O V E R V I E W

Flourish and Thrive:  Increase Performance and Productivity by Increasing Individual Well-being is a powerful, research-based, comprehensive and potentially life-changing program designed to help individuals increase performance and productivity by increasing their level of well-being. Typically, this program is offered as a complete multiple-month structured intervention – often as part of a corporate wellness program – or, alternatively, as a one or two day stand-alone workshop experience depending on client needs and objectives.

The workshop that is the core learning offering of the program provides an opportunity for participants to improve performance and productivity and reduce today’s stresses and time pressures by implementing the six imperatives that our research has identified as the proven paths necessary to achieve sustainable feelings of well-being.

The program is based on our in-depth analysis of 40 years of research on psychological well-being, the findings from the relatively new science of Positive Psychology, the latest findings of biologists and neurologists, and the timeless wisdom of ancient philosophers from around the world – all synthesized down into just six imperatives. Taken together, these six imperatives include everything that has been proven by psychologists, social scientists and other researchers to help increase levels of well-being.

B E N E F I T S

Major benefits for sponsoring companies and organizations can include:

• Increased performance and productivity from employees. One study has quantified these possible increases in performance as ranging from 10% to 25%
• Reduced absenteeism, “presenteeism,” and turnover
• Increased energy, creativity, and dedication from each individual
• A happier, more loyal, and more committed workforce
• Higher overall level of morale
• Improved bottom line results

Major benefits for participating individuals in this program can include:

• Improved work/life balance
• Improved quality of life
• Reduced stress and an increased ability to handle high levels of stress
• Improved ability to thrive in today’s and tomorrow’s world
• Improved physical health
• Enhanced ability to contribute based on optimizing skills, abilities, and talent
• Improved ability to better cope with the pace of change and the realities of life today – and tomorrow
• Increased sense of calm and contentment – an elevated mood day-to-day
• Improved perspective on work and  life:  why they are working so hard, and why they should be if they aren’t
• Renewed energy, resilience, hope, and commitment
• Increased performance and productivity at work, at home, and at play

F O C U S

The program includes a focus on the definitions of what well-being is and is not, the major psychological principles affecting well-being, the six imperatives that are the research-based proven paths to durable feelings of increased happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment and the seven proven keys to lastingly increasing levels of well-being. And, it is these increased levels of happiness and well-being that contribute to increased performance and productivity. The six imperatives that form the core of the program are:

• Seek Pleasure within Limits. Learn the importance of limiting our preoccupation with the pleasures to free up time and energy for our pursuit of the more durable paths to increased well-being. And, in the process, understand why a pursuit of pleasure no matter how successful can never yield lasting well-being and happiness.

• Intentionally THINK Happy. Learn how to deliberately focus our thinking on the seven topics proven to leave us feeling happier for the medium-term – often weeks and months – and to understand the more than 20 universal, irrefutable truths about life that we need to learn to accept – or risk a lifetime of disappointment.

• Intentionally ACT Happy. Learn to act in the 11 proven ways to increase feelings of well-being and to avoid the more than 20 “dead end” roads to emotional wellness.

• Become a Better Person. Become aware of the more than 50 positive traits of people with high levels of well-being – and the specific proven actions to take to implement these traits into our everyday lives.

• Embrace Loving Connections. Renew our focus on pursuing meaningful connections with others and nurturing close relationships with those we love. Our connections with others – family, friends, managers, co-workers – are an essential route to durable increased levels of happiness and well-being.

• Make a Meaningful Contribution. Focus our energy on making our meaningful contribution to the world. Whether a vocation, via altruism, or finding ways for our avocation to benefit others, contributing to the betterment of the world can make us enduringly happy and fulfilled – and a better performing and more productive employee.

D E L I V E R A B L E S

Each participant will take away from the program:

• Knowledge, understanding, and the ability to implement the six imperatives for well-being
• Clarity on accepted definitions of wellness, well-being, happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment
• A baseline level of personal happiness and overall life satisfaction
• A completed personal lifeline depicting major life events – and a better understanding of their impact
• A reminder of the 20 undeniable, universal and timeless truths about life
• Increased clarity on and a self-assessment of the more than 50 unique, personal traits – and a two-pronged plan to increase the frequency of their use
• A self-assessment of the proven strategies and actions that make up the six imperatives to assist in prioritizing future actions
• Insider knowledge of the real “secret” for living a happier life
• Clarity on the myriad of popular thinking and experiences that have been proven to be myths when it comes to living a happier and more fulfilling life – and a plan to avoid, minimize and transcend these “dead ends”
• An improved understanding of the two major psychological principles that everyone uses and that can be barriers to increasing our feelings of well-being – and what to do to overcome their effects
• A valuable and timeless participant workbook that can be a companion resource and a “touchstone” on their lifelong journey to increased well-being
• A completed personal implementation plan using our seven-step process with customized actions to guide them on their journey to happiness and well-being

• Where appropriate, a better understanding of what their company or organization can do to help on their path to improved well-being, performance and productivity

These deliverables are designed to insure maximum learning, retention, and application of the key proven actions required to increase levels of well-being.

R E S E A R C H – B A S E D

The following major findings – among many others – are supported by research by psychologists around the world and are central to the success of this program:

• High levels of work performance lead to increased well-being – and vice versa.
• High levels of happiness and well-being can increase performance by 10-25%, improve physical health, increase retention, and reduce “presenteeism” and absenteeism – all resulting in increased productivity.
• Intentionally Thinking in specific ways can increase our feelings of well-being. The social psychology axiom is “saying becomes believing.”
• Intentionally Acting in specific ways can increase our feelings of well-being. The social psychology principle is “We are just as likely to act ourselves into new ways of thinking as we are to think ourselves into new ways of acting.”
• Employees who are generally dissatisfied with their life may not find job satisfaction.
• Overall ROI of Wellness Programs, the majority of which are focused primarily on physical wellness, is 3:1. Some programs have higher returns.

L E A R N I N G   A C T I V I T I E S

In the multiple-month structured intervention program, implementation progress and successful outcomes are enhanced combining the initial workshop with a customized blend of follow-up webinars, consulting, coaching, and follow-up sessions to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The initial workshop core offering includes a stimulating, highly interactive combination of lecture, individual and small group activities, small and large group discussions, and Q&A sessions after each major topic culminating with a one-year personal implementation plan.

P R O G R A M   F E E S

The total program fees are determined based on scope and breadth of the agreed-upon engagement.