photo credit: faeryboots

I was recently emailed by a friend of mine. Adrian is a corporate idealist, no doubt. But he’s also more of a vagabond idealist. Chances are slim that he’ll return to what most of us consider the ‘corporate’ life. Instead, he’ll blaze his own trail, one that clearly defines his own understanding of work, life, passion and impact.

Adrian sent me a link to this story, which ran in the New York Times last month. It highlights the idea of a nation – yes, an entire nation – measuring the success of their economy by a Gross National Happiness index. The two-minute video on the left will give you the idea of what’s going on.

Here’s how G.N.H is measured in Bhutan:

Specifically, the government has determined that the four pillars of a happy society involve the economy, culture, the environment and good governance. It breaks these into nine domains: psychological well-being, ecology, health, education, culture, living standards, time use, community vitality and good governance, each with its own weighted and unweighted G.N.H. index.

While I don’t want to debate the realities of a major country (like the U.S.) adapting this model, the four pillars and nine domains may have a lot to say about our personal understanding of work/life balance.

Instead of lobbying Congress to adopt a G.N.H index, how about you develop one in your own life? In looking at the above 13 themes, where do you stack up personally? Take some time this weekend and take stock of your own life. See what your personal G.N.H. is and make changes in the areas that need to be improved.

You may find, as Bhutan did, that your very survival (corporate or otherwise) depends on it.