I deeply connected to the message in an email I recently received from Diederik Wolsak and felt compelled to share it directly below:
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
Says Diederik,"Isn’t it wonderful how there are always other ways of seeing anything. The way I see this is exactly reversed: the purpose of life IS to be happy and out of that happiness flows a life of being useful, honorable, compassionate. If I am not happy what good would all these laudable behaviours really do? .... I am not ‘happy’ because I ‘work’ in a magnificent center in Costa Rica or a spectacular place in France, no, I find myself in these places because I am happy. I am not happy because I have an amazing team around me and incredible partner, no, it is because I am happy that these are in my life. Don’t be afraid to make being happy the sole purpose of your life, we’ll all benefit from that decision."
*Diederik is the founder and program director for Choose Again.
Is happiness helping you create the success you're seeking? The idea that happiness is the result of what we do is truly backward. Is there a causal link between happiness and success? Whether a researcher's perspective is psychological, neurological, or spiritual (the perspective that Diederik brings), the answer is unequivocal: Happiness creates positive outcomes. It's not the other way around!
Consider investing in yourself to truly understand what brings you joy and how you can use that awareness to increase revenue and kick your life and career into high gear. Whether through one-on-one coaching, or a cost-effective group coaching program, what you discover will help the work you do feel effortless! Click here to learn more.
Pete Colgan works with sales and marketing professionals who want strategies to handle the stresses of their profession so they can create successful, happy lives.