Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements

by Tom Rath, James K. Harter

Much of what we think will improve our wellbeing is either misguided or just plain wrong. Contrary to what many people believe, wellbeing isn't just about being happy. Nor is it only about being wealthy or successful. And it's certainly not limited to physical health and wellness. In fact, focusing on any of these elements in isolation may drive us to frustration and even a sense of failure.

When striving to improve our lives, we are quick to buy into programs that promise to help us make money, lose weight, or strengthen our relationships. While it might be easier to treat these critical areas in our lives as if they operate independently, they don't. Gallup's comprehensive study of people in more than 150 countries revealed five universal, interconnected elements that shape our

The Five Essential Elements

The Five Essential Elements will provide you with a holistic view of what contributes to your wellbeing over a lifetime. Written in a conversational style by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Rath and bestselling author Jim Harter, Ph.D., this book is filled with fascinating research and novel ideas for boosting your wellbeing in each of these five areas.

By the time you finish reading this book, you should have a better understanding of what makes life worthwhile. This will enable you to enjoy each day and get more out of your life -- and perhaps most importantly, boost the wellbeing of your friends, family members, colleagues, and others in your community.

(Each copy of this book includes a unique ID code for Gallup's online Wellbeing Finder, a program designed to help you track and improve your wellbeing over time.)

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Health, Professional Development

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2010

About the author

Tom Rath is an author and researcher who has spent the past two decades studying how work can improve human health and well-being. He has two books slated for publication in 2020, Life's Great Question: Discover How You Best Contribute to the World and It's Not About You: A Brief Guide to a Meaningful Life, published in partnership with Amazon Original Stories.

In total, Tom's 10 books have sold more than 10 million copies and made hundreds of appearances on global bestseller lists.

Connect with Tom at:

- www.tomrath.org
- Twitter.com/TomCRath
- Facebook.com/AuthorTomRath
- Google.com/+TomRath
- Linkedin.com/in/trath/

Reviews

[Chinarut · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real value of this book is in the included license to the Wellbeing Finder platform (wbfinder.com) to track your well being for 6 months. You could say what you're investing in (time and/or money) is in the research & design of the technology. The book is a simple read and is in many ways a "manual" to share the WHY behind it all. The 2nd half of the book outlining the research methods used - the references are excellent.

I'm 1 week into the process and they are correct - the process of tracking and measuring encourages you to reflect and inquire into why the numbers you get are the way they are and make the appropriate changes in your life. With its focus on the 5 elements, I personally would recommend referring to other books to do any required deep dives. Here are some examples (some Gallup published, others aren't):

1. physical - Eat Move Sleep is my current bible (published by Gallup). These 3 areas can be dived into further: eat:The Pleasure Trap; sleep: The Twenty-Four-Hour Society; move: currently reading Sweat Your Prayers with my bias towards dance as my "fun" way to move :)
2. social - Vital Friends is a Gallup-published book. Lots of excellent relationship books out there - find one that works for you. Tribal Leadership is excellent when you are ready to shift your focus from creating dyads to triads in your life.
3. financial - balancing common sense with Secrets of the Millionaire Mind and principles of The Zeitgeist Movement Defined and The Best That Money Can't Buy. BOLD is excellent if you are an entrepreneur interested in "exponential thinking"
4. career - Take the Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 if you haven't already. It will not only impact your career, it will impact the 4 other areas of well being tremendously. Business Model You is excellent for those of you interested in applying entrepreneurial thinking to your own life.
5. community - Your deep dive here really depends on the type of contribution you wish to be to your community. Is it philanthropy or "straight up" volunteering or something else? The training provided in the Wisdom Area at Landmark Worldwide is an excellent foundation (note: not a book - sometimes it requires actually getting your head out of books, out the house, and be with your community! :)

The 5 elements is a research-driven framework that speaks to all walks of life. If you can see it as such, you'll find the book creates focus and may transform the way you see your life - more importantly, it creates a context to communicate your well being needs and listen for the well being needs of others.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Very appropriate New Year's read....especially as you're sitting on an exercise bike. :) Well-being is Gallup's research and survey of thousands of people around the country and the world about what matters to them in their life and what makes it meaningful. There are five essential elements:
* career well-being (enjoying what you do each day)
* social well-being (having strong relationships)
* financial well-being (having enough for the necessities)
* physical well-being (enjoying health and energy to get things done)
* community well-being (having a sense of engagement where you live)

I'll have to say that I hesitated spending the time on this book when I saw that their definition of well-being did not include spiritual well-being since that is such a major part of my well-being. They did explain that faith is something constant and important across all aspects, which I think is very important.

