Have you been wondering, dear reader, what a brilliant life might be? Congratulations if the answer is yes, because it means that you have applied the strengths of curiosity and/or love of learning. Knowing about and using one’s top strengths is one of the four pillars of what I call leading a brilliant life. There are three others.

This blog and my framework of Creative Prosperity are about how to be happy here and now – experience joy, meaning and love – and how to contribute to the greater good without harming oneself.

Leading a Brilliant Life translates as: you do what you love, and you love what you do.

You find satisfaction in your job in various ways and make more than enough money as a professional or entrepreneur.

The four pillars of a brilliant life show you how to harness the scientific evidence of the mind-body connection to become fully present and to express yourself at your best.

Creative Prosperity also includes the latest research on Sensitive Processing Sensitivity and the VIA Strengths, one of the cornerstones of Positive Psychology.

The Four Pillars of a Brilliant Life

This article is for you if you’re always chasing time, always on the run, and long to find inner calm again. What if I could support you to feel back in control of how you spend your precious time?

Creative Prosperity shows you a pathway to thrive with focus and ease.

1 Vision

The first pillar is linked to eudamonic happiness. Defining your Life’s purpose, your playground(s), and what is essential for your well-being and happiness will enhance the joy, meaning and love you experience in your everyday work and life.

Pillar one means: Start with the big picture (= assess your present situation and define your vision, purpose, and big life goals).

Above all, getting clear on “the big picture” will give you direction, because you focus on the aspects you can control or influence, not on what you care about and are concerned about (which may make you feel small, helpless and powerless at times).

Once you have a defined mission, you know exactly in which ways you want to contribute to making this world a better place.

2 Understanding Yourself Better

The second pillar has two – or even three – aspects.

Pillar two: Know yourself – this means to leverage your sensitivity and to play to your strengths!

First, you need to understand how sensitive you are and how you are sensitive. I created an assessment that shows you where your sensitivity may be a challenge or hindrance in a world assailing you with stimuli.

This helps you to detect and then avoid stress and overstimulation in your body and mind, which you may not even be aware of (because you’re so used to it). The extra tension and your coping habits violate some of your basic needs. Only if you get how the Sensory Processing Sensitivity affects you, can you, on one hand, protect yourself, and on the other hand, learn how to self-advocate – the smart way.

Secondly, you must understand your unique Strengths Profile, your Signature Strengths and how you may be overusing some of the latter in certain contexts. If you don’t apply your Strengths in a balanced and conscious way, this impacts negatively on your performance and well-being. Not being aware of your top strengths may create frustration, misunderstandings or even conflict that could be avoided.

Thirdly, if you are a non-detected Gifted Adult, it might be utterly beneficial to you to learn more about what the concept implies – it’s not what you think – and how a new understanding of your extra intelligence might boost your happiness and impact.

3 Be Happy Here And Now

Being clear on steps one and two will make it easier to achieve happiness in the present moment. It will also help you to do more of the things you really love every single day.

Here’s a tool to make time to do more of what you love.

On the other hand, if you are not in a great state right now, you won’t be able to figure out your life’s mission or how to live on purpose. Which leads us to the next pillar.

Pillar 3: Master the art of being happy, joyful and thriving here and now

Ways to get there are to quickly change your mood or to harness the mind-body connection to induce favourable postures, movements, mindsets and thought patterns.

4 Care about self-care

Pillar 4: know what activities, people and places fuel you with energy and joy.

Because you are very empathic and sensitive, your physical environment and the presence of other people have a huge effect on how you feel, think, speak and act. While this is true for everyone, it is something people like us have to pay special attention to.

Check out this Creative Prosperity Tool if you don’t know which activities energize you completely and make you forget time because you get into the flow.

If you don’t give yourself enough care and attention, you will pay a higher price than most individuals around you who are less empathic and not so sensitive to their environment. Neglecting self-care, rest, and regeneration will affect negatively what you can do for others.

Furthermore, chronic stress in your body, instead of ease, will impact your way of thinking and where you focus.

You are less effective, less able to set boundaries and will find it harder to make sound choices.

Learn and practise to be at ease first. If you don’t know how, read Highly Sensitive Women, what we have to do that others don’t.

A concrete example

While writing this post, I went to a spacious, quiet (!) and bright place. I had an Italian espresso and some chocolate cake – which gave me hedonic happiness -while thinking and typing.

Writing is an activity that puts me into the flow. It is also my favourite way of expressing myself in the world. I could apply my signature strengths of spirituality (because this is meaningful to me and I way I can contribute to making this world a better place), love (because I care for the well-being of others) and love of learning (which includes teaching).

The better you know what you really cherish and what you know will make a difference to other people’s lives, the more your everyday activities will be filled with joy and give your existence purpose.

Your Turn Now

If you would love to explore your Sensitivity – or in other words, understand better how sensitive you really are … Take the HSP Quiz.

If you want to learn more about playing to your strengths, read the articles about The 24 Character Strengths and How to Act from your Zone of Excellence.

Are you ready to apply the four pillars in your life and work and spark a new sense of lightness and delight? I am coaching a few private clients to brighten up their lives and make their dreams come true. Apply for a complimentary call to see if we are a perfect fit.