To flourish. To grow vigorously. To gain wealth. To progress forward. To realize a goal. To come into fruition due to the best of circumstances. To thrive, not just succeed for the mere purpose of money and power. To become someone of well-rounded wealth: in well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving, as much as money and power. Ingeniously, Arianna Huffington has dared us to into a realm we don't speak of when it comes to success. Success has become a two dimensional platform. Our world has globalized, and as individuals we choose to still remain limited. Arianna Huffington illustrates a multi-dimentional world to success, that betters us as individuals, that betters our business world, and more so betters all of our interactions with one another.
I bought the audio version of this book on the day it was released. The arrival of this book is quite 'coincidental' for me personally, or possibly for many others due to the current and future status of our business and economic world. Before reading this book I had already been aware of three things. First, that for the most part our corporate world exploits its workers to the fullest, with the exception of a few companies that have begun to think in more elevated fashions to incorporate stress-free environments and wellness initiatives. Secondly, is that most of us, if not all of us, are saturated with the influence of technology in our daily relationships. Lastly, that a great majority of the work force is overworked, underpaid, and highly unappreciated or unrewarded.
"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."- FR. ALFRED D'SOUZA
This quote greatly exemplifies the sentiment that accumulates from the three things mentioned above. It all just seems like one great big obstacle, your life. For me, as for many others, this book is breath of fresh air, telling the story of how you make your own story of sucess, rather than a story of obstacles, or even failure. "Darling, your change the channel. You are in control of the cliker. Don't replay the bad, scary movie."
Arianna Huffington, daringly, advocates for the following:
Quality versus Quantity - know how much time you're willing to spend on something and what you meaningfully want to do in that time.
Reconnecting the stressed and overworked self - create some rules to remain grounded and wise
More sleep - less social media - knowing when to put down the technological influence that you have created over your life
For corporations to put wellness initiatives place - seek out companies you know are aware and practical about the well-being of their employees
Creating a mindfulness of how we interact with one another and the impact we have on another on an internal and human connection.
Despite the popular belief among some reviews, that Thrive is simplistic in style, the beauty of the book is the interconnectedness of its content. The Third Metric comprises of four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. Far from simplistic, it's a well-rounded and gracious context for living life. This book is meant to challenge our perspectives of sucess beyond money and power. It's mean to open our eyes to the quality of our lives. It's not just about what happens to us and the path that we take in life. More so, it's about quality of that path from an individual perspective to larger point of view of community, corporations, and global changes.
I have listened, and relisted to this book for a month now. I go back to certain chapters because this book is great reminder of how much more progress we have to make as individuals but also as a society. It's inspiring to listen to the knowledge, wisdom, and sources in this book.
We should no longer seek to succeed. We should seek to Thrive!