Essay Sample on Happiness and Successs

The two ideas of success and happiness could seem to be related when someone looks at them at first glance, but in the real sense, they are completely different and define different aspects of the world. The first difference between the two is that whereas happiness is a feeling, success is not. Being successful means to achieve the planned goals and desired visions. Success can also be the attainment of prosperity, wealth, and fame. Secondly, a person does not necessarily need to be successful in order to be happy, since there are different elements that make different people happy, and they vary from one person to another. Success, on the other hand, is not an emotion, but rather a judgment, and different people could have varying definitions for success. When we say that an individual is successful or not successful, then that is a way of evaluating that individual, and deciding whether the person measure up to a certain standard. That, therefore, means that success is an opinion. Thus, it is essential to see the difference that exists in the two things, or someone could end up missing on the meaning of happiness. Success is a component of happiness, but happiness is not necessarily a component of success. Happiness is more important than success, and it is through happiness that a person becomes successful.

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Uusiautti states that "success can be considered as the complete expression of mastery in any area of life" (2). There are certain psychological concepts that have to be considered when conducting research about success, and such concepts should foster positive emotions acquired through becoming aware and learning to direct one's feelings and inner drive, and they form the core of success. There are many theories trying to connect performance and mastery, and they can be viewed from a success standpoint. Various concepts defining human motives, action, and outcomes fill psychological research, and all of them can be seen as a manifestation of performance and mastery, but success, as suggested here, is their common denominator.

To justify such allegations, an individual could look at the example of a workplace scenario. The commitment and involvement of a happy person to the workplace will not go unnoticed by the colleagues. Boehm and Sonja affirms that managers who have a positive mood at their work are most likely to receive more rewards from their supervisors (105). Furthermore, there exists a small relationship between well-being and income, such that an increase in well-being leads to an increase in income. In fact, scholars have made a stronger association between well-being and income that education and income; however, at higher-income levels, there are additional factors that moderate the relationship between income and well-being, such as an individual's expectations, desires, and social comparisons. Therefore, the link between happiness and income is only high for those with low income.

Equally important, there are several rewards that employees accrue from their state of being happy, not only material but also in terms of interpersonal rewards. For example, according to Boehm and Sonja, people who more often experience positive emotions get more social support from supervisors and colleagues (105). That can be explained that generally, it is pleasing to help people who are positive and cheerful. Again, coworkers could be willing to offer support because workers who are happy tend to be more cooperative. For instance, happy CEOs with managerial teams who are also high in positive attitude have relatively more cooperation and less conflict than unhappy CEOs.

Besides, individuals with a positive nature are more likely to be evaluated favorably with their friends compared to those who lack such dispositions. Women who expressed more sincere positive emotions in their calendar photos are judged to be more pleasant, sociable, and warm as opposed to those who showed less sincere positive emotions (Boehm & Sonja 121). Besides, when the judges got asked to interact with the women showed in the photos, they gave different responses depending on whether the emotions shown by the women on the photos were genuine. The judges showed more positive expectations and greater interest in the interactions towards the women who expressed in their photos genuine positive emotions. The judges were used in this study to determine the association between positive emotions and judgement.

In other words, happy people appear to be more likable and popular that unhappy people and that explains why interpersonal exchanges are more rewarding for people who have a high positive affect (Boehm & Sonja 105). There are three kinds of levels in happiness: gratification and pleasure, an embodiment of virtues and strengths, and meaning and purpose. While having a pleasant life could bring more positive emotions to an individual, they needs to explore the realm of meaning to foster a deeper, more enduring happiness. If a person does not apply their unique strengths and develop their virtues towards an end bigger than themselves, one's potential tends to be carved away by ordinary, false, empty pursuit of pleasure.

In considering the two elements of success and happiness, an individual should realize that success does not cause happiness, but rather it is happiness that makes people be successful. It is through happiness that people get a positive attitude, a key motivator for undertaking new goals, and becoming successful in achieving them. Individuals in a positive mood are better placed to work towards achieving their goals, as they tend to feel energized, optimistic, and confident when they are enthusiastic, and they become sociable and friendly. People who are joyful are attractive not only in the physical sense but also in other aspects. A happy person is likely to seek out other people and become more open to others. Therefore, happiness plays an essential role in one's life, and it is the key to success.

