Crafting Your Path to an Excellent Life: A Framework for Flourishing

To live an excellent life, one must understand the foundational pillars that support true virtue, reason, purpose, and connection. In this discourse, we delve into these four fundamental elements that collectively foster a life of extraordinary significance. By exploring how these pillars interrelate, we illuminate the path toward not merely existing, but flourishing with intention and meaning. Our discussion aims to equip you with the necessary tools to embark on your personal journey toward excellence, whether you find yourself adrift in search of direction or striving for a more purposeful existence. We invite you to contemplate and develop these principles, recognizing that excellence is not a fixed destination, but rather an evolving journey that enriches every facet of life.

The pursuit of an excellent life encapsulates a profound inquiry into the essence of human existence. It is a question that transcends mere materialism, urging one to delve into deeper philosophical realms. The exploration begins with the identification of four cardinal pillars that serve as the foundational elements of excellence: virtue, reason, purpose, and connection. These pillars are not isolated constructs; rather, they interweave and support one another in the journey toward a flourishing life. Virtue emerges as the moral compass, guiding one’s actions and decisions, while reason provides the logical framework through which one can navigate complex situations. Purpose acts as a guiding star, illuminating the path of one’s endeavors, and connection underscores the inherent social nature of humanity, reminding us that excellence is seldom a solitary pursuit. The interplay of these elements cultivates an environment where excellence may organically manifest, fostering a continuous journey rather than a finite destination. This episode encourages listeners to reflect on their personal understanding of these concepts, ultimately guiding them toward a more intentional and meaningful existence.

Takeaways:

• Living an excellent life necessitates an understanding of the unique definition of excellence for oneself.
• The four foundational pillars of excellence are virtue, reason, purpose, and connection, which support one another.
• Excellence is not a fixed destination; rather, it is a continual journey of personal growth and development.
• Virtue serves as the moral compass, guiding our decisions and actions towards a life of integrity and meaning.
• Reason enables us to apply our virtues thoughtfully, ensuring our actions align with our moral values and goals.
• Purpose gives direction to our lives, acting as the guiding star that motivates our pursuit of excellence.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
What does it mean to live anexcellent life?
In this episode, we explorefour fundamental pillars that create
the foundation for truevirtue, reason, purpose, and connection.
You'll discover how theseelements work together to help you
create not just a good life,but an extraordinary one.

(00:20):
Whether you're feeling lost,seeking meaning, or simply want to
live more intentionally, thisframework will give you the tools
to begin your journey towards excellence.
Welcome to Live well andFlourish, where I help you understand

(00:42):
what it means to live aflourishing life.
I'm your host, Craig Van Slyke.
If you're ready to thinkbeyond material and external success,
if you're ready to takecontrol of who you are and the kind
of life you live, if you'reready to flourish, this is the podcast
for you.
Welcome to Live well andFlourish, the podcast that helps
you live an excellent life.

(01:03):
I'm here for that one reasonto help you live an excellent life.
Not just a good life, not justa successful life, but a truly excellent
life.
And yeah, I'll admit, I alsolove thinking about these big questions.
Before you can live anexcellent life, you have to understand
what that means.
I suppose you could stumbleonto excellence by accident, but

(01:26):
that's not likely.
What does it mean to live anexcellent life?
Despite the thousands of yearsof effort by philosophers, the truth
is, nobody knows, or moreprecisely, nobody knows what an excellent
life is for you.
That's something you have tofigure out for yourself.
If you truly seek excellence,you'll never stop pondering what

(01:49):
it means to live an excellent life.
So the question of excellenceis a big one and an important one.
I can't tell you what it meansfor you to be excellent, but I can
give you a start on figuringit out.
The good news, really goodnews, is that even though you may
never fully understand whatexcellence means in your life, you'll

(02:11):
live more excellently just forhaving pondered the question.
Remember, excellence isn't adestination, it's a journey.
To help you along yourjourney, I'm going to give you my
framework for living anexcellent life.
This is a framework, not a recipe.
In other words, I'm going togive you the foundational principles

(02:33):
of excellence as I see them.
You're going to have to fillin the details through learning,
attention, and reflection.
By doing so, you'll create theconditions that let excellence emerge
naturally.
There are four elements to myexcellence framework.
Four pillars supporting a lifeof excellence.

(02:53):
I've thought a lot about thisand tried to keep things straightforward,
although I wouldn't call it simple.
My pillars of excellence alignwith and pull from different philosophies
as interpreted by me, combinedwith my own reflections here are
my virtue, reason, purpose and connection.

