Happiness Matters

A few months ago, I decided to check out
LessMoneyConf and see what other
companies similar to mine were doing, and if they experience the same types of
challenges we do. It was certainly interesting to hear how others were
solving similar problems, but it wasn’t until the last hour of the last day
that I heard someone say something, however obscure, that stuck in my mind
ever since.

There was a particular discussion about how to solve a difficult business
issue that would be hard to solve and still keep everyone happy. Without
spending a lot of time describing the problem, the comment was made that in
the end, you should do what makes you happy. “Do what makes you happy?” At
first I thought, “Really? Is this guy saying I should only be concerned with
my own personal happiness without regard to anyone else?” That certainly
didn’t make sense to me, however, on further reflection, I realize now that’s
not what he meant at all.

Why should I care about happiness?

I doubt anyone would disagree that our lives are very busy. Most families
have two income earners, kids are in school 8 hours a day, sports, homework,
etc. My life isn’t much different, although with the added responsibility of
running a business. Decisions are hard. Trying to balance work and family is
hard. Trying not to feel too stressed is hard. All of these things have been
bouncing around in the back of my mind, then I heard this seemingly content
individual say, “Do what makes you happy.” Why should I care about happiness
when it comes to business, I mean, does happiness really matter?

Happiness is about our lives as a whole. It’s a description of our overall
satisfaction with life. It’s certainly influenced by our genetics,
upbringing, and experiences, but that’s only half of the story. Research
shows that about 50% of our own happiness is influenced by our genetics and
upbringing. That being true, what about the other 50%? Many people
mistakenly believe, including myself, that income and environment to be the
greatest contributor to overall happiness. Makes sense right? If I have
enough money to feel secure, I’ll be happier. If my environment is less
stressful, I’ll be happier. The same research shows this isn’t the case; in
fact, income and environment only contribute about 10% to our overall
happiness. So, what about the other 40%? I’m learning the other 40% gets to
the core of what this guy was saying, “Do what makes you happy.”

All things considered, how happy are you?

There have been significant advances in the science of well being in recent
years.This research has led many to try and measure happiness and the
factors that affect it. It’s interesting to note that the most basic way of
measuring personal happiness is to ask a very basic question, “How do you feel
about your life?” or “All things considered, how happy are you?” Certainly
the answers to these questions are subjective in nature, but the answers in
reality are correlated to objective brain activity. There are many more
studies that show happiness is responsible for better body function,
especially immune response. People that are more generally positive are less
likely to get the flu. In fact, positive meditation training has been shown to
actually increase the density of grey-matter around the hippocampus, known to
be important for learning and memory function, also in brain structures
associated with compassion and introspection.

“Do what makes you happy” is at the core of the 40%. It doesn’t mean do
whatever to fulfill your own selfish desires; on the contrary, the other 40%
contributes to our overall happiness by the activities, relationships, and
overall outlook we have in our lives. The conscious choices we make each day
really matter. How we treat one another matters. How we treat our customers
and our employees matter. The relationships we build matter. This is the
point that was being made by this smart guy. Make decisions each day that
influence your own personal happiness, which can’t be done at the expense of
others, but rather with others. People who care more about others are always
happier than those who care less about others. He is saying, care more about
your customers, care more about your employees, your employees families, your
own family. It all matters!

Happiness breeds success.

Most people mistakenly think that success breed’s happiness. I’ve thought the
very same thing for many years, but this formula is backwards. Happiness
breeds success. It’s scientific. People who experience positive emotions in
a 3-to-1 ratio to negative emotions reach a tipping point in their lives and
become more naturally resilient to adversity and are better equipped to
achieve the things important in their lives. The good news is, we all can
choose to live our lives happier, no matter our circumstances. When we make
this choice, we influence each one around us. So, in business, work, or any
aspect of our lives, the decisions we make should absolutely be weighted by
how happy it makes us. “Do what makes you happy.” I get it now… Happiness
matters.

To learn more:

https://www.actionforhappiness.org/