How do we make well-being measurable?

Making wellbeing concrete to build a life of impact

It can be hard to define exactly what well-being is. Breaking it down into parts we can measure, adjust and improve is hard to do without a clear definition of what it is.

Our well-being is what helps us to flourish. Accomplish meaningful goals and cultivate amazing relationships. Make the most out of our one precious life.

But what are the concrete ways we can measure it? What are the pillars that need to be in place for us to build a fabulous life and make the most out of our talents as creatives?

In his book Flourish, founder of the Positive Psychology movement, Martin Seligman, sets out what those pillars are:

Positive emotions; engagement (flow)'; positive relationships; positive accomplishment and meaning.

Life coaches use these pillars to help clients measure their wellbeing.

Low scores indicate that there is a disconnect or a misalignment happening in the client’s life. Often it means their life does not reflect their authentic self; it is frustrating their will to meaning (read about Viktor Frankl’s Logotheraphy here). It is also an indicator that how (see below) they our living is not supporting them to be at their best.

Taking Action to Elevate Well-being

The Why, What and How Framework supports clients take the information from their PERMA Wheel evaluation and create a concrete life redesign that will support them to be at their very best. Here’s an overview of the framework:

Why - relates to meaning and this stems from your values. To help clients clearly define what their value system is I use self development tools from the field of Counselling. Recently I completed a Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy and while I am not qualified yet to treat patients suffering from trauma and other more mental and emotional health challenges, I can use the tools to support people looking to get unstuck, learn more about themselves and make lifestyle changes.

What - relates to a clients’ lifestyle. We look at what they do for work, leisure activities and hobbies in the context of positive emotions, positive accomplishment and flow. I want to find out if what they do with their time is generating positive emotion, giving them a sense of accomplishment and bringing them into flow state.

How - relates to thoughts, beliefs and physical health; the well-being facilitators that impact a client’s lifestyle and how they move through the world and interact with others. These facilitators are linked to the amount of cognitive and physical energy we have for our pursuits and for cultivating positive relationships.

A client’s lifestyle redesign comprises an integrated set of short to medium term goals and actions in each of the above categories.