Jon Fisher - I Took the Only Path To See You

Richard Branson got his start publishing a magazine. Later, he used this magazine to advertise record albums that he sold by mail-order. That led to opening his own record store and when that made money, Richard Branson launched the record label Virgin Records, which signed bands that other record labels were reluctant to sign, such as multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield (whose debut album, Tubular Bells , became a best seller when it was used as the soundtrack for the horror movie classic The Exorcist ). Branson later signed the controversial band known as the Sex Pistols.

From the money he made with his record label, Branson created his own airline, Virgin Atlantic, and later his own space tourism company, Virgin Galactic. His passion isn't just limited to his initial success in the music industry, but with starting and running businesses that challenge the status quo. No matter how much money he has, Richard Branson simply has fun creating and running businesses. All his money just gives him the freedom to pursue another dream, but even if he didn't have that money, he would still enjoy the activity in starting and running another business even if it's as simple as running a record store.

Many people falsely believe that happiness is something they hope to reach in the distant future. That type of thinking means you can never be happy until the future arrives. If that future never comes, then you risk never being happy.

In contrast, once you find what you like doing, you can start doing it now and be happy today and every day, whether you reach a distant goal in the future or not.

Which way would you rather live?

Second, happiness can only exist through action and relationships. Action means doing anything you're most passionate about. Relationships mean you can only create happiness between yourself and others.

While some people can be perfectly happy in solitude, the majority of people are happiest with friends and loved ones. A 2005 survey from the Pew Research Center found that across different countries and ethnic groups, people reported greater happiness from their marriage than from their careers, community, or wealth. Forty-three percent of married respondents reported that they were “very happy” compared to just 24 percent of single people.

Of course everyone is different, but think about the happiest moments from your own life. Chances are good they involve shared experiences with others such as celebrating a graduation, going on a first date with the person who would eventually become your spouse, or just a quiet moment talking with a friend to share your hopes and dreams.

The reason why all the money, fame, and power in the world can never make you happy is because life is always better when you can share it with others. So not only does happiness require actively doing what you enjoy, but it also involves a shared experienced that can be as simple as picking out a puppy from the animal shelter or teaching a child how to ride a bicycle for the first time.

Ever wonder why some poor people are happy and some fabulously wealthy people are miserable? It has nothing to do with money or possessions but everything to do with doing what you love and spending time with the people you care about the most.

That's how you create happiness.

Happiness exists when you're following your greatest passion.

Happiness occurs when you share a memorable moment with someone you care about.

The moment you stop pursuing your passion or separate from the people you care about the most, happiness goes away as well. The only way you can bring back happiness is to pursue your passion and/or share special moments with your loved ones. It's really that simple.

Just as you can never get into physical shape by exercising once, so you can only be happy by constantly following your passion and spending time with your loved ones. That means you must clearly identify both:

What is your passion (and how can you pursue it)?

Who are the most important people in your life (and how can you spend more time with them)?

Until you discover your passion, your life might feel aimless. Of course it's not enough to find your passion. You must also take action to follow through on your passion on a regular basis, every day if possible.

How do you find your passion? First, look for any activity that you enjoy doing. Remember, happiness is an action, not a destination, so you need to find the activity that you enjoy doing as its own reward, regardless of what anyone else might think.

For example, I once met a man who was passionate about spoons. This may sound silly, but he enjoyed spending everyday carving wooden spoons until they resembled sculptures you might expect to find in a museum.

Not only did this man enjoy the activity of carving wood, but he also loved the challenge of carving different items out of wood. He started with spoons but soon branched out to forks, bowls, picture frames, chairs, and anything else that could be shaped out of a single block of wood. His passion was simply carving wood into functional art that you couldn't help but admire.

So you not only want to look for any activity that you enjoy doing regardless of what anyone else might think, but you also want to choose an activity that provides a never-ending challenge. Can you think of a better life than one that lets you spend time doing what you love?

If you already know what you're passionate about, you just need the courage to pursue it and ignore any critics. However, if you're like many people, you may have no idea what you could be passionate about. To help find your passion, look at what you fear.

Far too many people take jobs they don't love because they're too afraid of pursuing what they do love. After all, it's far easier to look for that “safe” and “secure” job that promises a steady income along with the “security” of regular employment.

If you're playing it “safe” in life, ask yourself what are you afraid of? Identifying what you fear can be a huge clue to what you really want to do, but you just don't believe you can do it. Think of fear as a bright red blinking arrow pointing you in the direction you really want to go. Be brave and look past your fear. That's where you'll likely find your true passion in life.

Once you've defined your passion, write it down where you can see it every morning when you wake up. Also, write out your passion – on a piece of paper or on your phone – where you can review it during the day. Finally, study what you're most passionate about right before you go to bed each night. By constantly reminding yourself what you care about most, you can take action every day to move one step closer to your dream until you one day achieve success.

Besides knowing your passion, make a list of the people you care about the most. As much as we try not to face reality, we're all going to die one day, so it's important to spend as much quality time as possible with your loved ones.

That could mean doing something as simple as reading a book to a child before bedtime or riding a bicycle across Europe with a friend over the summer. Think about creating happy moments that you'll always remember with a smile on your face. Realize such moments will become even more precious once you realize we're all getting older and the world keeps changing around us every day. We can only repeat certain moments for a limited amount of time before they're gone for good.

Children grow up, parents get older, friends move away, and jobs change to ensure that life will never stay the same. Remember, everyone's time on Earth is limited and unknown, so make every moment you have as memorable as possible. Happiness is up to you.