We talk about striving all the time — but we should also talk about enjoyment.
After all, striving is meant to raise the quality of your own life. A life of abundance and genuine pleasure is the true destination of all that effort.
When it comes to “enjoying life,” I see five distinct levels. The higher you climb, the richer your joy. A few thoughts, for what they’re worth.
I hope you take something useful from this.
Level One: Learn to appreciate life’s basic pleasures — without obsessing over the details.
Eat and drink well. Sleep deeply. Satisfy your material desires selectively. Care for your health and treat it as something worth protecting.
Level Two: Build healthy rhythms into your life, and learn to regulate your emotions.
Develop a real appetite for knowledge. Let art and culture work on you.
Level Three: Cultivate genuine taste, and find small joys hidden in the details of everyday life.
Actively pursue your interests and hobbies. Gradually build a worldview rooted in openness and inner peace.
Level Four: Make peace with your own life — and face whatever comes with greater equanimity.
Stop blaming anyone for the misfortunes you encounter. Understand that this is simply life — impermanent, unpredictable, and interesting precisely because of it.
Level Five: Learn to command your emotions, and examine your negative thoughts with clear eyes.
No self-doubt. No fear. No anxiety. Learn to trace where these feelings originate, and practice guiding them with reason rather than being consumed by them.
If you can reach Level Three, you’re already living with real joy and fullness in your everyday life.
Reach Level Four, and you’re beginning to touch something rarer — the bearing of an immortal sage (仙风道骨), a quality of spirit that is effortlessly at ease and boundlessly joyful.
Let’s cultivate this together, slowly and steadily. With your depth of insight, Level Five is only a matter of time.