by Megan McDonough

Savoring is not an indulgence, it’s life-affirming. In a world where pace, productivity, and the finish line are hailed as the pinnacles of achievement, savoring slows us down, reminding us, “Wait a minute … this experience is valuable. This is meaningful.” Savoring is a way of recognizing, and then honoring, what is significant to you. By savoring, you become aware of the good stuff of life, which is sometimes hidden under all that fast action.

The 2017 Embodied Positive Psychology Summit recently ended. I savored each moment. I loved the experience. It’s fading fast, though, as I jump back into the fray (yes, I’ve already begun planning the next one, on Wholebeing Leadership!). To extend the goodness, and to remind myself why this event is so meaningful for me, I look at pictures. Megha Nancy Buttenheim helped me savor even more with a meditation on the experience, ending with a loving-kindness practice. It filled me up to watch and listen time and time and time again as I built it all into this video.

I hope it helps you savor the significant, too. Even if you weren’t at the Summit, savor the loving-kindness meditation to remember those that are significant in your life.

One thing I know to be true: This experience comes alive through many interactions. So, along with sharing the video to savor, I also want to deeply appreciate the supporters, staff, and speakers who made the experience what it was.

Thank you to …

  • Phoebe Atkinson
  • Joan Borysenko
  • Luke Breslin
  • Alan Brown
  • Lisa Buksbaum
  • Megha Nancy Buttenheim
  • Stephen Cope
  • Sonja Craig
  • Fatima Doman
  • Safara Fisher
  • Catherine Flavin
  • Hannah Flynn
  • Barbara Fredrickson
  • Paula Hurd
  • Linda Jackson
  • Todd Kashdan
  • Lionel Ketchian
  • Michael Leib
  • Debra Levin
  • Kathleen Lovenbury
  • Rouben Madikians
  • Howard Martin
  • Neal Mayerson
  • Wendy McLean
  • Jim McNerney
  • Darshan Mehta
  • Caroline Miller
  • Laura Mushenko
  • Elaine O’Brien
  • Ruth Pearce
  • Stephen T. Redmon
  • Pamela Schmidt
  • Mina Simhai
  • Maria Sirois
  • Nicole Stottlemyer
  • Margarita Tarragona
  • Fiona Trembath
  • Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant
  • JV Hampton VanSant
  • Lynda Wallace
  • Karen Whelan-Berry
  • Boriana Zaneva
  • Thank you to our partner, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. The great food, people, and sense of place enlivened our experience and elevated our physical well-being. A special note of thanks to the production and audiovisual teams, who were with us every step of the way.

    Most of all, thank you to those who attended. You’re bringing the work alive each and every day in life, work, and family. We’re all richer because of it.

    That’s what I choose to savor today. It’s what I find significant. How about you? What are you savoring today?


    Megan Megan McDonough is CEO of Wholebeing Institute, an educational organization co-founded with Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar. WBI is committed to spreading ideas and practices that can help individuals and groups live life to its fullest.

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