It is not length of life, but depth of life.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Because there is a big difference between living and merely existing…
- Educate yourself until the day you die. – The time and energy you invest in your education will change your life. You are a product of what you know. The more knowledge you acquire, the more control you have over your life.
- Take good care of your body. – Your body is the greatest tool you’ll ever own. It impacts every step you take and every move you make. Nourish it, exercise it, and rest it.
- Spend as much time as possible with the people you love. – Human beings are emotional creatures. Family and close friends makeup the core of your emotional support system. The more you nurture them, the more they will nurture you.
- Be a part of something you believe in. – This could be anything. Some people take an active role in their local city council, some find refuge in religious faith, some join social clubs supporting causes they believe in, and others find passion in their careers. In each case the psychological outcome is the same. They engage themselves in something they strongly believe in. This engagement brings happiness and meaning into their lives.
- Excel at what you do. – There’s no point in doing something if you aren’t going to do it right. Excel at your work and excel at your hobbies. Develop a reputation for yourself, a reputation for consistent excellence.
- Live below your means. – Live a comfortable life, not a wasteful one. Do not spend to impress others. Do not live life trying to fool yourself into thinking wealth is measured in material objects. Manage your money wisely so your money does not manage you. Always live well below your means.
- Be self-sufficient. – Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is the greatest freedom.
- Build a comfortable, loving household. – Home is where the heart is. Your home should be comfortable and lined with love. It should be a place that brings the whole family together.
- Always be honest with yourself and others. – Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless.
- Respect elders. Respect minors. Respect everyone. – There are no boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be respected. Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother.
- Mix it up. Try different things. – Seek as many new life experiences as possible and be sure to share them with the people you love. After all, your life’s story is simply a string of experiences. The more experiences you have, the more interesting your story gets.
- Take full ownership of your actions. – Either you own up to your actions or your actions will ultimately own you.
- Over-deliver on all your promises. – Some people habitually make promises they are just barely able to fulfill. They promise perfection and deliver mediocrity. If you want to boost your personal value, do the exact opposite. Slightly under-sell your capabilities so that you’re always able to over-deliver. It will seem to others like you’re habitually going above and beyond the call of duty.
- Listen more. Talk less. – The more you listen and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss.
- Focus more on less. – Think in terms of Karate: A black belt seems far more impressive than a brown belt. But does a brown belt really seem any more impressive than a red belt? Probably not to most people. Remember that society elevates experts high onto a pedestal. Hard work matters, but not if it’s scattered in diverse directions. Focus on less and master it all.
- Exploit the resources you do have access to. – The average person is usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs of emotional happiness. How could someone in such a restricted physical state be so happy? The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have. Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.
- Savor the natural joys of simple pleasures. – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best things in life are free. They come in the form of simple pleasures and they appear right in front of you at various locations and arbitrary times. They are governed by Mother Nature and situational circumstance and captured by mindful awareness. It’s all about taking a moment to notice the orange and pink sunset reflecting off the pond water as you hold hands with someone you love. Noticing these moments and taking part in them regularly will bring unpredictable bursts of happiness into your life.
- Reflect on your goals and direction. – Not doing so is committing to wasteful misdirection. The process of self reflection helps maintain a conscious awareness of where you’ve been and where you intend to go, giving you the ability to realign your trajectory when necessary.
- Leave time for spontaneous excursions. – Sometimes opportunity knocks at unexpected times. Make sure you have enough flexibility in your schedule to respond accordingly.
- Be here now. – Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life. Don’t miss it.
Additional Reading Material and Sources:
- Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives
- The Life You Were Born to Live: A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose
- The 4-Hour Workweek – Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere
Photo by: Shoothead
Christopher says
Wow. I just posted this on Facebook to share with all my friends. This is so great and true.
Bud Hennekes says
Great read!
Far too many people merely exist.
I loved this one:
Take full ownership of your actions. – Either you own up to your actions or your actions will ultimately own you.
Taking full responsibility for your life is essential.
Aesthetic Thoughts says
A very inspiring read. Will put these tips to practice for sure. Thank you!
Enjoy your day
xoxo
Perspective Shift Chris says
This was a very excellent post and I wish more people adopted this way of thinking. I feel that if more people can hop on this train of thought, our entire world will drastically change for the better. I suppose the first step is focusing on these things on a personal level.
Really good post, keep it up 🙂
Elizar says
It’s great having people like you in this world. It’s really hard to recognize ourselves when we are just dealing with our own personal issues. So reading this kind of article really helps me to improve my way of living. Albeit i can’t say that i am completely changed by this, but it really does have an impact upon my mindset… THANK YOU so much.
