Do you want to be “Successful”?
Being successful is something that is so subjective, yet many see it in a very straightforward way: Money and Power. These tend to be the two metrics that are widely used across the world to determine how successful people are, which to me, seems incomplete.
Arianna Huffington’s book, Thrive, was an eye opener for me. She presented the idea that well-being is the third metric of success. Something so obvious yet so forgotten: Of course well-being is part of success I thought, but why is it that so many people take it for granted?
People understand that being sick affects how well you function, it’s just logic. For instance, if you have a physical pain during your day or for several weeks it will prevent you from being the best version of yourself. So yes, being healthy is important, but is that enough? Are you aiming for just an absence of pain or disturbance in your body? What a mediocre way of thinking! Why not try to feel stress-free and have a constant desire of feeling healthy, productive and happy? Why not thriving instead of living?
Many aim for the approach of escalating the corporate ladder as much as they can, but they forget something very important through the journey: themselves. They get used to working for countless hours, much more than a regular schedule demands f, leaving little or no space at all for them to disconnect, get healthy and nourish their inner self, which can lead to burnout. Another habit that is usual is the lack of sleep, which has become something to brag about, when in fact it should be an enormous concern. According to Fortune, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Martha Stewart and Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, sleep an average of 4 hours a night. These are just a few example of people that could be regarded as “successful” by the first two metrics, who might forget their well-being on the way.
Individual change of mindset seems challenging when many companies are not promoting healthier lifestyles, but instead continue pushing people towards the dangerous burnout breaking point. We need to change the way many companies are functioning in the present, because the approach still seems to me as very systematic and rigid, considering the modern world we currently live in.
While some start-up companies have modern organisational cultures and have taken measures to implement a healthier workplace for their employees, many companies with traditional work environments still need to catch up on their mentality.
Prioritizing well-being in the workplace is an urge, not only for having healthier and happier individuals, but also because their productivity is affected, hence it can strongly influence companies outcomes. For example, the fact that some companies’ CEOs sleep very little, can enormously shape the direction of the company, perhaps in a very negative way. Something else that can have a direct negative impact in companies is stress. For instance, “In the UK, stress results in 105 million lost workdays each year.” This is just one example of many that proves well-being is so important for ourselves and for the future of companies.
Something we’ve needed for a long time has arrived. Thrive Global. A new company that will dedicate itself to changing the way we live and work. It was founded by Arianna Huffington and the potential for making an impact is beyond limits. The company will focus on improving people’s lives, in both personal and professional domains, since they are very related to each other. Human stress rates are constantly increasing, while productivity and engagement are dropping, with only 13% of employees being engaged at work worldwide, which is quite low! This should be changed.
I invite you to reconsider your own definition of success, especially if you are planning on reaching “the top”. Would you still consider yourself successful if you are in a constant state of stress? Reflect on what type of company you want to work for or the one you currently work on, do you feel you are thriving? and which are your life priorities. Does that company allow you to live in synchrony with your priorities or is it mutually exclusive?
Finally, with the emergence of Thrive Global, little by little, we can start changing people’s belief systems and eradicate the “collective delusion that in order to succeed we need to burnout” as stated by Mrs.Huffington.
Feel free to explore the new science-based global platform about health, well-being and performance!!
Sources:
http://fortune.com/2015/11/18/sleep-habits-donald-trump/
Here’s everything you need to know about Arianna Huffington’s new company
Arianna Huffington announced on Thursday she was leaving The Huffington Post, the news organization she cofounded 11…www.businessinsider.com
Originally published at medium.com