How to Live Life to the Fullest

edits by: James Quirk, Tom Viren, Sondra C, Flickety (see all)
"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get" -Tom
Hanks, Forrest Gump.
But for those who take critical decisions, life can be different. How true that
is. Stare life in the eyes as you experience it like a roller coaster ride. The
meaning of your life is something you create day after day with your own actions
and thoughts. Life is made up of choices and decision making is critical as eac
h choice has both consequences and benefits; please weigh the latter and always
choose life. Always ask what you can learn, and how you can move forward, and st
op yourself from blaming other people if things aren't the way you would like th
em to be.
EditSteps
1
Carpe Diem or Seize the Day. Live each day as if it's your last and overall just
do it! Like they say Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery but today is a
gift, thats why its called the present. Life presents us with a lifetime of oppor
tunities but the opportunity of a lifetime is got when right choices are followe
d. Be present to enjoy the moment. Each day is a fresh start with options just w
aiting to be explored, so what are you waiting for?
2
Full acceptance to the present. This is a great way to live life. It means accep
t your present the way it is, means anything from your habits to the people you
come across in life, your thoughts to what people say, etc, Accept it and offer
no resistance to it. There is a Zen saying All that arises, goes through, it mea
ns you cannot resist the flow with life, a true way to change things is not to o
ffer any resistance to life. Think deeply it does not mean accept the things the
way they and not trying to change them. It means to be truly yourself, acceptin
g the things around you, and then trying to change them. It is a mark of pro-act
ivity. Ask yourself 'Has my resistance helped me in anyway?' . Remember 'Life go
es on'.
Accept yourself. Dont judge yourself. This is the very first step you must take i
f you really want to live your life to the fullest. Why? Because if youre judging
yourself, or making part of you wrong, youll limit yourself. And if you limit yo
urself you cant live life to the fullest.
3
Be adventurous. Explore, live on the edge a little, and embrace new challenges.
Visit new places with your loved ones. Take the road less traveled. Dont stick to
the same old, same old. Life is more exciting with adventure!
4
Keep a journal. Record your victories in life as well as your delights. Take tim
e to reflect on what has been previously written. Be an inspiration to yourself
and others.
5
Express Gratitude. Recognize daily the things you are grateful for. Let your fam
ily, friends, and other significant ones know how grateful you are to have them.
Share and express love while you can.
6
Love everyone.
Love yourself. Focus on your inner and outer beauty to see the same in others. A
cceptance comes from within. Dont focus on the things you dont like about yourself
. Rather, find the things you love about yourself. Aren't you the closest person
and most important person to you in the world?
Love others. Love the ones who treat you right. Give love without expecting it t
o be returned. Be selfless in your attitude towards others.
7
Accept everyone. Be kind and courteous. Enjoy the company of others. Acknowledge
their goodness rather than the differences in their beliefs. Do not judge other
s. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
8
Find purpose in life. Find something that gives your life meaning, be it being a
great friend, sibling, parent, grandparent, teacher, neighbor, etc. Once you ha
ve found something to live for, youll live better. If it's not your relationships
as a central purpose, maybe it's your occupation or something that you do outsi
de work that makes a difference to others. The meaning of your life is something
you decide. Set goals and move toward them in small reasonable steps.
9
Give back. Be selfless in service to others. Begin with your neighbor. Do charit
able service outside of your immediate community as well. Giving back will not o
nly make you better as a person, it will help others.
10
Be realistic. Set attainable goals according to your abilities and talents. Cons
ider each effort to be an attainment. Achieve one step before the other towards
stability and security.
11
Seek balance. Understand the night and day, back and forth, good and bad in all
things.
12
Be positive. Focus on good thoughts and good things will happen. Dont be too hard
on yourself. Beating yourself up wont help anything. Be positive. Say, think, an
d do positive things. Always look on the sunny side of life. Remember that the g
lass isnt half empty, its half full.
13
Maintain control. Be responsible for your actions and inaction. Be true to yours
elf. Maintain a personal code in the situation at hand. Find common ground.
14
Listen to your heart and soul. Listen for advice, but be confident in making you
r own decision. Use your instinct. Dont let others tell you what to do.
15
Clear your mind. Rituals of yoga, meditation and tai chi will replenish and reju
venate your soul to focus more clearly on serenity and happiness.
16
Be carefree. Desires, obsessions and possessions possess you. Free yourself from
your impulses. Make an active decision to have simple daily needs.
