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Practical Tips for Productive Living

5 Things You Should Be Able to Smile About in 5 Years

Written by // 58 Comments

40 Powerful Mantras to Help You Think Positive

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
?Mae West

Note: This post has been updated with new information, expanded upon, and moved to here:

5 Reasons My 90-Year-Old Grandma Smiled on Her Deathbed

Photo by: Joy Jordan

Comments

  2. One thing I definitely want to be able to smile about five years from now is accepting myself. By that I mean learning to be truly comfortable and honest with who I am. All my strengths, weaknesses and everything in between that makes me, ME.

    Thank you for this post.

    Reply

    • Dear Lewis, it has been one year since I’ve completely changed my life. From working in a sales department of a big company to move to Spanish Pyrenees in order to write my first novel. There are still days when I’m frightening but there are those when I’m so glad I did what I did. I will not write I’m happy because it wouldn’t be true, the feeling I gained is something more precious, it’s being peaceful. It takes courage to move in your direction but the rewards are big. Take care!

      Reply

      • This week, at the age of 49, I moved from Toronto to San Diego with one daughter starting high school and one staying back in University. Am I scared that I have impacted them in some way that may create instability and fear within them? Absolutely. At the same time I have to believe this will also give them courage and that they will make decisions in their life that will scare them but they will think to this exact time and have the same inner strength to take the risk because they believe in themselves.

        Timing is everything…when we are ready, the door swings wide open. I wish you a beautiful adventure ahead as you also take whatever leaps feel right for you.

  4. Marc,

    Great job. I enjoyed reading this blog. In 5 years down the road, I want to be able to smile about making a difference, big or small, in this world. I want to ask myself, “have I done the best that I can with what I had and took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves to make a difference?”, and answer a big YES. I want to be able to live my life to the fullest and have no regrets. We don’t get a redo in life.

    Majed Badra

    Reply

  6. From this moment onwards I want to make positive change in every aspect of my life without violating the rights of others. I wish the improvement I am going to have in the near future could also inspire others for leading a meaningful life.

    Reply

  7. I’ll be 70 tomorrow. Five years from now I’ll smile about still being alive. And I’ll smile about still having my sense of humor. And I’ll smile about still loving and still learning and still having gratitude.

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  8. Living Well so I can die knowing: I fulfilled my God given purpose on earth in life. Loved, Lived, took action, lead, followed. The blessings of love of my wife, children and grandchildren, respect of clients and peers. Gift of Giving and Serving. Laughing often and loudly.

    Reply

  9. I liked the post. Especially the words that we have to learn how to bury our past. We are always clinging on the past and on the words used by others in the past. Forget and move forward…..

    Reply

  10. In five years ‘ time, I would like to smile at how well my ex husband and I worked through my current separation. How kind & loving we were to each other, despite the hard journey we are both on at this moment in time.

    I want to be able to smile at him and remember the good times when we did love each other.

    I want to smile at the fact that I once loved truly and deeply, and most importantly how I was once truly and deeply loved.

    Reply

  11. Thank you for this challenge, it gives me focus right now as I move forward from divorce after decades of marriage. Five years from now I want to smile about being adventurous and courageous, about going after my dreams, about spreading positivity and hope, about standing up for what I believe, and about creating and appreciating beauty. I hope to be remembered for making others smile and helping others see their personal value.

    Reply

  12. I’m having a milestone birthday this year and all I have thought about is everything that I’m missing and I haven’t done. This article came at a great time. After reading this article, I believe I’m actually where I need to be. I have a loving husband and two wonderful kids. I have a job that I love and I have a large extended family that I am really close to. Thank you for writing this.

    Reply

  13. Thank you so very much for this very special article you wrote. It truly moved me,while dealing with a very difficult time in my relationship. I’m so happy to have you and your wife putting out such great work, while I’m on this journey of mine to live the best life I need to have.

    Reply

  14. Much to appreciate here, as always. Must add this update to the poem shared: my adult daughter and sons share pure hearts and lively, insightful intelligence along with bravery to be themselves. That’s proven to be a lasting pedigree, activating their chosen professions and empowering educational achievements. Heart and mind balance, enhance and optimize one another, for all of us.
    Thanks, M & A!

    Reply

  15. In 5 years from now i want to smile knowing that i finally found the courage to live the way i feel good living. I didn’t let anxiety for the unknown stop me from truly experiencing the adventure life is, and not just choosing to survive in a safe way.

    I want to smile that i, without deliberately hurting anyone else, finally started thinking about me and following my own path. And in doing so was able to benefit and add to the happiness of others.

    xx

    Reply

  16. Often I’m confused by WHAT EXACTLY I was born to do. I wonder if others have this problem as well. I know what I HAVE done so far and as you mentioned I never feel that it is enough! In 5 years I hope to smile about what I have been doing and to finally BELIEVE that it is good enough.

