How to live good
Do you know how to live good? Living the good life seems to be elusive for some people. I’ll show you why and what you can do to change that.
What defines a good life?
When you get right down to it, all that you need to live are a few essentials:
- Water
- Sleep
- Food
- Shelter
- Love / Friendship / Social interaction
As long as we have money to afford those basic necessities, it’s all we really need. But, what defines a good life?
How to live good
We live in a country where there is plenty and yet, some people live in poverty. Having more money doesn’t make us happier, though and that’s because we really only need the basic necessities to live. They (whoever ‘they’ are) say that above $75,000 per year, we don’t gain any more happiness. If you are below that $75K mark, the extra money would be helpful and not make life so hard. If you are above that $75K threshold, and still feel like you need more, it’s time to ask yourself some questions.
Let’s say you make $125,000 per year but you don’t feel fulfilled. You spend your days striving to further your career. Is it for the title or status? Could it be for the extra ‘stuff’ you can buy? What is your motivation – your true motivation? I won’t argue that having comforts isn’t nice because it is. What I’m talking about here is the extra ‘stuff’. Are the fancy cars or the jet skis really making you happy? Do you really have the time to even enjoy those things? I dare to ask if you are even spending time with your family. Do you know how to live good?
What makes a good life?
When you are comfortable with where you are and you have the love and support of your family / friends, nothing could be better. It’s always great to have goals and to strive to do and be better but when there is a driver inside you that is constantly pushing and never satisfied with anything, there is something deeper going on.
I have a friend who is married and has 2 beautiful children. She recently got promoted to a position that she felt elevated her status as far as her career goes. When she found out she got the position, she was so happy. She was very excited to start her new role. She gets up at 4 AM to answer emails and deal with her new set of responsibilities – many times staying up well past midnight to handle things.
Fast forward one year later and she’s still doing this. Her family misses her; she tells me this all the time. Unfortunately, she misses many events and even when she is with her family, her mind isn’t. She’s not present or in the moment. It makes me sad to watch it happening. We all want to be happy and to have people around us that make us happy. Unfortunately, she’s not living in the moment and enjoying those people who love and care for her.
Tips to living the good life
Here are my tips to living a good life:
- You need the basic necessities of food, water, sleep, shelter, and love.
- Evaluate why you feel you need more. Again, it’s OK to have more but not OK to not be grateful for what we have.
- Get some exercise – take walks or ride your bike.
- Be in nature
- Manage your stress – meditation is great to help with stress, anxiety, and depression. Know you’re not alone. Practice mindfulness.
- Spend time with the people in your life that you love and who love you back. Be in the moment!
- Forgive people – it’s not worth it to hold things against people. Let it go.
- Laugh!
This is how to live good. The better we live, the better we look, and the better we feel. This shows up in our face, which is what we show to the outside world all the time. Uncover your skin by living well!
Feature photo credit: tonktiti
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