3 Tips For Genuine Happiness & Success, From A Serial Entrepreneur

For an emotion as subjective and elusive as happiness, there sure are a lot of tips and tricks to "find" it. A quick search on Google, and you'll find pages of articles dedicated to seeking true happiness in your life. Our take? There's no one road on the journey to happiness, but some experts have come pretty close to cracking the code—whatever it looks like for you.  

"A decent forward-looking indicator of your success is the ratio of time you spend sweating to watching other people sweat," Galloway declares. "Show me somebody who does Pilates, works out, boxes, runs four or five times a week, and uses sports as a means of establishing relationships in the company of others, and I'll show you someone who is good at life." 

In terms of happiness, we know exercise is associated with mood-boosting properties. See, when you exercise, your heart rate increases and your body pumps more oxygen to your brain, and that process can affect your overall positivity: Multiple studies1 have found that a well-oxygenated brain helps manage anxiety and depression2, and research has shown exercise may help alleviate depression and anxiety overall3.

We've likely burned it into your brain by now, but allow Galloway to emphasize: Quality social connection is integral to happiness. "We're a social species," he explains. "We are meant to be around each other. We're meant to be in the company of each other." It's good for your mental and physical health to connect with others (even with those you might not agree with). Plenty of research has demonstrated the link between quality relationships and happiness4; on the flip side, social isolation has been linked to early mortality5.

At the end of the day, happiness ebbs and flows, so if you're not feeling your most positive self right now, that's OK. Of course, it's important to take mental health conditions seriously, and if you've been feeling depressed for a long period of time, know that you're not alone and there are options out there for you. "But if you find yourself stressed and occasionally unhappy, just know that's part of [life]," says Galloway. "Keep on keeping on; that is a [common] part of the journey."