Although some of these points seem too statistical and structured, there were some good ideas that made me think about changes I can make in my life to increase my well-being:
* use your strengths everyday
* spend time with someone that has a shared mission and encourages your growth
* spend six hours a day socializing
* strengthen connections
* spend money on experiences (I TOTALLY agree!)
* spend money on others
* establish default systems to help you worry less about money
* get 30 minutes of (morning) exercise six days a week
* sleep seven to eight hours a day
* eat natural foods (blueberries, raspberries, nuts)
* choose the place to live that fits your personality
* find a place to contribute in the community
* tell people about your passions to find more connections

Well-being is definitely more than your income or weight. There are things we can do every day to make it a good day.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

What you'd expect from a book about wellbeing.

Cites Thaler's research - seems like every book I read these days is doing that.

Notes:

Having a best friend at work - 7x more likely to be engaged in job.
6 hours of social interaction/day - optimal
3-4 close friendships
1 person can't be everything
Buying experiences > buying goods
majority of bankruptcies in US linked to medical bills

[Kat Riethmuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takeaways:
Total well-being derives from combining earnings, physical fitness, an active social life, a good job and strong community ties.
Individuals who try to improve only one or two of these areas can’t achieve happiness.
Only 7% of people have optimized their lives in all aspects of well-being.
People often opt for short-term satisfaction instead of long-term well-being.
Develop constructive routines – “positive default” positions – so your immediate actions offer benefits over the long haul.
Career satisfaction has the greatest impact on your happiness.
Good social relationships help you endure psychological stress.
Your body does not function well without proper food, drink, exercise and sleep.
Doing things for others increases your confidence in your ability to change your life.
A loving relationship makes you stronger and healthier.

Summary:
The Secret to Happiness
Do you experience a strong sense of well-being every day? Such contentment depends on more than just financial security, physical health or some other beneficial attribute. If you work to improve in one or two areas, but ignore the others, you will not be happy.

Much of what we think will improve our well-being is either misguided or just plain wrong.
Yet people commonly take a shortsighted approach. They buy books or purchase videos with the specific goals of getting rich, becoming thin, finding love, gaining respect or building relationships. Faithfully following the rules these guides lay out for them, they make concerted efforts to improve their lives in discrete areas. Then they give up, because having an exclusive focus on one or two of life’s aspects interferes with its other important elements.

The single biggest threat to our own well-being tends to be ourselves.
People are not just money accumulators or health builders or romance finders; they are all these things, and more. Money alone will not increase your sense of well-being; research studies show that an annual increase of $10,000 in salary produced only a 2% increase in happiness in return.

Gallup Inc.’s research, conducted around the world and over many decades – including recent findings – indicates that people must optimize “five essential elements” of their lives to be truly happy:

“Career well-being” – How you prioritize your work time.
“Social well-being” – How you find and maintain love and strong social relationships.
“Financial well-being” – How you manage your money.
“Physical well-being” – How you maintain your health.
“Community well-being” – How you integrate with the people around you.
With so many options to satisfy ourselves at the moment, it can be difficult to make the right long-term decisions.
Unfortunately, Gallup research indicates that only 7% of people do well in all five areas.

Most folks opt for immediate happiness (eat those potato chips, buy that new TV) instead of long-range well-being (get thin and fit, save for retirement). You escape this quick-fix thinking by developing “short-term incentives” that serve your “long-term objectives.” For example, contemplating the future dangers of obesity may not make you forego vanilla ice cream right now. However, if you know how poorly your “high-fat hangover” will make you feel for the rest of the day, perhaps you will find the fortitude to resist. Similarly, you may decide to exercise this morning because you know that even 20 minutes of physical activity can make you feel good for the next 12 hours. Such smart thinking, known as “a positive default” position, can motivate you to do the right thing when temptation strikes. You can then orient your day-to-day activities to line up with your long-range well-being goals. Of course, this will require hard work, discipline and personal accountability. But the result – a vibrant, happy life – is certainly worth it.

Career Well-being
The essence of career well-being is attaining joy from your daily activities. Most adults spend much of the day at work. When you are there, can you do the things you love? When your work is enjoyable, it ceases to be work. Many supposed workaholics spend so much time at their jobs because nothing else gives them as much pleasure. Unfortunately, only one out of five people like their jobs. Disliking your work negatively impacts your happiness, because career well-being is the most significant of the five happiness elements. A Swedish study confirmed a direct proportion between contempt for a boss and increased worker heart attacks.

