Engage with your world to leave daily grind behind

It’s 2025! It sounds like a date from the future, but here we are. Opening up a new calendar often comes with resolutions in the “new year, new me” vein. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed that this kind of self-improvement plan can tend toward the restrictive or punitive.

This time around, consider a focus on the good life. Philosopher Lorraine Besser from Middlebury suggests that by deeply engaging with the world as you go about your normal day, you can transform a daily grind into a psychologically rich experience.

Besser writes that this magic trick is available to anyone. She walks you through three strategies that can help you experience your world as interesting – a key component of living the good life. I can’t think of a better way to embark on a new year.

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