What do the happiest and most successful women do differently than the rest?
Is it what they wear, what they eat, who they choose as friends, or even their career choice?
Surprisingly, the answer is no.
Personal strengths expert Marcus Buckingham conducted a study to find what makes women happy.
He says that happy, successful women look very different from each other. They run the range of stay-at-home moms, business owners, CEOs, new producers, and even full-time charity workers.
So if it's not what they do for a living, then what is it that sets them apart?
Buckingham conducted a poll of thousands of women and asked them the following questions:
- How often do you get to do things you really like to do?
- How often do you find yourself actively looking forward to the day ahead?
- How often do you get so involved in what you're doing you lose track of time?
- How often do you feel invigorated at the end of a long, busy day?
- How often do you feel an emotional high in your life?
Any woman who answered "everyday" to at least four of the five questions participated in and in-depth interview.
The results? Happier women are that way because they choose to be. But it goes a little deeper than that.
Specifically, these women:
Focus on moments, rather than goals, plans, and dreams.Buckingham calls these "strong-moments", the events in life that cause strongly positive emotions.
Examples could include reading your child a book, comforting a friend, or writing a story or blog post that you are proud of.
If the moment energizes you, sticks with you, or changes you for the better, it is "strong." And it is yours. For no rational reason, this moment has become a part of who you are.
The women interviewed committed to being true to themselves, and for them, that meant focusing on these "strong moments" that defined them. They were not defined by a dream or a list of future plans.
(Information from Marcus Buckingham, writing for the Huffington Post)
