On March 24, 2014, Harmony Books released, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder1 by Arianna Huffington.  This book makes the case that we need to refine the meaning of success.  While most people measure success in terms of money and power, Ms. Huffington proposes a Third Metric comprised of well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving.

 

“Arianna Huffington is the cofounder, president, and editor in chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, one of the world’s most influential news and information brands.”[Book Cover notes]  In the Introduction to the book, she details her wake up call.  “On the morning of April 6, 2007, I was laying on the floor of my home office in a pool of blood.”[1] “I had collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep.”[1] As a result, she realized she needed to make a radical change in the way she defined success.  “This book is about the lessons I’ve learned and my efforts to embody the Third Metric principles…”[19] “[This book] brings together the latest data, academic research, and scientific findings…”[19]

 

Well-Being

Merriam- Webster defines Well-being as the “state of being happy, healthy, or successful.”2 To achieve this state, Ms. Huffington proposes three steps:

  1. Get the rest/sleep your body needs
  2. Be active. “Just move. Anytime.”[111]
  3. Learn to meditate and incorporate it into your daily routine.

 

Wisdom

Wisdom comes from life’s experiences and your own intuition.

  1. “Let go of something today that you no longer need-something that is draining your energy without benefiting you or anyone you love.”[171]
  2. Practice gratitude.
  3. Develop a nightly routine for disconnecting. Step away from all those devices!

 

Wonder

Feed/develop your sense of wonder by being present in all that you do.  How you perceive things can provide you with clues to how you approach the world.  If that approach is negative, there are suggestions on ways to become more positive.

  1. Be present. Use breathing exercises to connect to yourself.
  2. Practice visualization.
  3. Focus on what is possible going forward rather than focusing on perceived limitations.

 

Giving

“Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder: All are critical to redefining success and thriving, but they are incomplete without the fourth element of the Third Metric: giving.”[224]

  1. Make kindness and giving a habit.
  2. Make connections with the people you come into contact with each day.
  3. Give your time and talent to help others.

 

We all know people who are wealthy and/or successful who are unhappy and unfulfilled. The Third Metric elements of well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving combine to provide a focus on purpose and meaning.  This book offers readers a new prospective on success and provides actionable steps to achieving it. You may find some of these steps questionable or dismiss them as hokey but if you read the book, you’ll learn about the data/research behind them. Challenge the status quo and incorporate the Third Metric elements into your life.  Together, we can redefine the meaning of success and thrive.

 

 

1 Huffington, Arianna. Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder. New York: Harmony Books, 2014. Print.

2 “Well-being” Def. 1. Merriam-Webster Online, Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 4 Jun 2014.

 

 

 

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