A franchise opportunity does not create happiness. It can contribute to it, but it is not the real cause of the happiness we may or may not feel. What a franchisor does or fails to do has no more impact on our happiness than what we allow it to have. In the same token, our jobs or our bosses are not the cause of our misery or our joy. Happiness and misery spring from the same source: Our Mental Attitudes.
Our states of mind and the beliefs we hold guide our interpretations of the facts, of what is happening to us, of what we observe. Talking with franchisees in 2009 I heard those who thought it was the best year they’ve ever had, while others shared exactly the opposite. How can that be? Same concepts, same training, and in some cases the same cities, yet diametrically opposed results.
Yes, people who invest in a franchise may go through personal transformations that result in feeling more in control of their lives and destinies. They may finally be doing something more in line with their strengths bringing them closer to their purpose. All of these circumstances can get us closer to the joy within us which is always available to us when we are in the right frame of mind and decide to connect with it.
However, investing in a franchise because it will make us happy is a delusion. People who take this position are transferring the power they bestowed to the job that made them miserable to the franchise which is now supposed to make them happy. As Sylvia Boorstein says in her book by the same title: Happiness Is an Inside Job. It can’t be found in a job or in a business; it is always inside us.
I like that phrase, “Happiness is an inside job.” That sums up so many things in life. And, as you point out, a positive attitude does lead to happiness and success. When was the last time you’ve seen a miserable person with a defeatist attitude achieve enormous success? I can’t think of one!