“Enjoy the little things in life because one day you may look back and realize they were big things.”- Robert Breault
How to live life to the fullest? How do you feel about your life today? Are you excited for the future? Do you feel like you’re living your best life? Most people struggle with finding joy and excitement in their lives because they don’t know how to live their best life. Instead, they feel like life is an endless supply of new days. But that is not so, and as the quote goes, ‘everyday is a gift; that’s why we call it the present.’
If you struggle with how to live life to the fullest then this article will help you understand what you can do to ensure that everyday of your life is enjoyable.
What Does Living Life to the Fullest Mean?
Living life to the fullest means a lot of things to different people. Simply put it means learning to appreciate the value of life or the time you have in this life. Instead of simply living free, living life to the fullest means believing that you are worth it and you have a purpose in life.
Oftentimes people struggle with the concept of “purpose”. This is because people tend to make it more complicated than it is. In fact, it’s easy to find your purpose because it is something that you create from within you rather than something that you find from the environment that surrounds you.
You don’t live life to the fullest if you’re stuck in a rut or if you’re in a funk. Ask yourself, what makes you feel alive? What makes your life rich and beautiful? What matters most to you? And what is your life?
Living life to the fullest requires you to do more of what matters and spend less time on less important things. Take time to decide what you are passionate about then take small steps daily towards your dream. You can do this by creating goals, writing down your dreams, learning new skills, living below your means and saving money to set yourself up for the future.
How to Live Life to the Fullest?
1. Begin By Deciding What is Important to You
Whether it’s putting more effort in your career, writing a new blog post each day, spending time on your hobbies, or taking care of your kids, you enrich your life by deciding how you enjoy spending your time. The people around you; your friends, family, community, or society in general may have their opinions about how you should spend your time but in the end you’re free to live your life and focus on what is important to you.
When you do the things that bring you happiness, everything else will fall into place. This doesn’t necessarily mean quitting your job if you’re limited by education, job openings, or location. Instead, it means that you could try something new like mentoring, volunteer work or engage in a new hobby.
Take some time to explore your interests to discover where your passions lie.
Related: Personal Vision Statement: Its Importance, How to Write It and Examples
2. Choose to Take Some Risks
Many people remain stuck in their comfort zone because they fear failure, which ultimately prevents them from taking risks. However, the truth is that it will be difficult to go anywhere in life if you never take risks. More importantly, you won’t learn how to live life to the fullest.
It is important to embrace the reality that life is larger than you realize with an endless amount of opportunities. So, we need to stop being afraid and give new things a try. For example, you can make changes as simple as going out on a blind date or going for a weekend trip to a new city.
As people age and look at the days gone by, they often regret the opportunities that they didn’t take – more than the opportunities that they did. So, believe in yourself and get out there. Find something new today, give it a try and take a risk.
Related: How to Succeed at Life: 10 Ways to Achieve Everything You Want in Life
3. Demonstrate Your Love To Those You Care Most About
We sometimes underestimate the people in our life. But a great way to enjoy life to the fullest is by doing life with those that we love and care about. Start showing your friends and family that you love and appreciate them. You can do that by sending a thank you note or simply calling to check up on them. Your loved ones will appreciate it when you take time to listen to them or better yet, let them know that you appreciate it when they help you out.
If for example you have feelings for someone, believe in yourself and go for it. You never know how it may work out. That person might be exactly what you have been looking for. It is always better to try than to regret it later on.
Related: How to Tell Someone You Love Them in 14 Ways: Without it Being Awkward
4. Choose to Live In the Moment
It’s important to learn from your past. However, you shouldn’t let your past mistakes cripple your future. Most importantly, you shouldn’t let it keep you from enjoying the present.
One way that you can ground yourself in the now is by practicing mindfulness. This involves learning to live in the moment by paying attention to what’s around you. How are you feeling? Why do you feel that way, etc. Meditation and prayer helps you with self-discovery, as you get in touch with your thoughts, feelings and spiritual life.
Gratitude is another great way to live for the now. You can write down three things you are thankful for each day. You’ll be amazed at how quickly this helps you live in the present and begin living your life to the fullest.
Related: Fear of the Unknown: 7 Best Steps to Understanding and Overcoming Fear
5. Don’t Acknowledge Haters
No matter what you do in life, unfortunately there will be people who criticize you and tell you that you aren’t good enough or that you will fail. However, instead of listening to their criticism, listen to the positive advice of others, especially those who have walked the same path that you’re currently walking. This can help you avoid pitfalls and make the journey towards doing something you love more fulfilling.
Haters are those people who feel that you’re wrong and that you won’t achieve your goals. Usually they are jealous of you and will do whatever they need to do to make you feel small. It is important to ignore haters because their goal is to keep you feeling small and not moving forward.
However, it is important to recognize that there isn’t one successful person who got there overnight. What makes them succeed is that they keep on pushing and working towards their goals. They also ignored those people around them that believed they would amount to nothing.
