7 Ways To Start Living Your Best Life

It sounds like the ultimate cliché, but it’s incredibly real. Life is short. This is not a rehearsal. You don’t just get to buzz through life and then go back and change the things you don’t feel worked out. We only get one shot at this, so you do need to be sure that you are living your life to the fullest. This isn’t meant to sound cheesy but thinks about it. You only get one go at being on this earth, so don’t you want to be able to enjoy it to the max?

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to live in a way that doesn’t align with what you want. Don’t go off doing big and bold things just because, but do live the life that YOU want. Not what anybody else wants for you, or a life that you’ve just accidentally landed into.

I don’t want to look back and only see my life as a step and repeat of going to school, getting a job, and paying off bills. I want to make sure that I’m living my best life and doing the things that I’ve always wanted to do, and I want the same for you.

1. Figure your life out

First of all, you’re going to want to sit down and figure out what you want. That’s no easy task, so don’t feel too pressured into working this out overnight. If you’ve put your life work into a vision board that’s awesome if you haven’t got a clue what you’re even doing tomorrow that’s alright too. Sometimes these aspirations will come to you suddenly, or you might know your life calling deep down, but for others, it may take a while (and some soul searching). As long as you are setting the wheels in motion, all will reveal itself in time.

2. Find your intuition and listen to it

Do this exercise with me right now. Clear your mind of everyone else’s’ opinion and ask yourself where you want to be in five years. What you want in five years; not your mom, not your dad, not your opinionated aunt who badgers you every time there is a family gathering, YOU. That voice that is inside your head right now, that’s your intuition piping up. We tend to keep those voices stuffed in the back of our heads because everyone else’s opinions and worries stand in front and its view.

Listen to your intuition - this will often be what helps you to figure things out.  Make sure that you’re trusting your instincts and being present. This includes looking out for signs or seeking out life help such as understanding numerology which is something I tend to look to for simple guidance. You can find out more at Readings With Matt to help you along your route.

3. Take your first steps

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius

Next, start moving forward. Once you know what you want, you have to get it. If you’ve been dabbling with the idea of moving careers and know that you want to make a move, then now’s the time to make it. To help you, uncover questions to ask yourself at Monster and see if you can work out how to get started. Maybe it’s a financial situation you would like to be in to make you feel a bit more stable. Set up a budget with some easily downloadable templates on Google.  As soon as you start taking those steps, you will feel more settled.

4. Understand there is going to be a lot of freakin work involved

You are utterly naïve if you think that everything will fall into place right away. Wake up, Sista! When you want to live big, you have to work hard. Nothing good in life comes easy, but the universe wouldn’t throw anything at you that you weren’t equipped to handle. I find a lot of comfort in that when I begin propelling my dreams forward. Put the work in, and you will get the return that you want. But be patient, because it won’t happen overnight. As long as you’re taking action and trying to get there, you will.

5. Don’t make excuses, make sacrifices

When it comes to getting what you want, you will sometimes need to make sacrifices, but it is SO easy for us to block our struggle with excuses. Saying you can’t because you’re too young, not educated enough, not creative enough are all excuses keeping you from your goals.  Whatever you have to sacrifice now, whether it’s time or a style of lifestyle temporarily, I bet it is so minuscule in the grand scheme of things making it all worth it because when you get there, you know that you made it happen with those struggles intact. That makes the prize even sweeter.

6. Don’t neglect your friends, hobbies, or personal life

As much as I want you to and you want you to put all of your energy into living your best life and being your best self, I don’t want you to forget those who support you along the way.  You’re going to want to focus on your social life. This doesn’t mean that you have to put a lot of time and money into it, but you do need to acknowledge it. Make new friends, join a class, and catch up with that old colleague. I am the queen of sweatpants on the weekend because I don’t do ANYTHING during the day except for catch up on Grey's Anatomy, for the fifth time.  To achieve ultimate happiness, you need to be in the right place, and your social life can help you with that. Plus, what good is a Happy Hour if you’re drinking by yourself?!

7. Take care of yourself

Finally, you will want to make sure that you do take care of your health, mentally and physically. You get one life, so you need to nurture all sides of the health spectrum. Make sure that you’re motivated to work out and that you set aside some time for reflection. Journaling or meditating are prevalent practices that I tell ALL my friends and family to do. I’m even to the point where they don’t ask me anymore because they know what I’m already going to say haha. Start to put your health first. When you’re healthy and happy, you’ll be in the best place to get your life to where it needs to be.