Forget profitability for a moment. Forget sales. Forget the deadline breathing down your neck, the client with an emergency request, your high-maintenance colleague, the demands of the new project, and the hundreds of other urgencies that clutter your mind. Forget it all and ask yourself one simple question.

How happy are you at work?

If the answer to that question is solidly positive, all the daily struggles are worth it. If the answer is negative, none of the subordinate successes really matters much, because they are failing to deliver the ultimate goal of work and of life – to improve your happiness.

My latest piece for Forbes describes the 12 ingredients you should be seeking in a job that will make you both happier and more effective. The column can be found here.