Many have written about each of the three keys in various ways over the thousands of years since the written word came into being. But my approach is a bit different than that of earlier writers. Furthermore, the three keys are definitely worth repeating.
Key #1: Seek to Be a Good Person
The specific definition of what it is to be a good person varies between different cultures and even different individuals. But there are several general characteristics that we (civilized folks) feel a good person has. We are happier ourselves when we have them, and we enjoy being around others who possess them.
These characteristics include compassion, discipline, honesty, integrity, love, and truthfulness. A good person doesn't make a practice of cheating, gossiping, killing, lying, stealing, etc.
Key #2: Seek to Do Good
If you are seeking to be a good person, doing good will follow. Doing good puts being good into practice by doing things to help others. Taking time to find needs and to meet them is what doing good is all about. This can include donating time and money to charities, picking up litter, visiting the sick and elderly, babysitting children, and working in a job that benefits others. Sometimes just listening to someone who needs to be heard is a key aspect of doing good.
Lots of opportunities exist to do good. These opportunities may be in your family, school, workplace, neighborhood, city, county, state, country, or somewhere else in the world.
Acquiring a quality education and using it in a career that benefits others is part of doing good, too. The better we develop and use our skills the more we can help others and ourselves.
Key #3: Seek to Have Fun
Having fun is an important part of a balanced life. If you seek to be a good person and to do good for others, often you will have fun as part of that. Indeed, taking time to fellowship with others is part of being good and doing good. Enjoy life.
To truly succeed, you have to enjoy life. Too many persons who seek to be good persons and to do good burn themselves out by trying to do too much. That is not truly being good and doing good. Such persons typically do both themselves and others harm over the long term.
A balanced life includes time for rest, fellowship, leisure, and exercise. Having fun is part of a successful life. Ideally, you will have fun while being a good person and doing good. It is a blessing to be doing service that you enjoy that benefits others. If you enjoy your job and have fun doing it, then that is a true blessing, and in a sense your job is not work.
Concluding Thoughts
Part of being good, doing good, and having fun is helping others to do these things, too. As we all work together to help one another, we better ourselves and the world. Furthermore, thanks to this team effort, no individual must do extremely hard labor or work extremely long hours.
The three keys to success that I listed above (being good, doing good, and having fun), can be simplified by replacing them with one single statement: Put God first and your life will improve.
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| This photo is of a plaque I purchased for $2 at a Family Dollar store. I think it nicely states the key to success. Disclosure: I work part-time as a store clerk for a Family Dollar store. |
If we put God (the highest righteous authority) first, and always seek to do the right thing:
(1) we will naturally come closer toward being a good person,
(2) we will do more good for others,
(3) and we will take time for fellowship + recreation + rest. We will have fun.
Indeed, we will have fun being good and doing good as long as we do it God's way by following the leading of the highest righteous authority (God). This is my personal view, but the basic concepts I am writing about are not new.
Many centuries ago, Buddha urged persons to "be good and do good" according to some English translations of words credited to him. This is good advice.
Jesus took it a step further when he instructed his followers to love even their enemies according to the New Testament gospels. As I see it, demonstrating love for God, others, and ourselves is basically what Jesus, Buddha, and many other spiritual leaders taught.
By being good, doing good, and having fun we practice this love. We humans will never perfectly practice this love, but the closer we come to it the better for us and for our world.
NOTE: This article was last revised on March 1, 2017.
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