Creating Your Recipe for Flourishing: Combining the Ingredients of the Good Life
What does it take to live a good life? While there's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, there are certain ingredients that can help us to cultivate flourishing and well-being. In this post, we'll explore the eight ingredients of the good life according to the PERMA model and the Individual Flourishing Measure from the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard. We'll also provide actionable steps you can take to cultivate each ingredient and create your own personal recipe for flourishing.
Ingredient #1: Social Connection or Positive Relationships
Research has consistently shown that social connections and positive relationships are crucial for our well-being and happiness. This can include connections with family, friends, coworkers, or others in our community. To cultivate positive relationships, consider these action steps:
Schedule regular social activities with people you care about, such as coffee dates or movie nights.
Volunteer in your community to meet new people and contribute to a common cause.
Practice active listening and show empathy toward the people in your life.
Ingredient #2: A Sense of Meaning and Purpose
Having a sense of meaning and purpose in life is important for our overall well-being and can help us to feel fulfilled and engaged in the world around us. To cultivate a sense of meaning and purpose, consider these action steps:
Identify your values and set goals that align with them.
Cultivate a sense of spirituality or connection to something that is bigger than you.
Find ways to contribute to causes or issues that you care about.
Ingredient #3: The Experience of Positive Emotion
Positive emotions like joy, love, and contentment can help to improve our overall well-being and provide a buffer against stress and negative emotions. To cultivate positive emotion, consider these action steps:
Take time to engage in activities that you enjoy and that bring you pleasure.
Cultivate gratitude by focusing on the positive aspects of your life.
Practice mindfulness and savoring to fully experience positive emotions when they arise.
Ingredient #4: The Richness that Comes with Unpleasant Emotion and the Ability to Navigate It
Life is full of ups and downs, and the ability to navigate difficult emotions is an important skill for cultivating resilience and well-being. To cultivate the ability to navigate unpleasant emotions, consider these action steps:
Develop a mindfulness practice to observe your thoughts and emotions without judgment.
Practice self-compassion and self-care during times of stress or difficulty.
Seek out support from trusted friends or professionals when needed.
Ingredient #5: Cultivation of Character or Virtue
Cultivating character and virtue can help us to live in alignment with our values and lead a fulfilling life. To cultivate character and virtue, consider these action steps:
Identify the virtues that are most important to you, such as kindness, honesty, or courage.
Set goals that align with these virtues and look for ways to practice them in your daily life.
Seek out opportunities to learn from people you admire or respect.
Ingredient #6: Physical Health or Vitality
Physical health and vitality are essential for our overall well-being and can help us to feel energized and engaged in life. To cultivate physical health and vitality, consider these action steps:
Make time for regular exercise or physical activity.
Eat a healthy and balanced diet.
Get adequate rest and relaxation to support your physical health.
Ingredient #7: A Sense of Safety through the Satisfaction of Basic Needs
Feeling safe and secure is important for our overall well-being and can help us to feel grounded and stable. To cultivate a sense of safety and security, consider these action steps:
Identify your basic needs, such as food, shelter, and financial stability, and take steps to meet them.
Develop a safety plan in case of emergency situations.
Seek out support from professionals or support groups if you are experiencing issues related to safety or security.
Ingredient #8: A Sense of Competency or Accomplishment Toward Purposeful Pursuits
Feeling competent and accomplished in our pursuits can help us to feel confident and motivated in our daily lives. To cultivate a sense of competency and accomplishment, consider these action steps:
Identify your areas of interest and set goals that align with them.
Develop a plan to achieve your goals and take consistent action toward them.
Celebrate your accomplishments along the way, no matter how small.
How to: Use the Wheel of Life Exercise to Identify Areas of Opportunity
The Wheel of Life is a simple exercise that can help you to identify areas of opportunity for more flourishing. To complete the exercise, draw a circle and divide it into sections to represent different areas of your life, such as career, relationships, health, and spirituality. Rate your level of satisfaction in each area on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being very unsatisfied and 10 being completely satisfied. Then, identify areas where you would like to focus more attention and create goals to help you improve your satisfaction in those areas.
By combining the eight ingredients of the good life and taking action to cultivate them, you can create your own personal recipe for flourishing. Consider each ingredient and identify specific actions you can take to improve your well-being in that area. Remember, the recipe for flourishing is unique to each individual, so don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you.
Have questions about how you can leverage some of the ideas presented in the post? Reach out to us at The Antifragile Academy.
As always, here’s to your journey toward greater well-being and performance!
Nick and Adam
References
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