What Makes a Good Life?

I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t reflected on what makes a good life. Although I’ve spent considerable time contemplating this, I’ve yet to come to a conclusion. I’m not sure I ever will. But, I would like to make an attempt.

To begin, it’s good to define what a good life means in the first place. This is where much of the difficultly stems, since it’s so subjective. A good life could mean something different to each person, yet not take away from another’s definition. For me, living a good life means living the life one wants to live. Yes, I know, this is incredibly vague. But, hear me out. I promise there’s some substance here.

How often have you heard someone say they want to do something, yet they never go off and find out if they can do it? This might be from self-doubt, lack of motivation or consistency, fear of failure, or potentially down right laziness. Whatever the reason, the premise is that someone wants to do a thing, yet never makes a true attempt at doing it. It’s in this place where I feel a life is not truly lived. Specifically, a life that one wants to live is not lived. If one doesn’t live the life they want to live or even make a true attempt, then really what’s the point of life?

Within our short time here on Earth, in essence, all we have is our effort and direction. We can control these things to fill our lives with whichever experiences we want (to a certain extent). Our life is solely filled with experiences and it’s up to us to choose which experiences we want to fill it with. This is an incredibly responsibility that I feel many take too lightly. Or maybe, one I take too seriously.

If we live a terrible life, filled with negativity, not doing the things we want to do, poor finances and health; we’ve likely had an influence on these things (although, not all of these things we completely control). If we have an exceptional life, filled with great relationships, doing the things we want, positivity, a fulfilling career, good health and the like; it’s also very likely we’ve had a strong influence on this outcome as well. If we don’t take the reigns and understand the control we have on our life direction, we can end up living a life like the former.

If we’re not explicitly directed towards what we deem worth spending our life on, we’re left to drift into the abyss—whichever way circumstances and easiness deems. One might succumb to over consumption and following whatever path others set out for them without much thought. Whatever the direction, it’s not from a place of self-direction. This is sheep being herded. But, the sheep know not where they are going. It’s easy, ignorant and blissful, but I would argue a life mislived.

One might make a half effort attempt and then back down, but this really doesn’t count. For if the person really wanted to do this thing in the first place, it will haunt them to their dying day. One may end up with many half effort attempts, but never truly learning whether or they succeeded or not in this endeavor. Essentially, the want to do the thing will not be satisfied. If we’re on our death bed thinking we didn’t really give it a shot and do the things we wanted, we truly missed out and it’s too late.

This is why I believe it’s essential in life to make true strides towards whatever it is that we want to do. Not from a place of stress and negativity. But, from a place of joy and conviction that we’re leading the direction of our life.

Pursuing what we want, I believe, is a dramatic win in itself. If one truly loves what they are doing, the associated outcomes should not matter. The work in itself is the reward.

This also brings up the hardest question of all: what life do you want to live? This can be an incredibly difficult question to answer for many, but I find it’s important to make attempts, find out what sticks for you and what you enjoy and push towards these things. Albeit, without stress and negativity, but from a place of deep positivity. A life doing what we want, is a rich life that no money can buy.