The Good Life Heuristic.

I believe this is the most important heuristic to keep in mind for the thing that matters most. For most people it's living a good life.

I learned this heuristic from Tai Lopez back in 2015 and I find myself revisiting it more and more when I reflect on my life. Over the years I've kept this heuristic top of mind.

Tai never gave it a name so I call it "The Good Life Heuristic" since Tai always says these are the pillars we need to focus on to achieve "The Good Life".


There are 4 Pillars.

  • Health
  • Wealth
  • Love
  • Happiness

Tai says do the first 3 and you'll get Happiness.

Within each pillar, they break down into sub categories.

Health

  • Mind
  • Body
  • Spirit

Wealth

  • Career
  • Business
  • Investments
  • Personal Finance

Love

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Romance
  • Colleagues

Since learning this, I've added a 5th Pillar:

  • Flow

Flow is doing activities that get us "in the zone" or where we're doing something effortlessly and time passes by quickly.

If we get Health, Wealth, Love and Flow right, then we'll find Happiness. Happiness as a word for Fulfillment and Contentment.

There's a Harvard study that's shown for a long and fulfilling life, one most prioritize strong social connections.

In a Ted Talk, Psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, the director managing this study stemming over 75 years says at the end.

Those who have deep, rich connections live longer and more fulfilled lives. That's why in marriages, when one person passes away, the other follows. Sometimes weeks, sometimes days.

Second, doing something that involves meaning is strongly correlated with living long

Both of these are largely on top of what you eat, if you exercise, if you don't smoke.

The good life is built with good relationships. —Robert Waldinger