When writing the story of your life, don’t let someone else hold the pen. Make conscious choices every day that align your actions with your values and dreams. Because the way you live each day is a sentence in the story of your life. Each day you make a choice as to whether the sentence ends with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point.
How are you writing your life’s story?
Here are ten ideas for writing a life story worth living:
Find a passion that makes you come alive. – Each new day is a blank page in the story of your life. The secret is in turning that blank page into the best chapter you possibly can. Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs, and what every great story has, are characters who have come alive in the pursuit of something that inspires them.
Work hard on that passion. – The best dreams happen when you’re wide awake and working hard on something you’re passionate about. A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the new and unfamiliar. So dream big, pursue your passion, and give yourself permission to work toward a future you know you are capable of creating. Read The 4-Hour Workweek.
Live happily in your own way. – You are not in this world to live up to the expectations of others, nor should you feel that others are here to live up to yours. Pave your own unique path. What success means to each of us is totally different. Success to some may mean fancy cars and homes. Success to others may mean being a good parent, spouse, or friend. For others, it may mean to simply be happy. Or it can be all of the above. Remember, success is ultimately about spending your life happily in your own way.
Change your path when you must, but keep moving forward. – There are thousands of possible paths one could take up the mountain of life. You get to choose which one you take, and you can jump from one path to another if you run into a hazardous road block. All of these paths are unique, but lead in a similar general direction, so it really doesn’t matter which path you start off on. The only mistake you can make is by wasting time running around at the base of the mountain, telling everyone that your life path is wrong.
When the going gets tough, keep fighting. – The wisest, most loving, well rounded people you have met are likely those who have known failure, known defeat, known suffering, and have found their way out of the depths of their own despair. These people have experienced many ups and downs, and have gained an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, understanding, and a deep loving concern. People like this aren’t born; they develop slowly over the course of a lifetime. Read The Road Less Traveled.
Let go of the past and live consciously in the present. – Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. The past is a good place to visit on occasion, but not a great place to stay. Don’t sit around trying to relive or change your past when you have priceless moments unfolding in front of you and your entire future to look forward to.
Embrace new ideas, lessons, and challenges. – Sometimes growing up means growing apart from old habits, relationships, and situations, and finding something new that truly moves you. There is nothing more wonderful than seeing life as an adventure. You should try things that you’re afraid of. You should look very clearly into the unknown and enjoy it. Because when you come in contact with things that you don’t know, that’s when you’re learning, growing, and truly living.
Appreciate the little things in life that mean a lot. – What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you were thankful for today? Think of all the beauty that remains around you, and be happy. Be thankful for all the small things in your life, because when you put them all together you will see just how significant they are. Remember, it’s not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. Read The Happiness Project.
Live honorably through kindness. – If you live honorably, no matter how old you get, you’ll never lose your beauty; it will just gradually shift from your face to your heart. And remember, there is no better exercise for the heart than reaching out and holding the hand of someone in need.
Spend quality time with people you love. – Lost time is never found again. People don’t live forever. Appreciate what you have, who loves you and who cares for you. You’ll never know how much they mean to you until the day they are no longer beside you. Spend lots of quality time with the people you love. Someday you will either regret not doing so, or you will say, “I’m glad I did.”