entrepreneurs.
