According to Huffington too many of us leave our lives--and,
in fact, our souls behind when we go to work. Burnout is in fact, a disease of
the modern age. Many of us don’t know
how to put limits to their professional lives. Our traditional measures of
success have us chasing two outcomes; money and power. This just isn't working for
us. Huffington defines a third metric of
success that includes well-being, wisdom, wonder and willingness to give.
Well-being
She discusses the impact of stress on our health and
describes sleep deprivation as profoundly and negatively affecting our
creativity, our productivity and our decision making. She cites a study conducted by the Walter
Reed Army Institute of Research that suggests that sleep deprivation reduces
our emotional intelligence, self-regard, assertiveness, sense of independence,
empathy toward others, quality of our interpersonal relationships, positive
thinking and impulse control.
Huffington suggests that the best ways we can become
healthier and happier are through sleep, mindfulness and meditation.
Wisdom
“Wisdom is about recognizing what we are really seeking:
connection and love. But in order to
find them, we need to drop our relentless pursuit of success as society defines
it for something more genuine, more meaningful, and more fulfilling.”
“Our big source of wisdom is intuition, our inner knowing. We hear the message and it feels right even
if we cannot explain why your intuition is always there, always reading the
situation, always trying to steer us the right way.”
Arianna quips that no one’s eulogy ever mentions the
deceased’s Linkedin profile or how much they raised market share. Our eulogies
are always tribute to the other stuff. What we gave, how we connected, how much we
meant to our family and friends, small kindnesses, lifelong passions, and the
things that made us laugh. But we spend most of our waking lives focusing so
much time on the things our eulogies will never cover.
Wonder
By simply paying attention we can see the beauty that
surrounds us every day. We can start by acknowledging the coincidences in our
daily life. “We don’t have to know what coincidences mean, or arrive at some
grand conclusion when we encounter them, but they serve as sporadic reminders to maintain our sense of wonder, to
stop every now and again and allow ourselves to be fully present in the moment
and open to Life’s mystery. They are a forced reboot.”
Giving
Huffington quotes Donald Moynihan, who authored a study
conducted at the University of Wisconsin “…Helping others simply makes us
happier…Altruism is not a form of martyrdom, it operates for many as a part of
a healthy psychological reward system”.
The effects of giving on aging are dramatic, from combating
depression to encouraging brain-building activities that lower the risk of Alzheimer’s.
In the workplace, volunteering creates a healthier more creative and
collaborative workplace environment.
Employees who give back are more likely to assist their colleagues and
less likely to quit.
For me, the test of teacher is in the behavior and not the
word. Arianna was so incredibly
attentive; taking time with every interested guest. I spoke with her briefly as she signed my copy of Thrive. She made the most genuine eye contact; mindful, gracious and fully-present. I
had a single thought as I left the venue "I will have what she's having!"
I have only touched the surface here. So, if you want to have it all and you want
to BELIEVE that this is truly possible, I encourage you to pick up your own
copy. Thrive is available…well Everywhere!
image credit: dreamstime.com
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