Book Review: Well Being

written by Graduate Student, Ashley Goodwin

Well Being and Creativity share one important factor, Mindfulness. Mindfulness allows us to approach the world with childlike wonder, to play with new concepts, ideas, and to see things from a different perspective. The limitations of everyday life can make engaging in new activities difficult, but through mindfulness, you can look at old things with fresh eyes.

Well Being by Tom Rath and Jim Harter was an awesome book to read. I found the book to be beneficial because it discussed various points regarding the significance in taking care of one’s self. The five Essential elements discussed in the book were Career Wellbeing- which is how one occupies his or her time in liking what he or she does each day, Social Wellbeing- which is having strong relationships and love in one’s life, Financial Wellbeing- is described as effectively managing one’s economic life to reduce stress and increase security, Physical Wellbeing- is having good health and energy to get things done on a daily basis, and Community Well being is the sense of engagement and involvement with the area where one lives.

With the purchase of this book an online assessment is offered. Each book includes a unique code that cannot be replicated. The code is a key to an account where one can take the Well Being assessment. The assessment is very precise that includes numerous detailed questions. The questions are framed around personal values, perspectives, workplace environment, social life, rest, diet etc. The assessment does take quite a bit of time so I suggest taking it when you have 20-25 minutes of free time to dedicate. Even though it is a lengthy assessment, the results are well worth the wait. I learned many things about myself from reading this book. My Career, Social, Community well being are very strong where as my Financial and Physical Wellbeing need some development; Being strong in the latter areas go hand in hand because if I was more financially stable it would cause less on my mind and my body (Physical Wellbeing).

This book also covered external factors like work and other environments that may affect your well being. One of my favorite topics in the book described the importance of having a best friend at work. I still think it is important to have someone at work you can relate to, talk to, and count on. It makes time go by quicker and makes your day much brighter. Sometimes having a friend at work is the reason many people stay at a job they hate.

Well Being is an absolute must read. In my opinion it deserves 9 out of 10 light bulbs. I really enjoyed reading the book as well as taking the assessment. However before reading the book I highly recommend taking the assessment first. Once you know what your assessment results are, the book can help you strategize on areas that reflect on your strengths as well as recognize areas that warrant growth and development.