Thrive

Thrive Plot Summary

Introduction

It was April 2007 when Arianna Huffington found herself lying on the floor of her home office in a pool of blood. She had collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep, hitting her head on the corner of her desk. This wake-up call forced her to confront an uncomfortable question: Was this what success looked like? By traditional metrics of money and power, she was thriving – she had founded The Huffington Post two years earlier, appeared on magazine covers, and been named among the world's most influential people. Yet her life felt completely out of control, working eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. This collapse became the catalyst for a profound personal transformation. Through her journey of recovery, Arianna discovered what many of us intuitively know but often ignore: true success cannot be measured merely by the size of our bank accounts or the power of our professional positions. There must be a third metric – one that encompasses well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. This realization forms the foundation of a new approach to defining success, offering a pathway that doesn't require burning ourselves out or sacrificing our health and relationships on the altar of achievement. By sharing scientific research alongside personal stories, the author illuminates how we can thrive in a more holistic sense, creating lives of purpose, meaning, and joy rather than merely surviving in a state of perpetual exhaustion.

Chapter 1: Awakening to a New Definition of Success

The current definition of success in our society has been reduced almost exclusively to money and power. This limited perspective is the equivalent of trying to sit on a two-legged stool – it may balance momentarily, but eventually, you'll topple over. And that's exactly what's happening to people all around the world. They're achieving success according to the traditional metrics, yet still feeling empty, burnt out, and unfulfilled. Arianna experienced this firsthand. After her collapse, she spent weeks visiting doctors, undergoing brain MRIs, CAT scans, and echocardiograms to determine if there was some underlying medical problem. There wasn't – the cause was simply exhaustion and burnout from overwork. While sitting in waiting rooms between tests, she began asking herself profound questions about the life she was living. Was this really what she wanted? Was this sustainable? Was this truly success? This wake-up call prompted her to make significant changes in her life. She adopted daily practices focused on well-being: getting more sleep, meditating, exercising, and spending quality time with loved ones. She discovered that these weren't luxuries or indulgences but necessities for living a truly successful life. When her mother saw her checking emails while talking to her children, she scolded her: "I abhor multitasking." It was a powerful reminder that being connected 24/7 to the entire world can prevent us from being deeply connected to those closest to us – and to ourselves. Science confirms what Arianna learned through personal experience. Research shows that stress contributes to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Sleep deprivation impairs our cognitive function and decision-making abilities – Bill Clinton once admitted, "Every important mistake I've made in my life, I've made because I was too tired." Studies have demonstrated that meditation and mindfulness improve our physical health, emotional well-being, and even our ability to make good decisions. The Third Metric expands our definition of success beyond money and power to include four essential elements: well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. This isn't about abandoning ambition or achievement, but about achieving success in a way that's sustainable and fulfilling. It's about recognizing that while the first two metrics might help us build a successful career, all four are necessary to build a successful life. This awakening to a new definition of success isn't just personally beneficial – it's increasingly becoming a cultural imperative as rates of burnout, stress-related illness, and disconnection continue to rise.

Chapter 2: Finding Balance: Breaking Free from Burnout

Belgian philosopher Pascal Chabot calls burnout "civilization's disease." It reflects not just individual weakness but our collective values as a society. When Arianna interviewed executives and professionals across various industries, a disturbing pattern emerged: burnout had become a badge of honor, a sign of dedication and commitment. People were competing over who slept less, worked more hours, and stayed constantly connected – a perverse status symbol of modern success. Anne, a high-powered attorney in her thirties, shared her experience at a prestigious law firm. She regularly pulled all-nighters, skipped vacations, and missed family events. Her colleagues praised her dedication, but inside she was crumbling. One day, while preparing for a major case, she found herself unable to breathe, her heart racing uncontrollably. At the emergency room, doctors diagnosed a panic attack triggered by extreme stress. "I thought I was dying," she told Arianna. "That's when I realized the promotion I was killing myself for wasn't worth dying for." Anne ultimately left the firm to start her own practice with more reasonable hours and a focus on serving clients she cared about. Her income decreased, but her health, relationships, and overall happiness dramatically improved. The science behind burnout is alarming. A Harvard Medical School study found that an astounding 96 percent of senior leaders reported feeling burned out. Research shows that working long hours doesn't actually increase productivity – it dramatically reduces it. One study found that for every four hours of overtime worked, productivity drops so significantly that the extra hours become essentially worthless. Our brains and bodies simply weren't designed for constant work without recovery time. Marie Asberg, a professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, describes burnout as an "exhaustion funnel" we slip down as we sacrifice things we don't consider important. "Often, the very first things we give up are those that nourish us the most but seem 'optional,'" she explains. We abandon sleep, exercise, family time, and personal interests in service of work, until we're left with nothing but the stressors that deplete us – and no way to replenish our resources. Breaking free from burnout isn't simply about working less; it's about restructuring our relationship with work and redefining what matters. It requires challenging the cultural narratives that equate exhaustion with dedication and burnout with success. It means recognizing that rest isn't a luxury or a sign of weakness – it's a biological necessity for high performance, creativity, and well-being. When we embrace this more balanced approach to work and life, we don't just avoid burnout – we unlock our full potential to thrive and make our greatest contributions to the world.

