What does The Good Life (TGL) really mean? This term seems to be used in many different ways by many different people. In fact, it dates back centuries and has even had philosophers and religious preachers scratching their heads while they tried to define it. Yet when we think of its usage in the last decade or so, where musicians such as Kanye West have created whole songs about it, the meaning seems quite simple. In the song he makes it clear what The Good Life means to him, by making many references to a flamboyant lifestyle which is anything short of money. Although this may be a favourable way to define The Good Life for the majority, do you think someone like Mother Theresa would have called this The Good Life? Would she have said, “I’m in the G6 to Paris, about to buy out the Balmain store on my AMEX Black Card, because I live TGL?” Yeah, I wouldn’t have thought so. In her view, it probably meant curing people with diseases like AIDS and leprosy. To a person who appreciates the countryside it may mean just being healthy with their family, having enough to eat, and having a cosy home in a peaceful, yet isolated environment that’s surrounded with nice countryside hills. Plato’s Socrates on the other hand believed that life is a preparation for death and that what we do now has eternal significance; The Good Life is therefore, one of knowledge, self-discipline and justice in the soul.
I think it’s pretty clear that The Good Life means different things to different people, and thus it’s based on our perception of the term. So when we talk about what The Good Life consists of, it’s not really for us to define, it’s for you to define. We guess you can say that The Good Life is the life you desire – which is actually associated with the works of Aristotle. The life we desire incorporates everything from possessions, security, people, relationships and success. Therefore it must also reflect something positive; we do not believe that anyone in the world wants to be rich on their own, or have access to everything they’ve ever wanted, only to be hated.
We also believe that we are not just present on this Earth to attain things, but also to provide back. Each and every single one of us has a purpose to enhance the world in our own way. Think about it. For example, if we really wanted to gain more money, we could possibly take on an extra job which we detest because it feels like slave labour. Yet in most circumstances, we usually reject this idea because we do not wish to waste our time feeling unhappy, whilst being paid very little when we know deep down that we are meant for much more. We would rather make money in a more meaningful way; doing something we enjoy and that we feel is morally correct.
So, how do we get to this place that we desire? Well, we don’t. Some may claim that our overall goal in life is to achieve happiness but the truth is that nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy (we’ll talk about this in another post). So happiness really is just a choice that you can make at any time, not an end result. Likewise, Carl Rogers has correctly stated that The Good Life is a direction, not a destination. So whatever you may think that The Good Life looks like, you can take the direction to it right now!
The Good Life is a path where we can attain the things that we desire, in a positive and purposeful way.
The essential ingredient that’s going to help you on this path to elevate your being, is good, or positive, energy – something we like to call Good Vibes. So ladies and gentlemen, let’s begin to live The Good Life.
Author: Vex King
I am the founder and owner of the Bon Vita lifestyle brand. I could give myself a title and call myself a lifestyle entrepreneur, personal mentor, writer, designer, innovator, CEO, or anything else I see as fitting. However no title can define me as an individual. I’m just an optimist, a visionary, a philanthropist and jack of many trades. I’m using my positive influence to redefine the creative industries using Good Vibes Only #GVO so that people can fulfil their dreams, purposefully, and enjoy The Good Life #TGL. My daily words of intent are to make people… Think, look & feel GOOD!
Follow my social sites:
