THE KEY TO HAPPINESS

There is something you need to know about happiness.

You must think like a child. And what does a child choose first, success or happiness?

They know what to choose first.

Happiness.

But in a smart way.

And here comes one of my favorite self-growth quotes. It’s from Mark Twain: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

See, kids absorb like sponges all the information they need to achieve their ideas. They are committed. They will become what they want to become, yes or yes.

And they know that, therefore, they must first be happy.

But then they grow up and start hearing “Don’t do this” or “If you go there you will fall.” The world is full of dangers.

And then they lose their dreams.

Adults reinforce that fear with more stories of failure. They will form in them a fearful character. And when they grow up they will have many things to fear and many things not to try.

That’s how people become experts at not pursuing happiness.

So change this. Because you can recover from it. You can eliminate the shyness you didn’t have as a child. You can get smarter. You can learn how to convince people. You can learn to be a world-class expert. You can be fit despite being 50 years old.

Of course you can.

If you pursue happiness as if you were a child, you will achieve it. Take one step every day and you’ll get there sooner than you think.

And the fastest way to happiness is to work on your passion.

Focus your life on your big dream. Because once you found the work with your big goal there will be no complaints. Depressants won’t affect you. You won’t need pills. You won’t need extra help from the state.

If you enjoy what you do, you’ll discipline yourself to do anything. Will obstacles appear? Of course they will. But you will overcome them all. Nothing compared to hating your job and your life.

So the key is:

Don’t be successful to be happy.

First be happy to be successful.

Now you may be asking yourself, “But really? Will I succeed faster, pursuing my passion? That’s not what I’ve been told.”

Absolutely.

Passion comes first.

It’s never the money. It’s not the admiration of others. The first thing is to follow your bliss.

In this order.

Time is vital.

You can’t be successful in your career and then be happy. You can’t be rich and then be happy. No.

The correct order is:

1. Be happy following your dream

2. Be successful.

So don’t make the mistake everyone makes. They try to make money first. Or first they look for a secure job. And then happiness will come.

I made that mistake too.

And happiness never came.

Too many years doing something I didn’t like consumed me. But after the hard time of thinking about what I really liked (please take the time to think about it), I got it. Then Sunday afternoons weren’t torture. Then I smiled when I woke up on work days. I was happy even though I didn’t earn enough in the first few months.

And I learned skills that started to pay off. I also became self-disciplined. And that gave me self-confidence, something you can’t buy with money.

And then came the big wins…..

So if you’re in doubt about what to do in life, follow Mark Twain’s quote about personal growth: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

The fastest strategy to reach your goals is not to design a career to earn more. The fastest way is to do what you love even though it may not give you all the money you need at first. Despite having to combine a 9-to-5 job with your passion.

But once you know what to pursue in life, you will persevere so much that nothing will stop you.

And then yes, the money and recognition will come. (Even when you don’t care about the money later, or the recognition).

So find the work that makes you happy, like a child, and live around it. I insist, this is the right order.

This is why a systematic search for your personal mission is vital. Every minute you spend thinking about what you love to do is the best investment. So I insist. Take a minute, an hour or a year.

But don’t skip this step.

And once you have it: joy and laughter. And of course, you’ll multiply your productivity.

If you need proof, look at a high achiever. You’ll find someone who is happy. He’s enthusiastic. He enjoys his day. He can concentrate during the morning and finish many tasks. She enjoys her afternoons devising the best strategies.

And she’s terribly productive.

The winner takes all. Where most people desperately chase “free time” and “forget” about their work (which they will never get), she beats any competitor.

The enthusiastic person combines work and free time and enjoys both. Everything in their free time serves their career. And everything in their career serves to enjoy evenings and weekends.

So work on your dream.

You will need some time to switch between your current job and a dream business that supports you. It’s the normal process. But it’s the only way.

And then people will follow you. They always want to serve an enthusiastic person.