This is your Friday Reminder

A top mental health app that I have been happily using a few years ago (thanks to my former employer who was providing free access to the platform to all its employees while simultaneously cultivating the most toxic work culture I have ever been in) published a post on LinkedIn as a gentle reminder stating: “Your happiness is as much of a success metric as your KPIs.” Yes, like, love, fire, celebrations, comments following with “well said”, “absolutely 100%”, “amazing point” etc. You get it. Big hype. Afterall it’s Friday, we all might do with some extra love.

Indeed, it is true – happiness (aka subjective well-being) is the state that a vast majority of us humans, aim, wish or (magically) hope for. But do we actually make it a clear KPI that we regularly use to check in where our life goes – both professionally and personally? Do we use it as a tool for decision making? Are we even reflecting on it intentionally, purposefully and consistently or do we just “keep the score” on the highest highs and the lowest lows and everything in between is “fine”? Cause, in these in-betweens is where life actually happens, is where we count moments and days and years before we flashingly get to life’s rolling closing credits.

If we don’t do it maybe it’s time to pick this up. Implement this KPI into our lives, in the same way we diligently do our yearly goal setting in a work-related environment. And use it regularly to check back in with us and assess our life journey so we can adjust, calibrate and recalculate our direction. And not just once or twice a year or maybe on a sunny Friday afternoon, but daily. A daily moment of awareness, of assessing how we feel.

And I would also add that happiness is not just a success metric for our lives, but is MORE of a success metric than any other KPI. Alongside with peace, ease and joy (for me).

What are your success metrics in life?