Episode 53: Do we have to be happy every day? Happiness versus Fulfillment
Do you think we need to be happy every day of our lives?
I used to think this while I was resetting burnout as a pharmacist. I asked myself, why am I not happy today? Is work not allowing me to be happy?
I soon realized that happiness is not a requirement to feel joy or fulfillment in my day.
So, let’s take a step back and think about what is happiness vs. fulfillment? Some of this discussion comes from Simon Sinek and his work. Find Your Why Book: purchase here.
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Mentioned on Ep 053: Do we have to be happy every day? Happiness versus Fulfillment
Do you think we need to be happy every day of our lives?
I used to think this while I was resetting burnout as a pharmacist. I asked myself, why am I not happy today? Is work not allowing me to be happy?
I soon realized that happiness is not a requirement to feel joy or fulfillment in my day.
So, let’s take a step back and think about what is happiness vs. fulfillment? Some of this discussion comes from Simon Sinek.
Happiness is like a quick win. Similar to coping with burnout in some addictive type of way – mine was shopping for clothing. I bought the new handbag, felt the rush of happiness and then it was gone.
It’s the same at work. We feel happy for hitting a goal, getting a promotion, landing a new client or completing a project…but it’s temporary. The feeling doesn’t last. I don’t know about you, but I don’t walk around energized by hitting a goal 1 year ago or 2 years ago. The feeling of happiness passes with time.
Fulfillment is deeper. It lasts. I love how Simon Sinek puts it: the difference between happiness and fulfillment is the difference between liking something and loving something. We don’t necessarily like our kids all the time, for example, but we do love them all the time. We don’t necessarily find happiness in our jobs every day, but we can feel fulfilled by our work every day if it makes us feel part of something bigger than ourselves. This is why we can feel unfulfilled when we attach our success measures to compensation or status. This is NOT connected to our WHY and higher purpose in life.
I feel happy when a new sale comes through our Spark Joy in Healthcare shop. I feel fulfilled knowing that I’m spreading JOY in our world and investing in small businesses as my vendors.
Happiness comes from WHAT we do.
Fulfillment comes from WHY we do it.
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Note, my views are my own and are not associated or representative of my employer(s).
This podcast is for educational purposes only and not medical advice.
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