If you have a hater or haters around you, the best thing to do is to set boundaries between yourself and them. Practice self-love and work on building your self-confidence, so that their words or their actions won’t dissuade you.
Related: How To Live Each Day To The Fullest: Tips On Living Life To The Full
6. Choose to Not Compromise When it Comes to Your Values
Living life to the full and living in the present moment can sometimes lead people to do things that they think would be fun to do. However, if something contradicts your values and you have a gut feeling that tells you it’s wrong, then don’t do it. If you compromise on your values, you’ll end up regretting it. Life is often full of grey areas and isn’t always black and white. Therefore, it’s important for you to trust your instincts and do your best to stay true to who you really are.
Engage in actions that you are comfortable with, so that when you look at yourself in the mirror you’ll appreciate the journey and the choices you have made over the years. On that note, don’t compromise on your values simply to achieve your goals.
Related: How to Stay True to Yourself in 12 Easy to Follow Steps
7. Keep Your Mind Open to New Opportunities
Maintaining an open mind is important for your personal development. Be willing to listen to other people’s ideas even if you don’t always agree with them. This will help you keep your brain active and healthy. You’ll continue to learn and grow, as long as you keep an open mind. Don’t assume that you know everything about a topic or another person, be open to learning.
Related: 8 Essential Ways To Think Outside The Box And Push Yourself
8. When Something Matters to You – Take Action
Have you ever heard someone say, “I had that idea,” every time someone else built something great or had a million dollar idea? ‘Everyone’ had the idea for Facebook first, even Instagram. But Mark Zuckerberg got the glory because he took action the moment he got the idea and made it a reality.
Ideas are useless if you think about them but act on them.
9. Wake Up Daily With a Sense of Gratitude
As indicated earlier, gratitude helps you lead an enriching and full life. Instead of worrying more and complaining more, choose to make life one that’s full of joy and thanksgiving. Yes, there will be obstacles along the way, but we only have one life to live and the best way to live it is by learning to appreciate the little things.
Choose to start every day with a sense of appreciation. You have woken up to another day and each day comes with its own blessings.
Related: Happiness is a Choice: 10 Ways to Choose Happiness Today
10. Breathe
Before you get up and lose yourself to the hassles of everyday life, take a few moments to breathe and just relax. This habit will help you appreciate the day from the moment it starts.
The quiet moments that you take every day can be comforting before you take care of the tasks you have planned ahead.
11. Maintain a Positive Mental Attitude
A negative mindset will only make your life harder. But if you want to live life to the fullest, choose to have a positive attitude by believing that the best can happen. See your coming years, as days filled with endless possibilities that can make you happier than before.
You start developing a positive mental attitude by starting each day on a positive note. Focus on the good that are going to take place that day. For example; the sunrise and the fresh air. Researchers have found that appreciation lowers the rate of depression and boosts your optimism.
Related: Positive Changes You Can Make Today: Practical Tips To Help You Change
12. Choose to Forgive Anyone That Has Hurt You
Grudges have a way of weighing us down and limiting us from enjoying life to the fullest. Yet you don’t have to let the pain of someone else’s actions keep you from being happy. When you do, you are only doing a disservice to yourself.
While some things in life may be difficult to forgive, forgiveness is one way that you are able to move on. When you choose to forgive the person that did you wrong, you can begin to heal from the pain and by doing so, live your life to the fullest.
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Related: How To Forgive Yourself: It’s Importance, Benefits Of Self-Forgiveness
13. Release and Let Go Of Lost Love
If you’re looking into how to live life to the fullest but haven’t let go of your ex, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. Let go of your former lovers, so that you can create space for someone else who will cherish and love you.
You can do this by making the decision to let go. Instead of spending time daydreaming about what you shared with your ex, make a commitment to let go and begin focusing on yourself. Failure to make this conscious decision upfront will sabotage every effort you make to move on.
Related: How To Let Go Of Someone You Loved When It’s Hard & You Don’t Want To
14. Enjoy Some Time in Nature
It is common now-a-days to get lost in our phones or computers. However, the truth is that nature remains one of the best ways to live life to the fullest.
Nature has a calming effect on us, which we need if we want happiness. You can begin spending time in nature, like taking time to enjoy a walk outside and breathing in the fresh air. Take in all the greenery and listen to the beautiful sounds of nature.
15. Plan for the Future
Whereas being spontaneous is fun, it’s good to have a plan in place for your life. Chart a direction for the life you want to live.
Having a plan doesn’t mean that things will go exactly as planned. But you’re more likely to end up somewhere that you’ll be happy.
When you plan for your days to come, remember to think realistically and don’t shy away from risks.
16. Organize and Declutter your Space
Clutter can keep us distracted and unable to focus on what we need to do to accomplish our goals. Take time to declutter the things that are no longer valuable to you. You can do this by removing everything out of the space, cleaning the area and organizing everything from scratch.
