Community of Wellbeing: A Gratitude-filled weekend

This past weekend was truly special. We at Global Wellbeing Network deeply grateful to everyone who hosted, participated, and contributed immensely to our shared learning on how to live happy and healthy lives—our birthright.

Our journey began about five years ago with a commitment to establishing Wellbeing Centers, starting with the Bay Area. While we made significant progress, the pandemic forced us to pause. However, the dream remains alive, and we are excited to announce the launch of our first physical center in Smyrna Beach, Florida, set for March 2025.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, we gathered at the Villages Golf and Country Club, and on Sunday, we were warmly welcomed into the beautiful home of Shanti Gopisetty and Sandeep Gopisetty.

During the delay in building our center, our friends, Seema Handu, Ph.D. & Shankar Hemmady, recognizing our frustration, graciously invited our team and some friends to their beautiful home in Carmel, CA. With the inspiring affirmation that “wherever we are, there is the Center for Wellbeing,” we held our first gathering for those committed to leading happy and healthy lives on September 24 2022. That day marked the birth of the "Community of Wellbeing (CoW)."

Fast forward to September 1, 2024, and we proudly celebrated our 24th Community of Wellbeing gathering.

Each CoW gathering is unique, yet a common pattern is emerging. Many participants meet for the first time, quickly bonding through the sharing of their personal stories. Despite their differences, these stories often resonate with a shared theme—life’s fascinating journey—creating a warm and safe environment where authentic dialogue naturally unfolds.

As we explore the concept of happiness, we recognize the fleeting nature of short-term pleasures, referred to as 'Hedonism'. These pleasures, rooted in sensory satisfaction, often leave us wanting more. The question then arises: How can we attain deeper, lasting satisfaction—what is known as Eudaimonia? Slowly, an awareness emerges that our stories are more alike than we initially thought. We realize we have the choice to break free from the prisons of our beliefs and our 'want'. With an open mind, we can examine our lives and create the life we truly desire with what we 'need'.

Most participants identify one habit they need to work on, supported by the most powerful force on earth—love, whether from a friend or their support group. The journey continues, each gathering fostering connection, support, and transformation, one person at a time. In a world undergoing massive changes with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, it’s crucial to stay mindful of what we can and cannot control and to focus on what we can do to create the life we dream of. For more on Habit change https://globalwellbeing.us/amazing-12-week-one-behavior-change-program/

Special thanks to all Nasreen Ahmed Binu Advani Pritam Advani Anjali Agarwal Promila Agarwal Manish Agrawal Veena Agarwal Indu Aggarwal Mia Aittola. Veena Aneja Prabha Bansal Aimee Bernstein. Sonia Chandra Pradeepp (Pradeep Kumar Cheruvathoor). Brinda Dalal. Neil Dandavati Sachin Deshmukh. Mary Edmunds. Sai Gundavelli Sarbjit Johal Ruby Karnad Kiran Karnad. Saroj Khurana Ramesh Khurana Tom Kolatrek Ravi Koka Rashmi Koka Sahana Lakka Sadanand Lakka Ritu Marwah Asheesh Misra Riz Mithani Bhavana Parikh Mohan Phanse Jayashree Phanse Azra Saifee Savita Mehra. Lily Nath Sunit Randhawa Ramani Routray Komal Rajani Priyanka Saini, MBA Partha R.R Sarathy Sameer Shukla, PE. Sushama Tarneja Dr Jumnah Thanapathy. Rajiv Tewari Somayaji Manikantan Carolyn Wallace Doug Walton, PhD

Sarbjit Johal Mary Edmunds Ruby Karnad Kiran Karnad . Sahana Lakka Sadanand Lakka Sai Gundavelli Ritu Marwah Geeta Seshadri Komal Rajani Riz Mithani Alakh Verma Neil Dandavati Reva Tembe Sonia Chandra Bhavana Parikh Alok Misra Asheesh M. Riz MithaniAnita Rustagi Ravi Koka Rashmi Koka Krishna Sharma Manoj Tiwari SUNIL AND NITA WADHWANI FAM FOUNDATION Sunil Wadhwani Ashok trivedi Veena Agarwal Indu Aggarwal Prabha Bansal Mohan Phanse Jayashree Phanse Lily Nath Veena Aneja Azra Saifee Saroj Khurana Ramesh Khurana Tom Kolatrek Savita Mehra Sunit Randhawa Ramani Routray Komal Rajani Priyanka Saini, MBA Partha R.R Sarathy. Geeta Seshadri Sameer Shukla, PE . Sushama Tarneja Dr Jumnah Thanapathy. Reva Tembe Rajiv Tewari Somayaji Manikantan Alakh Verma Carolyn Wallace Doug Walton, PhD. Anita Rustagi Krishna Sharma Manoj Tiwari SUNIL AND NITA WADHWANI FAM FOUNDATION Sunil Wadhwani Ashok trivedi