People usually underestimate the influence of their career[s] on their overall well-being.
Many people suffer emotional tailspins when they become unemployed. Research published in The Economic Journal indicates that even after five years, most people are unable to completely recover after losing their jobs. No other life event has the same negative impact. Unemployment especially affects men. But take heart: You don’t need a good job to achieve career well-being. You can be out of work and still attain happiness. Spend your time on something that brings you pleasure. This could involve bringing up children or doing volunteer work, such as tutoring.

Our well-being actually recovers more rapidly from the death of a spouse than it does from a sustained period of unemployment.
In 1958, George Gallup’s research showed that career well-being is a major factor that helps people stay hearty and healthy into their 90s. Gallup interviewed hundreds of people aged 95 or older. At that time, most men retired around age 65, but the men who reached 95 did not quit their jobs “until they were 80 years old.” A whopping majority of them (86%) reported that working was fun. Work is enjoyable when you can employ your personal strengths on a daily basis. People who utilize such strengths find six times as much job enjoyment as other workers. Career well-being helps you find purpose in your life. “People with high Career Well-being are more than twice as likely to be thriving in their lives overall.”

Social Well-being
Most people do not realize how much their social connections mean to their emotional and physical health and well-being. Those with friends, family and significant others derive great benefit from their social networks. You quickly transmit your emotions to those around you. And when those around you care about you, your emotions, like a battery, will be in a constant state of positive charge.

People who have at least three or four very close friendships are healthier, have higher well-being and are more engaged in their jobs.
Humans “synchronize [their] moods” with those around them. Your emotions influence the feelings of others, and their emotional states influence your own. Harvard University research covering 12,000 subjects over a period of more than 30 years found that if someone in your social network is happy, the chances that you will feel happy rise by a factor of 15%. “Even your friend’s friend’s friend influences your well-being.”

Experimental research suggests that creating sustainable change may be two to three times as likely to happen in the context of a group, company or community organization.
Positive relationships with others enable people to ride out the rough spots with less physiological stress. Those who keep to themselves are twice as likely to die of heart disease. In an experiment to measure the healing power of loving social relationships, researchers inflicted small wounds on the arms of 42 married couples. The wounds of those experiencing tension and hostility in their relationships healed 50% more slowly than the injuries of happier couples.

The best moments – and most agonizing ones – occur at the intersection between two people.
To achieve well-being, people need to socialize six hours daily. Each hour that you spend with other people decreases the likelihood that you will experience a bad day. Your social well-being depends on having one good friend, at a minimum; three or four are better.

Financial Well-being
How much money you have correlates to your well-being. Gallup research conducted in 132 countries clearly shows a direct relationship “between well-being and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita.” Some 56% of people with little or no money, such as those who live in developing countries, sometimes go hungry. Additionally, poor people often cannot afford the medicines they need to alleviate discomfort. Obviously, you cannot experience well-being if you are hungry or in pain.

Emotions spread quickly from one person to the next.
If you have money, your feelings of happiness increase when you spend it to benefit others. When people feel bad, the chances increase that they will squander their money. Paying for an enjoyable social experience, such as dinner in a restaurant or a vacation, makes individuals feel better. As incomes go up, money spent on “experiential purchases” adds to feelings of well-being by a factor of 200% to 300%, compared to purchases made for material possessions.

If your spouse becomes obese, the odds of your becoming obese go up by 30%.
You don’t have to be rich to enjoy financial well-being. But you do need to set positive default behaviors regarding your money. For example, Linda, a mail worker, does not earn a huge salary. But she manages her money so well that she is able to bank 50% of her monthly earnings. She doesn’t have to think about saving this money. It takes place automatically. The belief that you have sufficient money to meet your needs has a positive impact on your well-being.

Physical Well-being
Every day you make numerous choices about what to eat and drink. They are either positive (fruits, vegetables, plenty of water) or negative (junk food, candy, caloric drinks), or both. Good choices (“salmon with a side of broccoli”) make you feel better during the day (short-term) and reduce potentially negative physical consequences, such as cancer or heart disease (long-term).

If we use our money to buy pleasant experiences, we get the benefit of looking forward to the event, the actual experience and, in some cases, decades of fond memories.
When you eat a meal that contains saturated fat, your arteries cannot move sufficient blood throughout your body or to your brain. The result is a high-fat hangover that slows you down physically and mentally. Eat enough fatty fish (salmon is a good choice) weekly and you can reduce your chances of getting kidney cancer by 74%.

