Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Terri-Ann Richards: Welcome to the Happy Stack Podcast, where we explore the science and strategies behind creating a happier, more fulfilling life. I'm Terianne Richards and I partner with organizations to address the root causes of burnout, disengagement and stress. Equipping leaders and teams with the tools they need to thrive, both organizationally and personally. Each episode we dive into practical habits, insights, and strategies to help high performers like you level up from the inside out. Let's get stacking.
[00:00:33] Terri-Ann Richards: Hey. Hey. Welcome back to the Happy Stack Podcast. If you're here, chances are you're someone who wants to be wildly successful. I have no idea why I said it that weirdly, but also, you know, not miserable in the process.
So let's get real for a second. Somewhere along the way, you and I have been sold a lie that in order to achieve big things, great things, we have to somehow sacrifice our well being. That if we're really serious about our goals, we have to push harder, sleep less, grind more, and basically white knuckle our way to success. But what if I told you that happiness and high performance, well, they're not opposites. That you don't have to choose between making an impact and actually enjoying your one great life? That's what I'm getting into today. In this episode, I'm going to break down the truth about ambition and well being and why they're not at war. The common traps ambitious leaders fall into and how to avoid them. And how to redefine success so that you can perform at your best without burning out. So if you're ready to win in business and in life without running yourself into the ground, keep listening. Okay, let's start with a myth that's been messing with us for decades. If you want to be great, you have to suffer for it. Anything worth having is worth working hard for.
See, that's the message. It's been baked into this, whether or not it's called hustle culture. But it's the way in which we seem to talk about success.
You know, I remember things that we used to say in my household. You know, I'll sleep when I'm dead. No pain, no gain. Winners grind while others rest. And listen. I get it. Hard work, it does matter. But I'm not here to sell you on the idea that success just happens if you manifest it hard enough.
Research shows that when we prioritize our well being, we actually perform better. A study from University of Warwick found that happier employees are 12% more productive than their unhappy counterparts. Whether you're a leader or not, that's you. Harvard Business Review showed that burned out leaders make 50% more poor decision than those who maintain balance. And get this, according to Gallup, engaged and thriving employees experience a 66% lower burn at risk than those who are just engaged but not personally fulfilled. So the science is clear. Happiness isn't a distraction from success, it's a competitive advantage. And yet so many high performers are trapped in the mindset that suffering somehow equates success. Which brings me to a few of the common traps. There are actually three major traps I see leaders and high achievers fall into. And I know these because, well, I've lived them. So trap number one is tying your worth to your work. Somewhere along the way, along the narrative, we stopped measuring success by how we feel and we started to measure it by how much we do. Whether it's how many hours we work, how many deals we close, how much we achieve, whether or not we get the promotion, whether or not we get the accolades. And when your entire identity is wrapped up into your output, taking a break kind of feels like a failure. It kind of feels like a misstep. But your worth isn't in your work. The goal isn't to be the busiest person in the room. The goal is to is to create meaningful impact. So instead of asking, did I do enough? Maybe ask yourself, did I do what mattered most today? Trap number two says, I'll be happy when we tell ourselves, I'll be happy when I hit six figures, when I land that dream job, when I finally have more time, when I fit in a size 8 bikini. But guess what? The finish line, for some ridiculous reason, always keeps moving. The goalposts do not remain still. And if you keep postponing your joy, your fulfillment, your happiness until you hit the next milestone, well, I think you can answer that question. You're never going to actually get there. And these are some key points that I talk about in my book. Success takes courage. The reality is, instead of us waiting to arrive at happiness, we need to build it into the process. Happiness cannot be built on outcomes. It needs to be built along the journey. And trap number three is ignoring recovery until it's too late. This is the truth. Most people in leadership, most high performers, they kind of treat rest like a luxury when in reality, it's necessary for you to get to the place you're trying to get. If you don't rest, your productivity starts to plummet. If you don't recover, your decision making gets worse. And if you don't prioritize yourself at some point, Your body might force you to. Research from Stanford found that after working 50 hours a week or more, productivity per hour drops sharply. And after 55 hours, there's literally no additional output. Like, you probably should just be watching Netflix at that point. So instead of seeing rest as time lost, see it as fuel for better performance.
The big thing here is to schedule it into your week. So how do we actually shift from grinding ourselves into the ground to thriving, well performing at a high level? And there are three specific ways to start. Number one, you need to define your version of success.
Success is not just about money or titles or accolades or achievements. It's about what matters to you. Now, I know I like money and I like titles and I like accolades. But what does it feel like to achieve those things? What does winning actually look like for you? And not just professionally, but personally? Because here's the kicker. For some odd reason, we do this thing where we put personal life to the left, business or professional life to the right. Each has their own specific priorities and goals. And sometimes they are in conflict with each other. So what are you chasing right now in your life that maybe you don't even want? Like, maybe somebody in your realm said, hey, you should go for that promotion. Or maybe you decided to expand your business, but you didn't really want it. It just seems like that's the next right thing to do. So what are you chasing that you don't even want? Because maybe you shouldn't be chasing him? And if you hit all your goals but still feel sort of empty inside, would it be worth it? So I think it's important for us as ambitious humans to write our own personal definition of success.
Just as if you walked into a room, a conference. Every face, every human, diverse through their language, their culture, their religion, their goals. Also, we're diverse in our definition of success. You need to write down what it means to you. Not societies, not your industries, not your spouse, your boss, your best friend, yours. You also need to build non negotiable recharge time. If it's not in your calendar, you and I both know it's not going to happen. High performers don't find time for rest. They schedule it. Whether it's workouts, hobbies, recreation, family time, or yeah, maybe even vacations.
Block it in like you would a meeting. And this is something I got to throw out there. I don't know why, but so many executives that I coach when on vacation are still working. The definition of us going on a vacation is to hit reset so that we can come back better than we were before. You are doing your team, your business, your role in life a disservice by not taking a true vacation. If you are in an extremely important meeting with one of your most important clients, would you just start taking phone calls from anybody? You wouldn't. So why, when on your vacation, which is an extremely important meeting with one of your best people, you would. You start taking phone calls and answering emails. If you can't take seven days away from your role or your business, you've got bigger problems. Call me. So this week, schedule one thing that fuels you and protect it like a CEO would. Next, I want you to practice micro moments of happiness so you don't need a vacation to reset. Although they're great, you do though, need small daily moments of joy. A 15 minute brisk walk a day helps you to release hope molecules. Google it. I swear that's real. Listen to music while you work, while you drive, and find reasons to laugh every single day. These are not distractions. They're not pulling you from all the things that are on your list. And I know you have a long list to get done in a day. These are the things, those little micro things that are going to help you keep going. They give you purpose and a reason to find joy every single day. So I identify my one daily habit that brings you joy and then commit to it. So here's your challenge for the week. I want you to define your version of success.
Schedule one non negotiable recharge activity and build in one micro moment of happiness every single day. Because listen, high performance and happiness are not at war. You don't have to suffer to succeed. In fact, the most successful, the most impactful, and the most fulfilled people are not the ones who grind themselves into the ground. They're the ones who build a life worth living in. Until next time, keep stacking that happiness.
[00:11:18] Terri-Ann Richards: Hey, thanks for listening to the Happy Stack podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little extra happiness in their life. Let's keep stacking those wins together. See you next time.
