Thrive by: Arianna Huffington
Themes: Balance, Inspiration, Success, Happiness
Read When: You want fulfillment, success, and balance. Obtaining all three is possible and this book will help you get there.
Favorite Quotes:
“We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.”
“It is very telling what we don’t hear in eulogies. We almost never hear things like: “The crowning achievement of his life was when he made senior vice president.” Or: “He increased market share for his company multiple times during his tenure.” Or: “She never stopped working. She ate lunch at her desk. Every day.” Or: “He never made it to his kid’s Little League games because he always had to go over those figures one more time.” Or: “While she didn’t have any real friends, she had six hundred Facebook friends, and she dealt with every email in her in-box every night.” Or: “His PowerPoint slides were always meticulously prepared.” Our eulogies are always about the other stuff: what we gave, how we connected, how much we meant to our family and friends, small kindnesses, lifelong passions, and the things that made us laugh.”
“Imagine how our culture, how our lives, will change when we begin valuing go-givers as much as we value go-getters.”
Key Takeaways:
What a great read. Easy. Inspirational. Actionable. One of my favorite aspects of this book is the quotes that Arianna pulls from other "experts in living". She does not rely solely on her own perspective and experiences to shape the message of Thrive. Instead, it is combination of her voice along with others who have walked a different path than her, but experienced the same trials. After all - isn't that what we are doing here on earth together? We each have our own paths, but our experiences as humans are actually more alike than they are different. Huffington invigorates a holistic approach to success. I am a huge proponent of measuring success in multiple ways. I belive your career or your education or your salary can be marks of success, but a truly successful life lies in balance, love, friendship, adventures, self-care, and growth. Thrive encourages just that.