What does it mean to practice philosophy?
Philosophy is not the act of pursuing the dream life or the “best life”, but is rather the pursuit of living well. To me, this means finding ways to maximize the quality of existence, with the idea that this will lead to a general increase in happiness and life satisfaction.
I often get caught up in seeking the “best” option, which leads to decision fatigue. This overthinking is often not necessary. If there are 100 options with 1 best option, there may be a good number of bad options, but there are also a large number of good enough options.
Focusing on the best solution wastes my time and prevents me from moving forward. Sometimes, I merely need to identify the general direction I should be going, like a compass.
Taking any step in that general direction can be the “best” option at the time, because at least I am moving forward. Moving forward lets me see what steps are possible in the future, often removing many of the previous options that I had been overthinking about.
With this in mind, I am trying to live my life with more intention, while taking more consistent actions that will enable me to live my life well. Small actions every day lead to large improvements over time. 1% better every day for a year is 37 times better than last year.
I don’t need to solve my life all in one day. I can take each day to build a better version of myself that leads to a more fulfilled and satisfied life. What do you wish you could be 37 times better at next year? Today is the day to get started.
If you found this helpful or interesting, I would love to hear your thoughts! The more we learn how this practice helps each of us, the more we can collectively improve. Please feel free to leave questions or comments below.
Continue reading about philosophy for troubled times with: Meeting Needs.
Find the full list of mindful thoughts here.
