They say that we only live once but if we do it right, once is enough. Oscar Wilde also said that “To live is tha rarest thing in the world. Most people exist”. Which version are you? Are you among the few who live life in a fulfilling way? Or are you among the masses who simply exist?

That’s a difficult question to ask. When asked, most would say the former. We all love to deceive ourselves with “beautiful lies”. Most of them are simply sugarcoating things they do in life to make them look and sound fulfiling and finding excuses for what they don’t have or “deserve”.

Nobody likes to admit that they simply exist. Living and working on autopilot is like a disease. Nobody feels they are sick until the doctor says so. You don’t realise it as you live it. You are IN the situation and (to be honest) you are trying to navigate life.

However, is that a Good Life? Is is a life (work included) that’s worth living? I am not suggesting that there are versions of life not worth living. I am suggesting that what most people do is not natural. They don’t live and work in a way that feels natural to them and allows them to realise their potential. Defining The Good Life is not straightforward. But I can say this: living in survival mode is not a Good Life.

Let’s dissect this notion and explore how we can shift from a Mediocre to a Good Life.

The roots

The Good Life has been studies and explored across various disciplines; effectively most disciplines, fromphilosophy and psychology to sociology and theology.

Wise men and women across the centuries, from antiquity to the modern day, struggled with the inquiry of defining what The Good Life is.

Philosophers like ancient Greeks, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, emphasized the role of virtue, values and purpose.

Modern psychologists (like Dr. Martin Seligman, the “father” of positive psychology) focused on positive emotions and meaning.

Most religions also preached about the Good Life usually defining it as having a loving relationship with God (whatever God one believes in) and others.

There are also many cultural variations: from the individualism of the West to the more collective approach to happiness and life of the East.

After contemplating about the matter internally a lot, I concluded that there might not be a universal definition of the Good Life. However, I realised 3 crucial things: 

1. There might not be a tight definition but there are 7 elements that contribute to a Good Life

2. How one perceives the Good Life is influenced by their personal experiences (usually tragedies)

3. You can’t define or live a Good Life when young. That comes with age and the subsequent wisdom we accumulate.

Before elaborating on the 7 key elements or aspects, let me present the crème de la crème of universal wisdom about the Good Life, from antiquity to the modern day. That will create a perimeter of tried-and-tested ideas and notions helping describe the Good Life in a holistic way.

Approaching the Good Life through registered wisdom

“The unexamined life is not worth living”, said ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. His interpretation of life focused on self-reflection and moral integrity.

His student, Plato, proposed another alternative - he rather expanded on Socrates’ viewpoint. Plato emphasized the importance of virtue and knowledge in seeking the Good Life.

Plato’s student and great philosopher and scientist, Aristotle, introduced the concept of “eudaimonia”, literally meaning “a state of having a good spirit”. We can translate it as well-being or flourishing, fueled by living with virtue and reason.

Later philosophers, like Epicurus, focused on the simple pleasures in life and how avoiding pain leads to happiness.

The famous Stoics emphasized that people should live in accordance with nature and reason, striving for emotional resilience and virtue.

During the Middle Ages, philosophy merged with theology in a sense, interpreting Good Life as one where people live a virtuous life and close to God.

With Enlightment, the opposite happened. The Good Life was detached from religion and its definition focused on rationality, duty and moral actions.

Later on, Nietzsche criticised the traditional view of morality and suggested that people should create their own values and strive for creativity and excellence, not adhering to societal norms.

Modern philosophy explored the Good Life and defined it as individual freedom, meaning and authenticity (like the Existentialists preached), or a quest for maximizing happiness and reducing pain (like the Utilitarians preached).

You see, all those philosophical approaches use lenses we also use in the present day - more or less. There are patterns and common elements suggesting that universal wisdom about the Good Life is not to be dismissed as old and obsolete, despite the fundamentally different world and circumstances we now live in.

The thing is that approaching the Good Life is a life task. You may not know or understand it until you come to your final stage (eventual physical death). That’s why the accumulated wisdom can helo frame a healthy approach to it. 

It can’t be wrong as it has been forged with the experiences and insights of millions of people of the past - including many wise men and women who searched for the meaning of life.

Here’s the common ground among all philosophical viewpoints on Good Life:

Reason, nature, virtue, values, creativity, reflection, authenticity, meaning, purpose, knowledge, progress.

I will use them as the base for approaching the Good Life from the lens of a modern-day person, living and working in the creator economy.

