Happiness and Success
Most of us have this universal question of what is Happiness and what does it mean. We can say that happiness is subjective and difficult to measure whereas success is often judged externally or by comparison to other people. It’s a common belief that being successful in life will automatically bring happiness. We know that according to the fight or flight theory, humans are wired more for survival than for happiness. Many rush through life, chasing happiness but the problem is that we never quite get there. When it comes to the relationship between happiness and success, we can say that success is something we pursue while happiness is something we acquire.
Happiness or Success - what comes first?
This is similar to the chicken and egg scenario. If happiness comes first, then one must figure out how to be happy before success will come rolling in. On the flip side of the coin is the idea of success coming first, before happiness. What does it take to really be happy? Does one have to be successful in order to be happy? Many would agree that success does not guarantee happiness. There are many people out there who deem themselves happy, while not necessarily successful, and those who are successful still trying to find happiness.
Happiness and Success – are they co-related?
Happiness can be related to life satisfaction, appreciation of life and moments of pleasure. Since it’s a positive emotion we can say that happiness has much to do with one’s positive experience of emotions. Success may not necessarily be judged by mere financial success because one must also feel successful in other areas of life such as love, relationships, family, health, job and more and so success is much more than just wealth and power. Happiness invokes a very positive attitude in us and can result in positivity in many spheres of our lives. Happiness may not be directly correlated with wealth, but happiness and positive affect may often precede measures of success and accomplishments in personal and/or professional life. The desire to be successful in life in order to be happy is a mantra for many. While we may never know with 100% certainty which one is more important, we know that success and happiness are intricately linked. Happiness is a state of mind, it’s intangible and cannot be attained or achieved. People have innate survival abilities but unfortunately only few have the ability to be happy. Whether or not one is a believer that happiness attracts success or vice versa, by consciously choosing a ‘happy state of mind’ in one’s daily life, can result in a high possibility of positive emotions and attitude in self, surroundings and environment.