Flourishing

We often describe our time with needle and thread as our happy place.

Whilst we’d certainly never disagree with this sentiment, we recently read an article by Kinga Lewandowska that challenged the semantics of it somewhat.

Kinga unpacked the idea that whilst many of us believe that happiness is the ultimate mental goal, we should in fact be aiming for flourishing.

Flourishing is ‘a richer and more holistic concept that is closely related to but extends beyond the confines of happiness.’

Happiness is often a result of how we feel about particular circumstances, whereas flourishing requires action and effort on our behalf.

Dr Martin Seligman believes flourishing is the result of five factors he refers to as the PERMA model:

Positive Emotions & States: that include happiness, fulfillment,

serenity and joy

Engagement: the state of mindfulness that comes from immersing yourself in a project

Positive Relationships: interactions and bonds we form with our community

Meaning: having purpose in life

Accomplishments: big or small, mastering an endeavour

We don’t know about you, but we quickly realised that our time with needle and thread could in fact achieve each of those five factors!

Whilst Dr Seligman also emphasises the importance of optimism, physical activity, nutrition, and sleep as necessary conditions for the PERMA model to work, we love that once these are considered in equal measure, our needlework is indeed the perfect means by which we’re able to declare that we’re not just happy, we’re flourishing.