Would You Rather Be Great or Happy? | by Etienne Tracey
Recently I was asked the question “Would you rather be great or happy?”. The wording puzzled me. Must the two be mutually exclusive? Can greatness make me happy or am I not more likely to achieve something great if I love what I do? It began me on a train of thought about how we measure our successes and what motivates us to do so.
For many, the metrics of success are often defined by families, work, and by society at large. Sometimes, these are good – they guide us and give us purpose and reason to encourage one another. Other times, these function as a chokehold and replace encouragement with unspoken peer pressure. What if I do not get a feature in Forbes before I am 30? Must I martyr my happiness to be great?
Hopefully, you are in your job because your personal ambitions and opinions align with the ethos and goals of the company. For those of us who have managerial support, goal setting might be part of daily life at work. If you have not gone through this process, I would highly encourage it! Through my own experiences, I have found that I succeed most when I find a balance of ambition, growth, well-being, and enjoyment in what I do.
If you’re feeling in a bit of a rut, taking the time to reflect on achievements and growth is an excellent way to develop a better perspective and gratitude. It can be especially helpful to establish both long and short-term goals and ask yourself “Who am I doing this for”?
Some simple steps to pin down or realign your goals:
- Take the time to imagine where you want to be in the future. Forget what you think ‘success’ might be and imagine yourself enjoying your work – what does this look like?
- Compartmentalise each step. To get from A to Z, you must first get through B, C, D… Remember the SMART goals framework? Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timebound
- Be flexible. Have patience with yourself and be prepared to pivot if new opportunities suit you. Economist Mariana Mazzucato talks about how successful leaders approach business with “open-mindedness”.
- Take the first step! As cliché as it might sound, taking control and active decision-making is foundational in empowering yourself.
Throughout this process, you will undoubtedly find yourself questioning what it is you value. Value is everywhere, instilled in actions and material things alike based on what the people around are drawn to. In this way, we make ourselves valuable by supporting and providing within our networks.
To this extent, it is also important to surround yourself with individuals who encourage and support your ambitions. Perhaps find a manager or mentor who you can share your vision with!
My overall advice is this: do what you love and find enjoyment in everything you do. Success begins with an attitude. Your apprenticeship experience is only a blip in the grand scheme of your career but can be pivotal if you let it. It is an excellent time to make the most of the resources available, step back and start planning! One. Step. At a time.
Etienne Tracey is pursuing a digital marketing apprenticeship at Multiverse alongside his job in Audience Development at Informa Tech and is writing for the Apprentice Lens. Here’s more about him:
"Etienne hopes to inspire, challenge, and spark curiosity in other apprentices by sharing musings and ideas about work and the world. In his words, “I want to explore the bridge between big ideas and real-world applications, where deep thinking meets measurable impact.”