The 7 key elements of the Good Life

1. Health and well-being.

That comes first. Without physical and mental health nothing matters simply because you don’t have the ability to pursue it. Staying healthy in body and mind should be one of your main priorities in life. Health brings well-being, and well-being is the necessary condition for anything else in life.

2. Material comfort and financial freedom.

Money and wealth are not happiness. However, being able to live a comfortable life reduces much of the suffering caused by trying to make ends meet. Being financially free and independent also allows you to make decisions you would not otherwise make. It’s about the freedom of choice.

3. Personal growth.

There’s hardly any Good Life if you stay stagnant and stuck in what you already know and do. We need to constantly learn new things, seek novelty and develop our mental and spiritual muscles to promote our personal growth. There’s not much left to see or do when staying behind.

4. Psychologically rich life.

Focusing solely on finding happiness (should there exist) or perfection (even worse) does not let you enjoy life to the fullest. You need to stay curious, simultaneously seek variety, novelty and depth in your experiences, and navigate through a mix of both positive and negative emotions. They all contribute to one’s well-being, build resilience and make richness in experience equally valuable as the experience itself.

5. Creativity and engaging in fulfilling activities.

Building anything is the highest form of creativity, whether that includes something physical or mental. Engaging in activities that resonate with your values and give you joy and fulfilment is crucial for personal satisfaction. But be cautious: we are not talking about greed, lust, or destructive behaviours here. We are talking about healthy creative endeavours (like hobbies or pastimes).

6. Support systems.

Some talk about a sense of belonging. I am rather away from that as that implies a sort of conformity which I cannot adhere to (nor is it very healthy in terms of growth and happiness). Instead, I would opt for support systems, be it individuals (like family and friends) or communities that can provide a literal or metaphorical safety net. Psychological safety is crucial for well-being and freedom of choice. Connection is of great importance.

7. Enjoyment.

That aspect is mostly seriously underrated. It’s essential though for boosting one’s pleasure, fulfilment and happiness. Without enjoyment, even the richest of lives (rich in value, experiences, and growth) feels monotonous and boring. Enjoyment is found in both sensory pleasures (like enjoying a good meal or admiring a work of art) or more long-term satisfaction (like achieving a personal milestone). It’s a powerful emotional state, necessary for binding all the other elements together.

Goals and resolutions VS systems and habits

Those 7 key elements of what I call the Good Life have something distinct.

They are not the end results or goals one needs to achieve. They are also not the means to achieve the state of a Good Life. That’s peculiar but crucial to understand. Let me explain.

The elements above are states and stages one can reach by building systems and habits around them.

As you grow and become wiser (however you define wisdom), you achieve some or all of those elements as a state. A state is something temporary. As you keep building on them, they become stages. Like in a video game, you learn, improve and grow to reach a new level or stage of the game with more challenges and rewards. They all add up over time.

Essentially, you move from something temporary and surface-level to something permanent and more profound. Depth is necessary for achieving the Good Life.

The only way to continuously level up and reach those states and stages is by building systems around those 7 key areas above and healthy daily habits.

You can’t reach and live a Good Life without systems and habits. Entropy quickly takes over and starts degrading what you achieve. Systems are essential for fighting back entropy as they are based on solid processes that are performed consistently. Those processes consist of habits. 

For example, you need a health and well-being system to stay healthy. You can’t achieve that in disorder and without structure. You need to decide which areas you will work on holistically (for example, eating, exercise, meditation, etc.) and create healthy daily habits for each. 

For example, when it comes to your nutrition, you will need to develop new habits for your calorie intake, the kind and quality of food you will eat, the times of the day you will eat, and the way you eat your food, to name a few.

Habits are powerful. They are the building block of success in your quest to level up and live a Good Life. Goals are good for direction and a bit of motivation but can’t get you far. They are often so far in the future that they demotivate you. 

Conversely, habits are smaller, manageable tasks and activities that provide instant rewards (often times not visible) and induce significant results over time.

Building and sustaining those habits can get you far with any of the 7 key areas of the Good Life above. 

Solopreneurs and the Good Life - a double quest

The Good Life is challenging to achieve. It requires intentional effort and consistency with action (=systems and habits).

For solopreneurs, that quest is double the effort because of all the unique challenges they face as one-person business owners.

Let me highligh the most important things to focus on, drawn from my own experience as a solopreneur.

1. Health and well-being. Make sure you take good care of yourself because if you are not well (physically and mentally), business can’t do well. Avoid overworking and burnout and prioritise your well-being first.

