What is The Good Life: Purpose, Progress, and Presence

Are you ambitious but feeling overwhelmed? Are your goals feeling too far away?

We cover this and more in: What Is The Good Life?

The Grant Spark Show ep. 361: Chasing the Good Life & Why More People Are Not Living The Good Life!

• Audio Podcast: Chasing the Good Life on Spotify
• Video Podcast: Chasing the Good Life on YouTube

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to The Good Life
00:30 Ancient Greek Philosophy on The Good Life
03:37 Modern Interpretation of The Good Life
05:03 The Importance of Presence
07:06 Purpose and Progress
12:30 The Role of Moderation
14:15 Living with Integrity and Action
18:35 Avoiding the Illusion of The Good Life
21:51 Respecting Individual Dreams
22:46 The Systems We Live In
24:35 The Value of Stillness
25:31 Measuring Success Differently
29:59 The Fear of Self-Encounter
32:20 Living with Purpose
37:07 Valuing Presence
38:41 Engaging in Contribution

What Is the Good Life? How to Stop Chasing It and Start Living It

If you asked ten people what is the good life, you’d get ten different answers—and most would involve beach houses, freedom from debt, and maybe a little champagne on a Tuesday.

But the real Good Life? It’s far more ancient, far simpler, and far more accessible than most people think. The problem is—we’re sprinting past it.

This idea isn’t new. The Greeks had a word for it: Eudaimonia. It didn’t mean “happiness” or “pleasure.” It meant flourishing. Living with virtue, reason, and purpose. Aristotle believed the Good Life was achieved not through excess, but through balance—through arete, the pursuit of excellence in all things.

To live well, they said, was to live in alignment with your purpose, to reason clearly, to strive for excellence, and to contribute to the well-being of others.

It was the middle road between extremes: not too much, not too little. Feast, but don’t gorge. Fast, but don’t faint. Work hard, but don’t become a machine. The Greeks believed moderation wasn’t weakness—it was wisdom.

The Modern Meaning of the Good Life

Fast-forward a few thousand years, and we’ve traded reason for dopamine. We’ve replaced meaning with metrics. We scroll, consume, compare—and call that living.

Today, the Good Life looks like freedom and fulfillment.
Freedom to do what you love.
Fulfillment in your relationships, health, and purpose.
Enough stability to sleep well.
Enough curiosity to wake up excited.

It’s less about having everything and more about feeling whole.

But here’s the question that keeps me up at night:
If it’s that simple… why don’t more people live it?

The Table Mountain Lesson

Let me tell you a story.

Years ago, I was studying abroad on Semester at Sea. When we reached Cape Town, South Africa, I decided to hike Table Mountain. My group was taking it slow, enjoying the view. But I’m Mr. Goal-Getter, so I sprinted ahead. I finished hours early, triumphant—and alone.

From the top, I could see their tiny heads below, moving slowly. They looked miserable… until I listened closer. They were laughing. Enjoying the climb.

Meanwhile, I was at the summit—accomplished, empty, and already craving the next goal.

That moment hit me like lightning: the Good Life isn’t a finish line. It’s being present while you climb.

You can achieve everything you set out for and still feel hollow if you never stop to feel it.

The Framework: Purpose + Progress + Presence

If you zoom out far enough, the Good Life can be boiled down to three pillars:

• Purpose – We are teleological beings. We need direction. Like a homing pigeon, we can’t go long without a “where.”
• Progress – It’s not about perfection, but the feeling of meaningful movement toward a worthy goal.
• Presence – The ability to be here now—to actually experience the goodness while it’s happening.
• Purpose + Progress + Presence = The Good Life.

If you’ve always dreamed of living on a farm, it’s not just about the harvest. It’s about finding joy in the planting, the weeding, the watering. It’s about being there for the work itself.

Complain less. Participate more. Because the moment you complain, you step out of the present and into fantasy. You trade reality for illusion—and the Good Life for a highlight reel.

Why Most People Don’t Live the Good Life

There are three main reasons people don’t experience the Good Life, even though it’s right in front of them.

1. We’re Chasing the Marketed Life, Not the Good Life

Most people aren’t chasing their Good Life—they’re chasing someone else’s.

We’ve been sold the idea that success equals followers, abs, cars, and validation. But that’s not living—that’s auditioning. If your definition of happiness was downloaded from your feed, you’re living someone else’s dream.

The Good Life is not a performance. It’s not curated. It’s integrated. It’s not about looking good online—it’s about feeling whole offline.

You can and should do anything. But you shouldn’t do everything.

When you stop hustling for applause and start listening for alignment, you’ll realize: you already have the raw materials for joy. Meaning. Love. Purpose. They’re not in the next purchase—they’re already inside you.

