Thrive

The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

By: Arianna Huffington

Narrated by: Agapi Stassinopoulos

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Arianna Huffington's personal wakeup call came in the form of a broken cheekbone and a nasty gash over her eye - the result of a fall brought on by exhaustion and lack of sleep. The co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, one of the fastest growing media companies in the world, celebrated as one of the world's most influential women, gracing the covers of magazines, she was, by any traditional measure, extraordinarily successful. Yet as she found herself going from brain MRI to CAT scan to echocardiogram, to find out if there was any underlying medical problem beyond exhaustion, she found herself wondering, is this really what success feels like?

In Thrive, she has written a passionate call to arms, looking to redefine what it means to be successful in today's world. In a commencement address she gave at Smith College in the spring of 2013, Arianna likened our drive for money and power to two legs of a three-legged stool. It may hold us up temporarily, but sooner or later we're going to topple over. We need a third leg - a Third Metric for defining success. In this deeply personal book, Arianna talks candidly about her own challenges with managing time and prioritizing the demands of a career and two daughters - of juggling business deadlines and family crises, a harried dance that led to her collapse - and to her "aha moment". Drawing on the latest groundbreaking research and scientific findings in the fields of psychology, sports, sleep, and physiology that show the profound and transformative effects of meditation, mindfulness, unplugging, and giving, Arianna shows us the way to a revolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplaces, and our lives.

©2014 Arianna Huffington (P)2014 Random House Audio

good reading, somewhat of an awakening

a little long but a great book to make you realize what you are doing wrong in today's connected world and how to fix it

I loved this book!

So well done! Thank you so much for the love and care you give to us through this book!

Pleasantly Surprised - HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Highly.

Would you listen to Thrive again? Why?

Absolutely. The truths shared were so vast and varied, there is simply no way to take it all in one time through.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Thrive?

The multiple personal shares from the author's own experiences and "aha!" moments that lead her to write this.

What does Agapi Stassinopoulos bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The tone and sound of the author's native tongue.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

I am not a liberal in political terms - and because of this, I believe I had a predisposition to pass over this book, had I not heard wonderful things about it from multiple sources. I was thoroughly shamed in that I would have missed such a treasure had I held to this rigid mindset.

Couldn't Get Past the Accent

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I purchased because the story was interesting to me. I will stick to buying Biographies that are narrated by the AUTHOR ONLY!

Would you ever listen to anything by Arianna Huffington again?

Only if she is the narrator.

What aspect of Agapi Stassinopoulos’s performance would you have changed?

Her accent and her pace when speaking. Was just too hard to follow for me. And I am very good usually with accents. This one I just couldn't get past.

Important lessons to be learned here

I learned a lot from this book. Clearly the author did a ton of research, and most of her book is quoting studies and other authors. I came away more able to prioritize what's really important in my life, and I believe we all could use a reminder of this periodically. She lost my interest when she got into the universe having a design and that there's no such thing as coincidence. I guess I'm too much the scientist to buy that.
For sure if you are someone who's addicted to your phone or social media, you will benefit from this book. She has great suggestions for how to unplug from the digital world in order to get your focus back to real life.

A book for our time

Arianna Huffington has written a book that answers the fundamental thought we all have. There must be a better way. If our success can strip us of our humanity, is that truly success? Yes, there is a better way and Arianna's book Thrive is here to guide us.

great read for busy working moms

Would you be willing to try another one of Agapi Stassinopoulos’s performances?

i understand that they needed to portray the writer as best as possible by fining someone that sounds like the author , this time i wish they didn't coz accent was rather annoying, as much as i liked reading the book often i was irritated

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

you can really as its a long read

Any additional comments?

i like the book over all , only two comments i have one being the accent of the narrater and long windedness of the writer , although points author makes are simple enough to understand she over articulates and keeps on articulating which at times get boring and you want her to move on already

Meditate, sleep more and walk

That’s it in a nutshell. Wouldn’t recommend. I do appreciate that she had very simple suggestions. I tried a few recommendations she had for simple ways to change up my habits - deep breathing more often, a website for volunteering, and calling my mom more often.

80% Not Original Content

Most of her book contains quotes from other people, as if she was still writing for the Huffington Post. The quotes are good but they aren't accredited to her + it feels plagiarized because of the amount of content that isn't hers. Otherwise, it's nice that it talks about prioritizing yourself instead of work. If you need a reminder of that, this is a good book.

Are you kidding?

Why would you choose a person with such a strong accent to do voice over?