We learn to remember and make connections more effectively when we are asleep than we do when we are awake.
Your body works best when you eat and drink properly, get sufficient sleep and exercise every day. The phenomenon of “epigenetic inheritance” shows that how you eat can affect your offspring and their offspring as well. If you suffer improper nourishment, there is a stronger chance that diabetes and heart disease will strike your children and grandchildren. Eat bad foods (with high carbohydrate and sugar counts) and your “appetite-control cells” signal your brain to eat more.

Changing our daily routine a little can have a big impact on the quality of each day.
Foods with unsaturated fats (for example, nuts, olive oil and avocados) signal the brain to tell your body to stop consuming. Your image of your body, right or wrong, significantly influences your psychological well-being. Your body image can be more credible to you than objective data, such as your body mass index (BMI). If you know you are doing good things for your body, your body image will improve, and this will encourage you to continue healthy behavior.

The best foods are vegetables and fruits “that have darker tones of red, green and blue,” such as apples (red), broccoli (green) and cabbage (blue). Avoid food extras such as “toppings, dressings, snacks and drinks” because they often are high in calories, sugar and fat. Plan in advance to make the right diet choices. Buy only good foods at the supermarket. Stay out of places like fast food restaurants that offer primarily unhealthy meals.

Exercise at least 30 minutes daily, five days a week. You should exercise when you feel tired because exercise reduces fatigue. Get the sleep you need. Doctors recommend seven to eight hours nightly. Too little sleep (less than six hours) and too much sleep (more than nine hours) are equally bad for you: Both “short-duration” sleepers and “long-duration” sleepers are prone to substantial weight gain.

Community Well-being
Community well-being depends in large part on where you live. It must be a stable, safe place that ideally matches your “personality, family, interests, and other pursuits,” and a place that you find aesthetically pleasing. But living in an attractive environment is not enough. You must become active in your community and make a positive contribution.

Community volunteerism is altruistic, but you also benefit. Volunteer for an organization in your community and you’re likely to develop a strong emotional attachment to that club, charitable group or public facility. When you do something good for your organization, you feel worthy and useful, and you gain contentment. Committing to helping others reinforces your sense of being able to affect positive outcomes, and that empowers you to change your own life.

Think Holistically
Having the money you need is great, and so is being fit, spending your time at something you love, having an active social life and being involved with your community. To attain those goals, start making smarter decisions in the here and now. The choices you make today – the foods you eat, the exercise you get, the friendships you develop, the community work you perform, and so on – will help or harm your well-being now and in the future. Create positive defaults in your life. The best way to establish complete well-being is to make sure that your “short-term self” supports your “long-term self.”

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a very quick read, to the point, quick blurbs from their studies. Is a good basic way to examine your life and see if you're making the best of it. As they mention in the end, little changes to your daily life can make a big difference.

Here are my notes from the book:
Career Well Being
• People recover quicker from the loss of a spouse (death or divorce) then the loss of a job
• You don’t need to earn a paycheck to have a thriving Career Well Being – just be engaged in something you enjoy.
• Improvement in Career Well Being parallels with improvement in physical health
• Recommendations:
o Everyday use your strengths
o Connect and work with someone who shares your mission
o Socialize with work people

Social Well Being
• Our ability to be happy and have healthy habits are influenced by our friends and even our friends’ friends.
• Spend average 6 hours a day socializing (includes phone and internet communications, includes work time)
• Strengthen your mutual connections
• Mix social time with physical time

Financial Well Being
• Spending on others increases wellbeing, regardless of the amount, rather than spending on self
• Spending money on experiences brings longer happiness than on material goods
• To improve your Financial Well Being, first be sure your career and social well beings are thriving.
• Establish default systems – automated payments and savings – that lessen daily worry about money

Physical Well Being
• Exercise daily in the morning to improve mood throughout the day
• Sleep ~7-8hrs nightly to feel well rested
• Set up positive defaults when grocery shopping – load up on natural foods that are red, green, and blue.

Community Well Being
• Identify how you can contribute based on your personal mission
• This element can be the difference between a good life and a great life
• People who are engaged in their careers are 20-30% more likely to volunteer
• Get involved with people – more fun and will keep you engaged.

[Hafedh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally like books that start with a concept and then go through the logic and supporting arguments to prove it. This book however is mostly based on surveys and statistics that the Gallup organization has been conducting. Nevertheless, given the huge volume and variety of samples taken, the book is an interesting read. I liked how they divided the overall being into the five categories. And, believe or not, once you mold the findings of the surveys and you try to improve in each of the five elements, your overall sense of wellbeing is further improved.

