Landscape for Flourishing

The second design element for our Landscape for Flourishing is Comprehension and Coping. After we pay attention, what happens next is determined by what we do with it.

Comprehension refers to the many elements of our understanding and thinking processes. When we study the best of the human condition it becomes clear that there are strong themes and ways of comprehending that are common to those who have higher levels of wellbeing, better outcomes and more moments of flourishing. Some of the key influences here are our mindset, our explanatory style, our sense of hope and optimism, and the thinking strategies we employ to make sense of the world around us and our experiences.

Coping considers the ways in which we respond, behave, adjust to and emerge from those experiences including triumph and adversity. Again, it is apparent that those who experience happier lives with better outcomes have some common ways in which they develop and employ their coping strategies.

By learning how to enhance the quality of our Comprehending and Coping toolkit, we become more skilful in developing a landscape where our mindset supports growth and possibility, where we are better able to focus on the more hopeful aspects of our experience. We can create the most flourishing from our successes and times when things are going well, and more healthily manage our way through the rough parts of our landscape that challenge us, set us back or knock us off our course.