Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer

A lot of people have it backward. To make up for that void or emptiness they feel inside, they’ll throw themselves into their career and do everything they can to prove everyone wrong, including themselves.

From an outsider’s perspective, this seems to work very well. These people might work aggressively to get promoted to a respectable job title, earn a high-paying salary, and command the respect of others. However, while these things seem to have all the outward signs of what most people would recognize as “success”, inside they’re really still the same as they always were – unfulfilled and unhappy. 

Some of the most successful people I know are those who invest in their own well-being. This doesn’t have to be taking meditation retreats or twice-per-week therapy sessions (unless that’s the sort of thing you’re into). For most, its the simple stuff like:

• Spending time with the family
• Taking a break to relax every now and again
• Doing something (other than work) that makes them feel fulfilled

Success is not always about what you accomplish or how much money you make. It’s also about the feeling or satisfaction you get from doing what you love. And until you step up to the plate making sure you’re first content, it’s going to be hard to ever see those feelings grow. It will be like trying to fill up a bucket with sand that has a hole in the bottom. Unless you patch those holes, everything you put inside that bucket will eventually pour out until you’re empty again.

Coincidentally, if you’re thinking about starting your own nurse practitioner business, then you might be surprised about what being an entrepreneur can do for your well-being. According to a study from Baylor University and Louisiana State University, researchers found that in areas where the number of small businesses increased, the health of the surrounding community improved. Additionally, they found that entrepreneurs reported significantly lower incidences of physical and mental illnesses, fewer visits to the hospital, and higher levels of life satisfaction. If that’s not reason enough, then I don’t know what is.