Happiness and Success?

I’m feeling really happy now, as if I was on top of the world. The half bottle of excellent Anjou from Val de Loire that I just downed probably had something to do with this euphoria of relief that rushes through my veins but I would like to think that it’s simply because of several factors – I’ve just completed a major product kitting and stock migration project here in Singapore, sales have jumped so high that I feel dizzy just thinking about it and I’ll be returning back to Paris this Sunday. Andrea Bocelli’s beautiful voice filling up my office does help to set the mood wonderfully.

I was in Singapore in the past 3 weeks to oversee several massive kitting and stock migration projects that will stock up the Singapore warehouse nicely with all the new products that were recently launched. The projects were massive by any measurement and the completion is such a huge relief as our non-USA customers can now get what they want for a mere US$3 for shipping.

Of course, our US customers can continue to select our US warehouse shipments but shipments from the US warehouse to non-US customers are costly. Worldwide shipments from Singapore on the other hand cost a mere US$3 and we even throw that in for free when more than US$30 of products are purchased in a single order. This drastic reduction in shipping cost obviously contributes to a much higher demand from non-US customers (basic economics. Price goes down, demand goes up), resulting in much bigger presence in non-US markets.

Happiness, what exactly is happiness? Different people perceive happiness in different ways, depending on their outlook in life, their culture and what surrounds them. Some people are happy if their banks are filled with money, others are happy if they’re successful in life, and the list goes on. Is a person successful because he’s happy or is he happy because he’s successfully? What exactly is success anyway?

Happiness and success can almost be used interchangeably in many cases because of the way they’re tied to each other. People measure success in different ways and I will not go into the technicalities because there is simply no right and wrong. Humans are complex creatures who can only be depended on to complicate the hell out of life, just like what I’m about to do. Some people measure success by the amount of money they earn, the advancement in their careers, the size of their car, the size of their houses, or by some other frivolous measure that I’ve yet to comprehend.

Success to me is simply the acceptance of what your life entails and the satisfaction with what you’ve achieved thus far. Your car will never be big or fast enough and neither will your house be big enough. The pursue of material wealth is never ending and quite frankly, pointless. What’s important is the satisfaction with whatever we have but with the aspiration to take things to the next level. One can never be happy if you’re never satisfied. What’s the use of success if you’re never satisfied?

Aspirations to take things to the next level are of course essential, without which, we’ll still be living in caves, but these aspirations should just be goals that we set for the betterment of life in general. Ironically, I’m probably the most demanding person for myself when it comes to such aspirations but I’ve learnt to be happy with what I have.

Happiness, to me, is simply being with the people you love, which is why I’m happy as I’m finally returning to Paris after 3 weeks of agonizing work to be with my dearest. Of course, my happiness can come in other forms, such as a new Ferrari or Lambo, but are these really essential? Absolutely not. You’ll be amazed at how happy one can be after stripping away all the non-essentials. Happiness can be as simple as a nice afternoon in the gardens staring at the fountain and holding your other half in your arms.

When I was in the army, during the tougher times, happiness to me was simply to sit still at a spot and not move. Happiness to many in this world can be as basic as having food to eat or even a roof over their heads. Be thankful for what you have. Shops will tell you that this is a season of giving, but that’s because they want you to buy things from them to give to others. I’ll say that this is a season to give thanks for what you have and be with the people you love.

My work in Singapore is done for the year and I’ll only be back next year for more pain. Of course, the daily operation of the business continues wherever I go with the help of technology and the business functions well thanks to the wonderful team we have.

Do I always blog when I’m half drunk? Yes.

Happy holidays everyone! Be happy.