Success

What does success mean for you?  Usually we measure success by profit, promotions, expansion, etc.  All this is fine and useful and not to be ignored but I want you to consider a different angle.What do you want this success to give you?Perhaps security, or to support your family, maybe you imagine that a certain level of success will provide a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction, you may even feel it is your duty to be successful; all of these can be true and worthy reasons for success.  But…What will you get if all of these become true?At some level what we are all looking for happiness and well-being; it is that simple.  We do what we do with the idea that it will lead to or provide happiness.  Call me crazy but my highest measurement for success is happiness.  Let’s measure your happiness.Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your work provided happiness?What happens in your work when you are happy?  Does it change the functional success of your work and business?  How do your co-workers and associates, customers, clients, patients respond when you are in a happy frame of reference?We can even extend this concept beyond ourselves.  Not that we can make anyone else happy, but perhaps we can provide an environment that encourages and promotes happiness.  What if all those who come in contact with your business experience an increase in happiness?What does it feel like to be in a happy environment?  Do you suspect that customers are more likely to trust and return to a happy business?Do you believe that you could create an environment that promoted happiness for yourself?  For others?Most of us don’t, or have been taught that it is not possible.  Some of us may have tried, usually we try to make everyone else happy and then get frustrated when it doesn’t work.  Ironically we have to start with ourselves.  Leadership trickles down, how we are is how our employees will tend to be.To have a happy business and work life you have to be willing to please yourself, to create a business that you would love to be in, maybe even one that you would look forward to walking in the door to.  Of course, there will always be challenges and struggles but an environment geared toward happiness will have systems built in to resolve conflict.For most people the problem begins with being able to be happy, to please themselves.  This may take some willingness to look at yourself, see what kinds of baggage and beliefs you are carrying that might get in the way of being happy or taking care of yourself.  There are many avenues to pursue this inquiry: look for teachers, coaches, therapists, mentors…  Find someone you resonate with, someone who supports you in success. You may have to make several attempts to find that right person for you.Would you be willing to take a look into yourself if it would bring greater happiness?Once you have your internal business cleared up for happiness you can begin by asking yourself what kind of external business you would like to walk into every day.  What would it look like?  What would make it more fun or enjoyable for you?  Even just small adjustments over time can make a huge difference.Some things that have made a huge difference with some of my clients:

• For a doctor who loved the personal connection with his patients an extra 5 minutes in the schedule for each patient.  Guess how that affected referrals?
• For the unhappy team, creating a context and agreement for leaving our home lives at the door (the team loves it now that they understand the benefit to them).
• For another, it was hiring a business manager that could really manage.
• For another team it was learning a new method for dealing with mistakes.
• It could be as simple as décor, or snacks, or communication principals.

In my experience each time we refresh and recreate our work life to provide more happiness we become more successful not just in happiness but even in the traditional measurements.Each of us can find things that bring more happiness to our business and our lives.  What would happen if you gave even a small part of the time and energy you give to having a successful business and work life to having a happy one?