How to be Happy and Successful
How to be Happy and Successful
In order to be happy and successful, it is necessary to be in balance. Your life is made up of parts, and the parts have to be in a harmonious relationship with one another.
A life that is out of balance, is one that accentuates one element at the expense of another. One part is out of balance with other elements.
For example, a person may over emphasise their work, at the expense of their health. Or a person may over emphasise their hobby, at the expense of their career.
Another way to become unbalanced, is by neglect.
Your life is made up of elements, and all must be attended to in turn. It is very common for trouble to appear, because of neglect.
Neglect is a difficult error to see, because neglect is not a positive action, but the failure to take a positive action.
- Many people neglect their health, until it becomes an issue.
- Many people neglect their partner's needs, until it becomes an issue.
- Many people neglect their career progression, until their lack of progression becomes an issue.
Neglect is a pernicious and deadly enemy, because it is silent and subtle.
One of the reasons for setting goals, it to offset the tendency for us to neglect those things that shouldn't be neglected.
Goal-setting is the antidote to two psychological diseases: Drifting and neglect.
We need to achieve a balance. We need to set goals in all major elements of our lives.
Our lives are composed of subset elements. Most of us have the following subset elements.
- Work.
- Rest and recuperation.
- Family.
- Romantic love.
- Health and vitality
- Hobbies and personal interests
- Further education.
Let us take a quick look at each:
Work.
Most people need to work. We need to work in order to earn money. Those lucky few who don't need to work for money, usually work for other reasons. Productive work, for most people is a necessity and forms an important part of our lives. So, work related goals, are an important part of our overall goal-setting formula.
Rest and recuperation.
Work is an expenditure of energy, and that energy needs to be replaced. So, there has to be a strong element of recuperation and rest, alongside work. Too much work, without adequate rest is detrimental to life balance. So, it is important to set up a system to ensure you have sufficient rest and recuperation.
Insufficient rest and recuperation will cause problems.
Family life.
We all have some form of family life. We make the assumption that your family is the cause of much pleasure and pain. If your family life is going well, things in general feel better. If your family life is not going well then everything feels harder. So, it is important NOT to neglect family life. There needs to be some positive goal-setting to improve family life.
Romantic love.
Not everyone has a romantic love affair, but most people would like one. Romantic love means your life partner, or spouse. Again, neglect in this area causes problems. Do not neglect your romantic partner. Set goals to improve your romantic relationships. Be active, not passive in the romancing of your loved one. Do NOT neglect romance. Set clear goals that are designed to improve your romantic love affair.
Health and vitality.
Your physical health is of value to you. And so, you need to set goals to maintain and improve your physical condition. The neglect of physical health is a very common cause of ill-health. According to the Lancet medical journal, in the UK, 67% of men and 57% of women are either overweight or obese.
It is important NOT to neglect your health, but rather, to set goals and targets for the achievement of high levels of good health and vitality.
Hobbies and personal interests.
Most of us have our own personal hobbies and interests. Some are interested in football. Others in guitar. Others into photography. Some people like to collect fossils. Everyone has a hobby or an interest. And it is good for everyone to foster an interest in things that are NOT work related. It is good for your sense of fun and individuality.
Again, neglect is easy. It is easy to neglect your hobby.
Bob says he wants to play the piano, but he never practices piano.
Kathryn says she wants to be a writer, but she never writes anything.
Neglecting hobbies is easy, because they are not important, nor pressing. You can always put it off.
Don't neglect your hobby. Make a goal and a plan to achieve it.
Further education.
Education is important. Especially these days. The world is changing so quickly, that further and continuing education is an important part of your success, or lack of it.
Nobody knows enough. There is always more to learn. You can learn more about your work, more about your hobby, more about the planet you live on.
Do not neglect your further education. Many people do. For many people, when they finish school, or university, they figure that is the end of their education. But your future depends on what you know, and you can never be too knowledgeable.
Set goals to become more knowledgeable in areas that are important to you and your family.
Setting the right balance.
We all have these elements in our lives. And we should not neglect any one of them, we also need to create the right balance between them.
An important question is, what is the right balance between the different elements of my life?
There is no one right answer to that question: because every life is unique, every personality is unique and life has its seasons.
So, there is no one right answer to the question: "What is the right balance?"
For example: An unmarried, younger person, who has no children, has a different balance than say, a married person, who has two children.
There is no ONE right answer to the question of "What is the right balance between these life elements?"
The answer is, each person must decide for themselves what is the ideal balance: the main thing is that nothing is neglected, and everything is related to everything else, in a harmonious fashion.
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About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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