What is wellbeing? And how do you know when you have it?

Why is it that some people seem to glow with energy, positivity and purpose? While the rest of us struggle to maintain our moods and our direction in life. Whether or not luck, good genes or standing on your head have something to do with, its likely that most of us have never really spent much time thinking about what makes a life truly great.

Baby asleep

Are you ready to wake up to wellbeing?

Instead, we’re too busy pounding the treadmill at the gym to get fit and the keyboard at work to ‘get ahead’ hoping we are making progress. We follow the latest diet, pour over articles about avoiding wrinkles and ill health.

But how much concerted time do each of us spend on developing those experiences and qualities that bring about a deep and lasting happiness? Thankfully in the last decade happiness and wellbeing have become hot topics in psychology and the mainstream media. And there is a wealth of ideas to choose from.

In this blog I am going to delve deeply into wellbeing and the nitty gritty of how you can have more of it.  Keen? Meet me here for a regular date with what makes us feel great and function well in life. Rather than fantasizing about endless holidays, a new dress, or a skyhigh pay-rise join me in getting stuck into the latest tools, tips and feel good advice from experts from around the globe.

Life is about the choices we make. What if you had the knowledge you needed to make better choices and the skills to make wellbeing the foundation of how you operate everyday? I’m going to help you access that knowledge and take the journey alongside you. Each week I will wholeheartedly road test the advice I share with you on this blog and report back on the results.

To get started we’ll dive into one of the biggest international studies on wellbeing ever undertaken. Carried out by the New Economics Foundation for the UK government, the study examined a wealth of psychological and economic literature from around the world and came up with five key actions as the vital aspects of greater wellbeing.

So to wet your appetite and start you thinking – here they are: connect; be active; take notice; keep learning; give. Sounds simple right? We’re going to explore them in detail over the next five posts to see what all the fuss is about. During this time I’ll report on the changes – good and bad – in my life that come with making each one a central focus. Why not commit to trying them out in your life? C’mon! It’ll be fun.

I hope you decide to join me.

Until next week…keep shining!

Joani