[Sergei_kalinin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Что из себя представляет книга? Она очень небольшая - 148 страниц, из которых содержательного текста - страниц 90. На этих страницах подробно описываются те самые 5 элементов благополучия, про которые книга:

1. Профессиональное благополучие
2. Социальное благополучие
3. Финансовое благополучие
4. Физическое благополучие
5. В среде проживания

Такой вот практически лайф-коучинг :) Можно даже на основе этих факторов благополучия "колесо баланса" рисовать :))

"Благополучие" в понимание авторов - это именно субъективное ощущение удовлетворенности жизнью, чувство счастья, возникающее при воздействии на человека (или наличии в его жизни) "элементов" - конкретных условий, событий, активностей и т.п.

В принципе, когда я открывал книгу, я особо ни на что не надеялся... Т.к. было подозрение, что это очередной трактат очередных гуру-шарлатанов "по мотивам" лайф-коучинга. Но к счастью, мои негативные ожидания не оправдались. Авторы - вполне себе серьёзные учёные мужи, социологи из института Гэллапа. А сама книга написана по результатам десятилетних научных исследований на 400-тысячной выборке.

Именно поэтому оставшиеся 60 страниц книги содержат не текст, а таблицы со статистическими выкладками и подробную (с комментариями) библиографию научных источников - монографий и журнальных статей, на основе которых и была написана книга. Т.е. это те самые "пруфлинки" :) , которые гарантируют качество изложенной в тексте информации, и которые я так люблю :)

В принципе, авторы - молодцы! Они написали текст, который будет понятен и интересен и "рядовому читателю" (если читать только описание 5 элементов, первые 90 страниц), и исследователю.

Теперь по содержанию... Вот здесь ощущения у меня от книги немного странные. Я бы сказал: "Гора родила мышь". Т.е. огромный массив научных данных всего лишь подкрепил давно уже известные "народные мудрости". Если упрощённо, то выводы получаются такие:

1. Профессиональное благополучие - возможно тогда, когда вы заняты СВОИМ делом, и получаете от него удовольствие

2. Социальное благополучие - зависит от социальных связей с другими людьми. Чем больше друзей вас окружает, и чем чаще вы с ними общаетесь, тем более счастливым себя чувствуете

3. Финансовое благополучие - если совсем коротко, то счастье не в деньгах, а в отношении к ним :) Если даже обладая крайне малыми средствами, вы не испытываете тревоги по поводу денег - вы счастливы.

4. Физическое благополучие - для современного человека, чем больше физической активности (любой!) - тем лучше; тем выше ощущение благополучия от жизни в целом

5. Благополучие в среде проживания - зависит от степени нашей собственной активности (совместно с другими людьми), направленной на у��учшение окружающего нас мира

Согласитесь, что полученные выводы звучат довольно банально :)

Но есть и два очень больших "плюса":

1) Бог (или дьявол), как известно, скрывается в деталях и в мелочах, в "конкретике". Вот этой самой "конкретики" - наглядных кейсов, научных фактов, статистических данных и проч. - в книге ОЧЕНЬ много. Она ну очень познавательная :) Т.е. знание "простых истин про счастье" теперь можно подтвердить ещё и весомой аргументацией ;)

2) Авторы наверняка специально такой цели для себя не ставили, но книга получил��сь очень мотивирующей. Не то, чтобы после её прочтения сразу хочется бежать за Синей Птицей :) Нет, дело не в этом!

Просто понимаешь, что "счастье" - не абстрактная вещь. И что это не так уж и трудно - быть счастливым. Что есть вполне простые и чёткие условия ("элементы") и правила, соблюдая которые можно значительно повысить свой уровень благополучия (счастья? ;) ) в этой жизни. Я вот для себя даже кое-какие задачки, так сказать "для повышения", наметил ;) Чего и вам желаю!

PS В порядке бесстыжей рекламы: книга мною прочитана в онлайн-библиотеке Mybrary.ru . Рекомендуемая издательством цена этой маленькой книжки - 155 руб. Прочитать её можно за 1-2 дня. Доступ к сотням бизнес-книг на Mybrary можно получить за 80 руб/мес. Делайте выводы :)

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I appreciate the amount of research and thought into well being, I felt that an essential element was missing and it was faith. Almost every other aspect of my wellbeing is impacted by the current strength of my relationship with God. So while I will work hard to keep the five elements discussed in the "thriving" category, I will also put focus on my spiritual life, as that greatly impacts all else.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I think this book was helpful, but seemed to be missing some important aspects such as being a caregiver for others which impacts many of the areas of well being including social, physical, and career.

