Do you want to live a better life? Simple changes to the way you think about life can make your life better by bringing you more happiness and success. Read to know more about what is better living all about and how to live a better life. ~ Ed.
Another week has passed.
Here you are lost in your thoughts and thinking why life has become boring and seems on autopilot. Could it be any better than this? Would I ever be able to live a better life?
Is life no more than going to work, come back home, eat, sleep and then repeat?
Why some people who attended the same school as me and had similar privileges but they are way more successful and happier than I am?
You turn on TV and see people dying and you ask yourself is this world going to end soon. Why should I even bother making an effort to do something different if this world is going to collapse soon?
Wait, why do I even exist on this earth? What's the purpose?
You think I should really find my passion and then I will be happy forever because every successful person talks about doing something you are passionate about. BS. Okay, how do I even find my passion?
Now, you are unable to do anything other than just being stuck in the busyness of life and hoping someday someone will come to rescue you and make your life better.
Do you have to be ultra-successful to live a better life? It depends on how you define a better life.
What is Better Life
Let's define a better life for a second.
Better life "¦
- thinks big, cares about others and attracts positive energies towards it.
- gives best at everything it does and strongly believes in growth.
- is healthy (inside & outside), full of enthusiasm and curiosity.
- knows a way to find happiness from environment around it.
- has freedom and enough income to take deserved vacations and buy desired commodities.
Can you decide how much success you need to achieve this version of a better life?
We all have to live in this world. So, this post is about creating better life without sacrificing the comfort of beautiful world not the other way around. My version of a better life is a combination of both internal and external factors.
Now, if you are reading this post, the chances are that you already have all of the basic requirements (money to buy food, pay bills, take a vacation, etc.) fulfilled for a good life but not the life you desire "“ a better one.
What you are looking for is to take your life to the next level and bring more happiness and success to your life. You are looking to create a better life for you.
13 Ways to Live a Better Life
Today, I am going to share thirteen ways to take your life to the next level and bring more happiness and success that you desire.
Some of these are my own discovery and some I have learned from other successful people.
1.Protect Your Only Asset
An ill and unfit human being can never be happy for the long term. It's simple as that.
You want to live a better life, start taking care of your physical body first.
Without health, life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering "“ an image of death." ~ Buddha
Our physical body is our primary asset to bring happiness and success.
What happens when your car is broken and needs a repair? Simply, you need to borrow a vehicle to get around.
Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury to borrow another healthy and strong physical body once it's damaged.
What do we do then?
We need to fix this vehicle (our body) before we start our journey to a better life.
Health and fitness industry is confusing average person these days. Most companies are just selling us sexuality in the name of health.
Key Takeaway: Start taking care of your physical body. Move your body every day and avoid foods loaded with salt, sugar, and fat.
2. Find Fun, Delight & Enthusiasm
We are always doing something. Working. Exercising. Cooking. Eating. Studying. Listening. Serving. Partying, etc.
We all have been told to do things that we enjoy to do. So, we are wired to pick those tasks or projects which have an instant buzz of enjoyment.
Unfortunately, we don't find that instant buzz of enjoyment most of the time and when we don't, we start hating our jobs, relationships, and eventually our lives.
You start new workout regimen but it becomes boring only in few weeks.
You started a new relationship but can't deal with it after few months or sometimes even weeks.
Mostly, we start things with enthusiasm and excitement but it fades out pretty quickly because we haven't developed the support system to add fun and delight to them.
Whenever you find yourself hating something which you really liked at some point, stop and think for a moment what you can add to bring more fun and delight into it.
It may be complimenting gym routine with outdoor sports. In relationships, it might be just being proactive and planning dates and activities which can bring back fun into your relationship.
Key Takeaway: It doesn't matter if you are cooking dinner or inventing a vaccine to cure a cancer, find ways to bring fun, delight and enthusiasm into it.
3. Experience the Magic of Thinking Big
Most of us are wired to think small. This is what our society taught us, but surprisingly it rewards big thinkers at the same time. Interesting, isn't it?
How big we think determines the size of our accomplishments." ~ David J. Schwartz
You and I were taught to think inside the box.
If we want to live a better life, we need to start thinking outside of the box. Here are some of examples of big thinking.
Stepping up to help others at work (company's success) instead of just doing enough to save your job.
Learning and developing yourself so you can help people around you instead of just wishing to change the world one day.