Decluttering and organizing your space, whether it be your home or your car, will create room for things that really bring joy to your life. It also puts into perspective what we really value in life and allows us an opportunity to get rid of the things that are holding us back.
17. Make Use of Your Mental Camera
Imagine doing something and not sharing it with the world on social media. Sometimes experiencing something without taking pictures makes it more worthwhile and the memories will enrich your life.
Spend time in nature or doing something you love without taking pictures. Enjoy the moment for what it is. This encourages you to live your life for yourself without doing it for other people.
18. Enjoy Getting Exercise
Our bodies were not designed to sit all day and stare at the screen. Therefore, it is important to look for ways to get exercise into your schedule. This could be something fun that you can do throughout your week, for instance, you can practice dancing or go for a jog around the neighborhood.
Exercise can help you live life to the fullest because it elevates your energy levels and makes you more productive.
19. Don’t Procrastinate – Finish Tasks Sooner Rather than Later
While procrastination may feel great at the time, it hurts in the long-run. In fact, procrastination is the enemy of progress and impedes you from moving forward in your career and life. It also leads to unnecessary stress especially when the deadline approaches and you realize that you’re out of options.
When we are proactive and intentional about our lives, we are able to enjoy life more because we aren’t tied down by all of the things that we ‘should’ be doing.
Related: How To Be More Decisive And Practical Ways To Combat Decision Fatigue
20. Seek Opportunities Around You
Sometimes we can walk blindly through life, unaware of the opportunities around us. However, the opportunities are endless. If there’s something that you want to pursue, do your research on what’s out there and give it a shot.
Finding opportunities often requires you to leave your comfort zone. This may mean leaving your parents house or it may mean moving out to a different location.
Whatever it may mean for you, choose to chase your dream, so that you can live your life to the fullest.
Related: Trust the Process: 10 Reasons Why Its Important in Life
21. Watch How You Carry Yourself
The way we carry ourselves says a lot about how we perceive ourselves. If you always walk with your head down, people will think that you lack confidence. That in turn can influence how they perceive you, especially if you’re job hunting or looking for a date.
To get the most out of life, stand and walk tall and choose to own who you are.
22. Look within Yourself for Answers
We live in a world where people spend a lot of time looking to others for answers rather than looking within. You may not have all the answers but you can trust yourself to come to the best decisions for your life.
It is important to spend time reflecting on what you believe is right for you instead of doing what others think you should do.
Take time out to connect with yourself by turning off the devices (phone, tv and computer). You can go for a walk in solitude, sit quietly outside by yourself, or take a long relaxing bath. It doesn’t matter how you do this, but the goal is to disconnect from all the busyness, distraction and pressure from everyday life, so that you can discover the best ways to live to the fullest.
Related: Tips & Tricks How To Clear Your Mind Effectively & Why It’s Important
23. Be Comfortable Chatting with Strangers
Oftentimes people discover a job opportunity or find a life partner by being comfortable talking to people they meet. While introverts may find this difficult to swallow, we all need to connect with others if we want to live an enjoyable life.
It’s important to learn how to have good conversations with strangers because you never know what it may lead to. Check out this article on how to easily start a conversation.
Related: How to Start a Conversation Without it Becoming Awkward
24. Minimize How Often You Complain
It’s easy for us all to find something to complain about. However, complaining is often not a healthy way to live life. If you have a habit of complaining, one way that you can help yourself is by focusing on what is working in your life.
For instance, instead of complaining about sitting in traffic every day as you drive home from work. Choose to change your perspective and enjoy the solitude you have to wind down from work before you get home to a house full of tired children.
You can limit complaints by focusing on the good.
Related: 8 Proven Keys To Success That Will Set You Up For The Rest Of Life
25. Make a Vision Board
Vision boards are a great way to find motivation and inspiration in your life. Creating one helps you figure out what you really want in life. They are also a fun way to set goals and prioritize actions that will help you live your life to the fullest.
Once you make one, hang it somewhere so that you will always be motivated when you look at it.
26. Understand that Change is a Constant in Life
One of the reasons people struggle with living life to the full is because they can’t accept change. Yet, whether it be good or bad, change is inevitable. Events happen that are beyond our control, for example, Job loss, death of a loved one, children going to college, divorce, leaving the family to move to another city, etc.
However, you will never be able to enjoy life completely if you are afraid of change. Instead, choose to see what you can change within the situation and look for opportunities that the change brings.
Instead of complaining about situations that are beyond your control, accept change and live life in a way that you always see the glass as half full and not half empty.
Some changes can be difficult to process, such as, the death of a loved one, failure in business etc. In such moments you could seek support from friends or work towards healing and moving on by consulting a therapist.
Related: Learning The Skill Of Adapting To Change: Personally & Professionally
The Bottom Line
When you make a personal decision to live life to the fullest, you’ll be able to also enjoy the journey. You will develop healthier relationships, build a great career, and ultimately live a life of happiness. So go ahead, and make life meaningful using the tips we’ve shared in this article.