[Donovan Mattole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read. Devoured it in one setting. HIGHLY recommend to everyone. Now I just need to take the assessment and see how my well being comes out - definitely plenty of room for improvement.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excerpt:

As Bobby Kennedy said just a few months before his death in 1968, we continue to gauge the progress of our lives, our organizations, and our communities based on narrow and shallow measures:

We seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things...Yet the gross domestic product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strengthen of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither wit nor courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.

As Kennedy so eloquently described, our lives are the composite of much more than our economic output. To create a life that's worthwhile, not just for ourselves but for those around us, we need to find something we love to do that benefits society.

This was a super short one, easy to read, with some meaningful points. Consider it more a summary of existing research (thoroughly cited) than a deep exploration of original thoughts.

[Lucianosantos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Rath and Jim Harter present a very well rounded approach to the 5 elements that directly influence Wellbeing. For each element there is a consistent and thorough breakdown of the importance, impact, and action steps for improvement in an easy to read format. The research data provided at the end of the book is a great tool for deeper learning of the concepts.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick read on the 5 elements of wellbeing: career, social, financial, physical, and community.

[Maria Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to like this book for this have helped me shaped up my thesis proposal. Let's pray that I can survive this stage so that I will (FINALLY) have my degree by May.

Personal Notations:
The idea of a work-life balance started with Segmentation theory during the 1960s, where the life aspect should be separated to the functions of the work. One of the contemporary approaches to has a concept that the work-life balance consists of multiple facets that preced balance and give meaning to it - known as the Components concept. For example, according to Greenhaus et al. (2003), work-family balance consists of time balance, involvement balance, and satisfaction
balance. Having a perfect mix of these components will attain the optimal result.

My idea of work-life balance and its assessment comes from the concept proposed by the Gallup Consulting group in 2009. Written in their book Well Being, there are five elements to attain a thriving work-life balance:

Career Well-being: how you occupy your time or simply liking what you do everyday
Social well-being: having strong relationships and love in your life
Financial well-being: how effectively managing your economic life
Physical well-being: having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis
Community well-being: the sense of engagement you have with the area where you live

If we're struggling with any of these aspects, it damages our wellbeing and wears our daily life.

[in the future, other notations maybe added in this review]

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really liked the book and would recommend it to a friend. Not only was it a quick and manageable read, but it had a great message: the need for a balanced life for the sake of one's well-being.

The authors asserted that there were 5 essential elements to living a balanced life and these were: career, social, financial, physical, and community well-being. They state that career well-being is the most important of these elements because it touches every part of one's life. Although this was deemed the most important element, the authors warn that if the other elements are not cultivated, life will be imbalanced and it will affect one's well-being. And this is why I liked the book so well. Often when a person thinks of personal success, they think in terms of career success. Although this is important, it is even more important to have work-life balance to maintain a happy, healthy life.

Although I enjoyed the book overall, I felt that it was a little vague in terms of suggesting an action plan on how to achieve success in all "5 essential elements." It did give 3 recommendations for how to achieve each of these elements, but I wish that the authors would have gone a little further with it. I should qualify this statement, however. I did not take the self-assessment which I believe comes with action plans.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I requested this book from the library after a presenter at a conference raved about it. The author is affiliated with Gallup and much of the content is based upon the results of Gallup polls. Some of the information was interesting but it was all pretty self-evident. This book may be a good reminder but there's nothing earth-shattering here.

[Covenant Presbyterian Springfield Ohio]

Call Number: 150 RAT

Available.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

The five elements for a good life: career, social, financial, physical health, & community, along with tips on how to raise your wellbeing in each area.

[Lauren Sposato · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would you expect of a book of this nature- good refresher material but nothing particularly eye opening.

[Rory Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting read, but it felt like two different books jammed together.

The first (roughly) half of the book is an account of wellbeing, broken down into five different categories of Career Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing, Financial Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing and Community Wellbeing.

This part of the book was informative and some interesting points were well made. It told us that around 66% of people have wellbeing in at least one of the five categories, but only about 7% are thriving in all five aspects (3%). So, potentially many readers will be able to learn something of practical use from the book.

