Great question and it could be explored from lots of angles. Many years ago I wrote a little about trying to build a "good life" in this sense by using a technique that the designer Stefan Sagmeister had outlined in his Happy film. Basically, he lists 12 important things to him that make him happy when he engages in them (or doesn’t as the case may be) and then quickly rates his success with these each week from 1 (good) through 5 (poor). He adds up the figures and divides by 12 to get his average of the week. If it’s a 1 or a 2 he’s had a great week by his chosen standards. Anything else requires some adjustment.
I found this useful in the sense that it forces you to think about the things you value and actively find beneficial to your life. Others find the check-in really useful too. I ended up making a list of 12 (this list included: kind but strong boundaries, capturing or editing photos, being vulnerable, acts of kindness, creating something, writing something, eating from the ground, moving my body outdoors, learning something, loving people). I haven't rated anything since then but it really helped in centering choices and showed me what was important for me to build my life around.
I have no interest in wealth other than paying for the community I've worked with forever in Cambodia + rent, fresh food and slow travel with a small bit of fuck-you money, and I'm with you on finding the things you value in life and letting that feed your projects so I get this and think this helps to keep things healthy.
I've been someone who has easily worked 60 - 80 hour weeks for many years and in that sense "sacrificed" a whole lot and while this was incredible for how much I got to do - and particularly for the work that had some small good impacts - in the last couple of years it proved definitely not "worth it" when I was doing far too much "sacrificing" for things that ultimately were not aligned with the rest of my values because I had no time for those; definitely cost me health and relationships and now that I've reversed into less work, less pressure and way more time for everything else again it makes it all the more ridiculous to look back on. I've crossed a point where I will never do that again and my mantra on this has become "I will not give more to my work than I give to myself."
So, I like the approach to find out how you want to live first and what's truly important - for you and for our communities and world - and then exploring projects that feed that. Will have a look at those books recs as not heard of them!
Great question and it could be explored from lots of angles. Many years ago I wrote a little about trying to build a "good life" in this sense by using a technique that the designer Stefan Sagmeister had outlined in his Happy film. Basically, he lists 12 important things to him that make him happy when he engages in them (or doesn’t as the case may be) and then quickly rates his success with these each week from 1 (good) through 5 (poor). He adds up the figures and divides by 12 to get his average of the week. If it’s a 1 or a 2 he’s had a great week by his chosen standards. Anything else requires some adjustment.
I found this useful in the sense that it forces you to think about the things you value and actively find beneficial to your life. Others find the check-in really useful too. I ended up making a list of 12 (this list included: kind but strong boundaries, capturing or editing photos, being vulnerable, acts of kindness, creating something, writing something, eating from the ground, moving my body outdoors, learning something, loving people). I haven't rated anything since then but it really helped in centering choices and showed me what was important for me to build my life around.
I have no interest in wealth other than paying for the community I've worked with forever in Cambodia + rent, fresh food and slow travel with a small bit of fuck-you money, and I'm with you on finding the things you value in life and letting that feed your projects so I get this and think this helps to keep things healthy.
I've been someone who has easily worked 60 - 80 hour weeks for many years and in that sense "sacrificed" a whole lot and while this was incredible for how much I got to do - and particularly for the work that had some small good impacts - in the last couple of years it proved definitely not "worth it" when I was doing far too much "sacrificing" for things that ultimately were not aligned with the rest of my values because I had no time for those; definitely cost me health and relationships and now that I've reversed into less work, less pressure and way more time for everything else again it makes it all the more ridiculous to look back on. I've crossed a point where I will never do that again and my mantra on this has become "I will not give more to my work than I give to myself."
So, I like the approach to find out how you want to live first and what's truly important - for you and for our communities and world - and then exploring projects that feed that. Will have a look at those books recs as not heard of them!
Thanks for sharing! I'll have to look into the Happy film and that 12 things process.
It's a slower life, and maybe not going to make us mega rich, but that isn't the only desirable outcome in the end!