Recipe for Happiness

There are two ingredients, deciding what will make you happy and then being brave enough to pursue it. 

I was able to catch up with a dear friend and mentor of mine recently. In the past year, he had decided on a course of action that many people from the outside would question. They would say he is crazy and that this decision would stifle his success going forward.

Over dinner we talked about this, the reasons for his decision, and how it had been the hardest one he has made in his adult life. When someone leads with family as part of the calculus, you have my attention. Family is an important factor in some of the hardest decisions I’ve made in my life. When he looked at his family and where they were in life, he was conflicted. They were hitting their stride, finding their way, and really making it. If he went with one course of action, it would result in him being separated for all of this. Additionally, he would be away from a part of the world that captivated his dharma.

The other course of action would have paved the way for his future, his kid’s future, and set a stage that would have ensured he was always center stage no matter the audience. Also, it would have given him an incredible ability within his industry to shape the future of many. He was selected for this promotion before many of his peers and in other words, he was a made man that was destined for greatness. 

He was conflicted as he struggled and I was witness to the dark days as he wrestled with the decision. 

The truth is there was no wrong or bad decision. Either one was a win. Both would have given him happiness for himself and his family. What it really came down to is the word, happiness. Which happiness mattered more? 

The one that is tied to ego, position, and sacrifice for his family and loneliness for him?

Or the other that was giving up what he had worked for 25 years but would make him present for all the great things outlined above. 

When painted in that light, it makes the decision a little clearer. It doesn’t mean that it isn’t still tough. It was and it crippled his thoughts in the months leading up to it. It meant that he cared enough that he wasn’t going to make a selfish decision without thinking it through and sacrificing who he was for a position or his ego. 

In the end, my friend and mentor made the decision that earned him my respect for the rest of his time on this earth and after. He is the definition of a stoic and didn’t let his ego be the enemy. He bet on himself and his family. 

There is one part we haven’t considered; this man is a winner. This man has overcome such adversity in his life that most wouldn’t believe it. He makes things happen when all think it is lost and any hope should be forfeited. The reason I highlight this is because he had the courage to do what is right by his family. He has an amazing work ethic and takes calculated risk. He and his family will prosper in any environment and they will overcome all. 

So back to the beginning. What will make YOU happy? Are you brave enough to pursue it? 

Ask yourself these questions and do the hard work to be honest with yourself and others. Then lay out your options and make the hard decision. Decide to be happy and never look back. 

I hope this adds value to your life! 

~Mike