Why You Should Stop Trying to Be a 'Good Person'

Why You Should Stop Trying to Be a 'Good Person'

Constant self-monitoring to be 'a good person' produces moral exhaustion. The identity work isn't what matters; specific actions in specific situations are. Most people who exhaust themselves trying to be 'good' would benefit from focusing on specific behaviour rather than identity.

What this means

Less ruminating about whether you're good. More attention to current decision. Less compensation for past failures. More forgiveness of self.

Ethics gets stronger when focused on specific situations rather than on maintaining identity. Most adults benefit from this reframe.