Last year, I re-did the Values exercise. One of the values I listed—which, yes, is really two values glommed into one line—was “World Flourishing and Universal Blessings.”

What exactly does that mean?

It means that I want to flourish in my life.

It means that I want my friends to flourish in their lives.

It means that I want The Service Guild to flourish.

It means that I want my broader communities to flourish.

It means that I want the world to flourish, our precious Earth.

It means that I want all beings to flourish!

What does flourishing mean exactly?

Flourishing doesn’t mean U have no problems.

Of course not.

We are in samsara! Dukkha is structural.

Flourishing means something like: your needs are met, U are consistently happy and growing, your problems are interesting and growthy and oriented more towards community and the collective than yourself.

If U are flourishing, cheers and congratulations and mudita! I recommend using your situation and circumstances to roll up your sleeves and help others to flourish, also. U probably already are.

If U are not flourishing, it’s worth reflecting on how and why not; what flourishing would look like for U, how U would know when it had arrived; and what needs to happen to get there.

That way U can work towards flourishing and others to help U also.

Would U say U are flourishing in your life? Why or why not? How so specifically?