“Living your best life” may make you think of lounging on the beach. Or maybe you imagine yourself power-walking down a busy street in a hot pink suit. Likely, your dream life falls somewhere in between. Living your best life essentially means living a life that makes you happy and also one that allows you to be at your full potential. It's about being intentional with the way you choose to live and living life on your own terms.
It also means leveling up to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. But getting there requires that you master both the internal and external factors that could prevent you from living your best life.
Regardless of what your personal and financial goals are, these 9 tips will help you start living a fantastic and intentional life!
1. Find your purpose
Finding out what matters most to you is the best way to begin your journey to living life well. Here are some important things that may help:
Visualize
Picture yourself living your best life. Think about your surroundings—your location in the world, your house or office, and also the people around you. Also envision what you’re wearing, and what you’re doing throughout the day or week.
Most importantly, imagine how you feel while living the life of your dreams. If you’re stuck on getting a clear picture, try a few different visualization exercises.
It might help to journal, doodle, or talk it out with someone you trust. This all helps you develop the right mindset.
Once you visualize what your life looks like, you can work backward and set concrete goals to get you there.
Ask questions and reflect
Humans thrive when they feel useful and like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.
So ask yourself what lights you up. Equally as important is to not ruminate on the things (or people) you always dread. Incorporate more of the good and avoid as much of the bad as possible.
One useful way to figure out your purpose is the Ikigai framework. By reflecting on your likes and skills, as well as what the world needs and how you might get paid, you’ll have a better idea of how to combine everything you uniquely bring to the world.
If you’re not great at self-reflection, ask 3-5 of the people closest to you what they think you’re great at or how you make them feel. From there, work out how you can live life with more purpose.
2. Aim for growth
It’s much easier—and sometimes less painful—to stay in our comfort zones. But when you don’t risk any growth, there’s rarely a reward.
Go after that promotion or raise. Experiment with investing (as long as your emergency fund is full).
Try the side hustle that’s been lingering in the back of your mind. Or maybe you should write that book you’ve always wanted to share with the world. Save for that vacation you've been dreaming of.
No matter what fires you up, growth is the common factor. When you’re living your best life, you are consistently growing and becoming better.
3. Prioritize health
Health is wealth, baby. Not only will you save thousands of dollars by avoiding medical bills, but your health is also the biggest contributor (or barrier) to accomplishing your goals.
Physical health
Take care of your physical health so you can be your best self.
Move your body in whatever way feels right to you, whether that's yoga or weight lifting. Eat well and stay hydrated.
Sleep soundly for enough hours every night. Get to the bottom of any underlying issues you’ve procrastinated on or addressed with a temporary fix.
Mental health
Don’t forget about your mental health. Address anything that is causing you to stress, and make sure to regularly think about how you're feeling.
Also, remember that you can change your mindset about anything from finance to career and more.
Boundaries
Set boundaries with loved ones and work. You may need to have a few tough conversations, or simply decide what you will and won't accept in the future from others.
Good boundaries will help you to feel healthier and have better relationships with other people.
4. Take action
We have a single life to live, so thoughtful, intentional action is a much better approach than letting life pass you by. Learn to become your own advocate for what you need and want in order to have a happy life.
You should also feel empowered to act on behalf of causes that resonate with you or injustices you see.
So make it your mission to make decisions that align with your goals and beliefs, and then take action!
5. Figure out your finances
No, money can’t buy happiness, but yes, money matters! Here are some ideas to help you gain control of your money.
Save and spend smartly
You should aim to live below your means and earn as much as you need to live out all your dreams.
This might mean taking care of yourself, providing for others, or even leaving a legacy of wealth for future generations.
A great place to start is to create a budget that helps you to know where all your money is going each month. Then you can decide how to organize your finances for the upcoming years.
Consider the future
Decide what kind of life you want in the future. You can then use that information to create a retirement plan or build wealth.
In addition, make financial goals with the future in mind. It will help you to properly plan and know what to do with your money in the present.
Money can be such a sensitive, painful part of life, but it doesn’t have to be. If you feel confident about your earning, spending, and investments, you’ll be free to live the life you want.
