One of the pleasures of my work is being around business owners who are generally happy with their lives. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration when I say that, as a group, they are among the happiest people I know. I often marvel at how this could be the case given the many challenges and responsibilities they face.
Owning a business has the potential for personal satisfaction on several levels. First, most entrepreneurs take satisfaction in setting their own work schedules and prioritizing what needs to be accomplished. Another form of satisfaction comes from accepting the risks involved in running a business and using one’s own energy and effort to make the business successful. It’s gratifying to experience the fruits of your labor.
One of those fruits, of course, is financial. When a business is successful, the owner often enjoys financial rewards that exceed what he or she would likely achieve as someone else’s employee. That’s an important motivator for starting a business and making sure it continues to be successful.
It would be simplistic, however, to conclude that satisfaction and achievement add up to what is generally referred to as happiness.
What Is Happiness?
The idea of happiness is difficult to express in terms that are agreeable to everyone. Much has been written about the pursuit of happiness, yet its meaning is open to interpretation. For many people, eat, play and sleep would pretty well cover it. For others, the real pursuit is for wealth, pleasure and a good reputation.
The great philosophers put a good deal of thought into the notion of happiness and concluded there was more to it. Socrates believed that the key to happiness was to turn one’s focus away from the body and towards the soul. He also considered happiness to be the by-product of a moral life.
Aristotle personalized the concept. “Happiness depends on ourselves,” he wrote. In Aristotle’s mind, true happiness required attainment of both physical and mental well-being within an environment that cultivated virtue.
How do the ideas of Socrates and Aristotle match up with your pursuit of happiness, especially as it pertains to your business? My experience with entrepreneurs tells me that most yearn for more than eat, play and sleep – not only for themselves, but for their employees.
It usually starts with the business owner developing the work environment that allows him or her to do his/her best work. The business owner pursues happiness by establishing an environment that supports personal business success, professional growth, personal freedom, friendship, family time, and spirituality.
A business owner who creates such an environment – where a person can thrive, both personally and professionally – would likely hire those who share his/her values. Once they are hired, the leader can show each of them how to make the most of the opportunity presented to them.
There exist people whose pursuit of happiness includes the pursuit of the happiness of others. I have seen this dynamic at work with a number of entrepreneurs. They know how this approach can build a successful company. The lives of their employees are enriched in unique and profound ways. And, a successful company contributes to a vibrant local community.
That’s a wonderful legacy for any entrepreneur.