Big Idea 2013: The Year We Measure Our Happiness
Bernard Marr
?? Internationally Best-selling #Author?? #KeynoteSpeaker?? #Futurist?? #Business, #Tech & #Strategy Advisor
We all want to be happy, right? But what makes us truly happy? Is it love or money, more time to enjoy the things we like. Or is it our careers, health or generosity to others? I guess it is a balance between a few or all of these things. And I also think that the balance might be different for each of us and might shift throughout our lives.
Anyway, how many of us would say we are truly happy? A simple glance at the list of New Year's resolutions gives us some indication that maybe we are completely happy or we are not getting the balance right. About half of us will make a New Year's resolution at the end of this year and it is likely to be along the lines of: Lose weight, spend less and save more, enjoy life to the fullest, stay fit and healthy, learn something new, fall in love, or spend more time with the family, etc.
We get a similar list when you ask people what they would do if they won the lottery. People usually say things like travel more, get in shape (via personal trainer), eat healthy (via personal chef), read more books, learn something new like an instrument or a new language, or give more to others.
In my job, I help companies set goals and create measurement system to manage performance towards those goals. The point I always make it that unless they measure and monitor whether they are achieving their goals, these goals just stay fluffy dreams (see here for more). They are, in essence, a bit like most of our New Year's resolutions, which last a few weeks and then we forget about them. So, the idea is that by measuring it we are more likely to achieve it. As the old adage goes “You get what you measure!"
Just think of Weight Watchers – people who join tend to lose more weight and tend to keep it off for longer, compared to the rest of us who try to go it alone. The reason: Progress towards goals is measured and monitored.
So my idea for 2013 is that you measure your happiness. When I say measure, I don’t mean you create an actual set of indicators for it (this might be a bit of an overkill) — but it would be good to start appreciating and being more aware of the different elements that make you happy. It might be a good idea to simply check, maybe once a week, how you are doing.
This might make you realise that we often take our health for granted until we lose it. Then we realise that without health all the money in the world or the best career mean nothing. Maybe it will make you realise that a career without love and friendship will also not make you truly happy. Maybe it will make you do some of the things that actually make us happy such as spending more time with your friends, your partner or your kids. Maybe it will make you learn something new, be more generous to others, travel more, or anything else that will make you happy.
What do you think? Is this a good idea? What is it that makes you happy? Where do you think you could get a better balance by monitoring your happiness?
Help us spread the word and share this post so more of us will measure and improve their happiness in 2013! It could be a very happy 2013…
And as always, please feel free to connect
Via the Advanced Performance Institute: https://www.ap-institute.com
Via LinkedIn: www.dhirubhai.net/in/bernardmarr
Via Twitter: #bernardmarr
Procurement, Leadership and Supply Chain Management Professional
11 年Being developed in my work and career will make me feel happy and excited. Helping others to achieve their goals makes me happy. Being appreciated on my hard work, efforts, professions and skills also makes me happy. Observing my kids developing and raising in their live in a wealth and peaceful environment makes me too happy.
Content writer | Health & beauty, regulated & financial services
11 年this is what i am going to track in 2013. leaving my big corporate job this year and relocating, in search of better quality of life and life work balance
Business Apps Professional: Low code / No code Solutions, Business Analysis, Analytics, Team Mentorship
11 年Thanks for this article Bernard. As you pointed out, 'what gets measured, gets done!', I believe successful measurement of goals begins with an indepth definition 'tangible' goals. However, I am not so sure this can be applied to such intangibles as happiness, love, and other attributes of human emotions. As humans, we are unique in how we manage our emotions, which makes it very difficult to define in a meaningful way to be measured. What might make me happy today, is not necessarily what makes me happy tomorrow. A good example: a newly married couple are the happiest in the world at the beginning of their marriage simply because of things they confessed to each other they both like. Fast forward 5, maybe 10yrs and those same 'metric' could become the downfall of their marriage (for some) - those loving laughter suddenly becoming annoying, etc. Now imagine sticking to those identified 'metric' of their happiness. Before an attempt at measuring happiness, let's understand the issue itself - how should we define happiness? What is happiness? Don't forget that what measured, gets done, get compared! We all know performance measurement is nothing without comparisons. Thus, a universal, agreed definition of happiness to aid comparisons of individual however dimensions we want. You see? It's getting complicated :-)
Marketing In Asia 70 Rising Personalities on Linked In in Malaysia 2020 | Malaysia Top 100 Talent Awards Outstanding Women Empowerment Advocate of the Year 2021| Influencer |Emcee
11 年Great article!Thank you for sharing Mr Bernard