top of page
Search

Living a good life

We all want a good life. It seems like an obvious statement. But if you think for a moment, defining a good life is quite problematic. Is it a life of wealth? A life of freedom? A life of recognition, of love, of peace? The answer depends on who you ask, when you ask them, and in what phase of life they find themselves.

And yet, if you're working seriously on your personal brand, this is not a side question. It is a central one.

Your personal brand, after all, is not only a positioning tool for your business and career. It is a system you build to make your professional life contribute to the life you want to live. If there is no alignment between your brand and your definition of a good life, you may become visible and successful in the eyes of others, but misaligned and unfulfilled in your own.

That’s why this question deserves a deeper look.

What is a good life?

Philosophers have explored the question of the good life for centuries. Among the many voices in the Western tradition, Aristotle’s is one of the most enduring and practical. His reflections offer a framework that is surprisingly relevant for those of us navigating modern life, especially when thinking about our careers, our goals, and the brand we build for ourselves.

Let’s look at three concepts at the core of Aristotle’s answer.

1. Eudaimonia: the art of flourishing

The Greek term eudaimonia is often translated as “happiness,” but that doesn’t do it justice. What Aristotle meant was flourishing: the fulfilment of one’s potential, the experience of living fully and well, in alignment with one’s nature. It’s not a passing feeling of joy, but a sustained state of living with purpose, contribution, and coherence. It is a state of being in which a person lives in accordance with their highest capacities.

Eudaimonia is the highest human good. It is the goal behind all goals. When we pursue success, wealth, love or recognition, we do so because we believe these things will help us live a good life. But for Aristotle, eudaimonia is not the result of collecting external goods. It is the fruit of a life lived in harmony with our nature, honouring our capacity to grow, to reason, and to contribute.

A personal brand should embrace the pursuit of eudaimonia as its ultimate horizon: an aspiration to live and work with depth, coherence, and intentionality.

2. Entelekia: becoming what you are meant to be

To understand how we reach eudaimonia, Aristotle introduces the concept of entelekheia (or entelechia). It refers to the realisation of a being’s potential: the inner drive that leads something to become fully what it is.

A seed has within it the form of a tree. That form is not imposed from outside; it’s in its nature. The seed seeks to become a tree. That process of actualisation is its entelekheia.

Human beings also have a nature: we are rational, social, purposeful creatures. Our entelekheia is realised not when we merely survive or perform tasks, but when we live in alignment with our essence: when we act with reason, contribute to the world, cultivate relationships, and pursue excellence.

This means that eudaimonia is not a static state, but a dynamic journey: the fulfilment of our nature through time.

To realise our own entelekheia in the context of personal branding, we must understand what we need to develop in ourselves to reach that state of being.

This means constantly paying attention to what we do well in order to strengthen it, and honestly recognising what needs improvement so that we can grow into the best version of ourselves. Only by doing this inner work are we able to discern, choose, and contribute in ways that are consistent with our highest potential. That is what allows us to bring all the value we are capable of adding to the table.

3. Virtue: the path to flourishing

How do we realise our potential and live a life of eudaimonia? For Aristotle, the answer is: by practising virtue (aretē). Virtue is not about moral righteousness in a narrow sense. It means excellence in action.

Virtue is developed by habit, guided by reason, and expressed in the choices we make every day. It is the mean between extremes: courage lies between recklessness and cowardice, generosity between wastefulness and stinginess. Living virtuously means developing the practical wisdom (phronesis) to choose well, act well, and live well.

In modern terms, it means aligning our skills, decisions and behaviours with our deeper purpose. A virtuous life is a coherent life: one in which we are not constantly at war with ourselves or with the world.

In the development of a personal brand, seeking virtue means learning to identify the most reasonable course of action in each situation. It is the practice of finding balance: between our economic interest and the needs of our clients, between our ambition to advance and the wellbeing of our team or organisation.

Virtue is not a fixed rulebook. It is not something written in stone or mapped in templates. It is a living process: one we navigate with our moral compass and our capacity for sound judgement.

Living a good life

When you build your personal brand, you are shaping your professional identity, but also your life trajectory.

A personal brand that is disconnected from your nature will eventually betray you. It may bring attention, but it will drain your energy and feel hollow. On the contrary, a personal brand that is aligned with your values, your potential, and your desired contribution to the world can become a source of coherence, fulfilment, and long-term success.

That’s where Aristotle’s lesson becomes practical.

  • Your eudaimonia helps you shape your vision of success.

  • Your entelekheia helps you find the roadmap of your growth: what you are becoming, through your professional journey.

  • Your virtue is your daily practice: the excellence with which you show up in your work, your leadership, your choices.

Your personal brand strategy, then, is a tool to align your business and career with your deeper vision of a good life. It is a way to make your success sustainable, coherent, and fulfilling.

 
 
 

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page