The World-Class achieves happiness from being and becoming, not acquiring and possessing

“The human spirit needs to accomplish, to achieve, to triumph, to be happy.” – Ben Stein

While average people are on a psychological manhunt for happiness, the world-class ranks recognize that happiness cannot be pursued directly. The great ones know happiness is a byproduct of living life to the fullest. The pros forget chasing happiness and turn their attention to fulfilling the vision they have carefully constructed. Happiness eludes the masses because they haven’t invested the time and energy to study the animal. The masses repeatedly attempt to create happiness from the outside in, whereas the great ones know sustained happiness stems from being and becoming, not acquiring and possessing. Average people have mastered short-term happiness, easily gained through instant gratification mechanisms such as eating, spending money, or engaging in any pleasurable activity. The world-class invests a substantial amount of time insuring their future happiness by creating congruency between who they are, what they’re doing, and where they’re going. Champions are masters at doing such things as marrying the right person, selecting jobs they love and building friendships with people they admire and respect. As a result, they indirectly develop an incredible sense of gratitude and happiness.

Action step for today

Ask this critical thinking question: “If you could be, have and do anything you wanted, what would that look like?” Write or type a one-page essay describing your answer. Forget any self-imposed or perceived limits. Write this essay as if anything were possible.

World-Class Resource

Read The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People, by David Niven, Ph.D