Mark says
Nice One
Sarah says
I do like to listen more and talk less. Sometimes people think that I am a pervert because I don’t talk much. Weird.
mack says
Great article! I like first two. To me they are most important, education and health.
dethrophes says
Focus more on less
If your only goal is to impress others, then maybe if your goal is to be all you can be then overspecialisation is a weakness.
Glen Gunnell says
Good stuff. The only thing is I don’t agree with “living below your means” but I do believe in creating more value then you consume. They might seem similar on the surface but the first one comes from a paradigm of scarcity while the 2nd one comes from a paradigm of abundance.
jyotibasu says
Nobody gets to live life backward. So look ahead, that’s where your future lies
Michael - Fat Loss Tips says
WOW… this is an awesome list. Much better then the email forward going around these days of inspirational sunsets and landscapes.
Mike
Dentist Reviews says
Gotta agree with the be part of something you believe in …. I jumped off the employee wagon and started my own business … have more energy now than when I was 19
Squirrelers says
Excellent list. If we could try to keep all of these things in mind as we go about our day to day lives, we would be much better off and live richer lives. In this case, “richer” has meanings beyond financial.
One more thing I would like to add is to be generous. Giving can make a big difference in the lives of those to whom you offer your time, resources, and friendship. Plus, it will make you feel and might come back to help you indirectly in so many ways. The key is to give without having expectations of receiving, in my view. Counterintutive? Perhaps, but I belive in this, as do many others!
Again, excellent list. Thanks for sharing!
Léo says
Simply great.
Guy Jarvie says
Living Life? That was my idea!
Paul says
Live life with full of joy and enjoy every moment of life is secret for long life
Cherry says
This list is superb. It’s subtly different, more specific than so many lists of this kind that i’ve read. It chimes very closely with what I already feel but adds so much to it. I am going to read and reread it daily.
Thank you for this.
Laura says
I keep looking for the one about a sense of humor. I don’t know how anyone can get through life happily or at least calmly without a good sense of humor. It must be developed.
Clifton Dzuro says
Thank you for providing this great read.
Brad Warren says
I’m a 17 year old in my last year of highschool i have no clue how to get to where i want to be, but these guidlines are a great way to start. thank you very inspirational.
Anna says
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Mollie says
Thank you so much for this! I’m 16 and I’m happy to just be. All I want to do with my life is help other people because that’s what makes me happy. Experiencing the cultures of others opens my mind up to the world. I really believe in equality and peace and giving opportunities to people who don’t have many. I’ve been given so much in life, and many of those things are not material. There is so much love inside of all of us and I think we just need to learn to share it with one another. Thank you again! -Mollie
Carl@ sciatica exercises says
This is definitely how to live your life the fullest the right way. A great guide indeed. Some people just doesn’t appreciate the simple pleasure of life.
Jesse @ Vehicle Review Blog says
I am a huge advocate of self education. I am constantly learning new things and working hard to push myself to become better at the things that I do in life.
A while back I taught myself some computer programming. I had absolutely no need for programming in my life and still to this day I haven’t really used the new found skill, but I wanted to learn something that I didn’t know and somehow ended up with a book on C++, so I got started.
I just don’t think it is good for anyone to allow their brain to sit idle, you have to keep feeding it information.
Denise Duffield-Thomas says
I love using what I’ve got – I’ve started to realise that I have particular quirks and skills and just exploit those over trying to overcome my weaknesses.
This is a great list thanks – much to ponder (especially listening more and talking less!)
x Denise DT
Mell says
Awesome list. Very inspirational!
prox says
I really like this list. I have struggled and was confused for a long time on how to live this kind of life… now i have realized there is no particular formula about how to live, its a choice that we make everyday. And we are entitled to it. Thanks for these reminders.
Mehboob ALi Yousafzai says
Nice article. I connect with what you say here.
Niranjan J says
Great! A must read for all the people who really need a little change in life.
The Personal Trainer says
Great guidelines to living the life the right way. Be disciplined and stay positive. Not easy tasks to do but doable of course. Stay motivated 🙂
Rainer Proksch says
Wonderful article. It is really helpful to all sorts of people. Those who find it difficult to live a peaceful life have a lot to learn from this. Thanks for sharing these great thoughts.
Rupali says
Our Life is not always the same. It brings happiness as well as sadness. Sometimes life is very simple and at other times it’s very complicated. I think we should live our lives like kings and queens; then each day of our life will become extremely beautiful.