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For most of our lives, we’ve been told to chase career success, as defined by promotions, prestige, accolades, with the promise that happiness will follow. But what if happiness isn’t the reward… but the starting point?

As peak Kanye once rapped, “They say your attitude determines your latitude - I’m high as a motherf*cker, fly as a motherf*cker.” Say what you will about Yeezy, but I think he might be on to something here.

This week’s issue is about reclaiming joy as a compass, not a consequence, and exploring how a deeper sense of satisfaction and wellbeing can actually lead to the kind of success that matters.

What’s inside:

• A mindset shift that rethinks the relationship between success and happiness

• We know we want happiness, why are we chasing other things?

• Happiness as a guide not a goal

• Resources to help you design success around joy

• A challenge to bring more happiness into your day-to-day

Main Idea

We’ve been taught to earn happiness by achieving success.

But what if the whole formula is backward?

Success, at least the way it’s traditionally defined, is a hollow trophy when it’s not rooted in real joy. The job title won’t matter if you’re dreading every Monday. The promotion doesn’t mean much if you feel disconnected and burned out.

It’s not that success doesn’t matter. It’s that your version of success needs to be built from the inside out.

Happiness isn’t the result of success; it’s the foundation of it!

And happiness, in this context, doesn’t mean constant pleasure or blind positivity. It means living in alignment. Doing things that energize you. Spending time in flow. Feeling connected to a greater purpose.

When we prioritize happiness, meaning, and joy, we start making decisions that actually lead to deeper, more lasting success.

Not the kind you measure in promotions, but in peace. Not in LinkedIn endorsements, but in how you feel on a random Tuesday afternoon.

You don’t need to chase success to be happy.
You need to chase what makes you happy.

And let that define your success.

Ditch the Metrics

Burn the business scorecard – focus on what matters!

The Metric:
A 2014 Strayer University survey, reported by Business Insider, found that 90% of Americans believe that feeling happy is the truest measure of success .

The Counterpoint:
Despite this widely held belief, many of us continue chasing traditional markers, even when those markers don’t move the needle on our actual happiness.

Ditch It:
If nearly everyone agrees success is about happiness, then why do so many still judge themselves by external achievements? F*ck what you’ve been taught success looks like. Instead, ask what truly brings you joy and shape your path around that. Real success starts from how you feel, not just what you’ve attained.

Reframe This

 A quick thought-flip to help shift how you see your work, your worth, or your path.

Old Belief: I’ll be happy once I reach [insert goal here].

New Perspective: Happiness isn’t the reward — it’s the compass.

Rung Breaks

A curated mix of tools, links, books, and ideas to help you step off the ladder and into your own path.

📚 Book: The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor – explores how happiness fuels success (not the other way around)

🎧 Podcast: Ten Percent Happier – practical ways to build joy and mindfulness into your day

🛠️ Tool: The PERMA Model – Martin Seligman’s positive psychology framework for sustainable happiness

✍️ Read: Why Happiness Leads to Success (Not the Other Way Around) | Next Big Idea Club

🎨 Inspiration: “Smile You Were Meant to Be Here” by streetwisearts

Your Move

A reflection and challenge to help you break out of autopilot and make real change.

Reflection Prompt:

Challenge:

Until Next Time…

This week, flip the script.

Start with joy.
Start with meaning.
Start with happiness — and let success follow from there.

See you off the ladder.

— Sean Sirianni
Founder, Off the Ladder

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