Too many times, we feel like life begins at some age far ahead of us. In our 20’s, we can’t wait to get out of college, have a job, our own apartment, a nice car, be married, have kids or any number of other events happen that we think will make us happy. We get out of college and get the job only to find ourselves working 50–60 hour weeks to pay off the student loans and live. We get married only to find out we now have another person to keep happy in addition to ourselves.
Living your best life, however, is not about reaching a certain destination where you will suddenly “be happy” or “have it all.” Living your best life is about the decisions you make right now in this moment. It doesn’t matter if you have 6 kids and two jobs or no kids and are working a minimum wage job, you can live your best life right now, today.
Here are 3 ways to live your best life at any age.
1. Unplug
There are 7 billion people in the world and every one of them has a problem of some kind every day. While the internet can provide invaluable connections it can also expose us to 7 billion problems. Between your own problems and those of your close family and friends, you will most likely be exposed to more than enough problems to have to deal with. Long before the internet existed, people could become overwhelmed by the problems of the world and we are simply more exposed. Consider taking a 30-day vacation from the news and social media and use that time instead to do something that fulfills you.
2. Count your blessings
It’s all too easy to get so focused on what we don’t have that we lose sight of what we do have. If you don’t have a job, you probably have time to spend with family, friends and loved ones. If you have a job that keeps you busy, you probably have enough money to not have to spend too much time worrying about how to pay the bills. If you have a car, you probably don’t have to take public transportation and if you take public transportation, you probably get to meet a lot of interesting people and get a lot of exercise without having to go to a gym. The grass is greener where you water it, so water it well.
3. Start to live your dreams today
If you’ve always wanted to be an artist, painter, dancer, photographer or lawyer, start today. Go out and sketch something, write a poem, sign up for a dance class or volunteer at a legal aid clinic. You may never be a prima ballerina or Ansel Adams, but generally what makes us happy and fills our soul doesn’t need to have a paycheck attached or demand a standing ovation to provide us with fulfillment. And you never know, that simple sketch you drew could lead to a commissioned work of art that could lead to the career you’ve always wanted but never thought you could succeed at.
101 Ways To Live Your Life To The Fullest
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result…personalexcellence.co
Originally published at medium.com