Well Being: The 5 Essential Elements by Tom Rath and Jim Harter

I am part of the Be Well committee at work - I thought the committe would be about health, fitness, and emotional well being. But the committee leader read this book, and based the mission on these 5 elements. The book 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. And of course, it's easy to see how all the elements intertwine.

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: Everyday use your strengths; Connect and work with someone who shares your mission; 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.