(03:13):
Virtue is about being the kindof person you should be morally.
Virtue is the absolute bedrockof excellence.
Virtue is also what drivesyour actions, your decisions, and
to an extent, even yourthoughts and how you view the world.
To understand virtue, you haveto understand what it means to be
a good person.
To me, virtues are thecharacteristics of a good person

(03:36):
that make them courage,kindness, wisdom, honesty.
The list is slightly differentfor everybody.
The Stoics, for example, havefour cardinal wisdom, courage, justice
and temperance.
Ben Franklin had 13 virtuesthat he pursued.
You'll have a different list,one that may keep adapting throughout

(03:59):
your life.
The main point here is that tobe a good person, you have to understand
what a good person is.
Others lists can get youstarted, but at the end of the day,
your list is your list.
The second pillar is reason,as in the use of one's ability to
think logically.

(04:19):
Reason, in this context is theapplication of thoughtful reflection
to guide action.
In other words, it's thinkingabout what the right action is in
any situation.
Reason is about logic.
But it's not just about logic.
It's about logic directed atthe right goal.
That's where virtue comes backinto play.

(04:40):
Virtue guides what rightaction means.
But virtue and reason aren't enough.
You also need a purpose.
Aristotle wrote aboutexcellence in terms of living according
to nature, but he didn't meannature is in the natural environment.
At least not just the natural environment.
He means the true nature ofbeing human.

(05:02):
I believe, and many otherswould agree, that it is in the nature
of humans to live in pursuitof some purpose.
That purpose may never befully achieved, but it should always
be the star that guides yourlife's journey.
Connection the final elementof my framework also relates to the
nature of humans.

(05:24):
Humans are social creatures.
We feel a sense of unease whenwe lack connections to others.
This is an element of manyancient philosophies, and it's an
element of modern psychologyas well.
To live life well, you needrelationships with other humans.
Well, that's my list.
I've thought about otherelements, such as mindfulness and

(05:44):
acceptance, but I think theseare embedded in the ones that I presented.
Or maybe they amplify those.
Although I presented theseseparately, they really work together.
Virtue serves as your moralcompass and foundation.
It defines the values thatguide all your decisions and actions.
Without virtue, the otherpillars might lead you astray.

(06:06):
Purpose without ethicalboundaries could justify harmful
actions.
Reason without moral groundingcould become cold Calculation and
connection without virtuemight lead to toxic relationships.
Reason serves as the practicalapplication of your virtues.
It helps you determine how tolive virtuously in complex situations,

(06:28):
how to effectively pursue yourpurpose, and how to navigate relationships
thoughtfully.
Reason without the otherpillars would just be directionless
intellect.
That was not easy to say.
Directionless intellectualpurpose provides direction and meaning.
It channels your virtuouscharacter and reasoned thinking towards
meaningful goals that alignwith your values.

(06:50):
It gives you something tostrive for that transcends immediate
pleasures or concerns.
Without purpose, virtue andreason might exist without direction
and connections might lack depth.
Connection grounds everythingin human relationships.
It reminds you that excellenceis not a solitary pursuit.

(07:12):
It's a pursuit that emergeswithin community.
Connections provide feedbackto your virtues, challenge your reasoning,
and sometimes contribute toyour sense of purpose.
Without connection, the otherpillars might become theoretical
rather than lived experiences.
The real magic happens whenthese things work together in each,

(07:34):
supporting and strengtheningthe others.
Your virtues shape whatpurpose you find worthy.
Your purpose directs how youapply reason.
Your purpose and virtuesdirect how you apply reason.
Your reason helps youcultivate virtuous character.
And your connections providecontext for virtues, purpose and

(07:55):
reasoning.
This creates a selfreinforcing system where growth in
one area naturally promotesgrowth in the others, helping excellence
emerge organically over timerather than through forced effort.
So how do these pillars worktogether in practice?
When balanced and in harmony,they create a foundation for excellence

(08:15):
that's both stable and flexible.
This isn't about perfection,it's about integration.
On days when you feel lost,focus on connection.
When you feel ethicallychallenged, return to your virtues.
When you're confused, engageyour reason.
And when you feel adrift,reconnect with your purpose.

(08:38):
Excellence emerges not frommastering each pillar separately,
but from the ongoing interplaybetween them.
It's in that balancedinterplay that an excellent life
takes shape.
Here's what I want you to takeaway from all of this.
Living an excellent life isn'tabout following someone else's recipe
or checking off items on a list.

(09:00):
It's about understanding anddeveloping these four fundamental
aspects of human flourishing.
Virtue, reason, purpose, and connection.
When you work on these pillarstogether, excellence emerges naturally.
Not as a destination you'llreach one day, but as a way of being
that grows stronger with everystep of your journey.

(09:23):
You can't force excellence,but you can create the conditions
that allow it to emerge.
Until next time, stayexcellent, my friends.