4 key points on how to succeed and enjoy the process.
The path to success may be paved with riches, but many in the business world believe that sacrifice, enduring the daily grind, and surmounting any and all obstacles is the key to becoming a success. While there is certainly value in committing yourself to a cause, hanging on for the long haul, and investing time, money, and energy to accomplish a goal, doing so at one’s personal expense is often not a recipe for success.
Many are finding that pursuing a business goal with the attitude of enjoying the process of launching, developing, and managing the business yields greater returns on one’s personal investment. While there are many factors that influence whether a business succeeds or not, understanding why you are more likely to succeed in business if you enjoy the process is important to chart your path to success.
Enjoyment can help you avoid burnout and lead to greater productivity
Although the past pandemic has been the primary contributing factor to influencing the performance of many, burnout rates are at an all-time high. Over the past 2 years, burnout reported by employees has increased by roughly 21% owing to a variety of factors such as workplace stress, a lack of mental health resources, and how work is being performed.
Although actual turnover has stabilized since its peak during the Spring of 2020, the reality is that the world of business revolves around 4-5% unemployment under ideal circumstances.
While you can’t control market variations and global economics, you can control what business processes you’re pursuing and how you are doing them. Engaging in business ventures that apply your skills, interests, and expertise constructively is more likely to lead to long-term success, whether as an up-and-coming employee or as an entrepreneur.
Having greater job satisfaction is generally associated with greater productivity given the greater willingness to commit to what you are doing and provide lasting results. Even when times become less than satisfactory in the world around you, having a positive working relationship can help you weather the storm and find meaning in the process and product you provide.
You may even be able to use such opportunities to find constructive solutions that can potentially lead to an improvement in your workplace and the world around you.
Develop meaningful relationships
People who enjoy what they are doing tend to be happier people. Happier people tend to have more meaningful relationships with other people. Although large-scale social unrest has been attributed to a lack of quality jobs and large-scale occupational dissatisfaction, the reality is that when you are happy with what you are doing, you are more willing to engage with others in a constructive manner.
Meaningful relationships tend to have a reciprocal effect that can amplify your professional satisfaction. If you are happier and willing to help others with their business network, supply chain coordination or performance objectives, they are more willing to help you troubleshoot issues you may have.
If you are willing to help and train others within your company or field, then others are willing to extend the favor. You may even find that when trying to streamline your financial situation, being kind and generous to others may lead to various acts of generosity, whether from extended credit, surprise financing, or even free equipment!
In general, when you enjoy what you do, it becomes somewhat infectious and allows you to share that positivity with others, leading to a greater overall improvement in productivity and well-being.
Be more creative and pursue worthwhile ideas
Enjoying what you are doing is both the product of and an influence of creativity. Environments that embrace creativity generally show higher workplace satisfaction, and the reciprocal is also true: workplaces that embrace higher satisfaction show better creativity.
Creativity is a valuable asset in all realms of business, whether intrinsically creative or even industrial occupations, but it is incredibly valuable in the world of entrepreneurship and small business.
Creativity not only helps businesses differentiate themselves with regard to providing the best possible product to meet market demands but also allows businesses to better differentiate themselves from each other. Finding and expanding one’s niche is crucial to success as a business and this largely comes from creative efforts.
When there is better workplace satisfaction, and when you enjoy the process of managing a business, there is more room to entertain creative ideas that may not have immediate, intrinsic value, such ideas can have long-term consequences, however, that those who only value sticking to “proven” techniques or who demand constant, immediate results may overlook.
Thus, when considering whether and how to improve productivity and performance, creating a platform to enjoy the business development process will generally lead to more creative ideas and better solutions.
Have a better risk tolerance and overcome problems
The world of business is ultimately defined by what solutions you solve and how you solve them. That being said, problem-solving can be an inherently stressful approach, particularly if you are tasked with budget limitations, deadlines, and the social expectations these constraints entail.
While some people thrive under constant pressure and enjoy high-risk, fast-paced environments, others may find that such environments only thwart their ability to actually accomplish the tasks at hand. Job satisfaction is generally linked with greater input with regard to decision making, with more collective environments leading to greater overall job satisfaction, but greater job satisfaction can also improve decision-making overall.
When there is a positive approach and investment in the potential outcomes, better decisions will be made because there is a personal investment in the outcome. If you are not intrinsically enjoying or associated with the process of running a business, and only care about the outcomes, such as money, prestige, or stability, then you may not make the best decisions that navigate actual hurdles.
You may actually make decisions that are either too risky which leads to failure, or which underestimate potential profitability because of over-anticipation of loss which can dampen success.
In the world of business, particularly entrepreneurship, making risk-based decisions is a constant component that determines success, but if you aren’t enjoying the process that is entailed with running a business, you may not be making the best decisions.
There are a variety of factors that influence whether someone enjoys the process of running a business. Everything and everything from work/life balance, where the business is located, who you are working with, present and potential compensation, and what you are producing all factor into whether you enjoy the process or not.
Despite the variety of factors present, finding a balance and ultimately enjoying their contribution is essential to being as productive as possible. If long-term success is your goal, then succeeding in business while enjoying the process is the healthy balance you need to achieve.
Aziri, Brikend. “Job satisfaction: A literature review.” Management Research & Practice 3.4 (2011).
