Pura Vida: Living A Simple Life in the Midst of Chaos

Do you have a life motto?

Mine is Pura Vida, which literally means “pure life” or “simple life”. It’s a popular saying in Costa Rica, where people use it as an expression for just about anything.

Pura Vida can mean hello, goodbye, good morning, or have a great day. In a way, it is similar to how we Filipinos use “Mabuhay”, in that it can mean different things to different people.

What Pura Vida means to me

To me, Pura Vida is my reminder to live simply.

In this fast-paced world, living with intention is easier said than done. It is so easy to get distracted by things like our to-do lists, social media, bills, and the next payday. In our pursuit of success, we often end up neglecting our health, families, and time for ourselves. Our modern hustle culture pushes us to chase success like there’s no tomorrow.

That lifestyle used to resonate with me. As someone who grew up poor, I’ve always had this unquenchable need to be successful. I wanted to “make it”.

And so I worked long hours and filled my days with work. But despite reaching my financial goals, a part of me kept asking:

“Eto na yun?” Is this it?

Are we supposed to live our lives hustling away, spending hours in traffic and at our desks, away from our loved ones?

That’s when I realized that there must be something more to life than just working for money.

The Story of Two Cousins

I once heard this story of two cousins.

One of them was earning 300,000 pesos a month while the other was earning only 50,000. The cousin with the higher income had lots of clients and was financially successful. The downside was that she spent most of her time stuck at her desk and working long hours.

Eventually, this lifestyle caught up with her and she got sick. In the end, she didn’t just lose her clients, but also her savings. In her relentless pursuit of “success”, she ended up losing a lot of important things along the way.

The second cousin, on the other hand, was living simply in Siargao. Despite earning significantly less, she was healthier, happier, and led a more balanced life.

Based on that story, which cousin do you think was more “successful”?

The True Meaning of Success For Me

Different people have different versions of success. For others, it’s having lots of money in their bank account, just like the first cousin in the story.

I used to view it that way, too.

But as I’ve grown older, I’ve learned that being successful doesn’t just revolve around money. It also means having time to enjoy these financial blessings with the people that matter most to me.

Now, success means building a career around the kind of life that I want to lead, not the other way around. Yes, I love what I do, and I’ve worked hard for it. But instead of living to work, I want to use work as a tool to enjoy life and to bless others in return.

Like the cousin who spent a slower life on the island, I want to experience life at my own pace, to live it to the fullest.

I want to embody pura vida — a pure and simple life. 

Achieving Pura Vida

As I mentioned earlier, achieving Pura Vida is easier said than done. I’m not immune to the demands of the career that I’ve built for myself. Some days, you really just have to put your head down and do the work.

But you can’t fully experience Pura Vida if you fill your calendar with so many meetings and a never-ending list of tasks, either. That’s why I try my best to also practice work-life harmony, integrating productive work habits into my daily life. This is something that I’m consciously working on by managing my time, guarding my attention, and delegating effectively.

Some days it’s hard, and to be honest, I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way. But I’m learning — and that’s what matters most.

Does Pura Vida mean living a carefree life without problems?

Not at all.

Rather, it’s about accepting that life has its seasons and experiencing them fully, regardless of whether they’re good or bad, easy or challenging. It’s about being present at all times, whether you’re experiencing happiness, sadness, or pain.

Pura Vida doesn’t mean a perfect, carefree, or happy life. It’s about simply living it, challenges included.

Pura Vida: A By-Product of Love

Pura Vida is also, in a way, a by-product of love — of loving yourself and putting your loved ones first. From a simple Costa Rican saying that I encountered several years ago, it has become the guiding principle that reminds me that it’s okay to take things slow and enjoy life as it happens.

What about you? Do you live by a particular saying, motto, or principle?