# Looking for a Happier Career? Start by Identifying your Happiness Recipe
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-03-14
Category: BUSINESS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business
Meta Title: Discover Your Happiness Recipe: Lessons from a Lawyer
Meta Description: Discover the Happiness Recipe and lessons on finding purpose and prioritising happiness in this insightful content by Becky Morrison.
URL: https://financedigest.com/looking-for-a-happier-career-start-by-identifying-your-happiness-recipehtml

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_![](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/535-1736815969296-compressed.jpg)_

_By **Becky Morrison,** Lawyer turned Happiness Coach and best-selling Author of The Happiness Recipe_

I did everything I thought I was supposed to. I got good grades, attended a great college and a respected law school and found myself in a high-paying job as a litigator on the partnership track at one of the country’s top 100 law firms. I was happily married and had a beautiful, healthy daughter. Somehow, despite having checked all the boxes, I wasn’t happy.

I was a pretty good lawyer. I have always been a strong communicator, efficient writer, strong problem-solver and skilled relationship-builder. The problem wasn’t that my substantive skills weren’t there. The problem was that, despite being nearly 30, I had no idea what would make me happy. That was [nearly 20 years](https://www.financedigest.com/dollar-slides-from-near-two-year-high-amid-hawkish-signals-from-fed.html "Dollar slides from near two-year high amid hawkish signals from Fed") ago.

Over the next two decades, in the process of balancing happiness and success I [learned a few important lessons](https://www.financedigest.com/learning-the-lessons-of-the-bangladesh-bank-heist.html "LEARNING THE LESSONS OF THE BANGLADESH BANK HEIST") that I want to share with you.

**Lesson #1 – You Don’t Have to Have One Purpose.**

As an unhappy young litigator, I wanted to find more [happiness and I thought I needed](https://www.financedigest.com/why-companies-need-to-rethink-retirement-tips-for-ensuring-a-happy-life-in-later-years.html "Why companies need to rethink retirement – Tips for ensuring a happy life in later years") to find my “true purpose.” It was frustrating, then, when I could land on a single thing that I thought could be my life-long passion project. I was a new mom, and while I loved being a mom and wanted it to be a higher priority in that moment, I also knew that I had professional aspirations beyond motherhood.

Ultimately, I discovered that life is a series of seasons. And happiness doesn’t have to [come from having a single guiding purpose that remains](https://www.financedigest.com/with-greater-freedom-comes-heightened-risk-how-to-help-ensure-consumer-data-remains-secure-in-an-open-banking-system.html "With Greater Freedom Comes Heightened Risk: How to Help Ensure Consumer Data Remains Secure in an Open Banking System") consistent throughout. That means when you are looking for happiness you need to [pay attention](https://www.financedigest.com/why-should-investors-be-paying-more-attention-to-open-source-software.html "Why should investors be paying more attention to open source software?") to what season you are in. And it means you will [need to recognize that as your seasons change](https://www.financedigest.com/a-mindset-change-is-needed-in-the-financial-services-industry.html "A mindset change is needed in the financial services industry"), your purpose might also change.

**Lesson #2 – Tune into your Happiness Recipe**

As my career wound through big law firms, entrepreneurial finance, [small business](https://www.financedigest.com/10-dirty-tricks-for-small-businesses-to-watch-out-for-when-negotiating.html "10 dirty tricks for Small Businesses to watch out for when negotiating") consulting and now coaching, I learned that the recipe for maximum happiness is really very simple: _do more of what matters most to you and less of the rest_. I call this priority-aligned living. Succinctly put, it is about [spending as much of your time](https://www.financedigest.com/its-time-for-banks-to-spend-on-digital-mortgage-journeys.html "It’s time for banks to spend on digital mortgage journeys"), energy and resources as possible on the things that matter most to you. This, of course, requires being willing to let go of the rest – even when it’s difficult.

Priority-aligned living is not one [size fits](https://www.financedigest.com/one-size-does-not-fit-all-customer-personalisation-in-the-finance-industry.html "One size does not fit all: customer personalisation in the finance industry") all – it is highly individualized. It’s not based on perfectly aligning your actions, rather it simply provides a framework for decision-making, problem-solving and time-spending. And, probably most importantly, it’s not an end state. It’s practiced with each decision we make, and it evolves as the seasons of our lives evolve. Living in a priority-aligned way can require making hard choices, but they are _your choices._

**Lesson #3 – [Mind the Gaps.](https://www.financedigest.com/minding-the-gap-the-importance-of-inclusive-financial-strategies-as-digital-currencies-rise.html "Minding The Gap: The importance of inclusive financial strategies as digital currencies rise ")**

Priority-aligned living, while straightforward in concept, is not always easy to execute. I’ve noticed that the there are three things that tend to get it in the way.

