Happiness and Success: Is there Really a Difference?

by Joan Marques

Published on this site: April 18th, 2005 - See more articles from this month...

I guess the opinions on this topic are divergent: some people will firmly agree that these two phenomena, happiness and success, entail entirely different dimensions and emotions, while other readers will wholeheartedly agree that they are - or at least should be - the same. And then there will probably be a huge area containing numerous shades of gray, varying from tending to agree, to tending to lean more toward disagreement of either side.

Perhaps it just depends on what definition one handles for both topics: What do you consider success? And what do you consider happiness? Do you see any overlapping in these two phenomena or not?

If success is measured by your level of income and the financial value of your belongings, than you can probably be successful without being happy.

If, on the other hand, success for you goes hand in hand with a general feeling of contentment and being where and what you want to be, then you don't even have to have that many great assets to consider yourself successful.

This may be the part where some readers start shaking their heads and think: "well, that's just a way of consoling oneself when one is poor," and maybe there is some truth to it. But what about the other side of the coin? What about those people who are highly affluent, yet get treated for depression because they are so lonely; or those who don't trust anyone around them in their fear to not really be liked but just accepted because of their money and position; or worse even, those who ultimately commit suicide, and leave behind millions of dollars, because they "had it all", yet came to the realization that having it "all" doesn't necessarily means "all that matters"?

As a business instructor, I often discuss small, mid-sized, and globally operating companies in my classes. I teach my students the essentials of being a good manager and being a good leader. I review the various ways ventures can be set up. I warn for slippery issues such as succession, responsibility, and strategy-review. I lecture about appropriate approaches in product handling and marketing, in organizational behavior - internally and externally - and in blunders many well-established companies keep making throughout the ages, despite the many management theories and courses available out there.

My students and I also review many wealthy business people, and the reasons why they are so successful. And I think we almost consistently come to the conclusion that the majority of these tycoons are successful because they are doing what they like best: Microsoft's Bill Gates, Apple's Steve Jobs, and Dell's Michael Dell all started out as a computer lovers, and they still are; Virgin's Richard Branson started as an entrepreneur, and he still is, even though he doesn't need to do it for the money anymore; GE's most remarkable CEO Jack Welch, although an engineer by education, found his passion in leading people, and stuck with that until his retirement; and Oprah Winfrey loved being a talk show host, and continues to do that, in spite of her multiple billions today.

Are these people happy? I'm not sure. I just know that they have a lot of money, and probably really like what they are doing, which makes them stay with it, and be good at it. They seem to be content with where and who they are. Which brings me to another interesting, and very related topic: the topic of ambition as a vehicle toward bringing happiness and success together.

In a currently ongoing survey from Forbes on-line, in which, at the time of my review 35.713 people had already voted, the following reasons were mentioned as possible sources behind the wealth of the super rich people in the world: Ambition: 32%; Connections, Ingenuity and Inheritance: 13% each; Greed: 9%; Intelligence: 5%; Arrogance: 4%; Generosity: 1%; "Don't know": 6%; None of the Above: 4%.

There is something to say for ambition being by far the leader in this list. When one has a drive toward achieving something, one has a much larger chance of reaching his or her goal than when one doesn't really care. And, as an old teacher of mine used to say, "if you do what you like most, you will do it well and consistently; you will be happy, and the rewards will automatically come, even if they are not your priority," or as Confucius said, "find something you love to do, and you will never work a day in your life," or, in line with the surging call for "meaning at work" or "workplace spirituality:" the intrinsic reward (how you feel about what you are doing) is so much more satisfying and lasts so much longer than the extrinsic one (what you earn for what you are doing).

So, maybe that's the ultimate reason for the super rich to be so super rich: most of them did what they liked most and therefore just invested more of themselves in it than others were willing to. Unfortunately, society has a tendency to measure their success superficially by the material wealth they have gained, and to often overlook the gratifying part. These people are probably happy with who and what they are. And that's their ultimate reason for being regarded successful. Would they be depressed and low-spirited despite their billions, then they would just be financially rich, yet not happy, and thus, not successful in the essential sense of the word, because their level of contentment would be low.

And then there are those of us who do not have the ambition to be rich, but just want to have enough funds to pay the debts and live a simple, uncomplicated life. No big deals for those souls: just undemanding days of family life, or devotion to the things they consider fun. And, even though those people's names may never reach the newspaper other than in the obituaries after their passing, who says that they are less successful than Gates, Jobs, Dell, Branson, Welch, or Winfrey?

Ever considered that their ambition may just be to remain a simple soul, and that it should therefore not be considered any less of an ambition?

In conclusion: abundance is only enjoyable when one is also content, yet, contentment has nothing to do with being affluent. Contented people are happy, with or without much money. And content people are successful. So happy people are successful.

Joan Marques emigrated from Suriname, South America, to California, U.S., in 1998. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, a Master's in Business Administration, and is currently a university instructor in Business and Management in Burbank, California. Look for her books "Empower the Leader in You" and "The Global Village" in bookstores online or on her website: http://www.joanmarques