A short motivational talk by Brian Tracy arguing that the chief aim in life should be to attain personal happiness. The speaker emphasizes that happiness is an internal decision only each person can define, recommends prioritizing pleasing oneself rather than others, and gives a brief exercise to identify where one is trying to please others.
Here's the chief aim in life should be to attain your own happiness. Everything you do throughout your life, including your relationships, your work, your health habits, your saving and spending and everything else, should revolve around your reaching the point where you are truly happy with yourself and your life. If you accomplish everything in life of a material or financial nature and make all the money that you could imagine, but you're still not happy to that degree. You have actually failed yourself. You have disappointed yourself. You have wasted your potential, and this is not for you. No one can decide what will make you or anyone else happy. Therefore, you must decide for yourself, and this is not easy. This decision requires a lot of thought and reflection, especially looking back in the past at the moments where you have been the happiest of all. In Edmond Roston's famous play Cyrano de Bergerac, the highly individualistic Serrano is asked why he is so intensely self confident and unconcerned with the opinions and judgments of others. He replies with these wonderful words. He says, I realized very early in life that other people are impossible to please. I therefore resolve that since I could not be assured of pleasing others with any reliability, I would henceforth please at least myself in all things. Your happiness likewise depends upon your ability to please at least yourself in all things. Others may or may not like or approve of what you do or say from one day to the next. Trying to please others is ultimately an exercise in frustration. Instead, you should be perfectly selfish. Please at least yourself in all things. Then you can be sure that there is at least one person in the world, the most important person, yourself, who is happy. You can be happy only when you are living your life in the very best way possible for you. No one can define happiness for you except yourself. Only you know what makes you happy. Happiness is an inside job, so set your happiness as your guide and you'll probably never make another mistake. Now here's an exercise for you. Identify one area in your life where you're trying to please someone else in some way and making yourself unhappy into the bargain. Resolve from today forward that you are going to please at least yourself in all things. In the next motivational moment, you will learn why your self esteem determines your performance.
