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

Let me take you back to a quiet morning—one that changed everything. Imagine the hush of dawn, the world still and expectant, and suddenly, a startling moment: a woman, successful by all outward measures, finds herself lying on her office floor, blood pooling, her body and spirit at their breaking point. This was not just a fall; it was a wake-up call—a jolt to the soul that asked, 'Is this what success looks like?'

So many of us are taught to chase after money, power, and recognition as if they are the only markers of a life well-lived. We work longer, push harder, and measure our worth by promotions, paychecks, and plaques on the wall. But what if, in the relentless pursuit, we lose sight of what truly matters? What if, when we pause, we hear a quiet voice inside asking, 'Is that all there is?'

This story is not just about one person’s collapse but about a collective crisis. Our culture rewards busyness and burnout, turning exhaustion into a badge of honor. Yet, when we look at the stories told at the end of our lives, at the eulogies delivered with trembling voices and tearful smiles, we notice something profound: no one celebrates missed dinners for meetings, or the number of emails answered after midnight. Instead, the stories that linger are about kindness, laughter, the warmth of our presence, and the love we shared.

In that moment of crisis, the author realized that the ladder of success she had been climbing was leaning against the wrong wall. She began to search for a new blueprint—one that values not just achievement, but well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. She calls this the Third Metric, a richer, more sustainable measure of a life well-lived.

It’s a lesson echoed in the wisdom of philosophers and spiritual teachers across centuries: the unexamined life is not worth living. Yet, in our modern world, we rarely stop to examine. We are, as one poet put it, always waiting for real life to begin, not realizing that these moments—challenges and all—are our life.

This audiobook is an invitation to pause, reflect, and gently ask ourselves: What does success mean to me? What do I want my eulogy—not my résumé—to say? As we journey together, we’ll explore how to build a new foundation, one that supports not just achievement, but thriving in every sense of the word.

Let’s continue, and discover why well-being is the cornerstone of this new definition of success...