I’m struck by how many people arrive at mid-life and discover what they thought would make them happy has utterly failed. They pursued the American Dream only to find that it turned, not into a nightmare (at least that would be interesting), but into a ho-hum, boring, uninspired existence. So, they do the typical midlife crisis sort of things, trying to prove their lives have some meaning, purpose, or impact. They engage in extra-marital affairs, buy sports cars, switch careers, undergo plastic surgery, go skydiving, etc. (The list goes on and on).
The problem with all these is that none of them have the potential to produce lasting change in a person’s sense of well-being, or happiness. We all pursue happiness, often forgetting that merely engaging in the pursuit doesn’t guarantee the desired result.
What does produce lasting happiness? Well, there are several things, but I want to focus on one of them: leading a virtuous life.
Yes, a Virtuous Life
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines virtue as “a behavior showing high moral standards.” How boring is that? First, it’s totally focused on behavior, though it does mention standards. Of course, what would be a high moral standard? Who gets to set the standard? Who decides what’s moral?
I think virtue has to do with character and the attitudes and behaviors that flow from that character. A happy life, a life of lasting meaning and satisfaction, is a life of character. Jesus says “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the hart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45 ESV). The heart that is virtuous produces virtue. The heart that lacks virtue produces evil and evil is in the life-destroying business.
What are the Virtues?
The classical virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and courage. However, Christians were never really satisfied with this list, so they look to Scripture and found what has been labeled the “Theological Virtues.” These are: Faith, Hope, and Love. But, perhaps there are more. The Fruit of the Spirit seems to be quite a good list of virtues: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). From all of this and from other sources I have developed my own list of Twelve Virtues that seem to combine other lists into a comprehensive whole:
The Twelve Virtues: Love, Faith, Hope, Wisdom, Justice, Self-Control, Courage, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, and Goodness. In a future post and book, I will explain these in greater detail. For now, they are relatively self-explanatory.
Pursue Virtues and Experience Happiness
Pursuing and cultivating the virtues has a kind of instant and long term payoff. Not only will you be aligning yourself with true north principles, but you will be producing the kind of life that you truly desire, a life of wholeness, impact, and the joy of leaving a lasting, positive legacy in the lives of others. Want to produce and enhance positive emotions in yourself and others? Love yourself and others. Cultivate faith in something or someone bigger than yourself (try the Creator God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). Develop a hopeful, optimistic outlook. Work on gaining perspective and wisdom and offer it to others. Live in a way that promotes a just world. Enhance your self-control, minimizing emotion-driven and impulsive behavior. Act courageously even when it’s not popular. Revel in the joy of living, even during challenging times. Pursue a peaceful demeanor. Practice patience. Be kind. Live a good life (a morally upright life). These virtues and the choices, attitudes, and behaviors they embody will go a long way to enhancing the experience of happiness that you desire and will promote happiness and wholeness in others.
Like I said earlier, there is much more on this to follow, how to cultivate the individual virtues, how all of this flows out of our true identity, and how a life of virtue is a happy and fulfilling life worth living.
Flourishing Life 
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