I’ve been reflecting a lot on this recently. I’ve been very aware that as a result of the pandemic and lockdown, I’ve been far from flourishing. What does it look like when I am flourishing and thriving? I caricature, but it’s having six ideas before I get up in the morning, wanting to attempt steeper hills when I’m out cycling. That hasn’t been happening lately.
What does flourishing look like for you? The big question at the moment is getting back to offices or not and having a business based in our home I know the attractions and disadvantages of working from home. But I know that a big part of getting back to flourishing for me is meeting and working with people face-to-face. The sheer convenience of Zoom means I’ll never go back to having all meetings face-to-face but there are some that really need to be.
We’re looking at launching a regular networking meeting in London, once a quarter. We’re planning it at the moment and just doing that is exciting me, making me feel that we can start to overcome feelings of isolation and being cut off from relaxed easy interaction with others.
Martin Seligman, founder of the positive psychology movement, defined flourishing as to find fulfilment in our lives, accomplishing meaningful and worthwhile tasks, and connecting with others at a deeper level—in essence, living the “good life”. If we can enable that for others, either through our retreats or meetings, I will feel deeply satisfied.