Chapter 3: The Mindfulness Revolution in Business

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, faced tremendous pressure from investors during the company's financially challenging years to cut health benefits for employees. It would have been an easy way to improve the bottom line. But Schultz refused, maintaining health care coverage for employees who worked as little as twenty hours a week. For him, this wasn't just a generous optional benefit but a core strategy. "Treat people like family," he said, "and they will be loyal and give their all." This philosophy extended to creating BeanStock, the company's employee stock option plan, which turned Starbucks employees into partners. Chade-Meng Tan, an engineer at Google and employee number 107, noticed something troubling about his brilliant colleagues: they were burning out at alarming rates. In response, he created a program called "Search Inside Yourself" (SIY), which quickly became one of the most popular classes at the company. The course teaches attention training, self-knowledge, and building useful mental habits. Richard Fernandez, who took the course while at Google, explained its value: "I'm definitely much more resilient as a leader. It's almost an emotional and mental bank account. I've now got much more of a buffer there." The business case for mindfulness is becoming increasingly clear. Studies show that U.S. employers spend 200 to 300 percent more on the indirect costs of health care—absenteeism, sick days, and lower productivity—than they do on actual health care payments. When companies invest in employee well-being through mindfulness programs, the returns are significant. At Aetna, the third-largest health insurance provider in the United States, CEO Mark Bertolini discovered meditation, yoga, and acupuncture while recovering from a ski accident that left him with a broken neck. After making these practices available to Aetna's 49,000 employees, a Duke University study showed a 7 percent drop in health care costs and 69 minutes of additional productivity per day for participating employees. What's remarkable is how quickly the mindfulness revolution is spreading across industries once considered resistant to such "soft" approaches. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater, one of the world's largest hedge funds, has practiced meditation for over 35 years and considers it "the single most important reason" for his success. He pays for half of his employees' meditation classes and covers the entire cost if they commit to it for more than six months. Even the U.S. Marine Corps has implemented a "Mind Fitness Training" program to help Marines manage stress and improve decision-making. The mindfulness revolution in business isn't just about reducing stress or increasing productivity, though it accomplishes both. It represents a fundamental shift in how we view work and success. It acknowledges that human beings aren't machines that can operate continuously without maintenance. We need time for recovery, reflection, and renewal. When we honor these needs, we don't just prevent burnout—we create the conditions for sustainable high performance, innovation, and fulfillment. The organizations embracing this approach aren't just building healthier workplaces; they're redefining what it means to be successful in business and creating a new model for prosperity that works for everyone.

Chapter 4: Technology: Connection or Disconnection?