2. Material comfort and financial freedom. Build a lead-generation system, tailored to your needs and niche, so you can avoid dry seasons (that add a lot of stress and burden). Also, plan for your business evolution as you grow, so you can generate more sales and income as your experience and expertise grow.

3. Personal growth. Ensure you always stay up to date with the developments in your area of business and always evolve and pivot if necessary. Don’t stop learning and invest in your personal growth as a leverage for your business growth.

4. Psychologically rich life. It’s not easy to find time and energy for this but you need to prioritise it (along with mental and physical health). Although that sounds somewhat irrelevant to your business, they are indeed. That’s how you become more psychologically healthy, creative and innovative.

5. Creativity and engaging in fulfilling activities. I know that building a business is one of the most creative (and hands-on) things you can do, but make sure you expand that creativity with other activities around your interests. Connecting the dots between different areas of knowledge and disciplines can only fuel your personal and business growth.

6. Support systems. One of the major challenges solopreneurs face is isolation. Never underestimate the power and importance of connections. You may work without a support team behind, but you can create a network of valuable and trusted friends, partners or mentors.

7. Enjoyment. Don’t fixate on the end result (=sales or profit). Enjoy the process the same as the end result. If you find yourself feeling miserable, it’s time for a change that will add enjoyment into the mix.

Introverts and the Good Life - a triple quest

As an introvert, I know what working and living in a primarily extroverted world is like. In fact, the whole system has been made by extroverts for extroverts. There’s nothing wrong or mean on their side, but that puts immense pressure on us introverts to fit in.

To fit in an extroverted world means changing who you are, and that’s not fair, right, or sustainable. Instead, you have to acknowledge your introversion, accept who you are and why you behave the way you do (that’s simple biology), and turn your supposed “flaws” (as seen by extroverts) into superpowers.

Introverts have the same right to a Good Life as extroverts. We are all different and unique. There are no good or bad people, just different.

Here are the most important things to remember as an introvert on your quest for a Good Life.

1. Health and well-being. Overstimulation should not be used as an excuse to avoid any outdoor activity. Keeping a healthy body helps sustain a healthy mind. As far as mental health is concerned, you need to accept your introversion as something biological and not as a flaw.

2. Material comfort and financial freedom. Being an introvert in an extroverted world does not mean you should limit yourself to professions or lifestyles primarily suitable for introverts. You can achieve the same as an extrovert can in your own unique way. It’s up to you to decide how far and with what you want to go.

3. Personal growth. This can be one of your superpowers as an introvert. Introverts are more inward-looking, and we love learning. Going deep into matters and having deep insights and conversations is what we enjoy the most. Put that into action!

4. Psychologically rich life. Again, your introversion should not be used as a shield against anything that does not fit precisely in your introverted nature. You can live a rich experience life like an extrovert. All you have to do is adapt to your unique needs and go for it.

5. Creativity and engaging in fulfilling activities. Introverts are more introspective and naturally inclined to be creative. Leverage that and complement your professional life with hobbies, pastimes, and activities that fulfil you, no matter how odd they may seem to a third person.

6. Support systems. Introverts tend to have fewer friends, but those connections and relationships are more profound. Don’t let your introversion get in the way of creating a small but meaningful support network. And you certainly don’t have to do it like extroverts. Opt for fewer but more meaningful relationships with people you appreciate.

7. Enjoyment. Introverts often overthink (due to biology = continuous processing of information by the brain). That overthinking leads to anxiety and can take away enjoyment. Keep your observation antennas high (a precious skill), but allow yourself to enjoy the moment while working or during your free time and socialising. It’s essential and not necessarily something that’s against your nature.

Wrapping up

The Good Life is something everyone can achieve or at least get as close as possible. Whether younger or older, introverted or extroverted, everyone can work toward improving the 7 key areas mentioned above.

That requires intention, action and consistency. That’s where habits and systems come into play.

There’s only one prerequisite: to embrace depth and discomfort. 

Depth allows you to gain incredible insights and build systems that work. 

Discomfort is inherent to change and makes new habits easier to develop. No pain, no gain.

What’s next?

You can live life on your own terms. You deserve to work and live with purpose, meaning, and enjoyment. Work on overthinking intentionally to ensure that it does not stop you from realising your potential as a solopreneur or introvert.

If you need support navigating the transition and journey, let me help. DM me on LinkedIn, and let’s explore how Mindset Coaching can help you move forward and claim what you desire and deserve.