Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

Well-being, wisdom, and wonder—the first three pillars of the good life—are incomplete without giving, which allows individuals to step outside their comfort zones (224). Huffington argues that one cannot leave change up to the government; rather, interpersonal compassion can both help others and change the self by “widening the boundaries” of our being (228).

Huffington laments that collective recovery efforts tend to take place only in the wake of natural disasters, when there are dramatic images to show the need for help. In reality, impoverished people around the world need help at any given time. For Huffington, service is central to a “Third Metric” life because it promotes connection, generosity, virtuosity, and compassion. She connects this notion to the teachings about a successful life in the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu holy book.

Huffington singles out social entrepreneurs who create social reform through their businesses, a group she labels “go-givers” because they thrive through compassion and giving. She supports the connection between success and giving through science, explaining that oxytocin (a “love hormone”) can win the battle with cortisol (a “stress hormone”) by nurturing empathy through giving.