“Life is short, enjoy it while it lasts.” This kind of statement is common to those who believe that the essence of life is for personal pleasure, self-fulfillment, and enjoyment. Therefore, many seek to attain the “good life” with this mindset. But what is good life and how can one attain it? Is it just enough to live a good life? What about moving from a seemingly good life to a great life? This article considers what it means to live a good life and how you can transition from a rather good life to a great life. Continue reading to learn more.
What Is a Good Life?
A good life can be described as a life that is self-satisfying and self-fulfilling. It is characterized by personal joy, fulfillment, and enjoyment of the small pleasures of life. When someone says their life is good, it means that they can access the basic things that give them comfort and pleasure.
Qualities of a Good Life
A good life is a combination of the experience of goodness in different areas. So when you have a good life, it can be said that you are healthy, happy, pleased, blessed, and have a good reputation.
1. Health
Health is a state of feeling, looking, and being healthy. It refers to a state of complete emotional and physical well-being and is also referred to by the WHO as a resource of everyday life.((WHO:
The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion)) Health is not just the absence of disease(s) but also the ability to perform your daily activities without the limitations of health. Without good health, it would be practically impossible to do or achieve the things that give us a good life.
2. Happiness
Happiness is a state of being satisfied with what you are seeing and the experience you are having. Although happiness is usually short-lived, it plays a significant role in triggering the enthusiasm required to achieve and live a good life.
3. Pleasure
Pleasure is an experience that
makes us feel good. Different things give people pleasure. To some, it may be money, to others, it may be a loving and caring spouse, children, or the ability to access whatever they want at any point in time. Although something is pleasant doesn’t mean it is good, but people often pursue different pleasures to make them feel good. As it is noted in Plato's Gorgias((Gutenberg:
Gorgias by Plato)),
"Pleasant is not the same as good but pleasure is to be pursued for the sake of good, and the good is that of which the presence makes us good."
4. Peace
Peace is a state of physical, mental, and emotional calmness and the feeling of being secured. Peace does not necessarily mean the absence of challenges but the ability to stay afloat despite the storms. When one is at peace, the mind is free from worries and anxieties.
5. Money
Money is an essential commodity in life. The lack of it can create stress but having enough money to take care of your needs can create an experience of a good life. The idea of pleasure being a component of the good life already signifies that there is a measure of satisfaction that can be gotten by the availability of money.
6. Good Reputation
A good life is not only characterized by what you do or enjoy for yourself, but it is also about the perception of others about you. A good name, the good book says, is better than riches. Integrity and
character are required to earn a good reputation with people and this is also a very important component of the good life.
How to Transition From a Good Life to a Great Life
Living a good life is not good enough; you might just be living an average life. This is because unless you continue to grow, the things you cherish now might begin to slip out of your hand without growth. Moreover, the real essence of life is not only in personal happiness, but it is also in growing continually, being the
best version of yourself, and making meaningful impacts on others. Therefore, to turn a good life into a great life, you have to begin to look beyond your personal pleasure and convenience. Below are seven things you can do to transit from a good life into a great life.
1. Be Committed to Growth
Never be complacent with any level of success you may achieve. This is because success can come in the way of progress. As Myles Munroe puts it:
"The greatest enemy of progress is your last success, you could become so proud of what you've already accomplished that you stop moving ahead to what you can still accomplish."
Therefore, to transition to greatness, you have to keep the pace of progress. Move from one level of success to another and from average accomplishments to greater accomplishments.
2. Discover Your Passion
To achieve greater accomplishments in life, you need to discover and turn on your passion. Your passion represents your true desire and what you are wired to do. Your greatest source of motivation will likely come from your passion. Passion creates "hunger for more" in you and produces the energy and drive required for living a great life. When you focus on what unleashes the energy in you, there is no limit to what you can accomplish.
3. Find your Life Purpose
Life is measured by its impact and not just by its accomplishment. Your purpose is the reason behind your existence. It is the impact you are meant to make in life. Purpose is unique in that purpose is not self-serving but people-serving. Therefore, the focus of life should not only be about pleasing yourself but also going out of your way to help others, championing a cause, and transforming society. Most great people in history are not remembered for what they accomplished for themselves but by the impacts they made in the world.
4. Cultivate Personal Discipline
Average people revel in pleasure when they achieve little success, but great people celebrate their wins and go on to spur themselves up unto greater accomplishment. If you want to turn your goodness to greatness, you have to cultivate personal discipline. Be moderate with pleasure and concentrate your energy and resources on building greater dreams.
5. Set Bigger Goals to Stretch Yourself
To achieve a greater level of success, you should set bigger goals that can stretch your abilities. You can’t recognize your capacities until you have placed a greater demand on yourself. Therefore, turn goodness into greatness by continually pushing your limits. Set
lofty goals for yourself - goals that are big and ambitious and will take you out of your comfort zone to accomplish.
6. Build Your Network
Greatness in life will continue to be a mirage if you don’t cultivate the habit of building and nourishing your network. To network effectively, you will have to be clear about your networking goals. You will also have to be specific in identifying your networking prospects. Networking is meant to be a mutual relationship. Therefore, you must bring value to the table when networking. People are often attracted to people of value. When networking, consider connecting both vertically and horizontally; network with people above and below you as well as people of your own cadre. You will also win more people to yourself if you learn to lend a helping hand rather than being the one demanding help all the time.
7. Leverage on Technology
Technology can help you make a greater impact whether as an individual or with your organization. You can use technology to connect with new people of interest around the globe, and you can also use it to amplify whatever you are doing. Don’t be comfortable with only being influential in your immediate sphere. Use technology to reach new friends, clients, and prospects wherever you can find them on the globe.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, we learn the greatest life lessons as kids, but we often discard them when we grow and become more sophisticated. An example is the St. Jerome’s rhyme below which summarizes the main point of this article:
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”
So, don’t be comfortable with living a good life but turn goodness into greatness by continually developing yourself, exercising your passion, setting bigger goals, making meaningful impacts on society.
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