You can't attach self worth to what's going on externally. However, that doesn't mean we won't stop doing it. In the fast moving world that we live in, we have been lured into a false sense of protection by society, of;

"You'll feel safe and protected if and when you do; X, Y & Z."

Now, these can be anything from;

• get the promotion
• make more money
• get a boyfriend or a girlfriend
• marry and have kids at a certain time
• get onto the property ladder
• launch a successful business
• & don't fail

And this turns into a self proclaimed message of: "I'll be happy when..."

"I'll be happy when I make more money."

"I'll be happy when my business makes 7 figures."

"I'll be happy when my partner proposes to me."

But are you truly happy when...?

The "I'll be happy when" is a cyclical process that only takes you back to the start; you've achieved the thing you wanted, but now you're onto the next 'best' thing. It's never ending, and quite frankly exhausting, because what we're truly seeking is often not external gratification, it's something a lot deeper and internally needed. There are so many different variables in life and as we progress (this is a nice way of saying 'as we age'), our standards shift. Our standards shift about how we want to live our lives, who we surround ourselves with, who we are attracted to, and how we should be running our businesses.

So why are chasing the happiness 'dream', when we already know that everything is constantly in motion? So often people rush into things because our self worth is dependent on this societal external validation, and we forget that we do just need to be; as we are. To stop chasing to commit time you don't want to commit, to something that really doesn't serve us.

Our world makes it hard to just 'be', but we are becoming more aware, especially since our world shut down and we had to stop with it and finally look in. When we are told to chase these 'things' to be happy, we actually have everything inside of us to be happy in the now, it's just about a different perspective, and a little bit of retraining of our brains to switch the conversation. If I removed everything material from your life, those around you will still love you for who you are.  So why aren't you?

I understand that this blog, is a little more 'deep thought' than business focused, but if we don't love, trust and believe in ourselves, our businesses will suffer as we chase the next best thing without focusing on the present. Those things that we chose to bring into our lives, whether employees, partners, friends, jobs, and more; should be here to enhance our internal, and not be used as just another instant gratification substitute to what is really going on inside. Stop chasing "I will be happy when" and start focusing on "I am happy now because".

Read more in my article - Comparison is the Thief of Joy