As human beings, one of our deepest-rooted desires is to have a meaningful and happy existence.You’ve probably heard of the saying, “Live your best life.” It’s good advice.We all want to feel connected to both ourselves and others.We want to feel that we’re part of something important and that we’re making a difference in the world.We want to look back at our lives and our achievements and be proud.
In short, we want what the saying says: to live our best livesBut what does it really mean to live your best life?You are a unique individual, so living your best life is exclusive to youYour best life will reflect your true valuesIt will be made up of what makes you happy and will be colored by what making a difference means to youTable of Contents
What Stops You From Living Your Best Life?Start the Journey10 Ways to Live Your Best LifeConclusionMore Tips on How You Can Live Your Best LifeWhat Stops You From Living Your Best Life?
While living your best life is all about you, what other people think can have an impact on your quest to live your best lifeSocial media, for example, puts us under a lot of pressure
There are specific expectations of what “happy” looks like, and we’re under pressure to conform to what society expectsFor example, we are pressured to look a certain way, wear the “right” clothes, have exciting adventures with eye-catching friends, eat ethical and healthy food, and do charity work
These are only a few of society’s expectationsIt’s a long listSocial media claims to connect us, but often it can do the opposite
We can spend so much time worrying about what other people are doing, trying to live the life that society expects of us, that it can be easy to lose track of what makes us happy and what our best life actually looks like
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Start the Journey
What does it look like to live your best life? The following are some practical tips and tools to move from living your current life to living your best life
1
Be the Best Version of Yourself
To live your best life, you must be the best version of yourselfDon’t try to be something or someone elseDon’t try to be what other people want you to beFocus on who you want to be
Play to your strengths and be proud of what makes you differentYou are brilliant
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Gretchen Rubin, in her book Happiness Project, created her own commandments
The first one was “Be Gretchen” This gave her permission to follow her gut feeling and make up her own rules
For example, she stopped forcing herself to enjoy parties, cocktails, and fashion just because that’s what she thought society expectedSo, inspired by Gretchen, create your own commandment: “Be more YOU,” and remind yourself of this every day, unapologetically
2Observe Yourself
To work out what the best you looks like, you must get to know yourself betterIt’s your best life after all – not anyone else’s
Start to notice how you respond to various situationsWhat are your habits? What makes you happy? What frustrates you? How do you behave under pressure? What gives you energy? What drains you?Spend a week simply noticing
Write your observations down so you remember
3Identify Your Bad Habits
As part of your observations, start to notice your bad habits
Consider the things that don’t ultimately make you feel good
Does scrolling mindlessly through Instagram make you happy? For 5 minutes, perhaps, but for longer?That last glass of wine was delicious, but do you pay the price later?That chocolate was enjoyable at the moment, but now that the sugar high is over, are you feeling regretful?Observe yourself firstThen, start to deliberately do more of the things that make you happy and give you energyAt the same time, work on reducing then eliminating the habits that squander your time, drain your energy, and ultimately don’t make you happyNeed help conquering your bad habits? Read How to Break Bad Habits Once and For All
4
Set Intentions
After having thought about what makes you happy and what drains your energy, focus on what living the best life looks like for youOne of the keys to this is being intentional about itWhen you deliberately set intentions, you are more likely to act with purpose and driveSetting intentions is different from setting goals
Goals are your list of things you want to achieveYou can set them daily, monthly, yearly, or a combination
A common practice is to define goals and write them downThis makes them more tangible and makes you more accountable, therefore, making the goals more likely to happen
The subtle yet important difference between goals and intentions is that when setting intentions, you decide what kind of positive feelings and emotions you are seeking
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For example, “This week, my intention is to approach my admin tasks with gusto in order to complete them more quickly”Intentions can be more motivating than goals because if you don’t achieve your goal, it can feel like a failure and can ultimately hold you back
If you don’t achieve your intention to approach something in a specific way, you can more easily regroup and have another try
Write down your intentions every month, week, or day, using whichever time frame works best for youFor example, “I intend to enjoy going swimming three times this week” or “I intend to assertively build my network in my local area this month”Setting intentions gives you something to focus on, and it also helps to manage the feeling of being overwhelmed that often happens when we set ourselves goals
5
Visualize Living Your Best Life
Visualization can help you to cement your intentions
It involves visualizing how it would feel to live your best life once you achieve it
It can help you to further establish what you want and allow you to settle into a positive mindset
To visualize, first choose your focusChoose a specific intention and how you will feel once it is accomplishedThen, take the time to daydream and allow your imagination to wanderFor example, if your intention is going swimming three times a week, imagine what you will look and feel like:
What will you wear?
How do you get there?
What time of day do you go?
How do you feel when you’re in the water?
How do you feel afterward?
