Prosperity

Prosperity may seem like an odd choice of theme for a wellbeing group, but is it really? We tend to think that being prosperous is all about money and wealth – but this isn’t really the true definition of the word. As always, you can find a multitude of definitions, but I like this one:

“a state of health, happiness”

Or:

“to do well, to succeed”

Or:

“the condition of being successful” – I think that’s one condition I’d like to suffer from!!

We can be prosperous in different areas of life. True prosperity is probably as much about wellbeing as it is wealth. And is wealth all about money? Can we be wealthy in different ways?

Economic Wellbeing:

When looking into prosperity, I came across this interesting term: “economic wellbeing” – which is defined as having present and future financial security. It includes the ability to make economic choices and feel a sense of security, satisfaction and personal fulfilment with one’s personal finances and employment pursuits.

I think this is something that feels necessary for stable wellbeing. The chance to not be constantly worried about whether there’s enough money to eat and pay the bills – to have a secure roof overhead. This feels completely necessary before anyone can prosper in any shape or form.

Mindful Work:

To find economic wellbeing, most of us need to work. Thich Nhat Hanh states “The way we live our lives and the way we earn our living is crucial to our joy and happiness. Almost half of our life is spent at work, but just how do we spend this time? The work we do is an expression of our entire being.” (from his book “Work: How to Find Joy and Meaning in Each Hour of the Day”)

It is true that we probably cannot prosper if we’re engaged in work that is contrary to our internal code of ethics or beliefs. Or if our work place encourages us to work in a way that doesn’t sit with our values (ie: enforced overtime at the cost of family time; or not recycling rubbish when you value the state of the planet). Such dilemmas are not easy to resolve – economic wellbeing is, after all, so important.

Perhaps it’s possible to bring in mindfulness to the work-place, to ease any difficulties that are being experienced? Each individual can help to create a place that’s pleasant to work in – by practising mindful breathing, mindful sitting, mindful eating and mindful walking. These can all contribute to reduced stress levels at work and can help to build stronger relationships.