Think of Happiness As a Key Ingredient to Success, Not As a Reward.
Most of us tend to think of success in terms of working hard to achieve something in order to find happiness. Neil Pasricha, author of The Equation of Happiness , says the opposite: start with happiness, and then use it to achieve your goals.
In a conversation with LinkedIn, Pasricha argues that happiness comes first to sustain success, not the other way around. He notes that happy people tend to be more successful in certain areas of their careers. For example, citing a study published by the American Psychological Association , he notes that people are 31% more productive when they are happy. He continues:
Your sales are 37% higher. You are three times more creative than your peers. We love working with these happy people. It turns out they work great – they are happier. And then you have great success. Big success comes later. This is the complete opposite of how we think about it.
It is not a permission to give up your goals and hard work in favor of indulgent laziness. The point is to use happiness as a way to support these goals. Pasrici’s perspective goes hand in hand with the importance of self-care. We tend to think of happiness and self-care as a reward, although it really should be part of the process. It really helps you do your best. You probably know what makes you happy, but Pasricha recommends gratefully taking breaks and meditating to begin with. The video above is long but well worth watching and you can check out the accompanying LinkedIn post at the link below.
Start Happiness for Success: LinkedIn Speaker Series with Neil Pasricha | LinkedIn