It is such a surprise that many people including those who are regarded as "successful" are not necessarily happy with their job and/or life. Some people may seem to enjoy being popular/star but the truth is they are often really lonely inside and not truly happy. Some others may be engaged in the job that are high up in the corporate and social ladder but are not happy and satisfied because that is not really what he/she likes and enjoys. Such people are depicted in the blog below. What about you?

Whatever the reason for not being truly happy may be, it is more than natural that we all want to get out from such a state. In doing so, we need to know why we are not truly satisfied with how we are. In my opinion, it is all because you and I am not leading our life aligning to "self", being the owner of your life. From my own ongoing journey of quest for "self", mission/objectives/meaning of my life and what is success for me, definition of success and happiness, with 7 steps as an approach is drawn.

Definition of "success" should be different for everyone because each of us is different. We all have different value, belief, interest and uniqueness, and objectives/mission of our life and our lifework that we pursue as we go along in our life journey aligns with our value, belief, interest and uniqueness. Having said that, the definition of success in life and to live happily can be summarized as "Unleashing one's potential in one's desirable environment to achieve tangible outcome one is happy with (not necessarily monetary), contributing to the organization, community and/or society one belongs to."

And the key to own your life to succeed in life and live happily can be summarized as the 7 steps below.

1) Physically and economically healthy:

There are no argument on this, is there?

2) Self branding:

This is the starting point of defining your success, goal and mission in your life, and deciding what your lifework is. Extensive self analysis is inevitable. Strategy and brand management framework and approaches can be used, similarly to branding of a company or an entity.

3) Networking:

This is about being connected with people with whom you can learn and grow mutually. Like brand, this is an intangible asset that is built on trust and requires time. This is vital for self marketing and let the world know about you, who you are and so forth. In today's ubiquitous networking world, leveraging web 2.0 social media tools world really helps although face-to-face networking and conversation still plays an important role and you need to effectively mix and utilize them both.

4) Work you enjoy and your happiest challenges:

You should not be pushed aside by the work and challenges the general public highly evaluates but those you truly enjoy and means to you, aligning with your value and interest. Base on personal branding and "career drift" concept, create your career and land on the role/position you really desire, the role/position that is meaningful to you, and engage in challenges you are happy with. Challenges may not be what you had been doing nor what you are good at first but if you like them and are happy with them, you usually pick up the skills quickly. Work you enjoy and happiest challenges lead to motivation, high performance and your growth.

5) Desirable work environment with supportive boss(es) and cooperative colleagues:

The definition of "desirable work environment" depends on the individual but for many people, the important points include clear mission and goal of the organization, open and interactive communication, simple processes and systems and chemistry/fitting with the organization's culture. Supportive bosses and cooperative colleagues creating a teamwork spirit usually comes with desirable work environment, which increases your motivation, an important driver along with your skills, competencies etc. (and perhaps the only driver that can be positive or negative) to maximize your performance and leverage organizational capability, leading to high performance of you as an individual and the organization you belong to.

6) Work-life balance:

Life is not only about career or work. Positive effect outside work usually has positive effects on work leading to synergy.

7) Understanding and cooperation from your family, and "true" friends:

There are no argument on this, is there? A friend in need is a friend indeed. "True" friends are people from your network who would stay connected regardless of negative change in your status and would help you regardless of his/her stake when you really need their help.

After all, it is each of us that "own" our lives and career path. Each of us is to strategically positioning ourselves in the world we live in and is responsible for creating our own lives and career.