Somewhere between the dialogues of Ancient Greece and today’s hyper-connected age, we have defined success the wrong way, says Arianna Huffington, chair, president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group.
“My compatriots, Greek philosophers, used to talk about ‘What is a good life?’—and somehow, a good life became equated with money and power,” Huffington told CTV’s Kevin Newman via satellite.
The media mogul spoke candidly on Kevin Newman Live, sharing career lessons and the story of how a work-related injury influenced her path to become one of the most influential voices in America.
In 2007, two years after the launch of The Huffington Post, Arianna fainted from exhaustion, broke her cheekbone, and suffered a nasty gash to her right eye. Despite the severity of the injury, Arianna took it as a moment of clarity.
“It was my wake-up call about how I was living my life, about how much of my life was fueled by burnout and sleep deprivation,” she said.
In 2013, The Huffington Post launched Third Metric, an initiative to redefine success beyond money and power to shift focus on a person’s well-being, wisdom, wonder, compassion and giving. In its Canadian edition, the Screen Sense series was conceived to propel a dialogue about reevaluating our attachment to digital devices.
So, how did Huffington become an “apostle” for digital detoxes while running a business “all about being plugged in”? It’s all about balance and common sense, she explained.
“When we have employees who are bringing their best selves to work, who’ve had some time to recharge, sleep well, etcetera, everything’s going to be better for The Huffington Post.”
On being asked about who’s wisdom has made the most significant impact on her life, the answer came immediately: her mom.
“My mother was my ultimate symbol of wisdom because she knew how to be in the moment, and she knew how to let the thoughts about the future, and fears about the future get in the way.”
Huffington, who launched a new WorldPost edition in partnership with the Berggruen Institute on Governance on Tuesday, is scheduled to publish her fourteenth book “Thrive” in March.
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