**_The Authenticity Gap_**

The first of these is the Authenticity Gap. It happens when we [don’t know](https://www.financedigest.com/women-in-technology-that-you-should-know-but-probably-dont.html "Women In Technology That You Should Know (But Probably Don’t)"), name or claim what really matters to us and our happiness. Often it pops up when what matters most to us is in conflict with [either what we’ve been told should matter to us or with what we believe](https://www.financedigest.com/86-of-parents-believe-there-should-be-either-a-total-ban-or-heavily-restricted-use-of-smartphones-in-schools.html "86% of parents believe there should be either a total ban or heavily restricted use of smartphones in schools") we deserve.

You can see it in my story. I did all the things I thought I _should_ do to bring me happiness in my career but it wasn’t until I connected with what mattered to me that I actually found it.

To [close the Authenticity Gap](https://www.financedigest.com/closing-the-sustainable-investment-gap.html "Closing the sustainable investment gap"), get honest with yourself and others about what matters most ot you. Because we [live in a world](https://www.financedigest.com/cheapest-countries-to-live-in-the-world.html "Cheapest countries to live in the world") where information, ideas and “shoulds” fly at us a million miles an hour all day long, that might requires slowing down enough to actually listen to your voice over all the outside voices.

**The Emotional** [Energy Gap](https://www.financedigest.com/analysis-energy-hungry-europe-cant-look-to-u-s-shale-to-fill-any-opec-gap.html "Analysis-Energy hungry Europe can’t look to U.S. shale to fill any OPEC gap")

The second gap is the Emotional [Energy](https://www.financedigest.com/skills-gap-could-act-as-a-brake-on-iot-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-finds-inmarsat.html "SKILLS GAP COULD ACT AS A BRAKE ON IOT INNOVATION IN THE ENERGY SECTOR, FINDS INMARSAT") Gap. It is tied to how we view ourselves and our ability to have more of what matters to us. And it’s the gap that most oftent gets missed. We [live in a action-based world and as result we often jump right from knowing](https://www.financedigest.com/solve-a-problem-you-know-and-live.html "Solve a Problem You Know and Live") what we want to doing it. But it is important to make sure that we’ve got the beliefs and feelings that will support us.

To close the emotional [energy gap identify the places where you need](https://www.financedigest.com/swedish-energy-minister-need-to-decouple-gas-from-electricity-price.html "Swedish energy minister: need to decouple gas from electricity price") to shift your mindset to support yourself as you name and claim what matters most to you, and actually do more of that and less of the rest.

**_The Physical Energy Gap_**

The final gap is the Physical [Energy Gap and it’s created when you don’t actually match your capacity](https://www.financedigest.com/varo-energy-buys-80-of-dutch-biogas-firm-aims-to-double-capacity-by-2026.html "Varo Energy buys 80% of Dutch biogas firm; aims to double capacity by 2026") – time, energy and resources – to your priorities. Ultimately, priorities are not spoken, they are lived. And if you are saying one thing and doing another, then you’re a victim of this gap.

To [close the Physical Energy Gap](https://www.financedigest.com/utilising-digital-tools-to-close-the-finance-and-accounting-skills-gap.html "Utilising digital tools to close the finance and accounting skills gap"), you need to align your capacity with your priorities. When you are clear on what matters to you, believe you can do more of that and less of the rest, then you can actually take steps to make sure that you are spending as much of your capacity as possible on those things that fuel your happiness.

Finding career happiness starts with understanding your personal happiness recipe. Recognizing that your purpose and priorities can change as your seasons do, allows you to [understand the importance](https://www.financedigest.com/changing-face-b2b-business-practices-understanding-timeless-behaviour-important-ever.html "The changing face of B2B business practices – why understanding timeless behaviour is more important than ever.") of identifying the season you are in. Then, in that season, you can write your happiness recipe – naming and claiming what matters most to you, doing more of what matters and less of the rest, and having a mindset that will support you along the way.


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