"10 Things" That Define Quality of Life

Posted on June 12th, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi

Kit Cooper of the Quality of Life Project today gives us “10 Things” that define the good life for him. While his nonprofit is devoted to promoting study and discussion around quality of life, he doesn’t pretend to be the expert – we all need to become experts at forging our own happiness.

Share your 10 things in the comments below!

  1. Being in tune with myself
    I have always been an introspective person but when I was 20 I had an experience which set me on the path of examining myself.  It’s a long story but that experience led me to better knowing myself (which certainly included some discomfort) and ultimately being a more confident person.
  2. Managing the mix
    It is difficult because not only do things evolve over time but at a given time there are multiple and sometimes overlapping quality of life drivers that you need to prioritize.  It becomes an art form, for example, to know how much to focus on work given the quality of life dividends of financial success and the flexibility it can allow later.
  3. Work
    I don’t feel good unless I have interesting work that keeps me busy.  While I enjoy work, I believe that there have to be periods of stress and flux to ultimately achieve progress.
  4. Being in nature
    Spending time in nature is a key part of my enjoying life.  It’s where I have the most fun but I also need to be in nature a lot to  just feel right.
  5. Being independent
    To me, this actually means taking offense when others try to tell me how I should live.   The reality is given the extent of product and idea marketing out there that does NOT have your personal interests in mind, you HAVE TO BE skeptical in order to live your best life.  Don’t let someone bring down your quality of life because they want you to buy their shitty salad dressing. :-)
  6. Enjoying the contradictions in life
    I don’t want my life to make perfect sense.  Walt Whitman in Song to Myself said, “Do I contradict myself?  Very well, then, I contradict myself.  I am large, I contain multitudes.”  I believe getting the most out of life means allowing dichotomies to exist.  I can’t live without being mature but I also can’t live without being immature.
  7. Money
    What I want in life is to have freedom of movement.  To go where I want to go when I want. Money helps on this front; doing well financially is a goal of mine for this reason.
  8. Guarding my time
    Time is my most precious resource.  I exercise in a way that minimizes time.  I plan phone calls before I do ten minute plus drives.  I always have reading material with me when opportunities for lines or delays exist.  I also realize there are some people out there that don’t get me or appreciate me and I am good about not prioritizing my time to be with them.   Back to the point of letting contradictions exist, I am also a big fan of idle time.  I have been called a “football thug” by my wife on more than one occasion.
  9. Working hard at relationships
    I have relationship issues like anyone but I work hard at doing what I can do to minimize family and relationship problems. I don’t like drama and stress and using my time on repair issues when I could be using that time on other stuff.
  10. Being organized
    One of the most common traits I’ve observed in people that enjoy life is a “make it happen” approach.  Being organized and doing the things that makes you happy work hand in hand.

Your 10 things??

Send a trackback!
18 comments // In Personal Development
Bookmark and Share
« Previous Post Next Post »

18 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

  1. Sara's 10 Things (this is a bit of a spit take because it's a busy friday, but here goes!)

    1. Margins - I need time between events small and large to process and relax

    2. Cozy comfy things - Be it my cat or my comforter, creature comforts make me happy.

    3. Freedom - If I don't have some time every week to do whatever I want spontaneously, I feel like life is passing me by.

    4. Financial freedom - This doesn't mean have all the money in the world. It means living comfortably beneath my means. I'm working on this one.

    5. Cultural happenings - Great books, great films, great music. To me these things are the greatest celebrations of human experience.

    6. Making things - If I'm not writing or working on some kind of a project with output, I feel like I'm frittering away time.

    7. Loving - It's not always romantic love - although that's pretty important! - but I need love in my life in various forms (given and received) to be happy and fulfilled.

    8. Taking care of others - Sometimes it's just my cat, sometimes it's a friend or boyfriend, someday it may be a kid. Nurturing makes me happy.

    9. Walking and running: This makes my body work better but is also my time to think and reflect and feel like I'm "Sara, Sara-ing in the world," rather than being someone's employee or any of the other roles I play in daily life.

    10. Feeling capable: I need to feel like a badass at my work. That means staying organized and mentally fit to give 100% to getting things done and done well.

  2. 1) Relationships/friendships – There is something so comforting about forming a relationship with someone that you can enjoy life with.
    2) Sports – Always been my escape both playing and watching. Is there anything better than watching your favorite sports team win a championship? I doubt it.
    3) Family – The people that helped form my morals and have been in my life since I was born and will be with me until the day that I die.
    4) Travel – I don’t do enough of it but I love observing how other people live their life and discovering new places and cultures.
    5) Passion – Passion is awesome. There is nothing better than to watch someone else live their passion and do what they love. For example I saw a DJ last week that totally loved her job, and it looked like she was having the time of her life. What was even cooler was that she was getting paid.
    6) Financial well being- There is a lot of things that one is unable to do without the security of money.
    7) Love- There is no stronger emotion. Such a great feeling to know that someone has your back through the thick and the thin.
    8) Beach- Not talking about a packed beach with a ton of people, I’m talking about a Hawaii beach with no one around and the only sound being the waves crashing on the sand.
    9) Music- Music makes me have the ability to reflect on life and is a great measurement of time.
    10) Food- Good food is a wonderful thing. There is nothing like a NY slice of cheese pizza or a Wahoo’s Spicy Chicken Burrito covered in spicy green sauce.