The average smartphone user checks their device every six and a half minutes – that's about 150 times per day. We're increasingly tethered to technology that promises connection but often delivers the opposite. David Roberts, a writer for the environmental magazine Grist, described his relationship with technology in a memorable goodbye letter when he took a year-long digital sabbatical: "I enjoy sharing zingers with Twitter all day; I enjoy writing long, wonky posts at night. But the lifestyle has its drawbacks. I don't get enough sleep, ever. I don't have any hobbies. I'm always at work... I'm never disconnected. It's doing things to my brain. I think in tweets now. My hands start twitching if I'm away from my phone for more than 30 seconds." Linda Stone, who worked on emerging technologies at both Apple and Microsoft, noticed something alarming about our relationship with email. In 1997, she coined the term "continuous partial attention" to describe being perpetually tuned into everything while never fully present anywhere. A decade later, she observed that many people, including herself, would unconsciously hold their breath while checking email – a phenomenon she called "email apnea." This disruption in breathing patterns can contribute to stress-related conditions by knocking our body's balance of oxygen, nitric oxide, and carbon dioxide out of whack. The science on technology's impact is sobering. A McKinsey Global Institute study found that the average knowledge worker spends 28 percent of their time on email – more than eleven hours per week. According to SaneBox, which makes email-filtering software, it takes us sixty-seven seconds to recover from each email that lands in our inbox. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute found that the light from computer screens obstructs the body's production of melatonin, which regulates our sleep cycle. And studies show that the mere presence of a smartphone – even when turned off – can reduce cognitive capacity and problem-solving abilities. Despite these challenges, people are finding creative ways to reclaim their attention. Some play the "phone stacking game" at dinner, where everyone puts their devices in a stack, and the first person to check their phone pays the bill. Companies like the Boston Consulting Group have introduced "predictable time off" programs, where employees take planned nights off – no email, no work, no smartphone. Volkswagen programmed some employees' phones to automatically switch off work emails between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. These interventions aren't about rejecting technology entirely, but about establishing healthier boundaries. The paradox of our digital age is that we need technology to help us manage our relationship with technology. New apps and tools are emerging to help us focus, filter distractions, and create digital space for reflection and renewal. The goal isn't disconnection but conscious connection – using technology intentionally rather than reactively. When we master this balance, technology becomes a tool for thriving rather than a source of perpetual distraction and stress. The key question isn't whether technology is good or bad, but whether it's enhancing our humanity or diminishing it – and the answer depends entirely on how we choose to use it.

Chapter 5: Sleep: The Ultimate Performance Enhancer

In April 2007, Bill Clinton made a startling admission: "Every important mistake I've made in my life, I've made because I was too tired." This candid revelation from a former president underscores a truth that science has now thoroughly documented: sleep isn't a luxury or an indulgence – it's a biological necessity for high performance, good decision-making, and overall well-being. Yet our culture continues to celebrate sleep deprivation as a badge of honor, equating it with dedication and productivity. Arianna learned this lesson the hard way after her collapse from exhaustion. She had been getting by on just three to four hours of sleep per night, convinced that sleeping more would mean accomplishing less. Her wake-up call led her to research the science of sleep, which revealed some startling findings. A study at Duke University found that poor sleep is associated with higher stress levels and a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes – with these risks being even greater for women than men. Research from Harvard Medical School showed that sleep deprivation reduces emotional intelligence, self-regard, empathy, and impulse control, while increasing reliance on superstition and magical thinking. The implications extend far beyond personal health. The Exxon Valdez wreck, the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, and the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island all were at least partially caused by sleep deprivation. In the business world, a Harvard Medical School study calculated that insomnia-related productivity losses cost U.S. companies over $63 billion annually. The irony is striking: we sacrifice sleep to get more done, but end up accomplishing less as a result. In January 2010, Arianna convinced Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine, to join her in a New Year's resolution to get more sleep. Their "Sleep Challenge" revealed how transformative adequate rest can be. Arianna discovered that after eight hours of sleep, she had more energy for exercise, greater creativity, better mood, and improved decision-making. She even found herself having more vivid dreams, reconnecting her to a rich inner life she had been missing. Cindi developed a clever approach, treating her bedtime like an appointment – with the same urgency and importance given to work meetings. The sleep revolution isn't just about getting more rest – it's about fundamentally redefining our relationship with productivity and success. When we prioritize sleep, we're not choosing laziness over ambition; we're choosing sustainable high performance over burnout. As Dr. Michael Breus, author of Beauty Sleep, puts it: "Everything you do, you'll do better with a good night's sleep." This wisdom, once dismissed as indulgent, is now being embraced by elite athletes, military leaders, and innovative CEOs who understand that in the race for achievement, rest isn't the opposite of success – it's an essential ingredient.

