{"id":1539,"date":"2015-08-11T19:46:31","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T19:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/?p=1539"},"modified":"2015-10-11T21:21:01","modified_gmt":"2015-10-11T21:21:01","slug":"the-4-principles-needed-to-achieve-or-deliver-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/the-4-principles-needed-to-achieve-or-deliver-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4 Principles Needed to Achieve, or Deliver, Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"articleHeader\">\n<h1 id=\"articleHeader__title\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/16x9\/822\/20150313223526-smile-smiley-face-happy-happiness.jpeg\" alt=\"The 4 Principles Needed to Achieve, or Deliver, Happiness\" \/><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<header>\n<div>Image credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/ejpphoto\/6153700772\" target=\"_blank\">Eric | Flickr<\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<aside>\n<div>Contributor<\/div>\n<div>Co-founders of Delivering Happiness<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><time>August 10, 2015<\/time><\/p>\n<aside class=\"byline\"><a class=\"name\" href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/author\/tony-hsieh-and-jenn-lim\" rel=\"author\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hero lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/1x1\/124\/20150702145448-tony-hsieh-jenn-lim.jpeg\" alt=\"Tony Hsieh and Jenn Lim\" data-original=\"https:\/\/assets.entrepreneur.com\/content\/1x1\/124\/20150702145448-tony-hsieh-jenn-lim.jpeg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div>TONY HSIEH AND JENN LIM<\/div>\n<div class=\"title\">CONTRIBUTOR<\/div>\n<div class=\"bio\">Co-founders of Delivering Happiness<\/div>\n<div class=\"social\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<section id=\"sec249255\" class=\"arttext\">\n<div><time title=\"2015-08-10 11:00:00\">AUGUST 10, 2015<\/time><\/p>\n<div id=\"bd249255\" class=\"bodycopy\">\n<p><em>Entrepreneur and CultureIQ are searching for the top high-performing cultures to be featured on our annual list. Think your company has what it takes? <a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/cultureiq\/apply\">Click here to get started<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It may be a cliche, but that doesn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t mean it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s not true: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/04\/14\/business\/owner-of-gravity-payments-a-credit-card-processor-is-setting-a-new-minimum-wage-70000-a-year.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">Beyond a certain <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><em>Entrepreneur and CultureIQ are searching for the top high-performing cultures to be featured on our annual list. Think your company has what it takes? <a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/cultureiq\/apply\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to get started<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It may be a cliche, but that doesn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t mean it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s not true: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/04\/14\/business\/owner-of-gravity-payments-a-credit-card-processor-is-setting-a-new-minimum-wage-70000-a-year.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">Beyond a certain point<\/a>money can\u00e2\u0080\u0099t buy happiness, at least not reliably or sustainably.<\/p>\n<p>The key insight into the nature of happiness for us came when we realized that the quest for happiness was not only the reason that people pursued careers and started families, but was also what guided many of their decisions in day-to-day life. In 2007, we started really looking into the science of happiness to help guide our decision-making for Zappos.com in a more rational way &#8212; after all, if happiness was the goal, wasn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t it worth seeing what we really understood about the concept?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/249136\" target=\"_blank\">How to Hardwire Your Brain for Happiness<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By 2009, understanding and delivering happiness had become the centerpiece of both our personal and professional strategies, which is reflected in the mission statement we adopted that year: \u00e2\u0080\u009cZappos is about delivering happiness to the world.\u00e2\u0080\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Delivering happiness sounds good, but to be effective, you need to know what that actually entails. What makes you happy? What makes people around you happy? Different people have different ideas about what might make them happy,\u00c2\u00a0and it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s important to note that people aren\u00e2\u0080\u0099t always on the right track about what they think will make them happy.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, psychology has taken up the case of applying scientific principles to understanding what really governs happiness. Psychology used to be primarily interested in figuring out what was wrong with people and making them \u00e2\u0080\u009cnormal,\u00e2\u0080\u009d\u00c2\u00a0which was used as a proxy for &#8220;healthy.&#8221; But in the late 1990s, psychologists began exploring what\u00e2\u0080\u0099s now known as \u00e2\u0080\u009cpositive psychology\u00e2\u0080\u009d to get a better understanding of how otherwise average people might become happier.<\/p>\n<p>It turns out, there are four key principles that drive happiness across the board. Whatever the specifics of how an individual derives happiness might be, these four key principles remain common:<\/p>\n<h2>1. A sense of control<\/h2>\n<p>Having a sense of control over your own destiny is paramount to lasting happiness. When this is lacking, people tend to easily give up and feel despair and helplessness, but with purpose and control over their own destinies, people become energized and unlock their talents and ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>A good entrepreneur gives employees, partners\u00c2\u00a0and customers clearly apparent control over their own destinies in managing interactions with the company.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Perceived progress<\/h2>\n<p>It\u00e2\u0080\u0099s no fun feeling like you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re stuck in neutral. The perception of progress is a cornerstone of the path to developing sustainable happiness.<\/p>\n<p>This is why the most successful video games offer unlockable content, achievements\u00c2\u00a0and badges\u00c2\u00a0and allow for \u00e2\u0080\u009cleveling up.\u00e2\u0080\u009d\u00c2\u00a0These elements function to keep people interested and motivated, and to feel as though they\u00e2\u0080\u0099re experiencing a sense of progression.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/248776\" target=\"_blank\">If You&#8217;re Not Happy, Stop Complaining and Make a Change<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good companies will do the same, offering clear and attainable promotional paths for employees and intuitive paths to satisfaction for customers and clients.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Connectedness<\/h2>\n<p>Humans are social animals. We thrive on connections to other people. In fact, we depend on those connections emotionally as well as physically. Engaged, connected employees work harder and report greater happiness than those isolated in offices or cubes. This is also why it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s important to build a real rapport with customers and vendors.<\/p>\n<p>We have evolved to care about the success of the tribe &#8212; make your colleagues and clients part of your tribe.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Vision and meaning<\/h2>\n<p>There\u00e2\u0080\u0099s nothing wrong with making money, but as we\u00e2\u0080\u0099ve learned all too well, making money is simply not enough. In fact, research indicates that once you reach a certain compensation threshold, your salary becomes significantly less indicative of\u00c2\u00a0your overall happiness.<\/p>\n<p>Maslow\u00e2\u0080\u0099s Hierarchy of Needs demonstrates how human motivation evolves rapidly once basic physiological needs are met, leading people to be more concerned with freedom of expression, social status, a sense of achievement, a sense of belonging\u00c2\u00a0and other intangibles.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re counting on money to generate your happiness, you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re setting yourself up for disappointment. Being a part of something bigger and really committing to a vision brings deep satisfaction on a fundamental level. If you can find that sort of vision and meaning and offer it to the people in your life, you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re laying a firm foundation for genuine, long-term happiness that transcends financial considerations.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s up to you to decide what it is that you want to do with your life. But taking the time to truly understand what drives happiness will equip you to act effectively when pursuing it &#8212; and when delivering it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/248755\" target=\"_blank\">3 Simple Ways to Feel Happy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image credit: Eric | Flickr Contributor Co-founders of Delivering Happiness August 10, 2015 TONY HSIEH AND JENN LIM CONTRIBUTOR Co-founders of Delivering Happiness AUGUST 10, 2015 Entrepreneur and CultureIQ are searching for the top high-performing cultures to be featured on our annual list. Think your company has what it takes? Click here to get started. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/the-4-principles-needed-to-achieve-or-deliver-happiness\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The 4 Principles Needed to Achieve, or Deliver, Happiness<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-your-body","pmpro-has-access"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4MGMb-oP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1540,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions\/1540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}