Eudaimonia: the joy of excellence, self-actualization, the happiness of doing something you love and excelling at it

At this month’s servant leader meeting, we asked our attendees about a word or short phrase that came to mind when they thought of human flourishing. Some familiar words and phrases brought up in August’s meeting around the idea of what human flourishing looks or feels like: 

curiosity / thriving / hope realized / identifying awe / creativity / authenticity / satisfaction / space / pure joy / passion / stillness in motion / gratitude / wholeness

One word stood out from the others: Eudaimonia.

Looking at servant leadership through the lens of eudaimonia—Aristotle’s concept of human flourishing through virtue, moral purpose, and realizing one’s true potential—moves the focus away from simple happiness or job satisfaction (Hedonic well-being) toward meaningful living, moral excellence, and personal growth.

We’ll be talking about this in-depth in September, so stay tuned for more details!