According to mental health experts, flourishing “…is a state where people experience positive emotions, positive psychological functioning and positive social functioning, most of the time. In more philosophical terms this means access to the pleasant life, the engaged or good life and the meaningful life.”

This idea of flourishing pervades millennia of philosophy.  The ancient Greeks called it eudaimonia: a state of not just happiness, but prosperity, blessedness, and the good life. Aristotle noted that everyone wants eudaimonia, but that many people disagree on what that means. He argues that eudaimonia is achieved through “virtuous activity in accordance with reason,” – the defining mark of living a virtuous life.

Emotional well being. Psychological well being. Social well being. These things are achieved through reason – through carefully observing the world, understanding the relationships between things in the world, and acting accordingly. Of careful application of logic to facts. 

• It means recognizing your emotions are real, that emotions are just reactions to the world. Denying or suppressing emotions always backfire, causing long term emotional damage to oneself. 
• It means developing your self-esteem, through living consciously, self-acceptance, self-responsibility, self-assertiveness, living purposefully, and maintaining personal integrity. How you think about the world starts with how you think about yourself.  Developing a positive relationship with your self image is essential to psychological well being. 
• It means fostering healthy relationships with those people that bring you value and when necessary distancing ourselves from toxic relationships. As Jim Rohn has stated, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If you spend time with people that lie, cheat, or lack integrity, you’re likely to pick up those same traits.  If you spend time with people that are supportive, hard working, and full of integrity, you’re likely to pick up those traits as well.  Fostering relationships with these types of people can help you achieve social well being. 

Not to diminish the importance of goals, but these properties added together bring happiness – the life fulfillment – that flourishing promises. They provide the foundation and the necessary conditions for maintaining and acting towards your goals over the long term.

* Featured image by Nick Youngson – http://www.nyphotographic.com/