If someone were to ask you how you "thrive," what would you say?
About 2,300 people had the opportunity to contemplate that question and arrive at answers of their own throughout the two-day Thrive conference, hosted by Arianna Huffington and Mika Brzezinski in New York City last week. The duo, joined by an impressive list of guest speakers, panelists and performers, delved deeply into the components that make up the Third Metric -- well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving back -- to arrive at a means through which we can all redefine personal success in life.
"If we're lucky, we have 30,000 days to play the game of life," said Huffington on Friday. "How we play it will depend on what we value. If we only value money and power, we will never have enough. If we only value running around, getting everything done, shrinking ourselves down to our to-do lists, we'll always be frazzled and burned out. There is another way. ... Modern science is proving that life is shaped from the inside out."
HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani sat down with comedian Maysoon Zayid, and joyful living coach Taraleigh Weathers and Pretty Padded Room CEO Bea Arthur Monday to recap the most memorable moments of the Thrive conference. From Julianne Moore's advice on realistic goal-setting to Jon Kabat-Zinn's explanation of meditation's benefits, there was no shortage of inspiration to thrive.
"Arianna Huffington walks the walk. She lives what she means with the whole Third Metric and thriving," said Arthur. "I think it's great for a lot of the leaders who are leading this revolution to really remind us that, yes, it's of course important to thrive and hit all your goals and be as impassioned as you can, but you also have to take a moment to slow down and enjoy the process or else you're going to burn out and you'll never get to what you're working for."
Backstage at the conference, guest speakers were also asked to share how they thrive.
"I thrive by constantly facing new and exciting challenges," journalist Katie Couric told HuffPost Live. "I thrive by not playing it safe, by stretching myself, trying new things, learning new things, asking questions, and trying to be insatiably curious about the world."
Brzezinski's mother, Emilie, who sculpted the beautiful tree artwork along the conference stage, said, "I thrive by eating well. I thrive by working hard in my studio, which I love to do. I thrive by having around myself my wonderful family."
Watch the rest of the conversation, as well as video and photo highlights from the conference, in the full HuffPost Live segment above.