Authentic Wealth is bigger than just financial accumulation – it recognizes the interconnectedness of all aspects of life. It is created when your resources (the 5 levers – Finances, Mindset, Relationships, Health and Time) are aligned with your values, your vision and are ultimately used to achieve the impact you want to have on yourself, your family, your community and the world.
FINANCES
As a follow-up to our Wealth Beyond Riches podcast episode last week on values-based investing (here), I thought you might be interested in an article in the Wall Street Journal about the power of social responsibility as a good management practice. The article looks at a study on corporate effectiveness at the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University which includes measures of customer satisfaction, employee engagement, innovation, social responsibility, and financial strength. Interestingly, the 50 companies that had the largest gain in their overall scores (across all five dimensions), also had the largest gain in their social responsibility score.
Read more here.
MINDSET
Have you ever considered that your brain creates your emotions from a physiological response in your body based on your experience? For example, it is your brain’s interpretation of the “butterflies in your stomach” that tells you that you’re nervous. What makes this research impactful is that it means you have more control over your emotions than you may realize. It also speaks to the importance of emotional granularity – the ability to differentiate between emotions.
If you want to learn more about how your brain creates emotions, I really liked this recent podcast with Adam Grant and Lisa Feldman Barrett.
For a great resource to develop your emotional granularity (or to help your kids develop it), check out Brené Brown’s work around her book, Atlas of the Heart here.
RELATIONSHIPS
Another one of my favorite resources for relationships is the Hendricks Institute. They have a series on their website describing their “Biggest Relationship Wows”. One that I found particularly interesting is…
“If you were to make just one move to ignite passion and starve complaint, it’s to commit to creating and putting creativity first in your own life. Partners who focus on creativity notice that complaints fade away—they often can’t remember what they were complaining about. The act of creating, of noticing and engaging in what you love to do such that time disappears and energy increases, becomes a fountain at the center of your life and your relating. We’ve found that just ten minutes a day, preferably before charging into business, of focusing on creating gives you a new gyroscope that generates juicy connection first with you, then with others. And it’s completely renewable by your choice to value your ongoing and lifelong creativity. Whether it’s a new recipe, opening a journal and doodling, or sketching a new design on whiteboard, all creativity nudges complaint off the bench. Creative flow or complaining crunch—your choice.”
HEALTH
Some of you know that I’m a fan of cold plunging (cold water immersion). I have a cold plunge tub in my basement, as well as an infrared sauna, and I try to spend some time in both every day. Am I just crazy or is there actual science behind the benefits of cold plunging?
Read an NPR piece on cold plunging here.
Check out a podcast episode on cold plunging with Dr. Susanna Søberg here.
TIME
Want some practical tips on how to optimize your workspace for productivity, focus and creativity? Check out this podcast with Andrew Huberman here.
