#22: Mindset, Mental Health, Money & The Gut

We kick-off this week with five short stories that illustrate the mindsets of people enjoying great success by varying definitions, across different fields.

These case studies are living proof of the benefits of having a growth mindset, adopting a bias towards action, creating our own definition of success, and more, and have been curated by Mark Manson, author of ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’

Read them, feel inspired.

It’s really positive how over the past couple of years the conversation around mental health has progressed from being a taboo subject, to one openly discussed in the mainstream.

Yet, it’s still early days. General understanding and awareness has a long way to go. For example, many of us confuse mental health issues with general mental health and wellbeing in our everyday lives. 

This article from Happiful shares seven simple ways we can look after our mental wellbeing before matters reach a crisis point.

According to a growing field of scientific research, our mental health isn’t all in our minds.

It’s emerging that the ecosystem of bacteria and microbes that live in our digestive tract – known as the gut microbiome – could impact the way we think and feel.
Although the gut might not be the first place we think of when it comes to mental health, it may well have a profound influence over our sense of wellbeing.

This piece from Men’s Fitness explores the growing link between our gut bacteria and our sense of wellbeing, including advice on what we can eat and do to nurture a healthy gut.

We’re often at our happiest when our natural strengths and skills are being put to use. Using our strengths regularly and in new ways provides us with a sense of fulfilment and purpose.

This article has curated 10 of the best TED talks on character, strengths and virtues presented by speakers with a wealth of professional and personal experience on the subject, including Brené Brown and Chris Wejr.

The videos provide an overview of why a focus on strengths is important, finding strength in weakness, and some personal stories of character strengths in practice.

A growing body of research shows we can reliably boost wellbeing by reframing the way we think about money, and making financial decisions that lead to long-term gains in life satisfaction.

Studies tell us that, up to a point, earning more money does increase happiness – as it helps ensure we have a roof over our head, food on the table and security in case of bad times.

But once we reach a certain amount there is no longer a correlation between an increase in salary and an increase in happiness. Partly because, once our basic needs our met, we begin consistently comparing ourselves with those that have more than us. Then the extent to which money can boost happiness becomes much more about how we spend it. 

This article summarises tips from experts about the spending decisions that can increase happiness — along with those that can’t.

Spend wisely.