Shawn Achor, author of the book “the happiness Advantage”, conducted a study with 1,600 Harvard students and dozens of companies on the Fortune 500 list. There he revealed that success is not the path to happiness. On the contrary, if you are happy, you will be successful and productive.
Success doesn’t make you happy, happiness makes you successful. Click To Tweet
If you look at the people around you, you will find that most of them follow the thought that “if you work hard, you will become successful, and if you are successful, you will be happy”.
This belief explains what most often motivates us in life. What is commonly thought is: “if I get promoted, I will be happy”. “If I lose 5 kilos, I will be happy”; etc.
Supposedly success precedes happiness; then success in my goals determines my happiness.
Why success is not the path to happiness.
The problem with this belief is that it is not entirely true. This is how Shawn puts it.
If success brings us happiness, then every employee who manages to get promoted; each student who received a letter of acceptance to the university; each individual who achieved his goals; should be happy.
However, with every victory, our desire to do even better and more successful things they push the threshold of being happy even further.
Another reason that indicates that this idea is wrong is that it is stated backwards.
Shawn states that more than a decade of research in positive psychology and neuroscience have proven that the relationship between success and happiness works in the opposite direction to that previously stated.
Happiness and optimism improve our performance and results, generating a competitive advantage. Thanks to this research, we now know that happiness is the precursor to success, not its result.
So, what to do?
Waiting for our happiness limits our brain’s true potential for success. If, on the contrary, we maintain a positive attitude, our levels of motivation, efficiency, flexibility, creativity and productivity; characteristics that allow us to function in a better way, they will be taller, exposes the author.
Following this same line of motivation studies, Brendon Burchard, in his book “The Motivation Manifesto”, explains that the reason that keeps us motivated also lies in the choice to perform a task.
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To develop a motivation that allows us to take action, our mind filters thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Then he classifies them and takes from them a series of reasons; to definitely push you or not to do something.
For example. If in your job you have the choice of being promoted, and it depends on learning a certain computer program; Your motivation for this promotion will allow you to want to learn the program in the best possible way and not give up until you get what you want.
Conclusion.
The veracity of this idea in our mind is what ultimately dictates our level of motivation.
If we are focused on a goal and committed to it, we are already on the path to happiness. This is because our motivation levels will be high.
Otherwise, by not having a clear course or goal, our motivation levels decrease because we do not know what the real reason is that leads you to do them.
In this sense, if we are happy with the activity we are doing, our motivation will be greater. Therefore, we can more easily meet our final objective.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
