Entrepreneurs Can Be Happier

Inc.:
Many psychologists believe that entrepreneurs have a greater potential for happiness than the average person. That's because they can set challenges for themselves in their jobs that best suit their own skills and goals, explains Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychology professor at Claremont University and author of Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning. "Clearly," he writes, "entrepreneurial leaders find as much satisfaction in their jobs as any person can hope to achieve." For entrepreneurs, this sort of job satisfaction carries a lot of weight, says Kelly Shaver, a William & Mary psychology professor. He has found that it's often the sense of accomplishment that makes an entrepreneur truly happy in life -- not the monetary rewards those accomplishments bring.
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In other words, says Csikszentmihalyi, to achieve happiness, you must enjoy doing your best while contributing to something beyond yourself. This can take many forms. To set goals that will be meaningful to you, he says, you must begin by defining your priorities -- the things you believe make life worth living.
via Business Opportunities Weblog