How to Know if You’re Flourishing

3 sunflowers The definition of flourishing is to grow and develop in a healthy and vigorous way, especially as part of a congenial environment.

Do this simple exercise to understand where you’re flourishing and to identify where to focus your efforts in order to flourish fully.

Start by considering how you feel about the following eight areas in your life. Score yourself out of 10, where 10 is flourishing and 1 is not flourishing. Anything you score an 8 or above on, you’re flourishing. Any areas scored lower than an 8 are the ones to start working on.

1. Self-acceptance

This is about being aware of your strengths and weaknesses and accepting them as who you are – quirks and all. It’s these differences that make us unique and accepting yourself fully will help you to flourish and flow through life in the best way possible.

Out of 10, how accepting are you of yourself?

2. Self-belief

Self-belief is having confidence in yourself and your capabilities from who you are, to what you do. It will help you grow and to achieve your full potential. How much do you believe you can achieve whatever you put your mind to?

Out of 10, how much do you believe in yourself?

The Lightning Process is a great tool to build your self-acceptance and self-belief.

3. Happiness

Happiness is having a sense of well-being, joy and contentment in your life.

Out of 10, how happy do you feel about yourself and your life?

A gratitude practice is a brilliant way to improve your happiness and contentment. The more aware you become of the things you are grateful for, the more you will notice.

If you want to know how to create a gratitude practice, here’s a blog on the topic.

4. Connection

Feeling connected to others is needed to help us build healthy relationships. As humans, we flourish when we feel part of something greater than ourselves. Do you have great relationships and a community around you who support and understand you?

Out of 10, how connected do you feel?

If you score low in this area, think about how you can improve relationships with those in your life. You could research new groups you can join with like-minded people to help you feel more connected.

5. Purpose

Purpose and meaning provide inspiration for your life. They give significance to what you are working towards and achieving.

Out of 10, how much purpose do you feel you have in your life?

If you score low here, allow yourself time to think about what you would love to do. Write down all your ideas, no matter how big, small or silly they may seem. Imagine, if there were no limits, what would you love to do? Sit with your ideas and consider each one in turn and start to identify what ones give you a sense of purpose. Pick one and decide, what’s the first small step you could take towards it today?

6. Sense of Achievement

This will leave you feeling proud of having done something worthwhile. Are you doing things that stretch you and give you a sense of achievement?

Out of 10, how much sense of achievement do you have?

If this is an area you need to work on, start to write down everything you achieve each day. At the end of the day, review your list and allow yourself to celebrate all your wins, no matter how big or small they are. They will soon add up and you will start to see just how much you do achieve. You’ll also be surprised how much gets missed or forgotten when things get busy.

7. Resilience

This is the ability to bounce back from life’s challenges and adapt where necessary whilst maintaining your own well-being. How able are you to flow through challenges and bounce back?

Out of 10, how resilient do you feel?

Again, the Lightning Process is a great way to build your resilience and help you to navigate the challenges life throws at you. Another way to support your resilience is to build little pockets of calm into your day whether that’s going for a walk, reading a book or doing yoga – whatever you love to do.

8. Your Environment

Where you live and work will impact your ability to flourish. You need your space to be somewhere you can relax easily and feel comfortable.

Out of 10, how good do you feel about your environment?

If there is something not right, what improvements can you make now? If not, what plans can you make so at least you can start taking steps towards getting it to work for you?

If you’re in a position where you can’t currently change your environment, you can change the way you respond to it and make peace with it – the Lightning Process can help you with this. Make sure you take any good opportunities to get out and about in nature, or to another place where you can recharge and refresh.