Happy New Year and welcome to the start of what I hope is a fabulous year for us all.
What is the Good Life Project?
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.” – Mary Oliver
Jonathan Fields has been conducting the Good Life Project for some years. It began as a personal quest:
to learn how to live a life of deep meaning, joy and connection. But it has morphed into something much bigger and more inspiring than that.
One of the outcomes of his work is his new book – aptly titled – How to Live a Good Life.
Ahh – not another self help book
I have to confess, I started reading it thinking it would be just another self help book.
You know the type, where you are inspired whilst you are reading but quickly forget about the content, let alone take any action.
But, this is quite unlike any other book I have read.
The Premise
The very simple premise is that we all need three buckets to live a joyful, meaningful and satisfied life.
The buckets are vitality, connection and contribution.
And from time to time, it is possible that the buckets evaporate their contents, or develop a leak. Or that they were never full in the first place.
Filling the Buckets
The book simply takes you through a series of daily reflections (one chapter a day for a month) – where you’re invited to consider how full your buckets are.
Fields then provides impeccably researched suggestions around what makes for a good life, and how to fill the buckets that might be leaking.
Why does it work?
It works because the concept is simple. You can quickly scan your bucket situation every day – and think about what needs to change (if anything).
But the changes aren’t wholesale, throw everything out changes. They are small, incremental, easily achieved changes.
Every step of the way, Fields provides examples of things you can try, with plenty of resources and ways to dive deeper.
And if nothing else, your only commitment is to read a chapter a day. Chapters that are pretty short and sharp.
Join our community and make 2017 your best year yet
So, if you’re looking for something to shake things up a little. Or looking for something that simply gives some new ideas about how to live life, then read this book.
We have a little community reading it, and reporting back on their changes and observations. I’d love you to join too.
If you’d like to get in touch about this, or any other aspect of living life well – leading at your best, whether that be at work or at play, then get in touch by clicking here.
Until next week, happy leading.