GET SUCCESS

Happiness, rather than working hard, is the key to success, according to research published today. Cheerful people are more likely to try new things and challenge themselves, which reinforces positive emotion and leads to success in work, good relationships and strong health, say psychologists.

The findings suggest that happiness is not a "feelgood" luxury, but is essential to people's wellbeing. What is more, happiness can also extend across an entire nation, with people in "happy" nations being more likely to have pro-democratic attitudes and a keenness to help others.

The link between happiness and success was investigated by a team from the University of California Riverside, led by Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky.

First, they analysed questionnaires that ask people about multiple aspects of their lives. "For example, they show that happy people tend to earn higher incomes," said Prof Lyubomirsky. Having established the link, they wanted to discover the cause.

"Almost always it has been assumed that things that correlate with happiness are the causes of happiness, but it could be just the opposite - that those things tend to be caused by happiness," said Professor Ed Diener from the University of Illinois, another author on the paper.

Other studies revealed that having a sunny outlook on life appeared to precede good fortune.

"There was strong evidence that happiness leads people to be more sociable and more generous, more productive at work, to make more money, and to have stronger immune systems," said Prof Lyubomirsky.

Meanwhile, experimental studies showed that an instant injection of high-spirits could generate success. "Inducing a happy effect leads people to make more money in a computer simulation."

The research shows that while success can put a spring in someone's step, people need happiness in the first place to achieve success.

According to the study, around four out of five people in modern industrialised nations are happy at any one time.

Success was not just about earning lots of money. "We define success as obtaining the things that culture or society values, whether it be friends, close family, money and income, or longevity," said Prof Diener.

However, sorrowful people are not condemned to a life of failure.

"Our work suggests that sad people should try to increase the frequency of positive emotions in their lives by doing things that make them feel happy, even temporarily," said Prof Lyubomirsky, whose research is published in the Psychological Bulletin today.

But there is a caveat: your happiness boosters should not be dangerous, like driving fast, or counter-productive, like eating lots of chocolate.

If you can raise your spirits, the benefits can be manifold. "Happy people are more likeable and more sociable. They are also better able to cope with stress and likely to be healthier and live longer."

Nor is happiness just an individual pursuit. Happy nations, full of happy people, are more likely to be successful than unhappy nations. "People in happy nations trust others more and want to cooperate with their neighbours," said Prof Diener.

Governments could keep a smile on their citizens' faces by ensuring safety and stability.

"Although nations cannot live people's lives and force them to be happy, they can create conditions - for example, parks, reasonable weekly work hours, a health infrastructure, and good transportation - that influence people's happiness," he added.

For governments and individuals alike, it seems, happiness is more than just a hedonistic pleasure.

Goal-setting, especially having the proper tools to structure goals, is crucial for long-term achievement. The usual problem, though, is not setting goals but completing them.
While a vision involves creativity and foresight, goals require strategy and dedication.

An extensive study on goal-setting by Marshall Goldsmith and Laurence Lyons helps us understand an essential component: why people give up on goals. Here, according to Goldsmith and Lyons, are six of the most common reasons people give up on goals--the inverse is success insurance:

1. Lack of Ownership. It's necessary to "buy in" to one's goals, to take ownership. Doing so shifts the initiative to an internal point of reference. Then effectiveness and mastery can result.

2. Time. Goal setters tend to underestimate the time it will take to complete the task (an "optimism bias"), leading to giving up.

3. Difficulty. The optimism bias equally applies to difficulty as well as time.

4. Distractions. People tend to underestimate the distractions and "noise" of competing goals.

5. Inadequate Rewards. Disappointment sets in when achievement of a goal fails to translate into other goals or to yield the desired happiness.

6. Maintenance. Maintaining changed behavior is difficult, and there is always the pull of the old and the fear of the new.

Create a Map

A successful journey involves three critical steps: determining where you are now, deciding where you want to go, and figuring out how to get there.
Creating a plan and plotting a course allows you to stay on track, recognize and avoid detours and distractions, measure progress, and move effectively toward goals. Without a plan, you cannot know where you are, nor strategize to get to where you want to go. If you don't know where you want to go (a goal), you can't figure out how to get there.

Eleven Steps to Ignite Success

The following steps will guide success when coupled with the blueprint of how to establish specific, attainable goals:

• Have your needs and values in sharp focus.

• Know what you do uniquely well.

• Assess specific strengths, passions and weaknesses

• Establish SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

• Determine three key initiatives to take for each goal (timetable: 1-2 weeks).

• Decide on the next best action for each initiative (timetable: 2-3 days).

• Structure a strategy to reach and stretch each goal.

• Increase tolerance of planned risk with associated fear.

• Focus on specific results, action and momentum regarding goals.

• Continue assessment of disciplined activity with refinement of goals.

• Endorse your progress.

The time frame for each objective must be specified so that the sense of mastery can occur. A goal may have a several month time frame. Each goal should have an initiative that can occur within the next several days, and each initiative should have a next best action, to begin within the next day or do.

Applying SMART Goals to Your Personal Mission Statement

You can use these five key questions to apply SMART goals to your personal mission statement:

WHO?

Who should accomplish the objective? In conjunction with others? Should certain aspects be delegated?

WHAT?

"What must happen" focuses on specific outcomes within a particular time frame to achieve a goal. Each outcome should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

HOW?

"How to accomplish the goal" may be a co-created exploration and discussion of possible approaches and alternatives, but the choice of direction must come from you, because the outcome must belong to you. A commitment needs to result.

WHY?

This exploration clarifies a pathway and precisely determines the goal. If it is unclear or uncertain, the best intention would be a promise you never keep.

WHEN?

The time frame for each objective must be specified so that the sense of mastery can occur. A goal may have a several-month time frame. Each goal should have an initiative that can occur within the next several days, and each initiative should have a next best action, to begin within the next day or do.

By David Krueger, M.D.