Understanding other person's perspective and values instead of shoving your opinions down their throat.
Key Takeaway: Start thinking big. Don't always see how things are instead try to see how they can be.
4. Remember, It's Not Always About You
Do you know why there's so much misery, pain, and suffering in today's world?
Because we have become narcissists and stopped caring about others.
Do you think Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela ever thought that life sucks? Absolutely not.
Because their whole life purpose was to serve others. You can't lose the game where your whole purpose is to create fun and delight for the other person.
Instead of always thinking about acquiring pleasures for your own life, start thinking how you can add value to others life.
May be they are struggling with managing their finances, but it comes naturally to you. Go help them.
You want to change the world. Why not start with one person who you think can really use your help?
Happiness and joy you add to others' lives are directly proportional to happiness in your life. When one goes up, other goes up automatically.
Key Takeaway: Start getting out of your head and find ways to add value to someone's life.
5. Is Your Love Bounded to Visible Things Only?
When was the last time you fell in love with the fresh air that touched your face in the morning?
May be never, because we are too busy to have this type of feeling.
Human beings are wired to love visible things. A shiny car, house, good looking male/female partner, etc. We need something more than that to create a life we all desire.
We also need to learn to love things we can't see. Our universe is offering us so much which we proudly ignore every day.
We love to live longer but do we love free oxygen universe is offering us to breath? Probably not.
We love the beauty of this earth but do we love Mother Nature? Of course not, we curse her when it rains or snows.
We love to be happy and successful but do we love the feeling others get when they are happy? May be.
Key Takeaway: Be more conscientious and present. Start to notice intangible things around you which you are getting in abundance for free. Appreciate them and sincere appreciation will lead you toward deep love and respect.
6. College Graduation Isn't the End
Do you want to improve your life and take it to the next level?
Start reading, listening and writing. Remember, real education doesn't stop at a college graduation. Unfortunately, for most people, it stops right there and so does their life.
The education of a man is never completed until he dies." ~ Robert E. Lee
For reading, add personal development books and articles to your list. Be selective.
For listening, start listening to personal development podcasts and tapes.
For writing, start a personal journal and write about your day in it.
You never know what that next book, article or a podcast interview you'll encounter that can transform your life. Keep digging people and do not die intellectually.
Key Takeaway: Schedule time in your calendar for personal development. Investing in yourself is the best investment you can make in your life.
7. Working Out is Great but "˜Working in' is Even Much Better
We all want to be happy and successful but do we take care of the ultimate source of our happiness.
Most of us don't.
Most of us don't even know what that is. We think may be buying a new car will make us happy forever. It can definitely give you an instant dope of happiness, but it's temporary and won't stay for long.
It's our inner self that decides how happy our lives are. You can have a luxurious car, big house, beautiful life partner but you might still not be happy.
Reason?
The system (our soul), which is keeping the human body alive has become so weak that even a rainy or snowy day can steal our happiness and make us miserable these days.
No doubt that physical health has a direct impact on our soul strength but only having six pack abs aren't enough to make us spiritually strong.
Key Takeaway: Schedule time to work on your inner self. Feed your soul with meditation, chanting or just simple walk in nature.
8. Learn from Five-Year-Old
Ever wondered why life becomes boring as we age? It was pretty fun when we were kids.
Curiosity.
We were super curious while growing up and wanted to know everything. Talk to a five-year-old and you will know what I mean. You will run out of answer but they never run out of questions.
When you and I were kids, we wanted to know everything. Why clouds and stars exist, why animals always get up without an alarm clock, why it gets dark at night, what humans are made of, what is earth, why do we exist on earth etc.
At some point in life we shut down the curious mindset and started doing whatever life asks us do.
If you want to create a better life, you need to become curious about life again. You need to start asking questions about life. More questions you ask, better you will become at asking questions and better questions will lead you to better answers.
Key Takeaway: Become more curious about life, relationships, universe etc. Develop a list of questions you can ask yourself at the end of every day.
9. Your Clan is Failing You
Want sure fire way to a happier and successful life?
Start adding positive energies to your life.
We all have people in our lives who are whinny and complain about their life all the time. Just talking to them makes you think that life sucks and no way can it become any better.
A wise man Jim Rohn once said,
You are the average of five people you spend the most time with."
Do you know why successful people keep