Persuasive Essay Sample: Important Traits to Live a Happy Life

In my opinion, having a good life is when you have a self-satisfying, purposeful, and meaningful life. So the 3 most important traits a person must have to live a good life are being driven, being compassionate, and being confident. Now, I’ll define what these traits mean. 1) What is being driven? When a person is driven, they are strongly compelled or motivated to achieve a goal, to go above and beyond. 2) To have compassion, unlike empathy that does not have an active part in it, is to not only realize others’ suffering but also want to take action to help relieve that suffering. And 3) Confidence is when you realize that you have no reason to compare yourself to others as well as being certain of your own abilities.

Firstly, I think that to live a good life, having the trait of being driven is extremely important. If you are driven to achieve something, that achievement is likely something that makes you the best you can be, or that it gives meaning and purpose to your life. Being driven by something can lead you to look at the upside of things, like instead of focusing on things that are not working out, you look at what is going well and push to be even better. An example of someone that has this trait is Jennie from the Kpop girl group, Blackpink. To become a Kpop idol it often takes years and years of rigorous training and discipline which takes a lot of motivation to keep going, to not give up, and the drive to eventually make it to debut. In a documentary about the girl group, Jennie had shared that they had to do monthly assessments and every time her trainers criticized her saying she won’t make it to debut she would take in those harsh criticisms as fuel to drive her to achieve her dreams and prove them wrong. Also, a quote that I think fully explains why I believe that drive is such an important trait is from Confucius, a Chinese philosopher: “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... These are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."

Secondly, having the trait of compassion is extremely important because it fosters meaningful connections, helps people solve problems, and improves your health and well-being. Compassion entails setting aside judgements and refusing to turn away from difficult situations; It's about empathizing with another person's difficulties and wishing to help and support them. Compassion is also an important tool for strengthening connections. You will be able to respond effectively in different ways to help others if you truly understand and care about what they are going through. Because of its potential to foster meaningful encounters, compassion has been found to benefit health and wellness. It compels us to acknowledge the injustice, cruelty and struggles others are facing. It also motivates us to be kind to one another. An example of someone with this quality is Kpop soloist, IU, she is not only admired for her talent in singing and acting but also because of how compassionate she is; in 2021 alone she has already donated 850 million won (roughly $900,000) worth of goods and supplies to various charities and organizations.

Finally, the trait I think that will help you live a good life is confidence. Confidence helps us feel prepared for the many adversities we have to face in life. When we're confident, we're more likely to seize opportunities rather than pass them up, same with when something doesn’t go our way, confidence encourages us to try again instead of giving up. People can be held back from realizing their full potential due to a lack of confidence. Additionally, a study from Brandeis University in Massachusetts and the University of Rochester in New York found that confident people tend to be healthier and live longer; this could be due to the positive emotions confidence gives, whereas people who lack confidence often struggle with fear, anxiety, and depression. A quote from someone that, in my opinion, has a good life and part of it is because of the confidence they have is Michael Jordan, “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” 

In conclusion, although everyone has a different opinion on what trait is most important for them to live a happy life, I think that for me, being driven, compassionate, and confident is the most important because being driven can assist you to achieve your dreams, being compassionate can help you to make meaningful connections, and being confident can unlock your full potential. With all 3 traits combined, I believe it is the key component to make you the best version of yourself and for you to live a good life.