All of us, at least once in a while, are unhappy.
But what if you’re unhappy much of the time? In most cases the cause is not external. How happy you feel is in large part something you can control.
But not if…
You believe professional success will bring lasting fulfillment.
You can love your company but it will never love you back. (Cliché, sure, but true.) Another cliché, just as true: No person lying on his deathbed ever said, "I sure wish I had spent more time at work..."
Professional success, no matter how grand, is still fleeting.
Fulfillment comes from achieving something and knowing it will carry on: Raising great kids, being a part of a supportive extended family, knowing you have helped others and changed their lives for the better...
Work hard on business. Work just as hard on a few other things you can someday look back on with a different sense of pride.
But what if you’re unhappy much of the time? In most cases the cause is not external. How happy you feel is in large part something you can control.
But not if…
You believe professional success will bring lasting fulfillment.
You can love your company but it will never love you back. (Cliché, sure, but true.) Another cliché, just as true: No person lying on his deathbed ever said, "I sure wish I had spent more time at work..."
Professional success, no matter how grand, is still fleeting.
Fulfillment comes from achieving something and knowing it will carry on: Raising great kids, being a part of a supportive extended family, knowing you have helped others and changed their lives for the better...
Work hard on business. Work just as hard on a few other things you can someday look back on with a different sense of pride.
Then you will to feel great both now and later.
You believe simply joining will create a sense of belonging.
Making connections with other people is easier than ever, and not just through social media. Joining alumni groups and professional organizations, wearing golf course polo shirts or college sweatshirts, putting a sticker with initials like “HH” on your car to announce to the world you summer at Hilton Head Island… many people try hard to show -- if only to themselves -- that they belong.
Most of those connections are superficial at best.
If your spouse passes away the alumni organization may send flowers. (Well, probably not.) If you lose your job a professional organization may send you a nifty guide to networking. (Well, probably not, but they will send you the invoice when it's time to renew your membership.) Anyone can buy, say, a University of VA sweatshirt. (It was on sale.)
Author and Credits: Jeff Haden