I have never forgotten the rather obscure lyrics from “What Do You Want From Life,” a tongue-in-cheek song from the mid-70s by a group called The Tubes. Although quite humorous, it has also had a deep meaning for me in the way it poses a very poignant, existential-philosophical question.
In the last verse, the singer asks in a high-pitched, falsetto voice at double-speed if what the listener really and truly wants in their life is:
A Las Vegas wedding
A Mexican divorce
A gold-plated Kama Sutra coffee pot
Or a baby’s arm holding an apple
Such brilliant and profound lyrics way before the internet and music videos!
I recently shared this song with a men’s group I participate in. Quite honestly, they were less impressed by the musicality of it in 2021 than I have been for the past four-and-a-half decades. I guess you had to be there!
However, the four of us wondered aloud together whether people these days even ask themselves what they really want from life? With so many things to achieve, places to be, and expectations to meet, do people still have the energy, time and bandwidth to think about what’s really important to them, and to their family and friends, in life?
In the past two years, a family member’s mental health situation and the changes wrought by the pandemic have shifted my life’s trajectory in ways that I could not have imagined. Last month, I sold my house and four motorcycles in California in order to settle permanently in Hong Kong. How my life is unfolding in the past few years is not even close to how I expected things to go.
How has the experience of the last two years in Hong Kong been for you?
In the midst of all the volatility caused by the sociopolitical uncertainties and the pandemic, have you considered your personal vision for living a fulfilling life? What do you need to have your life go beyond being way more than just OK?
To start your reflection on this topic, if you are willing, please consider if your sense of personal fulfillment is mostly tied to your salary, career achievements, promotions and recognition or family situation? Or does your personal yardstick of fulfillment goes much deeper?
In this article, we will look at an expanded way for you to measure your personal level of fulfillment from a broader 5 Capitals perspective. I’ll also provide my own personal experiences to give context and food for thought.
You may be wondering what is a “capital,” and is it only tied to financial things? Simply put, a “capital” is something of intrinsic value for exchange.
THE 5 CAPITALS DEFINITIONS (from a macro-level perspective)
Here is how to think about each Capital:
Human Capital:
The sum value of your personal experiences, the breadth and depth of your skills, capacities, and your levels of conscious awareness and maturity. It includes your level of physical and emotional wellbeing, and how much empathy and compassion you feel for the situations and conditions of others and yourself. Your worldview, or how you make sense of your place in the world or universe, is integrally important to this capital.
Question to ask yourself:
- How developed am I as a “Human Capital” (i.e. how valuable are my skills, capacities and capabilities to others — family, friends and employers)?
Author’s Experience:
Three years ago (at age 64) I started to do yoga regularly, and have averaged an hour daily. I currently have memberships at three Hong Kong yoga studios, including hot yoga, a Pilates studio (to loosen up my hamstrings/quads) and a gym. My human capital (physical) has expanded.
Social Capital:
The sum value of the breadth and depth of your network of interpersonal relationships and the nature and quality of those relationships. The richer our network and social web of relationships, the greater our ability to connect, impact and possibly influence others.
Question to ask yourself:
- How developed is my network of social relationships with family members, friends and community?
Author’s Experience:
For the past two years, I have been participating in a WE-men’s group that has opened up my connective and intimate space with 11 other men. We meet weekly on Zoom to share what’s opening up inside our shared field of expanded “we” consciousness together. We have explored together topics such as divine masculinity, intimacy, being vulnerable, trust and shame. I am also participating in several mental health-related groups in Hong Kong, which connect to my purpose of making a difference in this area. My social capital has greatly expanded compared to three years ago.
Natural Capital:
The sum of natural resource assets. As humans and human societies, maintaining our current lifestyle requires more and more resources from the planet (nature).
Question to ask yourself:
- How developed is my understanding of my footprint on the planet’s natural resources?
Author’s Experience:
For the past two years, I have been participating in a WE-men’s group that has opened up my connective and intimate space with 11 other men. We meet weekly on Zoom to share what’s opening up inside our shared field of expanded “we” consciousness together. We have explored together topics such as divine masculinity, intimacy, being vulnerable, trust and shame. I am also participating in several mental health-related groups in Hong Kong, which connect to my purpose of making a difference in this area. My social capital has greatly expanded compared to three years ago.
Knowledge Capital:
The sum of information, knowledge, understanding and wisdom found in individuals and how that is applied to create something useful for themselves and for others. It includes mental models & frameworks, learning & development materials, and intellectual property.
Question to ask yourself:
- How developed is my body of information, knowledge, understanding and wisdom?
Author’s Experience:
I have participated in 8-10 online developmental programs from groups like Mind Valley, the Shift Network and others in the past few years. I am currently enrolled in a program being led by futurist, Jean Houston, called Future Catalysts. The aim is to develop leaders to catalyze a better world that works for everybody. Next month, I will start a one-year program focused on the adult stages of development. My aim is to shift my personal worldview, predominantly “strategist,” across the so-called meta-aware tier toward a higher consciousness.
Financial Capital:
The sum of financial resources (i.e. assets minus liabilities and expenses) we each have at our disposal.
Question to ask yourself:
- How developed is my financial stability and fluidity to help me weather the storm of any unforeseen ups and downs?
Author’s Experience
This is still my weakest capital area of the five. I am generally uninterested in spending time with investments or pursuing lucrative financial opportunities. I have enjoyed creating two growing companies that allow me to continue to generate the greater financial resources required for me to have a more expensive lifestyle and housing situation in Hong Kong compared to what I had planned for my retirement life in California.
Taking the Next Steps- How to get started improving your capitals
Hopefully, these examples from my life will give you some concrete examples of things you can consider to get you started on thinking about your own life.
I suggest getting started with the 5 Capitals by asking yourself two questions?
- What particularly important capital areas would you like to strengthen during the remainder of 2021?
- What resources or support will you need to engage in your 5 Capitals exploration, either on your own initiative or in partnership with others?
For many of people, it may seem that the things they previously counted on with certainty are much less under their control compared to how things were before the pandemic created so much chaos and uncertainty.
However, if you look at your life from a 5 Capitals perspective, and ask yourself what is really important to me, you will likely discover that there is much for you to say, do, be and become to truly experience having a fulfilled life that is both exciting and adventurous, or by applying your own personal yardstick for fulfillment.
About the author: Steve Hardacre’s vision is for Hong Kong to become a globally recognized benchmark of success in addressing pervasive mental health challenges. Achieving that, requires everyone’s participation, and a major shift in how we co-create solutions for major impact.
Steve is the co-founder of two Hong Kong based consultancies: QNTM Consulting and Game Changing Healthcare.
Both companies offer a Social Impact Accelerator program that helps organizations and individuals develop and implement social impact projects, including mental health, with three goals:
-contribute to society
-achieve financial and other outcomes for the organization
-develop the talent, skills and capabilities of participants
Find out more about Steve’s work:
www.qntmconsulting.com
www.gamechanginghealthcare.com
Email him at: steve@qntmconsulting.com
Written exclusively for WELL, Magazine Asia by Steve Hardacre
Thank you for reading this article from WELL, Magazine Asia. #LifeUnfiltered.
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