  3. 1) To be in beautiful places: the archipelago, to be close to nature and the forest and all its plants
    2) To have fruitful talks, deep or nonsense, with good friends
    3) To learn things
    4) To create things without feeling a destructive stress
    5) That my family and loved ones may be healthy and feel good
    6) Time to actually cook my own food and make a master piece out of it.
    7) To have friends that will support me when I need it, to watch my back and tell me honestly what they think.
    8) To feel freedom from the thoughts of money
    9) To feel freedom from my and others' prejudices
    10) To live in a society that is fair

  4. Great blog entry! Here are mine....
    -Cultivating postivity and optimism
    -Savoring the small things/moments
    - Excercise for sanity not just vanity
    - Knowing & telling myself I'm a good mom (despite nasty voice in my head sometimes telling me otherwise)
    -Putting effort into friendships (thank g-d for social media) but not overly-relying on social media!
    -Writing what I'm grateful for nightly
    -Cuddling with my kid
    -Laughing and being cheerful (don't just be happy on the inside - someone once said that if you're happy, tell you're face! That's what exuding cheerfulness is
    -Never giving up/being resiliant. Do not get stuck in victim mode. Don't let the Turkeys keep you down.
    -Knowing in my soul that the future is bright!

  5. 1. Community, friendships, mutual support. Most of my major life decisions have revolved around community. As time goes by, I realize this is a huge driving factor in my life.

    2. Creative expression. One of my biggest problems with today's work world is that so much of is anathema to either creativity or expression. My podcast started as an outlet for my creativity and it has caught on like none of my serious content ever did. Maybe others crave this, too?

    3. Dish chairs and feather pillows. Comfy, soft, quiet places to curl up and read a book. I'm an introvert who loves people, so I go out, spent time with people, and then need to recharge at home.

    4. Good food. Hello!! It doesn't have to be fancy, but fresh ingredients and good preparation count for so, so much.

    5. Health. Need I say more? Now that I am back to self-employment, I'm working out 6x / week and realizing that I'm not doing it for anyone else, or to be looked at ... it's purely because darn it, I love feeling and looking healthy.

    6. Dreams, hope, and aspirations. Not mine, necessarily (though those are nice), but being surrounded by people who are looking ahead to creating something with their lives is very inspiring. Too many people become resigned; stay a dreamer. Stay idealistic. It costs nothing and makes life much more exciting.

    7. Musical theater. For some reason, musical theater affects me way more than just music or just theater. Maybe it's because I'm a lefty and my brain hemispheres are confused. Either way, I love singing, dancing, acting, and watching.

    8. Challenge. Challenge in the sense of having a significant, hard problem to sink my mental teeth into, preferably with a team of like-minded folk all working for a cause we believe in. Yum!

    9. Money? I guess I'll say money because it certainly does make certain freedoms easier. I think it's overrated, though. If you happen to possess the skills to get a lot of it, great, but if not, it's important to know how to get what you want out of life without it. Money for the purpose of enabling a dream, however, is awesome.

    10. Service to the larger world. I don't think I'm capable of working in a capacity that doesn't contribute in some way to others. This is a huge problem at those times when I wish I could just knuckle under, become an investment banker, and rape the economy for everything I can. Instead, most of my career choices are made on the basis of being of service to more people, in more significant ways.

  6. Stever, great list.. especially musical theatre. But aren't you supposed to be writing your book? :-)

  7. 1. Family conversations over dinner.
    2. Quiet time to read.
    3. Work that is rooted in who I am and contributes to what the world needs.
    4. The products of skillful imagination: meals, rooms, clothes, paintings, poems, novels, songs, gardens, piazzas, and so forth. And that which enable them: kitchens and cooking utensils, design magazines, fashion designers, art schools, small magazines, publishing companies, radio stations, nurseries, architecture schools ....
    5. Courtesy -- given and received.
    6. Coffeeshops.
    7. The rule of law.
    8. Positive freedom of religion: that is, freedom to believe, not freedom from belief.
    9. Sphere sovereignty: that is, room for the rich diversity of human relationships, rather than either individualism or collectivism.
    10. Low-key hiking, and that which mediates it: trailkeeping nonprofits, trails, a safe countryside.

