Does Success Lead to Happiness??
In the last few articles we explored why being rich does not lead to happiness or financial freedom. So the next question begs, if money doesnt lead to happiness then what does? Does the answer lie in Success?
From a young age we have been thought that the path to happiness is Hard Work → Good Education →Good job →Work harder == Success — -> Happiness →Happy Retired life .
In this article , I want to explore the myth that we have always fed that Success leads to Happiness. If that is the case, then why does many super successful multimillionaire artists overdose on drugs at a young age or why does my uneducated grandmother who raised 7 girls in a male dominated society and minimal means feels so blessed and happy each day of her life. What explains this paradox? Lets dive in
There was a harvard study that was conducted over 75 years on happiness and success. They interviewed students of Harvard ( definitely some of the best in the country) as well as a group inner city kids from boston and they followed their personal and careers through 75 years and the results of the study are astonishing.
The people with the most fulfilled lifes are not the people who had the best education or achieved great success in their jobs or made the most money but the single factor that determined the level of happiness & fulfilment with life is how many friends and family they surrounded themselves with along the journey.
So bottom line of the study — if you want to be happy —” call a friend” today. Its the quality of relationships not quantity that determine the level of happiness. This is one possible explanation why my grandmother with no means feels she has a more fulfilled life than people who have achieved so called success in life. She has 7 kids and 10 grandkids and a huge extended family who make it a point to visit her / stay with her / talk to her daily even now when she is in her 90s.
Does this mean we should abandon all hard work and education? Definitely not. Hard work / Education / Job / Money are needed tools to live a joyful live but they are just that — tools.
True happiness or joy comes from doing things that we are passionate about along with people whom we love & respect and finding a purpose beyond ourselves.
In this example, my grandmom wanted to educate her girls and make them independent women (that was her purpose in life). She achieved success on her purpose despite all the obstacles she faced because she and my granddad were a team and together they put all their effort in the pursuit of this purpose.
