Fostering Flourishing

A theory of well-being and "the good life"

Rough Draft #9 (see previous)

Thesis:
The most important priority for "the good life" is to nurture and love yourself and your relationships.

Outline:

1. The Good Life
2. The Paramount Priority
3. The Fundamental Factors
4. Cultivating
5. Nurturing
6. Loving
7. Conclusion
8. Context

The Good Life

Flourishing is living a good life. To flourish is to be well and to live well.
It is synonymous with well-being, thriving, and "the good life".
Flourishing is about the quality of your life and how you live it.

The Paramount Priority

Flourishing is the most universal, transcendent, important, intrinsic, significant, salient, foundational, and fundamental need, want, desire, drive, motive, value, goal, and priority of life.
All conscious beings strive for a good life. It is the unifying nature of all living things to seek to foster flourishing and improve the quality of life.

The Fundamental Factors

The social, mental, and physical systems of life are the most important, significant, essential, and fundamental factors, dimensions, elements, and determinants of flourishing, well-being, and "the good life".
To flourish is to thrive socially, mentally, and physically.
The quality of your life and conscious experience is most determined by the quality of your relationships, mind, and body.
Your relationships, mind, and body have the greatest effect and impact on the quality of your life.

Cultivating

The best way to foster flourishing, cultivate well-being, and live a good life is to nurture and improve your relationships and yourself.
The best way to improve the quality of your life is to nurture yourself and your relationships.
Fostering flourishing is the proactive prioritization and intentional practice of nurturing and improving yourself and your relationships.

Nurturing

The best way to nurture yourself and your relationships is to love others and yourself.
The best way to foster flourishing is to create and cultivate moments and experiences of love.
The best way to live is to love; to live better is to love better; to live well is to love well.

Loving

Love is the synthesis of:

• Presence, awareness, attention, concentration, engagement
• Understanding, openness, curiosity, acceptance, trust
• Gratitude, appreciation, admiration, recognition, respect, thankfulness
• Compassion, care, kindness, benevolence, altruism, empathy
• Equanimity, tranquility, calmness, peace, harmony, serenity

You can nurture yourself and your relationships by prioritizing and practicing these skills.

The best way to love is to be present, aware, attentive, engaged, connected, open, curious, understanding, accepting, trusting, grateful, appreciative, respectful, thankful, vulnerable, communicative, compassionate, caring, kind, benevolent, altruistic, empathetic, calm, peaceful, serene, and equanimous.

Conclusion

The good life is a life of love, presence, awareness, attention, engagement, connection, openness, curiosity, understanding, acceptance, trust, gratitude, appreciation, admiration, recognition, respect, thankfulness, vulnerability, communication, compassion, care, kindness, benevolence, altruism, empathy, calmness, peace, harmony, serenity, and equanimity.

Context

• About the theory (Coming soon…)
• About the project
• About the author