Everyone aspires to be happy and live a good life — but not everyone is ready to learn what that means to them personally.
When we don’t spend enough time thinking about what we really need for a good life, we end up with a bigger list of what we don’t need — everything that overcomplicates life for us.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all,” Oscar Wilde said. Life often feels overwhelming and unfulfilling if you over-extend yourself with unnecessary things, obligations or activities that aren’t as important as you think.
Living well means simplifying your commitments and eliminating anything that doesn’t bring you true value or fulfilment — while simultaneously focusing on adding meaningful habits, experiences and activities that bring out the best in you.
Havelock Ellis was right when he said, “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
Living well is not something that happens to you; you choose to do it on purpose. It’s a deliberate lifestyle choice we can all work toward regardless of our circumstances.
The choices you make today have a much more profound impact on your character, personal relationships and overall quality of life now and in the future.
If you want to be happy and live a long, fulfilled life, then living well is essential. Living well is about finding joy in simple but meaningful experiences in life. The good news is you don’t have to earn a top ten per cent income to experience a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life.
To live a good life also means consciously prioritising activities that will leave you feeling fulfilled and happy and subtracting non-essential tasks, experiences and activities that take us on a path of misery and stress.
A good example is enjoying an artistic performance instead of upgrading an already great phone; while both offer satisfaction, they don’t offer the same kind of stimulation and emotions.
Therefore, developing our existential values is essential for building a happy life instead of merely having life goals.
“The really important thing is not to live, but to live well. And to live well meant, along with more enjoyable things in life, to live according to your principles,” Socrates said.
Our life values and bigger “whys” act as our guiding principles and help us live according to who we want to become rather than just how circumstances demand us to behave.
The best way to get personal answers to live well is by asking ourselves questions about everything from small daily experiences such as lunch with friends or reading a book to large-scale activities like a dream holiday.
Less and meaningful is not just more; it’s a better approach to a good life
“Aspire not to have more, but to be more,” Archbishop Oscar Romero said.
The key to a better life is to live a less-is-more kind of lifestyle; fewer things and more experiences make you come alive.
The art of subtraction is about increasing your capacity for happiness in the long term instead of using things for temporary thrills or excitement in the present moment.
Career and financial goals have their place in life, but if you want something of existential significance (a much more meaningful life outside of work and money), you must look beyond the obvious.
The one factor that might be even more important is actively learning more about what could make you happy if you had no career or financial success. Life may be a collection of events, but you have a specific role if you want to influence it to make it fulfilling for you.
Living well can be as simple as committing more time to meaningful personal experiences you deeply care about.
Instead of focusing on what you can’t have or doing things just for the sake of it, choose instead to focus on activities outside work that means the world to you — it doesn’t have to make sense to others.
The secret to a good life is not what you have but what you enjoy
“Live as if you were living a second time, and as though you had acted wrongly the first time,” says Viktor E. Frankl.
Life is a series of small moments, and these moments are what make up our lives. The small things add up to create a bigger picture. So, how do you live your life to the fullest? First, subtract the obvious and unnecessary elements from your life. Then add in the meaningful things that make your life worth living.
The obvious things are the ones most people can relate to; overpriced hotels, dozens of subscriptions that offer practically the same thing, spending time with toxic people, buying to please others, and emotional spending just to feel happy in the moment.
These things are necessary for an overly complicated lifestyle that tends to stress us. However, they don’t necessarily mean much in and of themselves. They’re just parts of the bigger picture society invented.
Meaningful elements are those that truly matter. They give your life a vital dimension and help you appreciate everything else you have in your life because they are not obvious or common to everyone else.
Examples of meaningful experiences include:
- Hobbies that feed your soul.
- Interests that bring you joy every time you’re engaged with them.
- Activities or sports that keep you active.
- Connecting with other people who enrich your existence.
- Places where you feel at home.
- Causes that make the world a better place for others.
- Books or music that inspire and uplift you.
- Nature as a reminder of being one with it all and
- Community involvement as a means of giving back to society.
Happiness is not just about the physical pleasures in life. It’s also about being content with where you are in your life, embracing the growth mindset, and investing in connections and events you value most in life.
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude,” argues Denis Waitley.
Living well requires conscious effort on your part. It’s an investment of time. A deliberate effort to live a better life. It’s also a personal journey. You are the only one responsible for that trajectory in life. And remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Live well, learn plenty, laugh often, love much.”
—
This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
***
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
Compliments Men Want to Hear More Often | Relationships Aren’t Easy, But They’re Worth It | The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex | ..A Man’s Kiss Tells You Everything |
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: iStock.com