As individuals we are all doing our best in the context of our own personal beliefs, values, culture and systems that surround us. The problem is we need to change. Climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, finite resources, artificial intelligence, automation, blockchain, population growth, rising inequality and migration, amongst many other factors, are all contributing to this need.
If collectively we keep doing what we are doing, then in essence, we are sleep-walking over the edge of a cliff with our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren tied to us.
The great news is that the changes we need to make won’t impact negatively on the quality of our lives, in fact they’ll improve them. Below is a diagram of what this might look like.
Where you are in this journey will be unique but if you would like to play a greater part in adapting to change and improving your wellbeing the first thing to do is to understand what it is. The following might help:
Reading
- Thriving – A summary of the domains, dimensions, indicators and signposts that can help us improve our wellbeing
- The Age of Wellbeing – a book that introduces the CANBE wellbeing model as a framework for improving personal, organisational, community and national wellbeing
Research
The following resources intoduce you to apps, books, measures, organisations, research, skills, tools and videos that will provide a deeper understanding of wellbeing.
Courses
The following online courses provide opportunities to learn about wellbeing and encourage you to put your new knowledge into practice.
- The science of happiness – Berkeley University
- The science of wellbeing – Yale University
- Mindfulness for wellbeing and peak performance – Monash University
Benchmark your current wellbeing
Now that you understand what wellbeing is it’s time to benchmark where you are now. You can use my CANBE wellbeing model to plan goals and measure improvements. You can download a free version of this here. (Just request access and I’ll open it up.)
Get some coaching
New knowledge is limited in value unless you use it. A personal coach can help you gain further awareness and take responsibility for changing your thinking, feeling and behaviours to become the person you want to be.
System change
Of course individuals cannot change everything themselves and we will need change in our organisations, communities and nations. Perhaps one of the biggest changes we’ll require is in our educational systems where the focus should be on human flourishing and developing good citizens.