Life is short, don’t delay happiness
26 Aug 2013 | Laurence McCahill
"I wished I'd spent more time in the
office"
No-one on their deathbed will look back wishing
they'd spent more time in the office. One of the top regrets of the
dying is that they worked too hard. Sam Walton, founder of Walmart,
uttered 'I blew it' as his last words, despite an estimated wealth
of $65 billion. As Mike Michalowicz observed:
"How could that be? He was a full-time, always-there
businessman! He would do anything to grow his business, and it gave
him immense fame and fortune! But that's where the problem lies
because when it came to the rest of his life, Sam wasn't nearly as
dedicated. He was never really "there" as a father, husband and
friend. He had the wealthiest pockets, but the poorest soul. And in
those last minutes of his life, he realized where he had
failed".
Life is short and we spend most of our waking lives at work.
It's a big part of who we are, so it's important that however we
earn a living, we also enjoy what we do, ideally in a role that
complements important priorities in our lives like family and
relationships. If you're stuck in a job you hate, or if you find
yourself never really "there" when you're with the most important
people in your life, then it's about time something changed. You
only have one shot, so make it count.
For many people, happiness depends on finding the right
'work-life balance'. But the term 'work-life balance' implies that
we leave our 'real' selves for the margins of life. Shouldn't it
all be just 'life'? We should all strive for work feeling more like
play. It shouldn't compete with important aspects of life - our
businesses should embrace our individual priorities so the lines
are blurred. David Hieatt, founder of The Do Lectures wrote an
eye-opening piece on looking at your life in two ways:
"Imagine on your deathbed you were able to see two films of your
life: One showed highlights of what you actually achieved. And then
the other showed highlights of what you could have achieved with
your ability, your talent, the opportunities that came your way
etc. It would probably bring you to tears to know what else you
could have done. The heights you could have climbed. The people you
could have met. The ideas you could have made happen. The change
you could have made. If only when you had come to the edge, you
hadn't taken that step back to safety. If you had just kept going
after failing that one time. If only you had believed in that crazy
dumb idea enough to tell the world about it. Yes, if only you
hadn't, well, played so damn small."
Imagine how fulfilling your life would be if you stopped taking
those steps back to safety and did everything you've always dreamed
of doing.
Find meaning
A key indicator in a person's happiness is having meaning and
wider purpose in their role. Having an impact and feeling like you
are contributing positively matters more to workers than salary,
location and prospects. It's time we all started working to make a
difference rather than working to make a living, not only to find
balance in our work and everyday lives, but to develop more
meaningful businesses.
Success ≠ happiness (happiness = success)
A common misconception is that if we work hard,
happiness will follow. That once we become successful only then can
we be truly happy. People wait around for that pay rise or
promotion to bring success so they can eventually afford that new
car and buy their way to happiness. However studies tell us that
once our basic needs are met, money has very little impact on our
happiness levels. So if you're working tirelessly for financial
'success', then chances are you'll be disappointed.
Don't defer your happiness to a later date that may
never come. Life is short. Enjoy the journey as well as the
destination. This means you can love each day, not the finish
line.
At The Happy
Startup School, we're helping people strive for their dreams
and to find more meaning in their lives. We've seen first hand that
too much of the business world focuses on the mechanics of business
and the fastest way to make profit. Whilst it's good to move fast
and stay lean, it's time we made our businesses more human and in
the process give employees, customers and stakeholders the
happiness we all deserve.
Our aim is to change the face
of business by encouraging more people to tap into their passion,
and find meaning in their lives through entrepreneurship. Our hope
is that we can encourage people to leave jobs they're unfulfilled
in and take control of their lives. To stop dreaming, start
doing.
There
is a better way to do business, and it's forward
thinking companies like Zappos.com, Patagonia and Southwest
Airlines who are leading the way. They're making happiness their
business model, placing more focus on their people and passion,
which as it happens, drives
profits.
We've
been exploring different ways we can educate startups so budding
entrepreneurs can build sustainable businesses of the
future. The Happy Startup Canvas is
a framework we've developed to help startups define their DNA and
lay some foundations for a sustainable business. It places emphasis
on the (long neglected) human side of business, such as your values
and purpose. We've put on workshops and meetups in Central London
for budding entrepreneurs where we provide them with the tools,
knowledge and support network they need to build happy startups of
their own and with this, we've given people the opportunity to meet
like minded souls, the next generation of changemakers, many of
whom swap skills to help one another reach their business
goals.
In
September we're excited to be hosting our first Happy Startup Summercamp, a
day of hands-on learning with some of the most inspiring people we
know - speakers such as Nic Marks and Henry Stewart. All with the
aims of sharing knowledge, skills and connections with the people
that may need it most - budding entrepreneurs and early stage
business owners looking to build the best companies of the
future.
Laurence McCahill is founder of The Happy
Startup School. If you'd like to be a part of their Happy
Startup Summercamp, sign up with the promocode 'HAPPINESS' and
receive 10% discount across all tickets. 10% of all profits go to
Action for Happiness
Tags:
Be part of something bigger, At work