Why Success Isn't Always the Key to Happiness

It's natural to think that a better-paying job or a more stress-free work environment can lead to a better life. You don't have to worry about whether or not you have a place to stay for the night, or if your next meal is going to come out of a garbage bin.

Although the logic may make sense, Forbes contributor Kathy Caprino shares in an article how working on outer tactics, such as building up a good network of people and adding some flare to your resume, is an "ineffective type of work." It is through internal work that a person can reap the most rewards, which include "committing every day to shaping your habits," Caprino adds.

Many life coaches and motivational speakers attribute a large part of success as the result of an improvement-based belief system, coupled with a desire to act towards positive change. The biggest change that needs to take place is, more often than not, personal.

Getting a promotion, earning a raise - these are great motivators, but the enthusiasm and happiness felt after achieving these outer goals is short-lived.

Human as we are, we are always looking for bigger and better things in life, and the form of success we crave will change as time passes. This is why first focusing on becoming happy eventually sows the seeds of success.

An article written by positive psychologist Shawn Achor reveals that the happier the person is, the more engaged, productive, and resilient the brain is also. And happiness is not just a feeling, it's a state of mind as well as a choice.

Achor believes that having internal goals that are in line with your values make people feel alive and capable of achieving even more. And the best part is that it is sustainable, unlike the pursuit of outer or external goals.

Rewiring the brain for happiness is indeed possible. Another Forbes article shares a breakthrough discovery that rewiring neural pathways through training can lead to increased feelings of compassion, joy, and gratitude. By training, the author means "a conscious effort to build new pathways."

This rewiring of the brain is based on latest discoveries that scientists call "neuroplasticity", an umbrella term for change that occurs in neural pathways due to changes in behavior, thinking, environment, and other external and internal factors.

The belief that happiness can lead to success, instead of it being the other way around, revolves around the notion that a person who has a brain that's wired to be happy and resilient is much more likely to handle hardships and difficulties better than people who are pessimistic and easily discouraged.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from this would be that no matter what our current outlook in life right now, there is a way to change it and then reap success that is both fulfilling and sustainable.