In 2013, I first wrote The Happiness Startup, Rules to Live By, a post that went viral and still to date is one of my favorite posts. A year later, I continued the message with The Happiness Startup, Part Deux. Now 5 years later, I decided to write the third act of The Happiness Startup.
This is a subject I can’t resist. The attainment of happiness is the ultimate purpose in life—for yourself and for those you can impact as you make your journey along the path of life. Know that it’s not a journey you can make idly, just wandering from place to place without any sense of purpose or direction.
There are some golden rules you have to understand and pursue, a framework of positive traits you need to embrace so that cosmic energy looks kindly upon you. I’ve been blessed with success many times over and for that I credit my determination to undertake an honorable existence in my personal and professional worlds that leads to true happiness.
Let me share with you some additional rules to those that I’ve posted before—rules that work for me and which I recommend to you.
RESPECT
Respect yourself and others will respect you. When you know who you are, when you’re confident in the inner you it will be a blazing light that illuminates those around you. People will embrace your radiance. They will sense your strength of character and your purpose in life and they will respect and admire you for it.
Always act in accordance with your beliefs. People will then know where you stand and trust you. No-one likes someone who talks out of both sides of their mouth.
INDIVIDUALITY
Be the unique you. You can’t achieve greatness with conformity. You can’t become a leader in your field of endeavor if you follow the pack and do what everyone else is doing. That leads to mediocrity. That’s not you.
When you were born there was no-one else quite like you on this planet of seven billion souls. So, why change? Why fit within the square walls of a box that restricts your uniqueness. Yes, it’s easy to just go along to get along, but it’s worth fighting and winning the battle to be yourself. Break out of the box and do something meaningful; do something that will transform lives; do something that will make your parents proud.
As someone once said: You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.
COURAGE
Be bold. Be brave. Be fearless. Have the courage to fight for what you believe in and to stand up for your rights. Don’t let others define you. Define yourself. Inhale confidence and exhale fear.
Don’t let the detractors and the naysayers get you down and drag you down to their level. Fight for your rights. Facing unfair adversity is almost a rite of passage in the journey of any successful entrepreneur. That’s when it’s worth repeating to yourself the saying: A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.
THINK BIG
Why think at all if you can’t think big? Setting small goals makes no sense—unless you know they are mere stepping stones on the way to accomplishing something on a grand scale.
Don’t listen to small-minded people who tell you that your dream is not possible. Human beings are capable of awesome paradigm-shifting concepts—when we apply ourselves. None of the greatest inventors the world has ever known had an easy life. Many were ridiculed—and worse—for breakthrough ideas that altered the status quo.
As Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” So get dreaming.
BE YOUR OWN BOSS
I don’t necessarily mean that you have to own your own business and give employment to hundreds of people. Being your own boss basically means taking charge of your own life. Don’t let anyone else write the script for you. Own your life.
Don’t have life happen to you, but make life happen. Forge your own destiny. Seek out knowledge. Become expert. Become someone that others wish to emulate. Become someone who is so respected that people want you to become their mentor. And, when that happens, happily share with them the benefit of your experience and wisdom.
STAY FOCUSED
When you know you’re good at doing something, do it again and again. But do it better and better. Understand and appreciate your talents. And build on them. Find the niche that you can master and continually reinvent yourself and continually grow and prosper within that niche.
Many entrepreneurs come to believe that they have the Midas touch and that runaway success in one industry can be transitioned into success at anything. That’s just not the case. Stick to what you know and focus on becoming the best. Always look around corners to see how you can exponentially improve what you’re doing. The mindful entrepreneur never rests on his laurels. The hungry entrepreneur always has his eyes open for the next great opportunity within his industry—and stay two steps ahead of the pack.
SHARE HAPPINESS
Happiness is the greatest gift of all. You can’t put a price tag on sharing your happiness and making others feel happy, too. And whether or not you’re happy depends entirely upon you. It depends on how you react to the positives and the negatives in your life. You get to decide.
Never forget that happiness not only makes you feel good, it is good for you. Scientific research has actually shown that feeling happy boosts your immune system, improving your health.
Happiness can be yours…if you decide to grow as a person, every day of your existence on this planet…if you decide to grow mentally and spiritually no matter what challenges come your way…if you decide to be a person who lives to help others and live in harmony.
The pursuit of happiness for yourself and others is an enriching, ennobling voyage. Relish each precious moment of happiness and your life will take on greater meaning. Celebrate happiness and you’ll find your rightful place in the universe.