On my recent vacation, I read the book Wellbeing—The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath, author of the book Strengthsfinder, and Jim Harter. The book is based on Gallop Poll’s extensive research conducted worldwide. Since I am a student of Thriving, I found the book very relevant and having fascinating insights.
Per my usual custom of books I consider having significant insights, I took notes and did a book report on it. From time-to-time, I will be posting highlights of each chapter. I hope you find them insightful.
Your Wellbeing
Wellbeing is the interaction of five elements:
- Our love for what we do each day
- The quality of love in our relationships
- The security of our finances
- The vibrancy of our physical health
- The fulfillment of our life calling in our community
- 66% of people are doing well in one or more areas; a third are not in any area
- 7% of people are thriving in all five
- The five critical elements are all in our own control, and we have the ability to improve them.
- The single biggest threat to our own wellbeing is ourselves as we allow our short-term decisions to override what is best for our long-term wellbeing.
If we can find short-term incentives that are consistent with our long-term objectives, it is much easier to make the right decisions in the moment. When we can see an immediate payoff, we are more likely to change our behavior in the moment. This aligns our daily actions with our long-term interests.