How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science, and Practical Wisdom

by Jonathan Fields

Overview

Seriously . . . another book that tells you how to live a good life? Don’t we have enough of those?

You’d think so. Yet, more people than ever are walking through life disconnected, disengaged, dissatisfied, mired in regret, declining health, and a near maniacal state of gut-wrenching autopilot busyness.

Whatever is out there isn’t getting through. We don’t know who to trust. We don’t know what’s real and what’s fantasy. We don’t know how and where to begin and we don’t want to wade through another minute of advice that gives us hope, then saps our time and leaves us empty.

How to Live a Good Life is your antidote; a practical and provocative modern-day manual for the pursuit of a life well lived. No need for blind faith or surrender of intelligence; everything you’ll discover is immediately actionable and subject to validation through your own experience.

Drawn from the intersection of science, spirituality, and the author’s years-long quest to learn at the feet of masters from nearly every tradition and walk of life, this book offers a simple yet powerful model, the “Good Life Buckets ” —spend 30 days filling your buckets and reclaiming your life.

Each day will bring a new, practical yet powerful idea, along with a specific exploration designed to rekindle deep, loving, and compassionate relationships; cultivate vitality, radiance, and graceful ease; and leave you feeling lit up by the way you contribute to the world, like you’re doing the work you were put on the planet to do.

How to Live a Good Life is not just a book to be read; it’s a path to possibility, to be walked, then lived.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401946326
Publisher:	Hay House Inc.
Publication date:	03/13/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,155,906
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Fields is on a mission to inspire possibility. A New York City dad and husband, he founded the media and education venture Good Life Project®, where he and his team lead a global community in the quest to live more meaningful, connected, and vital lives; produce a top-rated podcast with millions of downloads; and offer a growing catalog of events, trainings, and courses. 800-CEO-READ named his last book, Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance, the #1 personal development book of the year. You can visit him online at www.goodlifeproject.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Who Is This Book For?

Who Am I to Write This Book, and How Is It Different?

Where Do the Ideas I'm about to Share Come From?

Let's Get Your Good Life Going!

The Good Life Buckets^™ 15

Your Vitality Bucket

Your Connection Bucket

Your Contribution Bucket

The Three Laws of the Buckets

How to Fill Your Good Life Buckets 23

Take Your 60-Second Snapshot

Draft Your Good Life Project® Team

Join Our Virtual Family

Two Paths: Deep Dive or 30-Day Challenge

Let's Make It Happen

Vitality Bucket 31

Wake Up

Make Exercise More Fun Than Sex

Snooze to Live

Take a Green Day

Get Your Gratitude On

Dance Like Nobody's Watching (Because They're Not)

Own the Unknown

Take a Forest Bath

Unfix Your Mind

Take the Slow Lane

Connection Bucket 99

Discover Your Social Set Point

Find Your People

Cultivate Compassion

Look Up!

The 60-Minute Love Bomb

Find Your Four Loves

What's Your Love Language?

Dial In to Source

Vanquish the Vampires

Uncage Your Conversation

Contribution Bucket 159

Spark Yourself

Know What Matters

Tap Your Strengths

Find Your Killer App

Get Out of Your Head

WOOP It Up

Give to Glow

Practice the Loving No

Love the Job You're With

Think Ripple, Not Wave

Bringing It Home 227

Endnotes 233

A Personal Invitation from Jonathan 235

Acknowledgments 237

About the Author 239

Interviews

New York City

Editorial Reviews

"We yearn for lives with more energy, enthusiasm, and connection—but where to start? The brilliant Jonathan Fields shows us, in this thought-provoking and action-provoking guide."—Gretchen Rubin, New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before

"How to Live a Good Life delivers on the promise of its title, with a plethora of practical tips and in-depth exercises to help you become the best you can be. Get off autopilot. And get into a life of positive energy, meaningful relationships, and powerful purpose."—Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell Is Human

"Many people over the years have considered the question of how to live a good life, but only one of them is Jonathan Fields. Drawn from Fields' wide-ranging intellectual sources and deeply kind heart, How to Live a Good Life is the one book you need to answer the one question that matters."—Susan Cain, co-founder of Quiet Revolution and New York Times best-selling author of Quiet

"'What is a good life?' has been a question asked by philosophers going back to the ancient Greeks. In How to Live a Good Life, Jonathan Fields provides simple, scientifically-validated daily prompts designed to help you find your own good life, and then live it."—Arianna Huffington, author of The Sleep Revolution and Thrive

"With an irresistible blend of soul, humility, and smarts, Jonathan Fields takes you by the hand down the path to the life you've longed for but didn't have a clue how to create—one full of meaning, connection, and fun."—Kris Carr, New York Times best-selling author of Crazy Sexy Diet and Crazy Sexy Kitchen

"Fields takes ideas from psychology, literature, and philosophy and blends them into a delicious fruit smoothie of wisdom. The book will help those who want to give their life more meaning, value, and deep breaths."—A.J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author of Drop Dead Healthy and My Life as an Experiment

"Fields does more than explain how a good life is possible—he gives point-by-point, actionable steps to make it so. It turns out that a good life, with all of its wonder, brilliance, and chaos, is far, far better than a perfect life. I can think of no wiser (or kinder) guide than Jonathan."—Susan Piver, author of Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation

"An incredibly wise, compassionate, and clear guide to living the good life. You'll immediately want to give it to your ten-year-younger self and say 'Read this right now!'"—Neil Pasricha, New York Times best-selling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation

"We've all been there: going through life on autopilot, feeling 'fine' but no longer excited about the dreams we once held so close to our hearts. How to Live a Good Life will dust off those dreams, bringing them out of forgotten places and back into view."—Chris Guillebeau, New York Times best-selling author of Born for This and The $100 Startup

"How to Live a Good Life skillfully pairs potentiality with action. Fields' voice is refreshingly down-to-earth and his enthusiasm is contagious. My 'Good Life' buckets runneth over after reading this book!"—Kristen Noel, Editor-in-Chief, Best Self

"Fields is shining his spotlight on possibility—not lofty dreams, not success strategies, not motivational techniques—but possibility. Straightforward, dynamic, and written with the vitality he wants readers to discover in themselves, this book explains how anyone can live a more energetic, joyful, and passionate life."—Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight

"Fields offers a simple yet powerful lens through which to look at your life and design your days—through connection, contribution, and vitality. His work is not just a wake-up call, it's a road map and a rousing reminder of your gifts"—Elena Brower, co-author of Art of Attention

"This book is a wake-up call to what really matters in life. Jonathan takes you on a journey where you'll pause, reflect, and prioritize what's most important to living a good life and then give you the simple tools to actually go live it."—Jadah Sellner, author of Simple Green Smoothies

From the Publisher