When It Comes to Wellbeing, How Do You Measure Up?

If you ask someone if they're feeling good, the answer you receive is surprisingly unreliable. Until very recently, "I'm good" or "I could be better" reflected a subjective of how the person feels. Now that it's no longer common to get a routine six-month checkup at the doctor's, many of us have no realistic evidence of how we're actually faring. 

But the situation is rapidly changing, and now that Fitbit, the Apple Watch, and other portables are becoming established, people are discovering that a moment-by-moment readout of a few select bodily functions is possible. This trend will explode in the near future in two ways: First, the portable devices will encompass more variables, and second, the readouts will become simpler. The ideal is a single number that informs you of your total state of wellbeing, evaluating not just the body's vital signs but the mind-body connection as well.
In short, wellness is about to become much more transparent as technology quantifies all the factors that contribute to wellbeing.

While technology helps provide us with micro-data and biofeedback, it is equally as important to measure global states of mind. Pioneering work in this field has been done by Gallup, whose research is far ahead of anyone else's in monitoring the core components of wellbeing (quality of life) and monitoring it on a global scale country by country through face to face interviews, phone calls and online surveys. 
Here are the key elements to living a thriving life as discovered by Gallup and Healthways researchers that will directly impact your personal wellbeing and everyone's around you. To begin with, wellbeing isn't one thing but five.

1. Purpose (or Career): Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals.
2. Social: Having supportive relationships and love in your life.
3. Financial: Managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security.
4. Physical: Having good health and enough energy to get things done every day.
5. Community: Liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community.

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Guest hOM Blog by Deepak Chopra and Danielle Posa
Dec 14, 2015
In this series, professionals predict the ideas and trends that will shape 2016. Read the posts here, then write your own (use #BigIdeas2016 in your piece). 
​by Deepak Chopra, MD and Danielle Posa

Deepak Chopra MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Chopra is the author of more than 80 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times best sellers. His latest book is Super Genes co-authored with Rudi Tanzi, PhD www.deepakchopra.com
Danielle Posa advises public and private sector decision makers, and their organizations, on the value of maximizing the quality of life (wellbeing) of the people they influence. In addition, she develops and leads courses, and provides strategic consulting for clients who have a commitment to wellbeing, sustainability, and/or social advancement. Danielle is also cancer survivor, speaks publically about her personal story, writes for the Huffington Post, and is a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Covenant House.
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To help organizations adopt wellbeing practices within their organizations, Deepak and Danielle have developed a new course called “Corporate Wellbeing and Soul of Leadership” which will take place on Feb. 6 in New York City. This course will be powered by JIYO technology to help make wellbeing practices readily available to people all over the world