The second pillar in Martin Seligman’s phycology framework is the good life. The good life in the next step of the pleasant life where the focus is on the pursuit of activities that focus on our strengths and virtues. Things like sports, hobbies and creative endeavours that only bring pleasure but also cultivate pride and satisfaction.

goes one step ahead of the pleasant life, where the focus is on pursuing activities that involve our strengths and virtues. This includes things like pursuing hobbies, sports, and creative endeavours that not only bring pleasure but also satisfaction and pride. The good life involves cultivating our talents, refining our skills and pushing to become a better version of ourselves. This level of happiness creates a sense of achievement, purpose and fulfilment.

The thing about the good life is that it is the internal search for understanding, the search and pursuit for being better through consistent work and process of the betterment of yourself. Short term wins are enjoyable but are noted along the lines of the pleasant life. Long term consistent work may not produce any immediate results but with incremental change over a long enough period of time the results can be substantial and have the ability to change your mind, body and soul is a dramatic way. This concept works in all walks of life, in all endeavours, not just the search for happiness.

This pillar is the fundamental stepping stone in sustainable happiness. The ability to grow bit by bit, to succeed through dedication and hard work, through the search of different avenues to try and be better. This can just be the pursuit of being better in anything you enjoy which is not hard to achieve. The pursuit alone is the key, not necessarily being the best but constantly challenging yourself against yourself and winning. Everyone has a talent from traditional sports, creative expression to dissecting movies and writing poems. Understanding yourself, what you enjoy and constantly working to be better is a great way to find growth, purpose and fulfilment and these are key attributes in finding happiness.

Do you, be you, challenge you, against you!
Live a good life, you deserve to be happy

Thanks,

Dean