Measuring what makes life worthwhile by Chip Conley. This TED talk is about what we measure in our lives, because what we count actually matters.
Chip starts his talk off by telling us his story of buying a hotel in the heart of San Francisco, and meeting a woman named Vivian. Vivian moved to America from Vietnam in 1986 and worked as a maid in Chips hotel. As he spent more time with Vivian he noticed she had a "joie de vivre" in how she did her work. This means enjoyment of life, but she did not find joy in cleaning for a living, what counted for her was the connection she made with people. What inspired her was the fact that she was taking care of people who were far away from home, and she knew what that's like.
Chip visited Bhutan in 1972, where there was a teenage king named Jigme Singye Wangchuck. He was a very curious man. During a trip though India the king was asked by a reporter, what is the size of Bhutanese GDP? Jigme said "why are we so obsessed and focused with gross domestic product why don't we care most about gross national happiness". The king was serious, and it was the first time in two hundred years that a world leader suggested that we should measure happiness. He was able to ask the prime minister how can you measure something that evaporates, happiness? Their goal was not to create happiness but to create conditions and a habitat for happiness, they have many factors measuring the GNH (gross national happiness).
One of Chip's favorite speeches come from Robert Kennedy, which he suggested that we are "focused on the wrong thing and that GDP is a misplaced metric". Chip has taken this quote and was able to create this list. We need to figure out a new way to count and consider what is really important, said Chip.
Chip starts his talk off by telling us his story of buying a hotel in the heart of San Francisco, and meeting a woman named Vivian. Vivian moved to America from Vietnam in 1986 and worked as a maid in Chips hotel. As he spent more time with Vivian he noticed she had a "joie de vivre" in how she did her work. This means enjoyment of life, but she did not find joy in cleaning for a living, what counted for her was the connection she made with people. What inspired her was the fact that she was taking care of people who were far away from home, and she knew what that's like.
Chip visited Bhutan in 1972, where there was a teenage king named Jigme Singye Wangchuck. He was a very curious man. During a trip though India the king was asked by a reporter, what is the size of Bhutanese GDP? Jigme said "why are we so obsessed and focused with gross domestic product why don't we care most about gross national happiness". The king was serious, and it was the first time in two hundred years that a world leader suggested that we should measure happiness. He was able to ask the prime minister how can you measure something that evaporates, happiness? Their goal was not to create happiness but to create conditions and a habitat for happiness, they have many factors measuring the GNH (gross national happiness).
One of Chip's favorite speeches come from Robert Kennedy, which he suggested that we are "focused on the wrong thing and that GDP is a misplaced metric". Chip has taken this quote and was able to create this list. We need to figure out a new way to count and consider what is really important, said Chip.
I never knew that the government spends ten billion dollars on a census and just asking about ten simple questions, Chip finds this very interesting and disturbing. These questions include where you live, and how many people are in your household but the census is never asking "meaningful metrics". These are the tangible or the material things. He proposed that what the world needs now is leaders who know what to count.
This TED talk was on of my favorites, really catching my attention. Some of the things Chip mentions are very true also eye opening in helping me consider what is important in my life. I believe I have a much better understanding on how to answer the ultimate question, what matters to me? I never expected a small country like Bhutan to make such a difference in people and the community. Also how one person like the King of Bhutan can change the perspective on what we count.
This TED talk was on of my favorites, really catching my attention. Some of the things Chip mentions are very true also eye opening in helping me consider what is important in my life. I believe I have a much better understanding on how to answer the ultimate question, what matters to me? I never expected a small country like Bhutan to make such a difference in people and the community. Also how one person like the King of Bhutan can change the perspective on what we count.