Once in a while, I come across articles that offer advice on how to live life to the fullest, or what to do to be happier, more productive or more successful. I decided to compile my own list. Needless to say that you don’t have to take advice from a 22 year old, but perhaps you will find something useful. Enjoy and don’t hesitate to leave comments below.
- Do your thing and respect that others will do the same. It’s very common for us to get affected by what people around us think is best for us. Similarly, we feel the need to inflict our own opinions onto our loved ones. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that people do things differently, and if I want others to respect my decisions and lifestyle, I should do the same.
- Stay hungry, stay foolish. This quote is by the great Steve Jobs. It talks of a trait that is most needed in both our personal and professional lives: passion. Passion goes a long way and staying foolish doesn’t mean thinking unrealistically about your dreams, it means taking risks and dreaming big.
- Never compare yourself to others. It’s easy to fall into this trap, especially when others instill the habit in you. Confidence is when you’re truly content with who you are, including the way you look, your skills and abilities, your family and friends, career and finances. When we compare ourselves to the next person, we devalue ourselves. And that’s the first step to failure.
- Be kind. To all. If everyone was a little more compassionate towards the people around them, the world would be a better place. Never underestimate the power of a smile or a kind gesture, it can go a long way. And like all things, it takes practice and training. Train yourself to treat all of humanity with empathy and kindness.
- Appreciate your parents. As I’ve grown up, I’ve become much more conscious of how selfless my parents are and how much they’ve sacrificed for their children. The unfortunate thing is, they won’t always be around. Appreciate them while you have them and spend more time with them while you’re young.
- Do everything with full concentration. Recently I’ve been reading a lot on Buddhism. Something that stuck with me was to complete each task with the utmost focus and attention. I think we would be much more efficient and successful if we took this notion to heart and acted on it.
- Spend wisely. There are two things I think one can never spend too much on: education and traveling. I’ve always seen education as an investment, and traveling gives you an insight into the ways others live, which is a humbling experience.
- Travel often.There’s a great quote by St. Augustine that says: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” Traveling opens your mind, your heart and your soul to worlds and people that are different than anything you have imagined or experienced.
- Don’t try to control things that aren’t within your control. In other words LET IT GO. We’re all guilty of hanging on to things that we think define us. A job we didn’t get. A relationship that didn’t work out. A trip that didn’t get planned. I see only two options: either try and do something different, or accept that you can’t control it’s outcome.
- Complain less. I’m guilty of this myself, and it’s exhausting! I’m trying to be more positive and grateful. I think it’s important to surround yourself with people who are appreciative of the blessings in their lives, and guaranteed, everyone has something to be grateful about.
- Learn to be on your own. It surprises me how dependent we are on the people around us, whether it be our parents, siblings, or significant others. I think part of it is natural, we’re human beings and our social interactions with our family and friends take up a large portion of our daily lives. However, I also think that we MUST have the ability to be on our own and be ok with it.
- Do more of what you love. It still puzzles me to this day how people can work at a job they hate for years on end. Life is way too short. Do things you love and do them often. It’s one of the first steps to achieving a more fulfilling life.
- Smile even in times of turmoil. It takes discipline and strength of character to remain content when faced with difficulties. Certain inevitable events in our lives make it hard to smile, but it’s in fact in these times that it’s most important to endure, accept and move forward.
- Stay humble. One of the hardest things to do, but an extremely admirable trait to have. Humility comes from knowing you can always learn from others. To be modest means to let go of your ego and your pride, traits that are innately a part of all of us.
- Have faith. This one’s subjective, but I don’t just mean faith in a higher power or God. I mean faith in ourselves. This goes a long way. Without it, I don’t think my life would have meaning or purpose.