The Five Pillars of Success
Nearly 150 people. One question. What does success mean to you?Many described it in ways that went beyond money or status.
5 Pillars of success
Where they came from
For five years, our founder, Sam Thomas, asked guests on the Different Hats Podcast how they define success.
When they talked about what made life feel worthwhile, the same things kept coming up. Balance. Honesty. Being present. Feeling fulfilled. The people they love.
Those five became the Five Pillars. Collected one conversation at a time.
PILLAR 2
Balance
School, friends, family, health and fun, and how no single one should take over the rest. Progress over perfection. Learning to sit with a feeling.
Tools:
a balance log, the LIFE pizza wheel, gap versus gain.
Authenticity
Living by your own values, rather than social pressure. Confidence, self-belief, identity and social media.
Tools:
staying steady when friends push, and "What if I do, or don't?"
PILLAR 1
PILLAR 4
Presence
Noticing when you're on autopilot. Distraction, screens and loops of negative thoughts, and what to do with them.
Tools:
slow breathing and noticing exercises, listening without interrupting, and a habit tracker.
Fulfilment
What drives you from the inside, and what only looks good from the outside. Your own values, and meaning in ordinary days.
Tools:
life values mapping, perspective shifting and "Finding the Gold".
PILLAR 3
Relationships
The four people closest to you, and what makes those relationships good. Choosing the right people.
Tools:
the four-closest-relationships reflection, conversation skills, and the check-in question.
PILLAR 5
How it works
How it's delivered
In person, at school, by trained facilitators. Shaped around the year group, with the staff who know the children in the room.
Who's in the room
Children first. And the adults around them, through optional sessions for teachers and parents.
What we're not
No. It's wellbeing education, in the classroom. If a child needs more, we follow the school's safeguarding procedures.
Where next?
Seven weekly sessions for Year 6 pupils.
The Schools Programme
The Five Pillars, beyond the classroom.
Clubs & Community
What the children told us, and what we'll look at next.
Impact
Sam at TEDx Worthing, and the podcast.