Chapter 6: Wisdom Beyond Knowledge

In Greek mythology, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, weaving together strength and vulnerability, creativity and nurturing, passion and discipline, pragmatism and intuition. Today, this kind of integrated wisdom is precisely what's missing from our information-saturated world. We have unprecedented access to knowledge, yet struggle to live wisely. As T.S. Eliot famously asked: "Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?" Michael, a brilliant investment banker in his forties, embodied this dilemma. With an Ivy League education and stellar career trajectory, he had accumulated vast knowledge and professional success. Yet his personal life was in shambles – two failed marriages, estranged children, chronic health problems, and a growing sense of emptiness. During a particularly grueling deal, he found himself in the emergency room with chest pains. Though tests revealed no heart attack, the doctor delivered a sobering message: "Your body is telling you something important. Are you listening?" This wake-up call prompted Michael to seek more than just information – he needed wisdom to integrate his knowledge with a life worth living. Wisdom differs fundamentally from mere information or knowledge. It requires not just consuming facts but developing the capacity for inner knowing – what many traditions call intuition. In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell describes how the adaptive unconscious "quickly and quietly processes a lot of the data we need in order to keep functioning as human beings." This inner knowing can often be more accurate than our conscious reasoning. When Thomas Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, first saw a supposedly ancient Greek statue acquired by the Getty Museum, he felt an "intuitive repulsion." While scientists vouched for its authenticity after fourteen months of testing, Hoving instantly knew it was fake – and was ultimately proven right. Our inner wisdom speaks constantly, but modern life makes it difficult to hear. Sleep deprivation, digital distraction, and chronic stress all disrupt our connection to this deeper knowing. Studies show that even mild sleep loss impairs emotional intelligence and ethical decision-making. Constant digital connection keeps us externally focused rather than internally attuned. As Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist at Stanford's School of Medicine, observes: "People have a pathological relationship with their devices. People feel not just addicted, but trapped." Reconnecting with wisdom requires creating space for silence, reflection, and presence. Meditation, mindfulness practices, time in nature, and adequate sleep all help restore this connection. Many ancient traditions, from Stoicism to Buddhism to Christianity, offer practices for cultivating wisdom. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, wrote: "True understanding is to see the events of life in this way: 'You are here for my benefit, though rumor paints you otherwise.' And everything is turned to one's advantage when he greets a situation like this: You are the very thing I was looking for." This perspective represents the essence of wisdom – the capacity to see beyond surface appearances to deeper meaning, to make decisions aligned with our highest values, and to maintain equanimity amid life's inevitable challenges. In our knowledge-rich but wisdom-poor world, cultivating this capacity isn't just nice to have – it's essential for thriving in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment.

Chapter 7: Cultivating Wonder in a Distracted World

On a clear California evening, Arianna laid on the grass in her backyard with her young daughters, gazing up at the stars. While Isabella stretched out her little hands trying to touch the sky, Christina asked a profound question: "Mommy, what makes it go?" This moment of pure wonder – the capacity to be awestruck by the universe – is something we're born with but often lose amid the distractions and demands of modern life. Albert Einstein defined wonder as a precondition for life. "Whoever lacks the capacity to wonder," he wrote, "whoever remains unmoved, whoever cannot contemplate or know the deep shudder of the soul in enchantment, might just as well be dead for he has already closed his eyes upon life." Throughout history, scientists and artists alike have credited wonder as the source of their greatest insights. When James Clerk Maxwell, the pioneering physicist, was asked about his first memory, he said it was "lying on the grass, looking at the sun and wondering." Yet today, wonder is under siege. We walk through life with our eyes fixed on screens, missing the extraordinary that surrounds us. Wayne Curtis, a journalist, describes modern pedestrians as "the digital dead, shuffling slowly, their eyes affixed to a small screen in their hands." A University of Washington study found that one in three pedestrians was distracted while crossing the street, most commonly by texting or talking on phones. Those texting took almost 20 percent longer to cross and were 33 percent slower reaching their destination. More alarmingly, this constant distraction prevents us from experiencing the awe and wonder that research shows is vital for psychological well-being. Museums and art galleries offer rare opportunities to disconnect and experience wonder, but even these sanctuaries are being invaded by our compulsion to document rather than experience. Isabella, Arianna's younger daughter, had an epiphany when given an assignment to spend two hours in a museum in front of a single painting. "It was both exhilarating and unsettling," she said, "unsettling because I realized I have never really seen a painting and exhilarating because I was finally seeing one." When a security guard questioned why she was standing so long before the painting, Isabella found it telling: "We have gotten to the point where someone standing in front of a painting just looking at it for a long period of time is suspect." Wonder doesn't require extraordinary circumstances – it can emerge from ordinary moments when we're fully present. As Walt Whitman observed, "No special natural sights—not Alps, Niagara, Yosemite or anything else—is more grand or more beautiful than the ordinary sunrise and sunset, earth and sky, the common trees and grass." The practice of mindfulness helps us reclaim this capacity for wonder by bringing us back to the present moment, allowing us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Cultivating wonder in a distracted world requires intentional practice – putting down our devices, slowing down, and paying attention to what's around and within us. When we do, we don't just experience momentary delight; we reconnect with a fundamental aspect of our humanity that enriches our lives and expands our consciousness. In a world increasingly dominated by distraction and virtual reality, the ability to experience genuine wonder might be one of the most radical and life-affirming skills we can develop.

