#200 The 5 (Greek) Keys to Optimizing

We’re hitting another exciting milestone in our +1 series today: #200.

Let’s celebrate in style.

We celebrated #100 with one of my favorite Greek words: euthymia.

You may recall that euthymia is a word Seneca used to describe that feeling of calm confidence we have when we’re living an authentic, self-directed, meaningful life in accordance with our deepest sense of who we are. In English, the word euthymia is translated as “tranquility.”

I like to think of energized tranquility as the by-product of having a few other Greek concepts Optimized. I’ve been meditating on five of them lately as I think they capture the essence of what we’re up to really well.

Here they are:

Areté + Eudaimonia + en*theos + Hērōs + Euthymia

It all starts with Areté. As we know, the word directly translates as “virtue” or “excellence” but has a deeper meaning—something along the lines of “expressing our highest potential.” When? Moment to moment to moment. When we express what we’re capable of in any given moment there’s no room for regret or all the other negative stuff. We feel great. We flourish.

Which leads us to the next Greek word: Eudaimonia. The word eudaimonia literally means “good soul.” When we live with Areté, we’re on good terms with our inner soul. That feels REALLY good. Hence, having a “good soul” or eudaimonia was the Greek word for a deep sense of happiness and well-being.

In fact, when you put Areté + Eudaimonia together you could say that it’s as if God’s in the house. Which brings us to our next two little Greek words: en + theos. “God within.” Put them together and what do you get? Enthusiasm. When we’re living with Areté, high fiving our inner souls, we feel radiantly alive and energized—brimming with Divine enthusiasm.

Which leads us to what we DO with that energy. We become Hērōs. As we’ve discussed, the ancient root of the word Hērōs didn’t mean “tough guy” or “killer of bad guys.” It meant PROTECTOR. A Hero has strength for TWO. Their secret weapon? Love. Compassion. Empathy. A Hero cares. And, of course, the world needs Heroes today more than ever before. We need YOU to be a Hero—which is why we work so hard to help you Optimize so you can actualize your Heroic potential.

And, finally, what do we get when we integrate Areté + Eudaimonia + en*theos as we express ourselves as Hērōs?

Euthymia.

A calm confidence. An energized tranquility only discovered when you’re living in integrity with your highest values.

Let’s do that +1-style just a little more today!