Ask yourself these little questions and allow yourself to feel the same feelings you would feel if you were currently fulfilling your intention
10 Ways to Live Your Best Life
Now that you’ve decided and visualized what your best life looks like, let’s look at some more practical steps you can take to achieve it
1
Focus
Whatever you do, focus
If you swim, swim
If you study, studyMultitasking is a myth
It’s not possible to do more than one thing at a time wellFocused work is the least tiresome and the most productive type of workMichael LeBouf, the author of The Millionaire in You, said,
“Winners focus, losers spray”2
Take Responsibility for Taking Action
Taking action can feel scaryWe fear failure, but we can also fear success
It can be easy to feel too busy to achieve your intentionsHowever, you have the choice to take action and live your best life or stay the sameIt’s up to you, so take responsibility to take action
3
Live in the Present
Every day is a new opportunity to live your best life
We so often get stuck because we put things off
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We can think, “When I’ve lost 10 lbs I’ll go swimming,” or “When I feel more confident I’ll look for a new job,” or “When I get my new running shoes I’ll start running
”How about starting from where you are? How about using what you already have?We often put off taking action until we have the newest phone/camera/game/course/book/shoes as if they are the keys to happinessIn the process, we forget about what we already haveGrab the camera that you have, put on your old running shoes
Go and do something interesting today with what you’ve gotFancier gadgets, better clothes, or a slimmer body won’t make you better
Action will
4Declutter
This applies to the environment you live in as well as the people you spend time withUse Marie Kondo’s decluttering method of asking, “Does it bring you joy?”[1]If your answer is yes, you keep the item
If you hesitate or say no, you donate it or throw it outSimple
This also applies to peopleIf there are people in your life that make you feel bad, drain your energy, and don’t bring you joy, let go of them
Instead, spend time with the people and activities that give you energy and make you feel good
5
Relish the Simple Things
When we’re busy, we can forget to appreciate what we haveTake time to focus on the simple thingsEven when you’re feeling low, there’s always something to be grateful for
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness
[2] Be deliberate in being grateful for what you do have, rather than resentful of what you don’t
6
JournalingJournaling is simply writing your thoughts downAccording to the University of Rochester Medical Center, writing your thoughts and feelings down on paper not only helps you get your thoughts in order, but it can also help ease symptoms of depression and manage stress and anxiety[3]In the chaos of life, it is easy to overthink, feel anxious, or not appreciate what you do haveJournaling can help you manage your thoughts and feelings and productively cope with life
Be curious and keep learningAsk more questions and keep pushing yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and learnWhat are you interested in or curious about? Perhaps it’s learning more about where you live, or reading up on a particular topic? Maybe it’s traveling to a new town or country?According to Dan Pink’s research, learning is a key motivator
[4] Whether you feel like you’ve gotten stuck in a boring routine or you’re stressed by the tasks of daily life, learning something new is a way to step outside yourself and your comfort zone
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Create a bucket list of all the things you’d like to do and learn and the places you’d like to go to, and start ticking them off
7Make Someone’s Day
Being kind to others makes them feel good, and it also releases chemicals in your body that make you feel good.Think about a time you gave someone a gift that they loved.
How did you feel?You don’t have to start giving people gifts to make someone’s dayThink about small, thoughtful gestures: a genuine compliment, opening the door, offering to help someone
All these things can make a big difference in someone’s day
8
Look After Your Body
Eat what nourishes you, including plenty of vegetables and fruit and food that’s natural and unprocessedDrink plenty of waterExercise because you like it, not because you’re supposed to go to the gymReject the idea that you have to push yourself really hard at exercise, and instead try out a variety of things – for example, walking the dog, gardening, yoga, swimming, or dancingFind what you enjoyWhen you enjoy something, you’ll be motivated to do it more
Get good rest! We’re all different in terms of the amount of sleep that we needHowever, most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleepIf you’re not getting that much, then check out healthy sleep tips from the Sleep Foundation[5]More tips for staying healthy: Powerful Daily Routine Examples for a Healthy and High-Achieving You
9Manage Your Inner Critic
Most people have an inner critic that tells them they are not good enough, that they’re a fraud, and that they are going to be found out
This happens especially when we step out of our comfort zone and change things
If you are living your best life, your inner critic likes to jeopardize thatThe next time it appears, acknowledge what’s happening and call it outWhatever it is telling you, list all the reasons it’s wrong
10.Be Prepared to Change the Plan
You may have set intentions to live your best life.
However, life is not linear, nor does it work in lists
You must expect to be flexible and change the plan as life throws things at you
The end game remains the same: to live your best lifeIt’s just the route to get there that will inevitably change
Conclusion
Live each day like it counts, and remember, it’s your choice
Your best life is unique to youDon’t compare yourself to others – focus on living your best life, and enjoy the learning, exploration, and experiences along the way
More Tips on How You Can Live Your Best Life
13 Keys to Living Your Best Life
How Self Care Can Help You Live Your Best Life
101 Timeless Principles to Guide You to Your Best Life
Featured photo credit: Juliana Malta via unsplashcom
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Reference [1] ^ Kon Mari: Tidy your space, transform your life [2] ^ Harvard Health Publishing: In Praise of Gratitude [3] ^ University of Rochester Medical Center: Journaling for Mental Health [4] ^ Daniel HPink: Dan Pink on Motivation [5] ^ Sleep Foundation: Healthy Sleep Tips function footnote_expand_reference_container() { jQuery(“#footnote_references_container”)
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