    Reply

  17. Marc and Angel, love your posts but had to point out that the phrase for #4 is not “piece” of mind but “peace” of mind…. : )

    Reply

  19. Five years from now I want to smile about having reached my goal: to leave behind the corporate world and live my life as a full-time artist. I want to own my own time, and be who I really am, and not be stuck in a freezing cold 10′ x 10′ beige cube all day.

    Reply

  20. In 5 years I want to smile about the possibilities that eminated from my courageous choice to move beyond my fears. I want to find humor in my thinking that swimming in fear was progress.

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  21. I want to smile about making people more happy, with more opportunities and better life! Sometimes we judged that life isn´t fair, but I think and act like likfe is how we want to look at and it´s all about Attiude! Be the best you can, think in others agains yourself (at least most of the time) and be like you want the others be for you.
    Great column today!! A big hug from Chile.

    Reply

  22. I want to smile about seeing my little sister in university without having fallen pregnant. It is an in thing to be a teen-mom in her township but I hope to be able to establish a transparent relationship with her. Also me and my brother to be through university, we are both headed for it next year. It won’t be easy, yet I hope not we don’t lose sight of our goals at hand. Making our parents proud will make all of their sacrifices worth it, they both use public transportation but never feel inadequate for not having a car. It is one of my goals to buy 1 for them.

    Reply

  23. Thanks you for hanging in there & slogging through that which uplifts the rest of us. By some people’s standards I may appear to be a failure: I live with a mental health disability, have never owned a home or a brand-new car, nor have I won any awards for my talents or intellectual achievement. Yet, I consider myself a success: as a domestic violence survivor back in 1993, I drove myself & my then toddler-age son across the country to start our lives over in a city & state where we arrived as total strangers. I wanted for my son to grow up feeling he belonged here; as a child of a military family, I knew all too well what it was like to constantly have to learn new houses, neighborhoods, & schools, while never being near grandparents or cousins. So, shortly after my arrival, I enrolled my son in 18 months-3 years HeadStart, where I was required to volunteer 1 day a week. While there, I began to meet other parents of same-aged children and became friends with some of them. I stepped up my involvement, taking swing- & graveyard-shift jobs so that I could always be a presence in my son’s schools, mentoring, teaching art projects, & chaperoning on field trips, as well as attending all his school functions. I did this so that my son wouldn’t feel different for being from out of town, with no dad & no family at his special events. Good friends became better friend, & then honorary family. My son’s friends (& their parents) came to know that our house was a safe & fun place to spend the night…& a few of those closest to my son are now considered his brothers…& me, their other mom.

    As things turned out, I succeeded in what I set out to do for my son: to build him an honorary extended family…but what I DIDN’T realize I was doing at the time proved even more important: I was creating a LEGACY: not only for him, but for all the other kids whose lives I touched along the way. I didn’t fully realize it when 4 years ago my son joined Facebook & friended me (& within the same week, at least a dozen of his friends followed suit–we now share close to 50 mutual friends); but I realize it now, when I go to watch my son play basketball at the park, & I can still see the sweet 2nd-grade boy in the eyes of a handsome young man I’m seeing again for the 1st time 15 years later…or the out-of-state ShoutOut on Facebook from a girl he was a 3rd-grade classmate of, who remembers the art project I did with their class. Or the two formerly “at-risk” boys who are now proud fathers of little girls, who call me their mom…so by extension, I’m their children’s other grandma.

    Now, that’s a LEGACY…

    Reply

  26. What an amazing article you have written. Thank you for writing your thoughts and helping us to remember to shift our focus and enjoy the present. So many good points. You picked your 5 things very well. 🙂

    Reply

  27. Thank you for writing this, it answers some of my questions about what’s next and what I’m supposed to do. It also reaffirms that faint voice inside that says look around its all right here in front of you.

    Reply

  28. Hi Marc and Angel,

    WOW. What a delightful post and I love the quote, too!

    Thanks for guiding us through this inspirational article.

    Thanks for not letting us down each time you provide new content.

    Have an awesome week!

    Luna

    Reply

  29. Amazing words! A lot of what you wrote really resonated with me. It comes at a perfect time too. Tomorrow I am giving a seminar on inspirational leadership to my district with 26 managers/leaders. This is definitely a reread before my seminar.

    Five years from now I want to have made a positive difference in the lives of the people I connect with on a regular basis, whether it be at work, at home, or through my blog.

    In 5 years my sons will be 15 and 11 and I want them to believe in themselves and never be afraid to try and reach out for their dreams. Hopefully through being inspired by the actions of their parents.

    Reply

  30. Five years from now I would like to be able to smile about getting off all of my meds. I would like to be able to say that I faced my fears and criticism from my family and completed my online class and I am using those skills I’ve learned to help people. That I finally learned to put myself first.

    Reply

  31. …It a very nice article and encouraging one to read. Thank you so much for sharing with us such wonderful words.

