Aloha!
As you know, I am on vacation in Maui. As I write this, I am watching the sun rise behind the mountains, listening to the waves crash and enjoying the small birds that are landing on my balcony railing.
Yes, it is just another day in tropical paradise.
And yet, I am compelled to write... to share what is on my mind.
Because with all the success I have enjoyed, I am reminded that there is one thing I possess that cannot be bought.
It cannot be downloaded.
It cannot be gained by networking at a seminar.
It cannot be auctioned on eBay.
It is happiness.
What is the purpose of our pursuit for success?
Why do we work so hard?
What do we expect to find at the finish line?
Certainly, financial security is a priority. Not having to worry about how you are going to pay your mortgage, car payment, electricity, grocery bill, etc, is a major motivator for achievement.
But what happens once you have attained that goal?
The history books and newspapers are riddled with stories of prosperous people who led absolutely miserable lives.
Don't believe me? Just read the National Enquirer. (Those stores ARE true, aren't they?)
But seriously, surveys of individuals who have won the lottery or come into a great inheritance have revealed that many people don't know how to handle success... they crater under the weight of their prosperity.
I guess it is a time where you really need to know who your friends are, right?
So where does happiness fit into the big picture?
Well, as I write I think that perhaps happiness is the wrong word.
After all, to have happiness you have to have happenings.
In other words, happiness comes as the results of something that happens to you, whether through circumstances or through other people.
But happiness is a feeling. It is fleeting. Here today, gone tomorrow.
In order to have continued happiness, you must have ongoing happenings to bring you that happiness.
Does that make sense?
Perhaps the better word is "contentment"
It's the sense of knowing that you are in the right place doing the right things with the right people at the right time.
It's more than a feeling. It's a state of being that can abide even if there isn't something taking place at a given moment to make you feel happy.
While I believe it is important to pursue your success however you define it, I hope you would add contentment to the list of ultimate goals.
This explains how I can work while sitting on my balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
I am content working when I want to, not because I have to.
I am content sharing what I have learned hoping that at least one person will be inspired.
How about you? I'm always eager to hear your comments. Please take a moment and enter them below.
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