Some of the implications reported in the book were particularly serious. For example, working with an unrelentingly negative boss doubles a person’s risk of heart attack. And a Monday return to work is so depressing for enough people that it can be seen in national heart attack statistics (Chp.1).

However, those kinds of negative outcomes can be changed by making friends at work and building positive relationships with coworkers. We hear, for example, that each happy friend that a person has, increases a person’s own happiness by around 9%. Each unhappy friend only decreases a person’s overall happiness by around 7%, so (generally) making friends is a good strategy for improving happiness (18%).

Some of the cited psychology experiments were particularly thought provoking. We heard for example, about giving people money, with instructions on how to use it. Those who used the money to benefit others (in a gift or act of charity) were significantly happier than those who used the money to benefit themselves (21%). What this means in practical terms is that ‘retail therapy’ does not (and cannot) work. Buying stuff will not make a person happier, unless the process also involves experiences or socialising with friends, then it is those other factors that increase happiness, not the financial aspect of buying stuff.

All these kinds of ideas were interesting and thought provoking. But their exploration did not consider counter-examples, and the idiosyncrasies of individuals. For example, some people find happiness and wellbeing by sitting on their own making models out of lego or matchsticks. Some people sit in wet ditches for hours trying to get a photograph of a rare bird. How do those kinds of activities fit into the model?

There is another set of questions about how all this applies to neurodiverse people, or to individuals with mental health issues, or to people who just seem different. For example, some people seem to be perfectly happy being on their own (eg hermits). Should we conclude from the book that there is something wrong with people like that, because it doesn’t fit the model in the book? Or is the model in the book incomplete in that it doesn’t account for individuals like that?

By the halfway point of the book I had a lot of questions, which I was hoping the second part of the book might begin to address. But instead, the book diversified into a totally different set of explanations about how wellbeing is calculated and measured. The graphs and tables of statistics were interesting, but it felt like the book had morphed into a different book. It felt like the first half had petered out with unresolved questions, and then this other material had been joined to it. But in reality the other material of the second half could have been a separate standalone book.

Overall, I enjoyed the direction of the first half of the book, but it just seemed incomplete.

(Comments are based on the 2010 Gallup Press version of the text).

[CTEP]

For book club, I read Well Being: The Five Essential Elements. The book is about how people find meaning and live a fulfilling life. The books is a compiling of the authors’ studies into what a fulfilling life means and how to achieve it. They break wellbeing into five essential elements: career, social, financial, physical, and community. With these five elements, the authors take a wholistic approach to wellbeing, rather than other self-help books, which will normally focus on just one of the elements. The authors argue that to thrive in just one element is not enough due to the interconnectedness of all the elements. To struggle in one is to struggle in many. The main point that the book was trying to convey was the idea of reframing positive choices in each of the five categories. As with most things in life, delayed gratification is normally associated with a positive choice and instant gratification with negative choices. The books suggests finding ways to reframe the delayed gratification into positive or instant gratifications and finding ways to make the delay in gratification easier to manage, either by setting “automatic defaults,” like having money automatically taken out of you paycheck so you don’t see it and get tempted, or by just being more conscious of your decisions and why you’re making them. The books also gives (kind of broad) advice in each category, like in financial they suggest buying experiences, or in social they suggest socializing and be connected with others six hours a day.

My main take away from the book, as a CTEP and a person, is the wholistic view of wellbeing. As I wrote earlier, the book can be a bit broad in its advice and actionable steps, but the frame work from which it works is solid. The authors write about how gaining in one category can result in a net loss in wellbeing due to unintended consequences in other categories. I find this important both as a person and as a person serving in a workforce center. As a person, particularly during this pandemic, realizing that these different areas that might be hurting (social and physical) but that other areas may be improved (financial), so things must be kept in perspective and still dealt with rationally. Then, serving in a workforce center, we must be conscious of boosting wellbeing in a wholistic sense. We are there to help people find employment, but if we are not conscious, we could be hurting their other elements of wellbeing or not taking simple steps that can improve other elements. The main reason I read this book is because my site trying to integrate this wholistic approach into everything we do. How can we make our classes more communal, how can we provide financial literacy into our excel classes, etc. So I would recommend this book for the framework and the tips. It will not be a life changing book, but can provide a new lens and some more awareness into our interactions with students and ourselves.

[Trần Lệ Mẫn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I quite like this book.

Wellbeing is not just being happy, nor it is not only about wealthy or successful. It is about the combination of these five elements following and most importantly, how these elements interact in our life.
Career wellbeing: Use your strength every day and Identify someone who encourage your growth and push you on your mission. Spend more time with this person.

