Much of what we think will improve our well-being is either
misguided or just plain wrong.
Contrary to what many people believe, well-being isn’t
just about being happy. Nor is it only about being wealthy or
successful. And it’s certainly not limited to physical health
and wellness. In fact, focusing on any one of these elements
in isolation may drive us to frustration and even a sense of
failure.
When striving to improve our lives, we are quick to
purchase books that promise to help us make money, lose
weight, or strengthen our relationships. Then we spend the next
few weeks dedicating our time and energy to that specific plan.
Unfortunately, as many of us have experienced, we eventually
give up on these programs when they conflict with other aspects
of our lives.
If you’ve accumulated books, watched videos, or attended
classes on topics like these, you might have noticed how an
intense focus on one isolated area can actually be detrimental
to your overall well-being. Just think of how many people you
know who dedicate an excessive amount of time and energy to
their job at the expense of their relationships. While it might
be easier to treat critical areas in our lives as if they operate
independently, they don’t. They operate interdependently.
Well-being is about the combination of our love for what
we do each day, the quality of our relationships, the security of
our finances, the vibrancy of our physical health, and the pride
we take in what we have contributed to our communities. Most
importantly, it’s about how those five elements interact.
What Makes Life Worthwhile
Since the mid-20th century, Gallup scientists have been
exploring the demands of a life well-lived. Yet we did not have
enough information to clearly describe the elements of wellbeing
that transcend countries and cultures. So in partnership
with leading economists, psychologists, sociologists, physicians,
and other acclaimed scientists, we began to explore this topic
in great detail.
As part of this research, Gallup conducted a comprehensive
study of more than 150 countries around the world. This gave
us a lens into the well-being of more than 95% of the world’s
population. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, we asked hundreds
of questions about each person’s health, wealth, relationships,
job, and community. We then compared the results to how
people experience their days and evaluate their lives overall.
In our initial research, we asked people to tell us what
“the best possible future” for them would look like. We found
that when evaluating their lives as a whole, people often give
disproportionate weight to income and health: Across the
groups we surveyed, “good health” and “wealth” were two of
the most common responses. These are elements of well-being
that are relatively easy to track and measure over time. We can
monitor our height, weight, blood pressure, and household
income. Yet we do not have a standard way to measure the
quality of our careers or the health of our relationships.
To design a comprehensive and holistic measure of
individual well-being that captured more than just health and
wealth, Gallup assembled an assessment composed of the best
questions we have asked over the last 50 years. To create this
assessment, the Well-Being Finder, we tested hundreds of
questions across countries, languages, and vastly different life
situations.
As we completed this phase of the research, five distinct
statistical factors emerged. These core dimensions are universal
elements of well-being, or how we think about and experience
our lives — the interconnected elements that differentiate a
thriving life from one spent suffering.
If we’re struggling in any one of these areas, as most of
us are, it hurts our well-being. Sure, we can get by and lead
a good life. But we’re not getting the most out of our lives
unless we’re living effectively in all five areas. And, while 66%
of people are doing well in at least one of these areas, just 7%
are thriving in all five.
These five factors are the currency of a life that is
worthwhile. They describe demands of life that we can all
do something about and that are important to people in every
life situation we studied. If left unattended, any one of these
elements can wear on our daily life. But when we strengthen
our well-being in any one of these five areas, it creates better
days, months, and decades.
The first major element is quite obvious, but it is often
overlooked — how you occupy your time or simply liking what
you do every day: your Career Well-Being.
The second element is about having strong relationships
and love in your life: your Social Well-Being.
The third element is about effectively managing your
economic life: your Financial Well-Being.
The fourth element is about having good health and
enough energy to get things done on a daily basis: your
Physical Well-Being. The fifth and final element is about the sense of
engagement you have with the area where you live: your
Community Well-Being.
These five elements represent our best attempt to
scientifically describe the common factors of a life well-lived.
They do not include every nuance of what’s important in life,
but they do represent five broad categories that are essential
to most people. It’s also important to note that, while these
elements represent critical aspects of life, we take very different
paths to increasing our well-being.
For many people, spirituality is the thread that connects
and drives them in all of these areas. Their faith is the single
most important element in their lives, and it is the foundation
of their daily efforts across each of the five areas. For others, a
deep mission, such as protecting the environment, drives them
each day. While the things that motivate us differ greatly from
one person to the next, the outcomes do not.
This is why the five elements represent the most applicable
and universal outcomes we found, regardless of one’s faith,
culture, or nationality. They are critical aspects of life that are
within our control and that we can improve on (for example,
exercising daily, spending more time with friends, or using
money wisely).
As you will see in the chapters that follow and through your
own experiences, there are countless ways to create thriving
Career, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community Well-
Being. Unfortunately, the single biggest threat to our own
well-being tends to be ourselves. Without even giving it much
thought, we allow our short-term decisions to circumvent
what’s best for our long-term well-being.
Working Against Our Own Best Interests
Here’s a glaring example: We know that exercising will
improve our health, yet we skip workouts. After all, missing
one workout won’t give us a heart attack or cause a stroke — so
we let ourselves off the hook for a day.
Here’s another: We know that too much sugar and fried
foods are bad for our health. But we grab a handful of candy or
chips without even thinking. One french fry can’t cause diabetes
or obesity, right?
Similarly, we know it’s important to spend quality time
with our friends and family, but when work is pressing, we don’t
stop to ask a friend how he is doing.
When we think about our personal finances, we often
spend more than we save. Putting one dollar into a retirement
plan would yield several times its original value a deca
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