To really live the life is something everyone of us aspire. But unfortunately, it remains a distant fruit for many. There are four basic pillars of life which lays a strong foundation towards “real living”. Let’s look at them in this post.
#1 Good Health
The adage that says Health is Wealth is absolutely true. Though good health may not directly contribute to wealth – a lack of it renders your monetary wealth useless.
If your health at this moment is relatively good, take a while to thank your parents. They play a major role – both genetically and functionally – for your current health condition. But it is your sole responsibility to maintain and nurture it into the future. Remember – When it comes to your health, there is no delegation.
Delving further down, following factors influence good heath:
- Proper and sufficient diet. Understanding what our body needs and making sure to supply it, is essential. Knowing what we eat and making conscious food choices are key to good diet
- Physically active life. Never ignore and undermine the importance of physical activities. Be it walking a bus stop or cycling to work, choose the one right for you and make it a habit
- Clean living space. Though the effects are not immediately visible, an unclean and untidy home seriously affects your health in the long term. Embracing minimalism is a good start towards this
#2 Nimble Mind
Once you have your health covered, take a closer look at your mind. A peaceful, positive and active mind is essential for a good life.
How would you feel at the end of a day, if you constantly keep moving your body in random directions? How would your body feel, if you wander through the day without any goal or focus? It will be exhausted, right. The same holds good to your mind. A wavering mind that lacks focus often leads to exhaustion.
- Start with Meditation. If the traditional meditation is not something for you, try some mindful meditation techniques
- Learn some form of Yoga. Hatha Yoga is something that I recommend, but choose one of your choice. Yoga tools from Sadhguru is a good start. But is not a substitute to a good Yoga teacher, if you are serious about it
- Develop the habit of Positive thinking. Focus on good things in life, handle bad things in a constructive way and enjoy the flow of life
#3 Healthy Relationships
Healthy relationship is another pillar towards a good life. Everyone of us have some kind of relationship – spouse, parents, friends, partner, siblings and many more. Make sure to know the value of each relationship and strive to keep it healthy. Here are some tips towards this:
- Listen. This is a simple habit many of us ignore. Normally a human speaks at about 145-160 words per minute but the human mind thinks at about 400+ words per minute. If you are constantly thinking when somebody is speaking to you, it is nearly impossible to listen well. Learn to shut your mind and listen to others
- Let go. Another aspect of healthy relationship is to let people go, when they wish to
- Respect. This is another forgotten ingredient in many relationships. Every human, whether a baby or an adult, have his or her own mind. Make sure to respect their thoughts, ideas and feeling. Without this any relationship will suffer
#4 Good Livelihood
Unless you are an ascetic, a sufficient livelihood (read as, money) is essential to enjoy the life. You might get thoroughly beaten up, if you talk about health or relationship to a person going through a financial crisis.
The magnitude of livelihood varies from one individual to another – but definitely essentially for a good life.
- Save and Spend. Be it 10$ or 1000$, make sure to save something before you spend
- Go Debt Free. As much as possible, go debt free. Try to close all your debts before building your wealth
- Live within your capacity. Never go beyond what your are capable of at this moment. The modern advertising and credit business is designed to make you believe that you are more capable than reality. Never fall prey to these marketing gimmicks
To Summarize…
Following four pillars are essential to make sure that your have a good life.
- Good Health. It is essential to be physically active
- Nimble Mind. Keep it clean and focused
- Health Relationships. Trust and respect is key
- Good Livelihood. Making what your need and living within what you make is essential
Good luck with your life. Sometimes it is not just luck!
Image credit: Flickr Creative Commons by Sebastien Wiertz
Leave a Reply