Social wellbeing: Have several close relationships that help you achieve, enjoy life and be healthy.Make time for vacation or social gatherings with your friends, family and that strengthen your relationships. And this help you give positive energy on a daily basis.

Financial wellbeing: Buy experiences. Don’t waste money for unnecessary things. Saving money for your retirement plan and unpredictable things.

Physical wellbeing: Get at least 20 minutes of physical activity each day. Eat healthy foods - load up on natural foods that are red, green, and blue. Sleep enough to feel well-rested (7 -8 hours).

Community wellbeing: Identify how you can contribute based on your personal passion.

[Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick book about how to live well. Much of this is common sense, but there are some facts that were surprising to me, such as the fact that even if you are busy and stressed out at work, so long as you are engaged throughout the day, you will have better well being and enjoy life than someone who is disengaged and bored at work. It's research that was done since the 1960's, but this book wasn't published until 2010 so it's not necessarily out of date since the principles relate more to human nature than any contemporary situation, but the applications may be getting out of date. It's a solid quick read, nothing groundbreaking for the amount of research that was done, more surface level I would say, but I'd recommend it to anyone since it can easily be knocked out in a couple of hours.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a gift from my company to us employees, so I figured out of respect I'd give it a read. This was a very quick book—almost like a really long abstract for a thesis—a good 60-80 pages are references to sources, polls, research, etc. This book references Gallup polls quite a bit, so I was not sure whether that was "good" or "bad," but the topics all cover areas of our lives that impact our "wellbeing" and were logical and expounded upon in an easy to understand way. At the end of each section, there are 3 calls to action that are given related to the information from the chapter. I could see this being a book that would easily work for a book club or discussion of sorts. Not the most engaging or motivating read, but food for thought none the less.

[Jennipha Ricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Five Elements of Wellbeing is a refreshing take on what it means to live a good life. It’s not about chasing perfection or following some rigid formula. Instead, it’s about understanding the different pieces of the puzzle and figuring out how they fit together for you. It’s informative without being preachy, practical without being boring, and inspiring without being unrealistic.

So, if you’re ready to take a deeper dive into what makes you tick and how to create a life that feels genuinely fulfilling, give this book a shot. It might just be the wellbeing boost you’ve been looking for. And hey, even if you only take away one or two things, that’s still a win. After all, wellbeing is a journey, not a destination, and this book is a pretty great roadmap.

[Leonardo]

...in a recent bestselling book, Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements, Tom Rath and James Harter claim that there are five components to well-being: Career Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing, Financial
Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing, and Community Wellbeing (Rath and Harter 2010). This all seems very commonsensical. If someone is healthy and rich, has lots of friends and a good job, and is respected in her community, we will probably regard her as well-off.

Well-being Pág.1

[Gokaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book just by its name and cover. The five essential elements for well being can be classified as : Career WB, Financial WB, Social WB, Community WB and Physical WB. I loved reading all the WB chapters because each chapter has some tips than can be useful in daily life, although it might seem like "duh" at some instances. I loved reading this book. After the WB chapters, its mostly reports/analysis/statistics, so I'd say if you've read all the WBs then you've read it all.

Thank you!

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great sociological and Statistical Analysis on Wellbeing by Gallup. I was impressed they included their research in the appendix which further gave credence to the largest study on wellbeing in history. I learned a lot in a short period of time including the importance of interdependence between career, social, financial, physical, and community wellbeing. It was also interesting to see that Wisconsin ranked very low on the “thriving” wellbeing list. Only 5 up from last place. A book I’d recommend and one you can almost get through in 2-3 days.

[Constadina · Rating 5 out of 5]

TIP: become aware of, explore, and apply ways in which you can improve the different elements of and your overall well-being by using the online Wellbeing finder (TM) and daily tracker that comes with the book.
What worked for me:
- Catching myself on auto-pilot and observing how I take my wellbeing for granted.
- Radically improving any wellbeing element on which I focus.
- Revisiting any assumptions about and definitions of suffering vs. struggling.
- Seeing how living a life worth living is a conscious choice.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five areas interacting: career (very day use your strengths, spend time with someone with shared mission who encourage your growth, social time with coworkers you enjoy),
social (6 hrs daily, strengthen mutual connections in networks, mix social with physical activity), financial (buy experiences, spend on others, lessen daily worry about),
physical (20 minutes in morning daily, sleep 7-8 hrs, red, blue and green foods)
and community (contribute, talk about with others to broaden options, engage).