  8. I'm loving everyone's lists... Thank you for sharing, seriously. I guess I'm into this ultra complex concept called "learning from others"... :) Keep them coming because I am seriously enjoying these!!

  9. 1. To know oneself deeply and honestly.
    2. To have an honest social support system.
    3. To have health and the ability to maintain it.
    4. To have a compassionate mind.
    5. To have an attitude of gratitude.
    6. To live one day at a time.
    7. To be able to give anonymously.
    8. To see things as they are, not based on the preconceived social notions (religion, politics, race, etc).
    9. To live in your passion.
    10. To be able to see the positive side of everything.

  10. 1. Having good health
    2. Being able to laugh each day
    3. Relationships - Loving your spouse, children, others and being loved and having people/friends you care about around you
    4. Ability to feel like you have a choice - not bad over worse, but ones that allow you to feel empowered
    5. Having the spirit of helping others without expecting something in return
    6. Having passion for something and pursuing it
    7. Being grateful - always
    8. Having work that you love or enjoy
    9. Balance of life's offerings - family, work, where I live, my environment and being able to get to the beach or mountains easily to recharge
    10. Not taking oneself too seriously

  11. I don't believe in a "good life" as a shining goal to reach, after which things are easy for us and we are shielded from pain or discomfort - not on this side of eternity, that is! We have life, and that in itself is good. Some of the best times in my life have also been the most painful, or rather came after a period of suffering. That too is part of a good life. In brief, though, a good life is full of life-affirming people and circumstances, and one that affirms life in others. To my list:
    1. Healthy close relationship to God, family, and friends
    2. Easy access to clean water and good food
    3. Daily bouts of uncontrollable laughter with loved ones
    4. Plenty of time to read, pray, and brood over important questions
    5. Enough money to eliminate worry about basic needs - after reading Three Cups of Tea, I re-committed to being content with prosperity or lack.
    6. Freedom from working for and reporting to people I don't admire
    7. Clean bill of health
    8. Healthy marriage
    9. Frequent absorption in something so interesting I forget myself and lose track of time
    10. Peaceful nation

  12. Here's my off-the-cuff list:
    1. Knowing that I did what was right for my body.
    2. Feeling that I effectively expressed my opinion.
    3. Having spent time each day getting in touch with God/my soul.
    4. Laughing.
    5. Crying.
    6. Looking in someone's eyes when they say "Thank you" and knowing that they are sincere.
    7. Seeing anything in nature that takes my breath away.
    8. Dancing.
    9. Learning something new every day.
    10. Working hard.

  13. Alex Katsanos says:
    June 13, 2009 at 6:04 am
    Reply

    I agree with others, these are all great answers. I guess it shows that we all have similar definitions that define "Quality of Life."

    Tony Robbins talks about "CANI" which stands for Constant and Never ending Improvement. If we are committed to that, we can live extraordinary lives.
    Alex Katsanos

  14. Maxine Karchie says:
    June 13, 2009 at 10:20 am
    Reply

    1. knowledge, learning always, I love growth
    2. respect - for others and myself
    3. sharing (give & take) with others... skills, gifts, energy, love
    4. healthy good food - I grew up with this being a social thing
    5. laughter/smiles-lots and lots of :-) !
    6. exercise - all kinds :-) it makes me feel good mentally/physically
    7. good health or always working toward it
    8. hugs, lots of them ( )
    9. sun/stars/moon/water-nature all of it- gives me peace and shows me how unique and wonderful each and every living thing is/thankful for each day
    10. and finally yes it too is nature, but, animals, especially dogs, unconditional love /companionship, a persons best friend.

  15. I would say the Ten things..well the ten things........

    1. Satisfaction
    2. Necessities/Materialism
    3. Dodging lifes threats
    4. Returning to safety
    5. Pedaling faster than a locomotive
    6. Riding the tides
    7. Reminiscing
    8. Organizing space, time, and money
    9. Minding elders
    10. Caress

  16. 1. Playing with my nieces and nephews
    2. Chatting with mum & mum-in-law
    3. Cooking up a (nasty) meal for hubby
    4. Having space to grow plenty of herbs n fruits
    5. Bed time chats n prayers with hubby
    6. Reading God's Word n finding directions
    7. Catching up with old pals
    8. Going offline for a whole day
    9. Work well done & gracious clients
    10. Constant snorkel to enjoy the view beneath

  17. Ten things that define quality of life:

    1) Feeling love
    2) Feeling loved
    3) Having a personal mission
    4) Feeling respected
    5) Health
    6) Mental clarity
    7) Paying attention to the wonders of nature
    8) Faith
    9) Sharing laughter
    10) Deep, hearfelt communication

    Betsy S. Franz
    http://thenaturelady.blogspot.com/

  18. Nice amount of comments in so little time, I have to join and agree, no doubt it is a great post. the site is awesome

Leave a Reply