Gross National Happiness

I am still reflecting on all I heard at the International Coaches Conference in Montreal a few weeks ago. There was one piece I found so fascinating I have been researching it on line.

Did you know there is a country in our world that actually measures the condition of the country on the happiness of its people (GNH)?? That's right, you read it correctly. They do not measure the well-being of the country on how much money it has or makes or in how many industries or factories employing hundreds or thousands at sub-standard wages in horrible working conditions or by rate of consumption of resources.

The Kingdom of Bhutan is changing the way we a globe define progress on little bit at a time and the big boys are standing up and taking notice. The Kingdom of Bhutan (IPA: /buˈtɑːn/) is a landlocked nation in South Asia. It is located amid the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by India and to the north by the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from Nepal by the Indian state of Sikkim. The Bhutanese call their country Druk Yul which means "Land of the Thunder Dragon".[2] Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product used by many other countries. The term was coined by Bhutan's former king in 1972 in response to criticism of a poorly growing economy. Developing and implementing the GNH index was the beginning of creating an economy based on the unique culture and values of the people of Bhutan and it is the current guide for all economic and development plans of the country.

Well, that is all good and well, but how do we begin to measure such a thing, this GNH? Many of the once and still critics of this system still believe that is it far too subjective to actually work. In my research I found the seven metric measures of socioeconomic development, including the nation's mental and emotional health.[2]

1. Economic Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of economic metrics such as consumer debt, average income to consumer price index ratio and income distribution
2. Environmental Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of environmental metrics such as pollution, noise and traffic
3. Physical Wellness: Indicated via statistical measurement of physical health metrics such as severe illnesses
4. Mental Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of mental health metrics such as usage of antidepressants and rise or decline of psychotherapy patients
5. Workplace Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of labor metrics such as jobless claims, job change, workplace complaints and lawsuits
6. Social Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of social metrics such as discrimination, safety, divorce rates, complaints of domestic conflicts and family lawsuits, public lawsuits, crime rates
7. Political Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of political metrics such as the quality of local democracy, individual freedom, and foreign conflicts

What do you think?? I understand this might be a lot to swallow in comparison with our world and the way we see it. It is important that you also understand that since Bhutan has instituted this GNH for measurement of development in the country, it has actually out performed many others in the developed and industrialized world. Also of note is that in a 2007 study on subjective well-being, Bhutan rated 8th out of 178 countries and is the only country to rate in the top 20 with a very low GDP (Gross domestic product).

So why does any of this matter? Well I am not one to speak softly on passionate issues so here it goes.

Don't kid yourself for a minute that this current economic situation we are in is really the issue. This is a huge symptom of an even larger, yet surmountable problem. We have forgotten how to be in relationship; with ourselves, the environment and others. We have created a culture based on consumption (in fact it is a measure of success second only to production) and greed that measures only what is produced (the big daddy of how great we are in our little minds) and used, not the lives that are being negatively impacted because we want raspberries in the middle of winter. What did we think was going to happen?? The second we stopped valuing people, all people, we created this economic disaster. Did you know that the term "growth" in the G8 Countries is equated to destruction? We want more and more and in order to keep up with that, like never saying No to a toddler, we are destroying our world and our relationships at an astonishing rate.

We have got to grow up people! Stop what you are doing and look around. What are you 'consuming' right now that you are pretending has no impact? I challenge you to rate yourself on the GNH scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), then your family or work place. What might need to change to increase your score?

We are in a time where radical change is required and the lie is that we won't be as happy doing it. BS! I bet that we would be happier than ever if could look past our egos and start living from those long lost things called values. Just imagine the time capsule 1000 years from now that reads -

"And there began a shift on the earth where all those that were once on top and sought after, were repositioned to equal status in the world. Radical change began from a place of authentic values and conscious relationship in service of restoring what was lost and reversing the the quotient of human destruction. The most surprising thing of all was that it began with a small and relatively unknown country call Bhutan and their lesson on GNH..."

Together As One

I have just returned from Montreal after attending the International Coach Conference with 1200 other coaches from 43 countries around the world. This was a an amazing experience for me for many reasons.

I have been to a conference of this size before for a home-based business company and it was not the same. The feeling there was more about hype and making money while also trying to focus on helping others. There was an underlying fear about, "How am I going to make this happen when I get home?"

The Coaching conference has a sense of unified strength to it in a peaceful, yet powerful way. It all started in the first 15 minutes....

We began with a Navajo chant. First singing as a group and then in a round, all 1200 voices lifted together in song. The words are simple yet powerful and I continued to sing them in my heart and out loud for 4 days.

When you were born
You cried
And the world rejoiced
Life your life so that
When you die
The world cries and
You rejoice

Hearing 1200 people sing anything simultaneously is cool, but this little song had such impact on a crowd of coaches; people in the work of impact on the world.

Then there were the introductions of the countries. Each country's name was shown on the huge screens going in alphabetical order from Argentina to Venezuela. My personal experience of having a large group of people introduced from countries around the world is in the two previous Olympics my husband Jeff has attended (www.jeffpain.ca). I have found those times very moving. A sign of hope that we can come together in a common game to give our best though competition, not war. As I sat in the huge room and each of the countries was read out loud, the coaches from that country would stand and we in the crowd cheered for every one. I had tears streaming down my face and no idea why at first. Then it hit me. I was, in that moment, part of something much greater than myself. A global movement that came together to learn even more about how to create awareness and unity. This was a group that was going beyond how to get rich in money to how to get rich in our spirits and lives, including the lives of our clients.

