As a women’s lifestyle and leadership expert, one of my mantras is “Self care comes first.”
When we prioritize our physical, emotional and psychological care, that’s when our personal and professional lives can really succeed and scale high.
Well, one extraordinary woman is starting a global movement around well-being, and something tells me she’s going to change the world doing it.
This week, Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, publishes her 14th book called Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder. I caught up with Huffington (in between taping “Ellen” and “Super Soul Sunday” on OWN) to talk about her book and movement.
What does she mean by third metric? Huffington explains that success has traditionally been defined by having money and power … but there has to be a third leg to the stool, otherwise we topple over (burn out, disease, accidents) which has been happening to many of today’s leaders. We need a third metric of success, which is well-being, to truly “thrive” in life.
Related: Arianna Huffington’s Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Huffington is one of my ultimate female role models, not just because she’s speaking up about a critical topic, but because she’s not stopping as leader of the Huffington Post. She is now leveraging her platform and microphone to educate and champion the most important, yet ignored, topic that equips our humanity to live and lead well. If you’re ready to have less stress, get more sleep and live life to the fullest, her book is a must-read.
Here are some of my favorite takeaways from my conversation with Huffington that I am definitely taking to heart and hope you will too:
- On Leadership: “While the world provides plenty of flashing, high-volume signals directing us to make more money and climb higher up the ladder, there are almost no worldly signals reminding us to … connect to that place from which everything is possible.”
- On Transitions: “Of course, it’s never a convenient time to change your life. On the other hand … I realized it’s always the right time to change your life.”
- On Self Care: “I renewed my estranged relationship with sleep—and, in fact, I became a sleep evangelist.”
- On Mindfulness: “When I first heard about mindfulness, I was confused. My mind was already full enough, I thought—I needed to empty it, not focus on it.”
- On Women’s Empowerment: “59% [of working moms] report sleep deprivation … Women have already broken glass ceilings in Congress, space travel, sports, business, and the media—imagine what we can do when we’re all fully awake and thriving.”
Read Chan’s full interview with Huffington.
Related: Entrepreneur Extraordinaire Arianna Huffington’s Role Model