Terms in this set (5) Aristotle believes that the starting point in ethics is ‘ how should we live?’ . He believes that if you aim to be a virtuous person then all good moral decisions will follow.

According to Aristotle, happiness consists in achieving, through the course of a whole lifetime, all the goods — health, wealth, knowledge, friends, etc. — that lead to the perfection of human nature and to the enrichment of human life. This requires us to make choices, some of which may be very difficult.

He says, not that happiness is virtue, but that it is virtuous activity. Living well consists in doing something, not just being in a certain state or condition. At the same time, Aristotle makes it clear that in order to be happy one must possess others goods as well—such goods as friends, wealth, and power.

Aristotle specifically mentions the life of gratification (pleasure, comfort, etc), the life of money-making, the life of (political) action, and the philosophical life, i.e., the life of contemplation or study.

He was remarkable for the absolute command he maintained over his emotions and his apparent indifference to physical hardships. Corresponding to these personal qualities was his commitment to the doctrine that reason, properly cultivated, can and ought to be the all-controlling factor in human life.

It’s the feeling of truly enjoying your life, and the desire to make the very best of it. Happiness is the “secret sauce” that can help us be and do our best.

“The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself, but creating yourself anew. Seek therefore, not to find out Who You Are, but seek to determine Who You Want to Be.” Neale Donald Walsch.

Some people believe that to enjoy life, they need to do things like: Earn more money….

• Practice Gratitude. It’s impossible to feel both grateful and unhappy at the same time.
• Work on Mindfulness.
• Put Yourself First.
• Be Kind to Yourself.
• Rest and Recuperate.
• Celebrate Small Wins.
• Invest in Yourself.
• Nurture Positive Relationships.

Never lose sight of these 7 critical things in life.

• Peace. Rule #1, protect your peace.
• Health. So many of us take our health for granted until something life-changing happens, and our health becomes at risk.
• Family & Friendship. Our relationships are our foundation.
• Purpose. Purpose is our “why.”
• Time.
• Learning.
• Love.

Put simply, what is most important in my life is cultivating the ability to help people be happy, and to relieve them of the suffering they experience. The ability to help people be happy and suffer less is what I call true love, which I think has three essential components: kindness, compassion, and equanimity.