Newsletter
Life Success, Satisfaction and Longevity2025-01-27
“Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.”
—Aldous Huxley
Huxley is only half-right. Life satisfaction, of which happiness, along with hope and with meaning are the main components, is a result of life success, or of addictions that hijack the process. But life satisfaction can and should be pursued proactively, daily. Happiness can be enhanced daily by gratitude, paying attention and acknowledging blessings small or large in your life. Hope can be enhanced daily by having an optimistic mindset, expecting good and looking for the upside in your future. And meaning can be enhanced daily by focusing on how you are useful to others and to the greater good.
Would having high life satisfaction make you complacent, decrease your drive, and subsequent life success? Not if you keep clear in your mind and review daily your life’s mission, and the key components of life success: health for you and progeny, wealth, influence. You can be satisfied with what you have while striving for more.
Life satisfaction may have additional benefits in terms of direct biological effects on longevity, what we call active longevity, turning on maintenance and repair processes when life is good and there is a reason to keep living. That is different the passive longevity, that you can have by avoiding wear and tear with a healthy lifestyle. And it is the exact opposite of the biology of suicidality, when life is perceived to be bad and there are reasons to not live. Thus, seek life satisfaction in a constructive and non-addictive way as if your life depends on it, because it does. We have built simple and easy to use tools to track life success, life satisfaction, your mission, what you are grateful for, your wins, in the Life x Mind app. 5 minutes twice a day can transform your life!