The Good Life

I found this article from HBR to be OK. 
Six Ingredients of a Good Life

There is nothing in it to really argue with.  It states that it is 6 ingredients to a "good" life.  I would argue why settle for good?  We want a GREAT life.  That's the impatience in me coming out.  Before we get to great we have to get to good first.  Tony's six ingredients will certainly do that and with just a little extra focus on them can start moving you to great.

1)  Be open to learning.  One of the lessons I learned in 2010 was that if you are not getting smarter you must be going in reverse.  By searching for knowledge and being open to learning we continue to develop and at least stay relevant.  If we take it one step further and be voracious in our quest for knowledge we move from good to great.
2)  Accept yourself as you are.  No sense in trying to be something that you are not.  If you want to take this to great find one flaw that is obstructing your path to greatness.  Ask for feedback from people who are close to you at work and at home what one characteristic you can improve on.  Don't make excuses for yourself try to find a way to "stop" doing whatever it is.
3)  Impact the lives of others.  I was recently sent an article about the most gratifying lines of work.  Many health care professions were listed because of the gratification found in improving the quality of someone's life. Find ways that you can impact others to find the same kind of satisfaction.
4)  You only have one body.  Take care of it.  If you do not exercise find a way to work this into your daily regime.   Also, don't skip meals and stay away from fast food.  If fast food is your only alternative seek the healthiest items on the menu.
5)  Focus.  We certainly are living in a time of multi-tasking, but what I have found is that when I slow down and focus on one task at a time rather than several.  I actually get more done by the end of the day.  When we are distracted it causes errors and double work needs to be done. 
6) Relax.  There is a reason Covey sites mental and spiritual as two of the key "big rocks" on his Weekly Compass for the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  You need to clear your mind to make room for more.

At the end of the article is a link to an Energy Audit.  I strongly recommend checking it out.  Here are my results:
Mental: 4 - Imminent energy crisis
Physical: 2 - Moderate energy deficit
Emotional: 4 - Imminent energy crisis
Spiritual: 3 - Significant energy deficit

It looks like I have work to do. Let me know how you do.