Sitting around a campfire one summer on a family camping trip, my aunt told the story of a philosophy professor she encountered in college. This professor would have lengthy debates with his students over the concept that, “If you know The Good, you’ll do The Good.”
The students would argue that they knew that going to a party, getting drunk, and staying up late instead of studying wasn’t “The Good” but they were still going to do it. The philosophy professor would then argue that they did not fully understand the benefits of The Good, and if they did they would do The Good.
This idea of knowing The Good pops into my head whenever I am in need of motivation to improve part of my life.
If I think eating lucky charms for three meals a day (as I did freshman year) isn’t The Good, then I will do some research. Reading that cutting sugar out of your diet can benefit your overall health including giving you clearer skin (as well as more serious stuff like reducing your risk of having heart disease or a stroke) gives me the motivation to improve.
I might even go down a rabbit hole and discover that there are entire cultures that experience no acne whatsoever, which is largely attributable to their non-Western diets, avoiding processed foods and dairy. I’m starting to get a picture of what The Good looks like.
This concept can be used in all areas of life. If you aren’t feeling satisfied with something, try learning all you can about it and let your new-found knowledge guide you toward The Good.
Know The Good. Do The Good. Be The Good.
#MoneyGoals
(Pictured: Flowers in the Brisbane City Botanic Garden. Brisbane, QLD, Australia. May 2017.)