Weekly: A good choice
Well-being is not a destination. You can’t reach some optimal state of permanent ‘wellness.’
In our world, well-being is presented as this end-goal in order to convince you to buy things. We buy and consume and strive, thinking that this will be the thing that makes us feel the way we hope to feel.
But you can’t buy what you’re really looking for, because it’s something that you make yourself through your choices. For true well-being is about the choices that you make every day, that help you to feel good and do good in the world.
Today, we’re covering a framework that will help you to make these types of choices. I hope it gives you the tools you need to find the true well-being you are looking for — today, with the next choice that you make.
Have a great weekend,
Stephanie Harrison, founder of The New Happy
This Week
The next time you're making a choice, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Does this choice align with my goals?
What are your long term hopes? If you’re like most of us, they probably include things like: great relationships, a loving community, health and well-being, making an impact on the world, happiness. How will this choice support or detract from these goals?
2. Does this choice help me to grow?
Some choices are really scary and require a lot of courage to make. It can be all too easy to keep choosing to stay in a place that’s no longer working for you. That's why we need to seek growth: it helps us to face discomfort in the most productive way, while also grounding us in what we need. Remember: only you know what growth means for you. Sometimes it means saying yes and sometimes it’s saying no.
3. Will it have a positive impact?
Our choices don’t happen in a vacuum; what we choose to do has an impact (sometimes a profound one!) on other people and the world around us. Zoom out and consider: how is your decision affecting others? Is there a way to make it a win, too, for the people around you? How will it enable you to contribute more positively to your own life and the world around you? This lens of responsibility helps us to make the choice that works not just in the short-term, but also in the long-term.
More Tips and Tools
1. There’s no timeline — This week's animation.
2. Take a break — The power of a pause.
3. Zoom in, zoom out — A problem-solving technique.
4. You were there — Honor your journey.
Or listen to the podcast episodes (Apple, Spotify) from this week!
Community
What are you feeling proud of yourself for lately?
"For persisting with a problem to do with patient care (I'm a nurse) I really had to push hard & loudly to make a change within a challenging environment. But I suceeded, and patients are now more comfortable."
"For walking out of a relationship that didn't nourish me anymore. For understanding that it is important to "unlearn" as important as it is for "learning"."
"For going back to school to get my Masters degree!"
"Making space for a romantic relationship after being burned a couple of times."
"Eating well and nourishing my body."
"Acing my first week in a management position."
"Starting a blog."
"Getting my driver license with social anxiety and PTSD!"
Inspiration
1. Maya Shankar's commencement speech at Juilliard (Washington Post) — The story of how one choice (“Hey, why don’t we just go in?”) can change a life.
2. How a dose of MDMA transformed a white supremacist (Atlantic) — After participating in a scientific study, he renounced his racist views. A story with fascinating implications.
3. An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf (Upworthy) — Now it has a 56-person waiting list.
Before You Go
No spam, just joy.
