The Pareto Principle originated in 1906 by Vilfredo Pareto.  He was an Italian engineer and economist who famously observed that 20% of his pea plants generated 80% of the peas in his garden.  He went on to discover that 20% of Italians owned 80% of the property in Italy, and the principle continued on from there.

Many people since Pareto have examined this phenomenon, and the theory continues to hold true in business, in the world, and in life.

• 20% of customers account for 80% of sales
• 20% of drivers cause 80% of all traffic accidents
• 20% of all factories create 80% of the world’s pollution
• 20% of a company’s products represent 80% of sales
• 20% of employees are responsible for 80% of the results
• 20% of students have grades 80% or higher

In essence, 20% of effort drives 80% of your outcomes.

What if you applied this concept to joy and examined it from two perspectives:

• What 20% causes 80% of my unhappiness?
• What 20% influences 80% of my happiness?

What are the one or two things, tasks, habits, people, etc. that are the primary drivers of your unhappiness and can you eliminate them?  Conversely, can you focus on the few drivers that promote your happiness and do more of those?  It is fascinating to explore the big impact that a few changes could make.

I have some thinking to do!