Success & Happiness

Anthony WilliamsTiffany Mitchell

Laurie Fitzpatrick

Money CAN buy Happiness

•‘08-’09 Gallup survey of 450,000 Americans

• Happiness got better as income rose but leveled out at 75K

• US ranked 9th in “satisfaction” behind Scandinavia, Canada, the Netherlands,

Switzerland and New Zealand

• Over all sense of success/well being continued to rise as earnings rose beyond

75K

Money CAN buy Happiness

• ‘05-’06 Gallup survey of 136,000 people from 132 countries

• Most equated day-to-day happiness with feelings of respect, autonomy, and

having close family and friends

• People with high salaries were happier with their lives overall

Money CAN buy Happiness

• 2008 Dunn/Larkin survey of 600 Americans

• Spending more money on others generated greater feelings of happiness than spending it on

themselvesAre you happier giving your money away or spending it on yourself?

Success vs. Happiness

People Prefer Happiness

How do I know this?

It Plays Out In The Movies

We Go On Vacations/Sabbaticals To Find It

If happiness is maximized everyday, we wouldn’t need to “get away”. We may just want to explore instead

The show Raddical Sabbatical exists for people who radically leave successful careers for happier lives

Successful People Still Long For It

Escapism- Richard Branson, Johnny Depp Plastic Surgery- Heidi Montag, Michael JacksonDrug Abuse- Amy Winehouse, Lindsey LohanAdoption- Brangelina, MadonnaMultiple Marriages- Elizabeth Taylor, Halle BerrySuicide- Alexander McQueen

So What Makes A Happy Life?Some Possible Ingredients…..

Ease Of Lifestyle

Freedom To Live As You Choose

Fulfilling Companionship

Total Satisfaction and Well Being

Continuous Joy and/or Laughter

Comfortable Surroundings

Fruitful Legacy

Bringing Happiness To Others

Self Esteem

How Has Success Confused Us?

We believe it will bring us freedomWe believe it will bring us comfortWe believe it will bring us companionshipWe believe it will bring us self esteemWe believe it will bring us a fruitful legacy

What Value Does Success Have?

It May Generate Resources To Sustain A Desired Lifestyle

It Provides A Temporary Boost To The Ego There Is Fulfillment In Doing Something WellIt May Give Us Temporary Power And Control

What’s Getting In The Way?

Focusing on success rather than happinessNot knowing what we really want in lifeBelieving happiness is unattainableSacrificing happiness for the sake of others

Keys To Happiness Expand your mind and believe

nearly anything is possible Pursue what makes you happy

and success will follow Focus on your abilities rather

than disabilities Make tradeoffs to get what

you really want out of life Share your wealth

What Positive Psychology tells us aboutHappiness & Success

Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD Positive Psychology Movement Harvard Lecturer - “Happiness” Course Author of Happier Findings backed up by research

Happiness

“The Ultimate Currency” Ben-Shahar

“Infinitely regressive why”

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”

- Aristotle From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

Rat Race • Hedonism • Nihilism • Happiness

These archetypes represent types, not actual individuals.

We all display different combinations and degrees of the characteristics of each of the archetypes at different times.

“Happiness” archetype represents an ideal.

From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

The Archetypes

The Archetypes

The Rat-Race Archetype Future focused I’ll be happy when… Focused on extrinsic rewards

MoneyGood GradesGetting ahead

From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

The Archetypes

The Hedonism Archetype Present focused Seeks pleasure, avoids pain Feels good in the moment without future

concern Lacks long-term purpose and challenge

From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

The Archetypes

The Nihilism Archetype Given up on happiness Resigned to the belief that life has no

meaning Attachment to past failures Presently unhappy and expects the

same in the future

From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

The Archetypes

The Happiness Archetype Present and future focused How can I be happy now and in the

future Enjoy the journey toward a valuable

destination Work at something they love Activities have both present & future

benefitFrom Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

Rat Race Happiness

Nihilism Hedonism

In which quadrant or two do you spend most of your time? From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

Benefit+

+ Benefit

Detriment -

-Detrime

nt

FUTUREPRESEN

TThe Archetypes

Happiness at WorkAmy Wrzsniewski & Colleagues: We experience work as

A Job A chore, perceived as something we have to rather than

want to do

A Career Extrinsic rewards - money, advancement, power, prestige

A Calling Work as an end in itself. Money and advancement

important, but we derive personal fulfillment from the work

Do you see your work as a job, a career, or a calling?

From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

Happiness - a means and an end…

Happiness

Success

From Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar

"As you climb the ladder of success, check occasionally to make sure it is leaning against the right wall." Anonymous

"All I ask for is an opportunity to prove that money doesn't buy happiness.” Anonymous

"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” Franklin Roosevelt