17
Laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. It releases endorphins and promotes longev
ity. Inner joy is beautiful!. Remember 'Life's about having fun, if you are not
having fun you are not doing it right'.
18
Be flexible. Accept change as a positive thing in life. At times, go with the fl
ow that is before you.
19
List a few daily goals. Meet a new friend, swim at the lake or walk in the park.
Enhance your day and initiate fun!
20
Share. Share something good on a regular basis. When you share something good, i
t gives an inner joy and also promotes abundance mentality. For example when peo
ple share information or when they give things to people in need, it sub-communi
cates many things like I have enough for myself, Doing the right thing, so you c
an share in the future, etc.
21
Appreciate the little things. Take a walk around your ?community to experience t
he wonder in a way that you have never experienced it before. Pretend that you a
re from a different country and youre here for the first time. Go out with your f
amily and take time to appreciate them. Take it all in and find the beauty it -
its all around you, just open up your eyes and look!
22
Forgive yourself and others. Release your negative energy that holds you back, y
our past failures, embrace whatever life offers you.
23
Be honest with yourself and others, especially with yourself. Dishonesty can lea
d to denial as you start to believe your own story, with that comes a curdling h
idden stress that saps away energy and happiness. Self-acceptance is important,
self-honesty with others keeps life simpler and makes it easier to avoid the peo
ple who just categorically don't like you for your views or some other thing abo
ut you. It builds trust when you're honest with others. It builds confidence whe
n you're honest with yourself.
24
Anticipate tomorrow. Everyday is unique, like the blossoming clouds. It's never
the same, but always beautiful. If things arent going right for you, remember tha
t there is always tomorrow. Tomorrow, your life could change for the better.
25
Appreciate the environment. Take a break occasionally and go for a walk. Assume
that you have come from another planet. Take a fresh look at the clouds, the col
ors of sky at sunset and sunrise. Look at the plants, trees, leaves, and flowers
and how they sway when wind blows. Look at water how it shakes and shapes itsel
f in the vessel it's stored. Look at numerous forms of life - insects, animals,
birds and humans. This exercise will clear off the dead memories and monotony th
at kills the joy of living.
26
Erase your negative thoughts. Take actions towards resolving the root cause any
bad thoughts (anger, fear, doubt, hate,...). Cancel each one out with a good tho
ught called affirmations: "I'm over that." "I am brave!" "I know I can do it!" "
I forgive and I do not hate!" You may not be feeling the best at the moment, but
you will feel better once you think about good things. Think about all of the t
hings life has to offer, because though things may be horrible at the moment --
the future holds a lot of hope. It should make you smile and not store negative
feelings to be relived later.
Question your perception. Things are how we perceive them. When some 'negative'
happens in your life, most of the people react with a negative emotion or action
because we perceive it this way, Are you sure it was a negative situation? Reme
mber it is at the so called rock bottom when you see things clearer than ever be
fore. These so called negative situations in life were seen as Moments of opport
unity by great people to enlighten themselves, that gave them their greatest ach
ievements in life. Through the greatest despairs comes the deepest hopes Some of
the examples are..
Steve Jobs. In his speech at Stanford about getting fired from the company he fo
unded, he said 'I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from
Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of b
eing successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less su
re about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my
life.[1]
Martin Luther King. He saw the inequality as an opportunity to start 'African-Am
erican Civil Rights Movement' to end this inequality. He did it. Didnt he?[2]
Bruno Mars. After his hit single was rejected by a music company because of his
race, he saw it as an opportunity to push himself even harder to become one of t
he most successful artist of all time.[3]
27
Maintain a strong foundation of beliefs. However, be humble and respect others o
pinions (in truth). Stand up for what you believe in and dont let others push you
around. It's possible to do this and still be open to other people's ideas, as
they may surprise you. Do not get caught up on little things. Know it when you'r
e facing major conflicts and find creative ways to live with them - does it matt
er more that you disagree with a loved one or that you love them?
28
Make a bucket list. Make a list of all the things you want to do before you die
like learning an adventurous skill, making progress in work or sport, bungee jum
ping, sky diving, ziplining, etc. Check off your list! This will make you feel l
ike you've accomplished something.
29
Make friends. Make true friends; friends around whom you can be yourself. Go mor
e places with them so that you can share your joy with someone else. By being ar
ound people you will become a more understanding person.
30
Inspire yourself. Do something that inspires you, be it finding a role model or
simply reading an inspirational quote life is better once youve enlightened yours
elf!
