Positive psychology – the newest and most powerful branch of psychology – talks about happiness and contentment being a product of pleasure, meaning and challenge. We need to have all three of these in our lives. There aren't too many things that offer all three at the same time. I think relationships with partners and raising children often brings us all three, though I don't know how much pleasure is to be found when our kids are in challenge zone!

Our business can and should provide all three. The research says we need to have all three in our lives: I believe we need to have all three in our days, because how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. If you aren't going to experience all these three at some point today, you need to think about what you're doing and how you can add more pleasure, meaning or challenge.

One source of this contentment is commitment. When we commit to something, no matter how difficult it is, we are taking on a challenge. That’s because there will be plenty of distractions and temptations, and it's a challenge to stay on track. My father used to say that when you make a commitment you look neither to the left nor to the right, you look straight ahead. That's hard.

The meaning element of commitment comes from the challenge. I love Sir Ed Hilary's quote: "it's not the mountain that we conquer but ourselves". I find meaning in my life in taking on development opportunities which force me to grow. I was talking with some graduates of one of our programmes last week, and one of them said that the biggest difference the programme had made was inside himself. He felt he had grown as a person which in turn made him a better business owner, which meant he could grow the business 50% in just two years. The result is nice, but the process is what gives meaning.

Finally there is pleasure in commitment. It's found in those moments when you are honouring your commitment. I recently walked my first half marathon. I wasn't first or even fast, but that wasn't the point. The pleasure I got from the process was those mornings when I was out training. It came from having a plan, making a commitment and honouring that commitment even though it was physically challenging. I didn't especially enjoy the physical effort, I enjoyed the feeling of knowing that once again I had conquered myself for another day.

As we near the summer season and end of the year, while we're spending time in the pleasure zone at the beach or the lake, in tents and baches or just at home, let this thought quietly simmer in your brain: what do I commit to do next year? Don't over-think it, holidays are not a time for challenge other than purely pleasurable ones like catching fish and beating your PB on the golf course. But just let it sit there. Your mind will work on it without you having to direct it.