According to the most comprehensive study on wellbeing conducted by the Gallup organization, only 7% of the worlds population can claim, with a high level of certainty, that they feel completely happy and fulfilled. The study also shows that there are 5 aspects of our lives that will determine whether we will suffer or struggle in this lifetime, and these are as follows: 1) Career Well-being 2) Social Well-being 3) Financial Well-being 4) Physical Well-being and 5) Community Well-being. The 7% that claim total happiness, actually have top scores in each of these 5 categories. The study also stated that 66% of the worlds population feels satisfied in at least one of the five categories, but according to the researchers, in order for a person to be completely satisfied with her life, she would need to earn top marks in each of the 5 categories. Fortunately, there is now a very clear and detailed roadmap that shows us the way and delineates the actions that we need to take in order to achieve total wellbeing in each of these key areas of our lives. In this article, I would like to briefly focus on arguably, the most important of the 5 well-being categories: Career well-being. Career well-being is defined as liking what you do everyday. This activity could be a profession, occupation or vocation. Therefore, in order to thrive in career well-being, it is not necessary to be employed or earn money. Full-time mothers, farmers, volunteer workers, priests, students in addition to entrepreneurs and employees can all potentially excel in career well-being. Now then, one of the many things that we need to take into account to achieve high levels of career well-being, is the use of our personal strengths. A strength is defined as the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity. To develop a strength, you need to identify your innate talents and acquire the specific knowledge and skills pertinent to that activity. For example, for a school teacher to be regarded as a great teacher, she would need to have a love for teaching (talent) but this is not enough. She will need to know how to structure her lessons and learn the topics (knowledge) and learn how to manage a group of students (skills). If this teacher can gracefully combine these three elements, then she will be on her way to have a thriving career well-being (although there are other aspects to consider as well). Unfortunately, the research shows that 72% of the worlds population are struggling and suffering in career well-being, and this mainly because people are not using their strengths in their main activity. Are you using your skills in your main activity or occupation? If this is not the case, you need to be aware that the other 4 areas of your well-being will be negatively impacted if you are struggling in career well-being, including your physical health. When it comes to choosing what you do for a living, do not conform. You were born with specific talents that will allow you to make the most out of your work or main occupation. If you manage to turn your talents into strengths, you will love what you do every day and will you be on the road to live a happier life. César Gamio Chopra Center Master Educator Senior Advisor to the Global Center for Conscious Leadership
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:42:17 +0000
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