I am so proud and moved to be part of a group that is first and foremost about the betterment of people from the inside out. A group that is committed to a greater consciousness and transformation in the world, that we might still have a world to enjoy for centuries to come.

A large focus of our convention was the state of the world from an environmental and economic perspective. I felt truly naive as our first two keynote speakers brought forth the facts of where we are at on the curve and what that means to us. Did you know we are currently consuming the equivalent of 1 and 1/4 worlds?? Did you know that current debt of the world is 60 times larger that the value of what actually exists? This was eye opening for sure!

We had many small and large unscheduled discussions as to what our role as coaches is around the global climate. It seems we collectively decided to have an agenda. Now a coach is not supposed to have an agenda, because that comes from the client. However, I am adopting the agenda of the earth with my clients from now on. I am asking my clients to participate in the longevity of our earth in some way, whether they are individuals or corporations. I can no longer stand by and wait, while doing my part here at home.

Can you imagine the impact on the world of 1200 coaches from 43 countries asking their clients to stand up and play a role in the transformation of the environment and economy of the world? Now that is an awesome group to be part of and an exciting prospect.

What are you willing to do that is even more than you do now? How will you consume less and love the earth more? I have shortened my children's shower times to conserve water (they would stand there for 20 minutes usually) and I am going to cut my material spending by 50% in the next year. I am also going to look for recycling symbols before I purchase anything and use only reusable grocery bags.

I challenge you right now to make a difference!! This world is counting on you.

Feelings and Food - Untangling the Web

This is likely the most personal post I have made to date and have procrastinated for three days in writing because I feel so naked in it all. This is so personal, in fact, I have not told a single sole about this nor have any words left my lips on the topic.

It has been a challenge of mine to really connect with my inner child on a regular basis and begin to hear her and what she needs and wants. I think this is key for me to making different choices and creating intentional behaviour rather than continuing my habitual responses to various stimulus.

I move fast in my life - slow is not a gear I default to. I have made great strides over the years in slowing down in my mind and translating that to my body and life. Still, connecting to my inner self happens mostly in coaching sessions for me.

I was sick last week and chose to take it slow, not work out and rest whenever possible. One day I woke up and was feeling very quiet in my head and my body felt very slow. It was like the volume and speed on everything about me was turned down, and I loved it. The equisite place of noticing all that I was and that around me was really cool! I noticed a very clear connection to my inner child that day and consciously asked her what she needed. She replied quickly, yet softly, that she wanted to feel taken care of and needed rest. That was exactly what I did for the day.

The next day I was feeling more myself and yet I was consciously working on holding that connection to her. I had a client cancel around noon so I treated myself to a yummy lunch. Before I go any further, I need to say that I have always had emotional eating issues. In my early years I new it but I didn't know enough to make the connections as to why and what need I was filling. In my early twenties my eating was pretty out of control, and yet based so much around control. I have been doing really well in the past decade and yet I still know there is an underlying emotional tie to food that I had not yet discovered. I use food to console and reward myself while not going crazy about it. I have always known that I eat and crave empty carbs when I am tired and brushed it off to the physiological need for quick energy when the body is feeling fatigue.

Back to my lunch. I was not overly hungry but hungry enough to eat. After I ordered I was making an internal agreement with myself about how much I was going to eat (I am referring to the ridiculously over-sized portions served at restaurants). I was hearing and feeling how tired my inner child was and wanted her to continue to feel taken care of. My meal arrived and I took a deep breath (breathing deeply while eating helps me to slow down and stay conscious) before digging in. While I was thoroughly enjoying the taste and texture in my mouth, I wondered what it was about food that felt so good, specifically when I was tired. I wondered, not asked, without expecting an answer from anyone, and yet there is was. Just as soon as I finished the last word of my question, there was a clear, loud and concise response. It was as if my inner child showed up at the table with me in all her bold and matter-of-fact ways and said to my face, "It feels like love". I sat in shock staring at the wall and yet not really seeing anything. In all my years of creating conscious relationship with food and my body, I had never heard anything so clear, blunt and so simple.

As I continued to slowly eat and process what had just happened, I made some further connections. When my inner child is tired, she is screaming out for me to slow down, preferably stop, and rest or have a nap (not always possible in the work day but cancelling other engagements and going to bed early is!). I think she got tired of asking because I never listened so she made the connection that instead of truly being taken care of, feeling loved, she would be fed. Not just anything, something tasty, and sometimes lots of it to equate to the lack of true love she was getting. Eating food does stimulate a hormonal response in the body that is a 'feel good' thing, which is why the web of food and feelings starts at a young age. If we never grow past that infantile connection and begin to experience love in relationships, to where we eat only to provide nutrition and energy to our bodies, while providing equal amounts of exercise and rest, the web gets even more complicated and stronger.

I have always known that carb loading in the evening or late at night is just a way of my body saying it needed rest so I would usually go to bed instead of eating. What I didn't realize is that my inner child was speaking to me all that time and I was not hearing her.

I am moving forward with the awareness of how much my inner child wants to feel loved and taken care of. She really does not want food at all, even for a reward. She would rather experience true love. This awareness is profound for me and I am so grateful for the impact this is, and will have on my life. I am grateful for my inner child for showing up so clearly and unmistakably that I could not help but hear her words. I am moving forward embracing her with love and no longer making excuses or substitutions for the real deal.

Aly Pain, CPCC
InnerPiece Life & Relationship Coaching
p. 403-246-2399 f. 403-263-8790 aly@alypain.com www.alypain.com