2. The System Doesn’t Reward Stillness

Our society rewards output, not peace. You are measured by your productivity: GDP, ROI, KPIs. The algorithms literally think you’ve died if you stop posting for a week.

We live in a world where rest feels like rebellion.

But what if we measured life differently?
Not in dollars or data—but in sunsets and conversations.
In waves caught. In laughter shared. In coffees with friends.

That which gets measured gets managed. So maybe it’s time to measure your joy, not just your output.

People are sprinting through life trying to earn what can only be experienced by slowing down.

Stillness isn’t laziness—it’s sacred. Every time I sit down to meditate, I think, “Why did it take so long to get here?” Because our systems don’t reward stillness. But the soul does.

3. We’re Afraid to Meet Ourselves

Here’s the deepest truth: we avoid the Good Life because we’re afraid of self-encounter.

Busyness is emotional anesthesia. It numbs the pain—but it also numbs the joy.

If you slow down long enough to listen, you might hear truths you’ve avoided:

• “I’m in the wrong career.”
• “This relationship drains me.”
• “These beliefs aren’t even mine.”

Stillness is a mirror, and most people aren’t ready to look.

But the Greeks, the Buddhists, the Stoics—they all said the same thing: Know thyself.
You can’t live the Good Life without first facing the real you.

The Spark Freedom Framework and the Good Life

In my State of the Spark philosophy, there are four stages: Spark, Ignite, Explode, Radiate.
And they line up perfectly with the journey toward the Good Life.

• Spark Your Vision – Get radically clear on what matters. What do you actually want? Not what you’re told to want, but what your soul wants.
• Ignite Your Success – Take massive action aligned with your purpose. Integrity means integrating your beliefs with your behavior.
• Explode Your Significance – Make your life about more than yourself. True purpose is found in impact.
• Radiate Your Purpose – Learn to receive the moment. Celebrate not just the win, but the walk.

Because the Good Life isn’t just about producing—it’s about receiving. It’s the quiet peace that comes when your outer world aligns with your inner one.

Living the Good Life: A Practical Guide

Here’s how you can start living the Good Life—today, for free.

1. Be Led by Purpose

Your “why” is your compass. It’s not about output—it’s about orientation.

Spend 20 minutes this week crafting or revisiting your personal mission statement. Not your business mission—your life mission.

Ask yourself:

• What would I do if I weren’t afraid?
• Who would I be if no one were watching?
• What impact do I want to leave behind?

You can’t chase the Good Life until you define what “good” means to you.

2. Focus on Incremental Growth

Growth isn’t about big launches—it’s about small, daily wins.

You want to write a book? Write one page.
You want to get healthy? Walk for ten minutes.
You want to find peace? Breathe intentionally for sixty seconds.

Consistency beats intensity. Always.

When someone wants everything, they’ve clarified nothing. The older I get, the more I realize: The Good Life isn’t discovered—it’s remembered.

We remember what we loved before the noise. We return to what always mattered.

3. Value Presence

If you’re with someone—even someone difficult—be with them.

Find the lesson in that moment. Maybe you’re learning patience. Maybe you’re being invited to compassion.

If you’re surrounded by good people, stop buzzing like Martha in the kitchen and start sitting like Mary at the table.

Value presence. Schedule five-minute “pause breaks.” Step outside. Feel the air. Ask someone how they’re really doing.

Presence turns ordinary moments into sacred ones.

4. Engage in Contribution

The Good Life is never solo. It’s shared.

We are coral reefs, not lone sharks. We are colonies of light, not isolated flames.

Text someone encouragement. Give away your favorite book. Bring groceries to a struggling neighbor.

When you shift from survival to service, you multiply meaning.
That’s the secret of significance.

The Paradox of the Good Life

Here’s the paradox: the Good Life cannot be earned. It can only be experienced.

You can’t buy it, fake it, or fast-track it.
You can only notice it.

It’s in the cup of coffee before dawn.
The tired smile after good work.
The sunset that stops you mid-sentence.

The Good Life is not a destination. It’s a direction.
It’s not perfection—it’s presence.

When you live with purpose, make progress on what matters, and stay present through it all—you’ve already arrived.

Your Call to Action: Live the Good Life, Starting Now

So, what is the good life?
It’s not the marketed life.
It’s not the loud life.
It’s not the perfect life.

It’s the integrated life—where your purpose, progress, and presence align.

It’s the life that measures success not by numbers, but by moments.
Not by applause, but by alignment.
Not by “someday,” but by today.

So, take a breath.
Spark your vision.
Ignite your success.
Explode your significance.
Radiate your purpose.

The Good Life isn’t something to chase—it’s something to remember.

Because in the end, the mission is the same as it’s always been:
Igniting lives of explosive significance—starting with your own.