Chapter 8: Giving Back: The Pathway to True Fulfillment

When Isabella was five years old, Arianna took her to volunteer at Children of Mine, a center for children in need in Anacostia, a struggling part of Washington, D.C. By coincidence, they met a little girl who was also celebrating her fifth birthday that day. But while Isabella had enjoyed a lavish party with a mermaid cake, presents, and balloons the day before, this child's entire celebration consisted of a single chocolate chip cookie with a candle stuck in it – serving as both her cake and her only gift. Watching from across the room, Arianna saw tears well up in her daughter's eyes. Something profound clicked for Isabella that day, something no lecture could have taught her. When they returned home, she rushed to her room, gathered all her birthday presents, and announced she wanted to take them to the little girl. This transformative experience illustrates what research has consistently shown: giving to others is one of the most reliable pathways to personal fulfillment. A study from the University of Minnesota and University of Florida found that having participants write down positive events at the end of each day – and why those events made them happy – significantly reduced stress levels and created a greater sense of calm. Harvard Business School research demonstrated that spending money on others produces more happiness than spending it on ourselves, a finding that holds true across cultures and income levels. The science behind this phenomenon is compelling. When we give, our bodies release oxytocin – often called the "love hormone" – which reduces anxiety and increases feelings of connection. Meanwhile, acts of generosity decrease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone associated with numerous health problems. A 2013 study led by scientists from the University of North Carolina and UCLA found that people whose happiness came primarily from serving others had healthier biological profiles than those whose happiness was mainly self-focused, with reduced levels of inflammatory markers linked to diabetes and heart disease. The benefits extend beyond health to professional success. In his book Give and Take, Wharton professor Adam Grant presents evidence that "givers" – those who contribute to others without expecting immediate returns – ultimately achieve more than "takers." His research shows that the highest-performing salespeople, engineers, and negotiators are those who genuinely focus on helping colleagues and customers succeed. As Grant writes, "Success doesn't measure a human being, nor does it measure a life. What matters in the long run is not what you've got, but what you're left with when what you've got is gone." The most powerful aspect of giving is how it transforms our perspective. When we step outside ourselves to serve others, we gain a clearer vision of what truly matters. The problems that once consumed us often shrink to their proper size. Our sense of isolation diminishes as we connect with a larger community and purpose. As Mahatma Gandhi put it, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." In giving back, we don't just help others – we discover our most authentic selves and connect with the deepest source of lasting fulfillment.

Summary

Throughout history, success has been defined primarily by two metrics: money and power. But as we've seen through the personal stories and scientific research presented in this exploration, this definition is dangerously incomplete. True success requires a third metric comprised of four essential pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. This expanded definition isn't just idealistic; it's practical and increasingly necessary in our stressed-out, burned-out, digitally overwhelmed world. The scientific evidence is unambiguous: practices that enhance our well-being, like adequate sleep, meditation, and unplugging from technology, don't just make us feel better – they measurably improve our performance, creativity, and decision-making. Cultivating wisdom through mindfulness and intuition helps us make better choices aligned with our deepest values. Experiencing wonder reconnects us with the awe and beauty that surrounds us, even in ordinary moments. And giving to others doesn't just benefit the recipients; it transforms the giver, reducing stress and increasing happiness and fulfillment. We now have empirical proof of what philosophers and spiritual teachers have claimed for centuries: a life dedicated solely to personal achievement leaves us empty, while a life that balances achievement with well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving leads to true thriving. As we navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world, this more holistic definition of success offers not just a personal pathway to fulfillment, but a collective vision for a healthier, more sustainable, and more compassionate society.

About Author

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Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington is the chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of fourteen books.In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2012, the site won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.She has been named to Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list. Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.She serves on several boards, including HuffPost’s partners in Spain, the newspaper EL PAÍS and its parent company PRISA; Onex; The Center for Public Integrity; and The Committee to Protect Journalists.Her 14th book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder was published by Crown in March 2014 and debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.

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