The mind, body, and soul are often lumped together as the three parts of our being. In many ways, life is the pursuit of nourishing each of those respective areas in a manner which is both satisfying and sustainable.
Naval Ravikant touched on a similar concept when he advocated for everyone to find three hobbies: one that makes you money, one that keeps you fit, and one that makes you creative. His framing is a useful one for surviving in the world we live in, but it is incomplete. Instead of hobbies, I prefer to think of mind, body, and soul as our three areas of focus. Each area requires a steady diet of habits, hobbies, and pastimes that combine to nourish the mind, body, and soul in equal measure.
Stimulating the mind is on the forefront of many. The most obvious example is the education, and how embedded into the fabric of society it is. From kindergarten, intermediate, high school through to university and even in professional work; the opportunity to up-skill is almost always available, and if not, the desire is there for it to be so. Outside of working full-time, we can exercise our minds through reading books, listening to podcasts, or taking online courses, among various other things.
Challenging the body is one area that is sacrificed as the burden of responsibility takes its toll. In our youth, I would argue that a large majority engaged in sports: specifically playing it. It, however is a well-stated phenomenon that the uptake of recreational sports and exercise in general reduces dramatically as people get into their high school and university years. Pressure to do A, B, and C means that notions of keeping fit and staying active are the first to be sacrificed. However true this may be, it is not a sustainable proposition. Taking our bodies so essential that we owe it to ourselves to not only stay active but also eat right. For me, I have taken a much bigger interest in challenging my body. This comes in the form of daily exercise, stretching, and strength and conditioning workouts on top of eating consciously.
Nourishing the soul is perhaps the most nebulous of the three areas. What does it mean exactly? For me, it is finding a steady of diet of things that makes life worth living. For me, this means making a commitment to always be there for the people closest to you. Another large part is finding what in the world makes you want to get up: making art, music, hiking, sports. Whatever it may be, there is nothing more satisfying than finding the communities that surround your areas of interest and engaging with them. In short, it is all about people and discovering how best you connect with them, and by extension, the world.