Summary Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz
What does it mean to live life to the fullest? In their insightful book Life Worth Living, the authors argue that a great life integrates happiness, meaning, purpose, character, community, and hope.
Living well is not just about feeling good. The abundant life also involves doing good work, developing virtue, and belonging to something bigger than ourselves. Here are practical strategies for crafting a multidimensional life worth living:
Pursue Purpose Alongside Happiness
While happiness is excellent, purpose gives life more profound meaning. Discover work and activities that align with your values and make a contribution, as social entrepreneurs like Muhammad Yunus have done. Using your gifts to serve others provides significance.
Entrepreneurs often find purpose in solving meaningful problems for customers, as Patagonia does through environmental activism. Focus your business on adding value, not just making money. Build a culture driven by meaningful goals that energize your team.
As the authors state: "Happiness is good, but meaning is better."
Cultivate Community and Relationships
Humans are wired for connection. We thrive through belonging to families, causes, organizations, faiths, and civic communities, as demonstrated by the strong communities built by religious leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Make developing meaningful relationships a priority. Show up fully, listen deeply, and invest in others.
At work, build personal connections with colleagues, as Zappos encourages through their emphasis on company culture. Celebrate wins together and support each other through losses. Lead with compassion and help your team feel recognized and valued.
"Belonging gives life meaning. We flourish in communities of meaning, love, and purpose."
Develop Your Character
Living virtuously shapes who we become. Focus on growing virtues like courage, justice, wisdom, temperance, humanity, and transcendence, like historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln. Make choices aligned with your values, not just practicality.
Examine your decisions and behaviors - are you demonstrating virtue and integrity? Set an example for your team by taking the high road. Character matters, so don't compromise it.
"Character development is not optional in the quest for a well-lived life."
Anchor Yourself in Hope
When trials come, resilient hope lifts us. Connect to faith, loved ones, and purpose more significant than your circumstances, as Helen Keller did in overcoming blindness and deafness. Remember that growth comes through overcoming.
Share stories of past resilience to inspire your team, as Sheryl Sandberg did with her book Option B after the sudden death of her husband. When facing difficulties in business, pivot to possibilities and maintain trust that there are better days ahead.
"Hope sustains us; it fuels our perseverance and lifts our gaze from the struggles of the present to the possibilities of the future."
Practice Gratitude and Humility
Living well involves recognizing our human limits and interconnectedness. Express gratitude for all you've been given, like author Brene Brown models. Stay humble and ask for help when needed. Appreciate teammates for their unique contributions.
Amid the press of business, take time to be present, as spiritual leaders like Thich Nhat Hanh recommend through mindfulness practices. Reflect on the people and blessings that enable your success. Make space for renewal and rejuvenation. A balanced life energizes excellent work.
Enjoy the Moment, Live into the Future
Happiness occurs through pausing to be fully in the present. Yet meaning comes from building a life over time. Carve out daily joy while working toward long-term, values-aligned goals, as exemplified by civil rights activist Rosa Parks' moment-by-moment perseverance.
Encourage your team to enjoy the journey, not just focus on destinations. Celebrate small wins along the way. A life worth living blends enjoyment today with hope for tomorrow.
An excellent life integrates many essential elements into a whole that is more significant than the sum of its parts. Make the most of each day while building a future with purpose, community, meaning, and fulfillment. How will you craft a life worth living?