Good Points™ ... boosting Well-being
[July 4th 2022]
Today we face a growing crisis - a mental health crisis! and it's getting worse! ... health services are struggling to cope ... and are desperately recruiting an army of therapists to deal with it!
The Times Education Commission also recently highlighted how parents overwhelmingly prioritise their child’s wellbeing over academic attainment (by a majority of ten to one) - at a time when young people's mental health issues are reaching epidemic levels (e.g. over 400,000 young people are now being seen/ referred to CAMHS a month)!
To truly tackle the issue and to help all people to thrive we need to think differently and look to solutions capable of creating step change improvements in mental resilience and mental well-being. Thousands of years of psychology / philosophy both highlight how well-being can be broken down into two areas; hedonistic well-being and psychological well-being (sometimes called Eudaimonia). The former involves seeking pleasure for oneself and creates short-term happiness (e.g. eating cake). The latter is naturally created by having meaning/purpose in one's life and by doing good, good for others, for communities and the environment. As social animals this connects directly with our inner-self and our intrinsic desire to do good for others, and is well known to lead to a fulfilling life and, paradoxically, to long-term happiness too.
There is an ever-growing army of experts pointing to the importance of having more meaning/purpose in our lives if we wish to improve well-being and help communities to thrive. The UN Secretary General also recently highlighted how parents currently see a future for their children that looks even bleaker than the struggles of today, and worse still young people see no future at all! It is therefore no surprise that we are facing an escalating mental health crisis ... as hopelessness and a lack of purpose/meaning are key drivers of anxiety, depression and worse!
To address this the Good Turns Foundation is at the frontier of a new movement in the area of Well-being, and is focused directly on improving psychological well-being. The Foundation is uniquely recognising (and rewarding) the good people voluntarily do for others, for communities and the environment, and is doing this by introducing a new measure of good, called Good Points®, with many unique and meaningful sub-categories. For instance:
- Climate Points® - e.g. planting trees / walking to school
- Environment Points® - e.g. cleaning rivers / canals / beaches
- Community Points® - e.g. helping local communities
- Volunteer Points® - e.g. helping voluntary groups / organisations
- Charity Points® - e.g. helping local / national / international charities
- Mentoring Points® - e.g. mentoring young people
- Coaching Points® - e.g. sports / exercise coaching
- Tutoring Points® - e.g. academic training / tutoring
History and philosophy highlight the power/importance of stories, and by introducing Good Points® people start to create their own unique and meaningful story! They also allow people to shout-out-loud about their thousands of good points too! The Foundation provides detailed/objective references for all the good they do too, something forward looking enterprises so desperately look for and yet is so difficult to find (many try to find this out by looking to see what people do in their spare time)! Psychology also points to the fact that the most important story of all is the one our mind tells itself every single day, and this story by itself has the unique power to transform a person’s well-being and increase their opportunity to thrive.
In one of the most motivating speeches ever given, US Navy Seals Admiral William H. McRaven profoundly stated … "If you want to change the world, measure people by the size of their 'heart', not by the size of their 'flippers' …" where 'flippers' is synonymous with things like 'academic ability', 'physical ability', 'wallet' ... and with its clear mission of "creating a world where good is valued", the Foundation new measure of value, Good Points®, is a unique and meaningful measure of a person's 'heart', i.e. a measure of the good one voluntarily does for others, for communities and the planet.
Recent reports also highlight the importance of many more areas looking into the future too; including the growing importance of character/skills, volunteering and connecting with communities, unleashing untapped talent and nurturing creativity too. These also align very well with what the Foundation has planned (e.g. Finding You®, The Creative Crew®) and in addition to the above points people also now earn wider Character/Personality Points® too. For instance:
- Leadership Points® - e.g. leading activities / events
- Teamwork Points® - e.g. being a helpful member of a team
- Resilience Points® - e.g. facing adversity / challenges
- Resourcefulness Points® - e.g. gathering / connecting resources
- Creative Points® - e.g. creativity / entrepreneurship
- Health Points® - e.g. healthy activities for the mind / body
- Wellbeing Points® - e.g. meditation / mindfulness
- Exercise Points® - e.g. exercise / sporting events
- Nutrition Points® - e.g. healthy eating
The Good Turns Foundation is uniquely positioned to transform well-being, nuture key characteristics/skills and to help people and communities to thrive ... and by partnering with like-minded individuals and organisations we are now bringing this to life ... to provide hope and opportunity and to change people's lives for the better ...
The Foundation has today submitted the above into the Government's 'Call for Evidence: Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan' in order to help shape mental health and well-being provision into the future ... and to help ensure people and communities thrive!
David Clift, Founder of the Good Turns Foundation
© Good Turns Foundation 2022 [GTF04072022_01]
