Arianna Huffington: Emerging Women Live
Interview with Arianna Huffington by Chantal Pierrat, founder of Emerging Women, exclusive for OMTimes Magazine
Chantal Pierrat: In your book Thrive, you make a case for a more integrated and balanced definition of success. How does this play out in your life on a practical level – are you doing less work, for instance?
Arianna Huffington: I’m actually more productive than I’ve ever been, and it’s not because of the amount of work I’m doing but because I’ve redefined what success means to me and stopped burning the candle at both ends. Earlier in my career, I operated under the collective delusion that burning out is the necessary price for accomplishment and success. Recent scientific findings make it clear that this couldn’t be less true. Not only is there no tradeoff between living a well-rounded life and high performance, performance is actually improved when our lives include time for renewal, wisdom, wonder and giving. On a practical level, this means getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night and making room in each day for pauses, silence and time away from my devices. I also start every morning with 20 to 30 minutes of meditation and exercise as often as I can.
Chantal Pierrat: Some people think thriving is a luxury, others feel like the world can’t survive without it. Where do you stand on this?
Arianna Huffington: The principles that help us thrive are universal and available to everyone, regardless of our position. Some might look at these practices as a luxury— that it’s all very well for the financially independent, for people who have their basic needs met and have what are known as “first world problems.” What about those without a job who are struggling to put food on the table? In fact, it’s in difficult circumstances that these practices have the most to offer us. It is in times of great adversity when we are pushed and challenged that these principles become essential.