Also, the study by Boehm and Sonja argued that the key reason why people get fired from a job is that they have poor communication and disagreements with their colleagues, and that has been proven to be so true. For example, students who are assigned group assignments at school find it easier to communicate to and work with the students whose attitudes are positive and are optimistic, rather than those who are always depressed. It is easier working with those who had a positive attitude towards the project since they are highly motivated (Boehm & Sonja 117). Happiness makes a person be more willing to tackle the assigned task; however difficult it may be; thus, making the group be successful in the project.

Equally important, there are several people who make the mistake of thinking that happiness and success are similar and almost directly proportional to each other; however, that is not the case in reality, and it is essential to understand the difference between success and happiness. It is great to be successful, but not at the cost of happiness. Success will not always fetch happiness, but when someone is happy, then they will increase their likeliness of being successful.

For example, the 21st century is a time of competition, and everyone is trying to run a race without the knowledge of where they are going or how the finish line looks like. Happiness, in most of the cases, is related to a person achieving their goals or having some material possessions that are tangible. Therefore, happiness comes with validity. Looking around, someone might see a colleague who just bought a new car or another friend who just got a promotion at work, and they look extremely happy. Taking a closer look at their lives, they might realize that the individuals are actually just putting on facades while deep inside, they are not happy. The colleague who got a promotion at work may be feeling overburdened by the meetings and the more stringent deadlines in the new job, suffering from high blood pressure and not getting enough sleep at night. The friend who bought a new car could actually have stretched his limits to maintain a status quo in society. However, it should be noted that even though there are people who are happy and able to acquire material wealth at the same time, the two are not mutually exclusive.

To make things simpler, have a look at the following points if they could make it easier districting between happiness and success. Take an example of an individual who immediately after graduation from college at the age of 21, lands a decent job. Due to her efficiency at work, she gets salary increase and promotions. As a result of the nature of the workplace, the person travels to a few places which are paid for by the company. Sadly, due to the busy meetings in London, she never got to enjoy the nightlife or sit by the Thames because of the early meetings she was to attend in the morning. Her life is always in a tight schedule and driven with plans. In this case, the person is successful, but she is not actually happy. It, therefore, confirms the point that success does not necessarily lead to happiness. There is always an important task that cannot wait or a deadline that has to be met. Try to think - can life wait for her? Perhaps not. According to Otken and Gul, "providing balance between work and life have positive impacts including employee commitment, reduced absenteeism, reduced anxiety and depression, and reduced job stress among others (47).

People ought to fuel themselves with passion instead of being fueled by plans. During those office trips, the person needed to take out time for herself and experience the best that the place has to offer. This will automatically improve her productivity, and she will have a fresh approach to everything that she tackles. One thing she would realize is that it is worth taking the time to get to know herself and get to know what she is actually passionate about. If the meetings and the deadlines are still stressing her, then it is about time to rethink about her job.

From the case of this individual, it is important to note that happiness does not only benefit the individuals themselves, but it is also good for society. Uusiautti states that happy people are open, trusting, courageous, helpful, non-materialistic, friendly, pro-social, cooperative, other-centered, and benevolent (3). The positive feeling of using one's strength is ultimately connected to authenticity. It is where authentic experiences and strengths are connected to well-being and happiness, but they are also connected to the phenomenon of success. Success is a component of happiness, but happiness is not necessarily a component of success. The commitment and involvement of a happy person to the workplace will not go unnoticed by the colleagues. There are also several rewards that employees accrue from their state of being happy, not only material but also in terms of interpersonal rewards. Besides, individuals with a positive nature are more likely to be evaluated favorably with their friends compared to those who lack such dispositions. Happiness is more important than success, and it is through happiness that a person becomes successful.

Works Cited

Boehm, Julia K., and Sonja Lyubomirsky. "Does happiness promote career success?." Journal of career assessment 16.1 (2008): 101-116. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1069072707308140. Accessed 26 April, 2020.

Otken, A. B., and Gul Selin Erben. "The relationship between work-life balance and happiness from the perspectives of generation X and Y." Humanities and Social Science Review 2.4 (2013): 45-53. http://www.academia.edu/download/34299532/H3V456.pdf. Accessed 30 April, 2020.