It’s more apparent to me than ever that we, as a society, have a major problem on our hands.
We continue to be sold on the idea that it’s external successes that’ll bring us happiness.
How do I know this?
Take a look around.
Everywhere I look this is what I see…
“Buy this program and you’ll have the body you want”.
“Create your own business and you’ll have complete freedom to do what you want.”
“Complete this training and you’ll make lots of money.”
External successes promising us results that’ll make us happy.
An equation that’s faulty, that doesn’t work, and only seems to be getting worse.
I see people I know personally or in the public eye who externally appear successful yet they’re in and out of rehab.
Many of them battling drug addition.
Others who appear to externally have it all, battling with depression.
And worst of all, those I see, those we see as having everything, externally, take their own lives.
And yet this equation (external success = happiness) continuous.
Buy this, get that.. success!
Create this, feel that.. success!
Complete this, have that.. success!
The ultimate failure is success without fulfillment.
I should know, I use to chase every external success I could.
Because that’s what I believed would make me happy.
More money, business, dates, travel, toys, you name it.
The more I had, the less fulfilled I felt.
And the less fulfilled I felt, the more I felt I needed.
Such a fucked up cycle.
The solution to my unhappiness was always “more”.
It wasn’t until I personally changed the equation for myself (because society wasn’t about to do it for me) from.. “External Success = Happiness” to “Internal Happiness = Success” that I truly began to feel happy and fulfilled.
External success will never provide me with internal happiness.
What will however is gratitude and focus.
Being grateful for all I have, and I mean the smallest of things that are easy take for granted.
Health, family, running water, a roof over my head, food on the table.
This level of gratitude brings me tremendous internal happiness.
Next is focus.
Focusing on all I do have versus what I don’t have.
Focusing on what I’ve achieved and accomplished versus what others have achieved and accomplished.
Difficult to do, I know.
Especially in today’s day and age of social media.
Although it’s a must that I do because comparison will rob me of my achievements, my successes, and my happiness.
It’s time we change the success and happiness equation.
More in this episode of my Mornings With Mike podcast.
Thanks for being here.
You’re awesome…
Cheers!
Mike
