About this episode
Quote of the Day Inky Johnson- Never complain about something you are not willing to change. Mondays I like to talk about Prosperity Pillars or Principles that can guide you through the week. Today I want to talk a bit about Happiness and how it is directly tied to your actions in your day to day life. I have been re reading a great book from Gary Keller called the One Thing. I highly recommend this book, podcast, etc. In the book he talks about focus and identifying your One Thing… But I love how he always ties things in to an overall objective with your life. Too many times we spend so many days chasing success without Creating a Life. And the irony is that your best life is created when you are pursuing success, action, and talents (you have) in the service of others and a greater cause than yourself. He talks about happiness and fulfillment and makes a good distinction in my opinion. "Happiness happens on the way to fulfillment. Your life is defined by your purposeful path, not the outcomes." -Gary Keller Dr Martin Seligman, past president of the American Psychological Association There are 5 Factors…building blocks of happiness and well-being. They represent the Acronym PERMA…the PERMA Theory. 1- Positive Emotions- gratitude for past, present and future events. 2- Accomplishments- achievement, success, or even mastery. 3- Relationships- connections to others is essential to well being. 4- Meaning- something bigger than yourself. 5- Engagement- experiencing a state of flow He believes that Engagement and Meaning are the surest ways to find effective and lasting happiness. This fits right in line with my partner Robert Stuberg's philosophy about Finding and Staying inside your unique Talent. Robert has proven with thousands of clients that the greatest successes will come when you find the areas of performance where you are passionate and excellent. But, the Key is to use these talents in the service of others. I’m not talking about just “service” or “non profit”…I am talking about serving others in whatever capacity fits a “bigger meaning” than just you. This certainly can mean in the marketplace. BUT…remember…and this is the key...Happiness is only a by product of Action. You must take action toward your goals and desires. Plus, when your daily actions are part of a bigger meaning, you will experience the greatest levels of happiness…so its a win win. So this week I’d like to have you do a couple things… First, be aware of what activities you are focused on. Make sure you are staying inside your UT…spend time identifying what that is…It is helpful to find someone to help you really clarify this in your life. Second, make sure that you make the decision to focus on something greater than yourself. I know that happiness and fulfillment is important to all of us, but you must realize that it happens best when you take the focus off yourself. Finally, I want you to remember that ACTIONs are Key for you this week. Take action. Say yes and then figure it out. Be actively pursuing your goals, dreams and best life. Don’t sit in planning and strategy mode and certainly don’t put off anything till tomorrow…do it today. You can always make course corrections. Thanks for listening. George Wright III