How To Link Happiness To Success.

Linking your happiness to your success is a process that requires intentional strategy. Nothing works right without a plan... 

Do you ever feel like happiness is on the other side of all the work you’re putting in? We are programmed to believe success equals happiness. Shawn Anchor, CEO of Good Think Inc., researches positive psychology and explains why we have it all wrong. Evidently, the external world which includes, your job, family, and money only predict about 10% of your happiness. 90% of your happiness comes directly from what you feel at the moment. If success equals happiness, what happens when we are constantly achieving and setting new goals? The brain reaches success and then it looks for the next goal. According to Anchor, the brain is 31% more productive when a person is positive. When you are positive in the present moment, dopamine is released, making you happier and turning on learning centers in your brain. This means you are more likely to be successful if you are already happy. This makes perfect sense in theory, but how do we implement this in our everyday lives? Here are 3 ways to stay positive, after all your success depends on it.

1. Gratitude- Showing gratitude puts you in a position to feel good about your life and it can make someone else feel good in the process. Let someone know you appreciate them. Happiness is contagious, spread it when you can. Develop a weekly habit of reaching out to a person from your social media network. Engage and compliment them. If you see a post that caught your attention, thank them for sharing. More importantly, take time out to appreciate YOU! Life is not easy and you are still standing and pushing forward. Enjoy your accomplishments. Although you have your mind set on a future goal, take time to appreciate where you are right now. Remind yourself you deserve to be happy. There is no shame in appreciating who you are and what you have accomplished. This type of internal gratitude is a powerful tool to keep your mind on the right track.

2. Take control of your Thoughts- Make a conscious decision to control your thoughts. There is a constant dialogue going on in our heads. You are not giving yourself a fair chance if you are allowing your thoughts to torment you. We can’t stop the rain, but we can search for the silver lining. Don’t have a pity party when things are less desirable. Start conditioning your mind to search for positive thoughts. This type of mental discipline builds resilience. Dilemmas are opportunities to exercise your conscious thinking skills. Yes it takes a hell of a lot of effort to keep the negative out, but applaud yourself for trying. Keeping track of where you allow your mind to go and it can quickly become a habit.

3. Positive Influences- The easiest component to being happy is surrounding yourself with happy people. Stray away from negative people. We have all heard the phrase “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Be careful of who you give your time to. Energy is ever flowing whether it’s good or bad. Check out this clip of Shawn Anchor giving a inspiring message on happiness.

Success is getting what you want, Happiness is wanting what you get. You were made to be excellent, fabulous and successful on purpose. Intentionally changing your mindset will help lead you to happiness and success that is rightfully yours! Keep your mind focused and  Go for your success and Happiness today! You're worth it!!




*original post published on the Urban Realist.

Maximize Your Personal Development

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. – Carl Jung

Most “Millennials” and many close to the generation are being targeted as lazy, but there is power to make a positive difference with the advanced tools and resources in this age, especially in the field of networking and communications. Personal development helps us to realize what we have to offer the world. It gives us a brief estimate of our value and on what exact talents we can place worth on, that can in turn be incorporated into all areas of life and authentic success.

If we want the best out of our lives, it means we should give life the best of ourselves. As William Shakespeare noted:  “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”  Knowing your authentic self and developing your highest potential is the key behind personal branding and development, it is the essential function that serves our purpose and service to the world.

Consciously achieving your goals means allocating the time to do so. All big problems started as little problems. When left unchecked, simple issues can gradually grow out of proportion. Health is one thing any professional can’t allow to go in the wrong direction. 

Personal development also relies heavily on mental sharpness and acumen. If our perception is limited, the very experience of our life will be too. You can only see the world from your perception, why not make it awesome?!  Your key attributes and your authenticity give life to your personal brand. 

Low self-worth and lack of good communication causes individuals to make bad choices, which leads life into a series of bad experiences. Life is all about communication. How are you relating to everything and everybody else in the world? Self-Investment is the key to increase communication skills and career success.