31
Dont hang onto the past! Dont stress out about the mistakes youve made - take them
in stride and learn from them. From each mistake spawns a lesson. Do not worry a
bout the past because it is gone, do not worry about the future because it is ye
t to come, live in today and embrace it!
32
Take nothing for granted. Appreciate everything and everyone around you - your f
amily, friends, house, pets, environment, and world. One day, you may wake up to
find that one of those things is gone, so appreciate them while you have them.
33
Put things into perspective. Remember that even though your life may seem tough
right now, there is no doubt somebody out there going through something much wor
se.
34
Dont let possessions rule your life. Dont let new electronics, clothes, or cars ta
ke over your life and who you are. Material possessions are only accessories to
you and your life. You come first.
35
Follow your dreams. Make a list of everything youve ever dreamed of doing and the
n make it happen. Dreams arent achieved by sitting around and waiting. Theyre achi
eved by getting up and working for them! Work hard and make your dreams a realit
y! Work hard and play harder! You can always fulfill your dreams. If you really
want something, find a way to achieve it!
36
Dont give up. Do not accept defeat, even if it seems like its the only option. Loo
k at the obstacles that others have overcome to be who they are and to fight for
what they think is right. Translate that into your everyday life and use that m
indset to accomplish simple things in life.
37
Be YOU. Have the courage to be yourself. Dont be shy! You are who you are! Even i
f society doesnt like it, you are you, so forget what others think and live your
life! Do what you want, because life is what you make it, and your life is yours
! Nobody else is going to live your life, so its up to you!
38
Everyday is a New Day! Learn from the past, make goals for the future, but live
in the present!
1
Choose your friends and peer group wisely. If you screw this up, youll be hanging
out with the bunch of losers who will limit you and each other.
2
Be aware of blame. We all blame. The trick is to be aware when we blame others f
or our unhappiness and catch yourself. If youre blaming youre NOT living life to t
he fullest.
3
Be aware of the power of questions. Questions control your focus. Your focus con
trols your experience in any situation. Always ask, What can I learn right now? H
ow can I learn even more right now? How can I have even more fun in this situati
on? Asking great questions is going to help you live your life to the fullest.
4
Control your emotional state. You and you alone are in control of your emotional
state, not outside forces. Always be aware of the factors that affect your stat
e. Always proactively manage those factors.
5
Always remember your physiology comes first. This means being healthy, being hyd
rated, and being full of energy. The way to do this is avoid sugars, alcohol, da
iry, too much red meat, and eat lots of living foods and drink lots of water.
6
Be a go-giver, not just a go-getter. Sure its nice to accomplish things and make
lots of money. In fact, its really nice. But thats not enough for anybody to feel
extraordinary for the long-term. What gives you fulfillment is doing things beyo
nd yourself, contributing to others and the world around you.
7
Always be learning. No matter what the situation you find yourself in always be
focused on what you can be learning from it, how you can be growing, what you ca
n be taking away from any situation so that you can respond to similar situation
s more effectively in the future.
8
Instead of automatically disagreeing with people and feeling a need to assert yo
ur own point of view, try saying, I agree, tell me more, when you hear something t
hat at first seems like something youd normally disagree with. Look for how the o
ther person sees things and try to see it from their point of view.
9
Be happy person. This sounds over-simplistic, but happiness is always a choice.
Suffering NEVER comes from your external conditions. Suffering always comes from
the meaning you give things. Just be aware that unhappiness only comes from you
r own thoughts. Be aware of this and youll spend much more time enjoying life and
living life to the fullest.
EditVideo

EditTips
Spread L.O.V.E
L-Listen more, talk less;
O-Overlook mistakes & shortcomings;
V-Value what you have;
E-Express your appreciation.
Be yourself. Disregard gossip, bias and judgmental attitudes.
Dont be afraid of the power within yourself. You'll be amazed of what you can ac
hieve.
Just Live! Do not try to live. - Osho.
Do healthy exercise for 20 minutes daily and make healthy eating a lifestyle.
Life is too short to be living with regrets. Let go of your anger and lighten yo
ur emotion to prevent illness.
Be strong in your decisions that can change your life, don't let anybody talk yo
u over.
Put yourself first.
Thank God for every day you are alive.
EditWarnings
Be aware of the difference between stories and facts. Don't get caught up in you
r own stories.
Don't let the external circumstances determine how you feel. You can't always co
ntrol the external circumstances, but you are always in control of the meaning y
ou give things.