The title of this post comes from a quote from Albert Schweitzer, which goes:

Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you’re doing, you will be successful.

I received that quote from Tony Robbins’ Twitter feed, and it made me reflect upon my own decisions and the ways in which my life has changed over the years.  I urge anybody to follow their heart, their dreams, their desires.  If at first it may not make you financially rich, it will fulfil your personal desires, and will likely guide you towards ways of transforming your personal success into a professional windfall!

What brought this on?

I’ve worked for several companies since leaving college in 2000, and in 2007 I made the decision to leave and go it alone.  As of June 2009, I’ve got four businesses and another two in the pipeline.  I’m going strong and loving every minute of it.  I don’t want it to stop – I dread the thought of not having a flourishing adventure to occupy my time.  I’m working on various community and charity projects, and I’m going out to Africa to help with wildlife protection and education in Malawi.  I’m setting up a company to improve education and sports services in the UK with a very influential sports/motivational coach.

How did it all begin?

On reflection, the single best decision I made was in leaving my most recent full time job.  There was nothing wrong with it.  I was happy there, but the desire had subsided.  I’d begun to let my mind wander and to think “Oh, how I wish I was like Tony Robbins”, or “Why can’t I have Richard Branson’s adventures?”, and other such thoughts… then I realised something I read by Tony Robbins…

The only thing keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself about why you can’t have it

I could be whover I wanted to be!

From 2003 to 2007 I worked for an Internet Provider based in Rochdale, around 20 minutes from Manchester.  I had worked my way up the food chain starting on Customer Services, working hard to get a transfer to Provisioning (speaking lots with suppliers and pulling strings to make sure things went according to plan), on to a brief stint in Product Development (getting new products developed and launched – I was working on hosting packages), and eventually moving to the Systems Development team (coding internal business systems).

My time there was great, I thoroughly enjoyed working there.  My colleagues were great, the managers were great, and the MD of the company was superb.  He actually had a key role to play in my movements within the company, and for that I owe him a lot!

A few days ago I got chatting to an ex colleague of mine who invited me to their new office for lunch and a catch up. It’s amazing to see how things have changed over the years – or not in some cases.  A few people have moved up in the company, but many are in exactly the same position as they were when I left.

I briefly spoke to the MD in the canteen today and briefly filled him in on where I’m up to – two years on and he still remembered my name.  He congratulated me and sounded genuinely pleased with my achievements, especially the opportunities I’ve taken to contribute in Africa.  All that aside, our interaction was brief – his steak was getting colder with every word I spoke!

It made me reflect on my own achievements and made me see how lucky I am to have experienced what I have since leaving their employ, and the ways in which my life has changed since making that decision.  I’ve sometimes sat back to think “Have I really done that much since leaving?”, and I can answer with confidence and pride, a big resounding “YES!”.  Some things have stayed the same, but in many ways I’ve achieved a lot!

I’m now looking at my work in Africa with even more pride and excitement than ever before – How many people can make a decision to go to another continent for several months without having to restructure their entire lives and worry about leaving their jobs?