6. Nurture your environment
Be intentional with your surroundings and how they influence you. The people and objects around you can impact your mood and self-worth.
So make sure they’re contributing to your happiness and energy, not detracting from it.
Change your surroundings
Changing your environment can also give you a boost. Get outside in nature to enjoy life's simple pleasures as often as possible.
Plan activity dates—solo, with a partner, or with friends—simply to try something completely new. The act of exploring and experimenting is enough to help you grow.
Plus, you might just discover something to add to your dream life that you never predicted, like a love of roller skating or cheese-making!
The ultimate environment shake-up is travel. Nothing puts life into perspective like stepping outside of the familiar.
Even if traveling isn’t possible, be a tourist in your own town. Look at the world around you with fresh eyes. It’ll help you check how well-aligned you are with living your best life.
Organize your home
Your home is a huge part of your environment, so it's important to stay organized.
There are many easy ways to do this.
Make a cleaning schedule so your space always feels fresh. Take the time to create a system for paperwork. Get rid of items you don't need to avoid clutter.
Do whatever works for you so you feel good when you're at home.
Stay organized with a planner or calendar
There's nothing worse than missing appointments or forgetting birthdays because of disorganization. To avoid this, get a paper planner or use a digital calendar if you want.
Mark down important dates and tasks you need to complete. And use your planner for everything and take it everywhere with you. Then you'll never be stuck wondering if you forgot to do something.
7. Consider your routine
Create a routine or break one, depending on how you’re doing. You might need some structure to stay committed to your goals and ideal life. That’s where a shiny new schedule can come in handy.
Or you might need to cut loose to actually enjoy the life you’re building. That’s where breaking the mold can help with creativity. Regardless, small habits add up quickly, so stay intentional in your daily life.
Make a wellness routine
Whether you have a daily schedule or not, most people can benefit from a wellness routine. Which is basically just a chance to check in on how you're feeling and take some time for yourself.
You might include journaling, doing a face mask, free time, or budgeting, depending on what helps you feel your best.
A great place to start is to do a wellness check-in once a week at least, though you can do it more often if you want!
8. Serve others
Just like connecting to our internal purpose is important, building relationships with loved ones and also a community is essential for a full life.
For example, if you want a family, be the best partner and mother you can be. Or donate money or a special talent or skill to the causes you believe in. Volunteer time and attention to people and organizations that need you.
While you shouldn’t serve others at the expense of your own well-being, giving back may actually lead you to your best life faster.
9. Make gratitude an everyday practice
One of the best things to do is remember your blessings and appreciate the small things. You can also create more inspiration by making a list of things you appreciate about your life.
You might include inspirational quotes or motivational quotes, as well. These can help you remain positive.
Not only is gratitude one of the best self-care ideas and healthy habits, but it will also remind you every single day of what you already have that is great. The more you appreciate, the less you feel dissatisfied with your life, and you create a more positive mindset.
Ways you can tell if you're living life to the fullest
While there are no "rules" to living life well, there are a few indicators that may tell you if you're headed in the right direction.
A sense of peace
A peaceful and positive mindset is one way you can tell if you're living your life in the best way. Never underestimate the power of positive thoughts and their ability to shape your life!
Clarity about goals and purpose
Knowing how you want to live your life and having a clear direction is a big sign that life is going well for you. If you are working towards your dreams and also living each day on purpose instead of going through the motions, that's a good sign.
Good health
If you're feeling physically and mentally healthy, that's a great indicator of a life well lived.
While everyone has emotions like anxiety sometimes, it's important that you feel mentally healthy overall.
Things like writing down your thoughts, being organized, and spending time outdoors can all improve mental health.
In addition, being in good physical health is also a sign that you are living your life in a great way! It could mean that you've broken bad habits and instead engaged in good ones like exercise and healthy eating.
Keeping yourself healthy will not only increase your enjoyment of your life in the present but also in the future.
Living your best life is totally possible!
Living your best life is not about what looks perfect for social media or what everyone says you “should” do. It’s about what you want and how you’re going to make it happen.
It's also about simplifying your life in a way that works for you. So, go on—live your best life full of purpose and without any regrets.