    In five years from now I wanna see my self smiling about the decisions i’ve made in life no matter how BIG or SMALL it was.

    Smile about being honest to who I am, to Danni that what i also wanna smile about “the fact that I was once loved and love, fact that I once had someone who can lift me up emotionally and gave me extra push to move forward”

    Smile at my Ex boyfriend and remind him how happy I was around him

    Reply

  33. Marc and Angel
    Thank you for all the wonderful words of wisdom you share with us.
    I recently moved from Adelaide to Hobart (Australia), transferred with my job at my request. I’ve been here 5 weeks now and the questions play over in my head. What have you done. You left a good network of friends etc etc. When I read your blogs, it re aligns me and reminds me. Hey, Debra, this is a new adventure and I’m grateful I’ve got the opportunity and courage to keep opening all the new doors.
    Thank you so much.
    Deb

    Reply

  35. I find one thing lacking in the five points that is an important part of my worldview. I have had people ask me when I was looking for a job, “What is it you want to do?” A large percentage have looked at me with bewilderment when I replied, “Whatever God wants me to do.” As a result I have had several careers and have felt God’s hand on me in each. I haven’t done many of the things I dreamed about as a young man, but have a peace about the failures and lack of opportunity that prevented me from achieving some of those dreams.

    Doing the Lord’s will is important to me and while I cannot say I have always been in the center of God’s will for my life or for the world as a whole, I can say that when I have turned the process over to Him, I have peace when I’ve gotten a rejection from a prospective employer because experience has taught me that much better things for me and my family await. When I have run ahead of his timing and sought my own purpose, trouble has come. He still blesses, but sometime that blessing is in rescue from a bad situation.

    So in five years, I want to be able to see myself having grown closer to God in my understanding of His being, His purpose, and His will, especially as they revolved around my life and my family. Where that will take me is to be determined.

    Reply

  36. Five years from now I want to be smiling at the fact that I was able to make a positive difference to someone’s life; that I lived my life on my own terms and not based on what others thought; that I had taken a long promised trip to Europe and that I was able to acquire some exhilarating experiences; that I was able to keep my faith even during the most difficult times the most difficult times; that I was able to keep my peace in an increasingly stressful world.

    Thank you Marc and Angel for your posts. They are truly inspiring; I can honestly say that they had had a positive impact on my life. I also have your book and after the Bible, it is my ” go-to” manual for managing in these difficult times. Continue the good work. Be blessed.

    Reply

  37. That I deeply influenced someone to work harder, try stronger and laugh louder than they ever thought they could.

    Reply

  38. Five years from now i will be graduating from college if God wills. I want to smile and be happy about making my college a better place,touching the hearts of people. I want to be happy about having peace of mind,and make it contagious. Sometimes i feel like i cannot do these things due to negative self talk,am working on that and with this energy am feeling,i want to never regret my college life. Thanks for the article 🙂

    Reply

  40. I guess I just want to smile about the path I’ve taken. I’ve hit plenty of bumps, as I had felt so successful in my studies for so long, and the past two years have taken that confidence away. Therefore, whilst currently looking for another area in which to study, I’m hoping I can smile about the fact that even though the route I’m taking is longer than those close to me, its still the right one for me!

    Absolutely love this article, amongst so many others!

    Reply

  41. I’d like to be able to say that I came out of feeling lost and sad after moving across the country with my husband and kids. I’ve felt displaced all my life and as such, never let friendships develop beyond a certain point, hurting many kind people along the way. I hope to have made progress on the amends I’ve begun to make lately. I hope my family is safe and healthy and that we are settled and happy in our new home state. I also hope to stop feeling sad every time I think of home.

    Reply

  42. Thank you for this very inspiring article. I discovered your blog few days back and I have been visiting it since. I have been grappling with depression and panic attacks for almost half a year already. It has been a hell of a roller coaster ride. There had been ups and downs. I cant seem to get out of the vicious cycle. I realize the main battleground is in the mind. So I really find your insights very useful. But I hope you can indulge me if I ask what is possibly a simple question: How Do I Let Go? My depression stemmed from a betrayal at the workplace and hurtful attitude of people who I trusted, thought of and treated as close friends. I made a very grave mistake of trusting them. The memory of that haunts me, as well as the thought of what these hurtful people have done, and can do. I hope you can give me an advice thru my email on how to move past a hurtful incident and people. What should I do if the thought of them crop up in my mind? I try to think positive things and refocus my mind to the present. But still, the negative thoughts keep coming back. Perhaps I am missing something? Thank you very much and I anticipate your reply.

    Reply

  43. Thank you for this article! I just happened to stumble upon it- no doubt it wasn’t by coincidence 🙂 I hope that in 5 years I can smile about having let go of the baggage of my past, having fully forgiven my husband and being free of the chains of bandage holding me back from all that I want to accomplish and haven’t been able to because of self doubt, resentment, anger and bitterness.

    Reply

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