We talk and write about happiness and the question “when do we feel happy?” seems that hasn’t been answered yet by anyone. Why do I think this way?

Many thinkers, researches and different individuals measure happiness based on different indicators. For some, fame is a source of happiness; for others is money, a successful career or a good health. It seems like we become happy after achieving success in a certain aspect. If you are successful at X field, then you are automatically happy. This makes sense at a certain degree but not all successful people are happy. Success and achievements make you happy for a short time and then apathy and lack of adrenaline follow. Successful people are always seeking new goals to pursue and new adrenaline sources that will lead them towards success, so they can feel again “happy”.

Depending on the achievement or success, the process of making progress in a project or in pursuing a goal makes people feel happy. Just remember the last time you got into a new pursue and you will agree with me.

But, let us dig deeper into what it means to be successful. Earl Nightingale, known as the father of the personal development field, defines success as “a continuous achievement of a worthy idea”. In other words, success means “to pursue an idea or a purpose of value and make continuous progress.”

When we achieve little things continually, we feel fulfilled and we experience pleasure that releases dopamine in the brain and we get motivated for more. Continuous achievements in the personal and professional fields make us feel fulfilled and help us to widen our perspectives, to build self confidence and encourage us to achieve more. Remember the time when you performed well in something and you received compliments from others – you felt good, motivated to do more, happy and fulfilled. We experience the same feelings when we give value or contribute for others… a happiness that lasts.

But, do you feel happy when you are wealthy? General opinion or the collective conscience has so far believed that rich people are not happy. Is this true? To answer this question, let’s refer to a research conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (University of Chicago). A group of people with more than $150.000 annual income were asked about their level of happiness and if this was related to their income. 98% of the study participants said they were happy and only 2% of them weren’t happy.

I think that wealth has a positive impact in people’s happiness and gives them the opportunity to feel good with themselves and contribute for other’s wellbeing. The most important thing is to use money in ways or for purposes that make us feel happy and fulfilled.

Financial wealth should go hand in hand with being happy. Someone might feel happy when he/she has all the material wealth they wished for, when they achieved their goals (small or big). But this type of happiness lasts little because our brains know no limits and are always hungry for more and more… Our brain does not feel happy with what we have achieved, except when we grow personally and we are purposeful and grateful for every achievement.

My concept about happiness is this: I can achieve happiness when I can create an ever improving mindset in the fields that are my priority, given that we as human beings function based on 4 nonnegotiable pillars: Health & fitness, intellect, emotions and the spiritual aspect. If we feel in harmony with these aspects, we are motivated and engaged for better relationships in the personal and professional aspects, in achieving more in our careers, in building successful ventures and eventually this is the way to feel happy for a long time.

If we are not aware and we run towards money as the main purpose without knowing or deciding how to use them for good causes, then the words said by Steve Jobs in the last moments of his life may serve us to reflect:

“God gave us senses to feel the love in people’s hearts, not to feel the illusions that money creates. I can’t take my wealth with me after I am dead. What I can take are the memories of love. That is the true wealth that will follow you and give you strength and light to go on. Material wealth can be created again and again but there is something you can never replace after it’s lost – “Life”.

Everyone deserves and has the opportunity to be happy. But we have to grow professionally and personally in order to achieve happiness. However, such topic is very controversial and I am curious to know your thoughts on this topic. I welcome your comments below this blog post.