Key Point: EUDAIMONIA is what the Greeks referred to as a meaningful well-lived life. I know it’s the time of the calendar when most of us reflect, even for just a moment, on whether we personally are going in the right direction with our lives. If we are heading back to work, facing the vomit-inducing task of polishing up a PowerPoint deck, this self-reflection might be even more poignant.
Ok, I’m a realist. We have bills to pay, others we are responsible for or to, and a host of other practical boundaries. I’m not suggesting we get the St. Francis of Assisi bug, give away all of our possessions and become monks. But, I’m taking up the challenge inspired by big idea people like Director of Havas Media Labs Umair Haque and others to apply a more robust checklist to my personal progress.
As an example, I like driving my convertible. But I know darn well that topless beauty provides little to whether I live a life that’s meaningful and well-lived. As you enter the New Year, as you head back to your job site and revisit your home life, think about the following:
Character Moves (as inspired by Mr. Haque):
- Think about better, not just more. How will the stuff you consume or spend tour time doing this year make you meaningfully better? Really? Honestly look at what you spend your money on and time doing.
- Consider becoming, not just being. What are your real measures of progress? What is a truly meaningful measurement index? How will you become a more accomplished self? How will you generously give yourself to others and inspire their progress?
- Work at creating and building, not just trading and raiding. When we create and build with a mind to significance, value, and beauty, it often endures. What will you do this year in this realm of creating and building? We are all leaders and regardless of our station in life, we can create and build.
- Recognize that we are transitioning from the shallowness of the frenzied world of “more,” “bigger,” “faster,” “cheaper,” to a world demanding and searching for more humanistic wisdom and behavior. Yes I know that big data, total mobility and explosive technology are having a profound impact but we can harness those trends for the advancement of human kind.
- It starts with you and me. If we each embrace the spirit of EUDAIMONIA, we will create a very constructive revolution. Why not? Happy New Year.
EUDAIMONIA in The Triangle,
Lorne