Fastcompany iconFastcompanyJul 17, 2026 ~1 min source read

The happiness mistake almost every entrepreneur makes

From the outside, I had it all: 50 education centers across 10 countries, thousands of students, several successful businesses. Like almost every entrepreneur, I started my business for freedom: to travel, spend time with family, give gifts without counting.

The happiness mistake almost every entrepreneur makes

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From the outside, I had it all: 50 education centers across 10 countries, thousands of students, several successful businesses.

Like almost every entrepreneur, I started my business for freedom: to travel, spend time with family, give gifts without counting.

My way out began with a simple decision: I stopped carrying everything alone.

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The useful part

From the outside, I had it all: 50 education centers across 10 countries, thousands of students, several successful businesses. Like almost every entrepreneur, I started my business for freedom: to travel, spend time with family, give gifts without counting. My way out began with a simple decision: I stopped carrying everything alone.

How it works

  • That's how what I had been feeling got its name: happy lifestyle.
  • You drink one at home after a workout and immediately forget about it.
  • I stepped out of operations and delegated what I had managed myself for years.
  • I call it the delta: the gap between where you were and where you ended up.

What to take from it

We quickly settle into any peak—psychologists call this hedonic adaptation...

Details worth keeping

I remember the moment I realized my employees were happier than me. Money was supposed to be the road to that life, not the destination. Running won't make you happy if you're running in the wrong direction.

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