Today would have been my dad’s 63rd birthday. Last week, Wes’s grandfather passed away and my good friend found out some terribly sad news about her father. Due to these events, I want to dedicate today’s post to these three and talk about how to live life to the fullest.
No matter who a person is, what they are currently doing, how much money they have in the bank, and so on, everyone can start living life to the fullest.
You just never know what may happen in the future, so taking advantage of the time you have now is very important. No one ever wants their life to flash before their eyes and wonder whether their life was meaningful or not, whether they had a good time, or whether they regret past decisions.
There are many ways to live your life to the fullest while also being a responsible person (as you will read below).
The many ways below will hopefully allow you to love life and teach you how to live life to the fullest.
Cherish moments with loved ones.
I had to put this one first. Living 16 hours away from family and friends now means that I really miss them. I have always cherished the moments with those that I love, but now I make sure that I make each trip even more special.
You should never take a moment for granted with those that you love. This will sound very doom and gloom, but you just never know what may happen to you or them. Plus, spending time with your loved ones is always a great time anyways so why not just do it more?!
Do what YOU want to do.
What makes you happy, excited, joyful, and motivated? That’s what you should be doing with your life (as long as it’s legal)!
Stop thinking about what other people want you to do and start listening to your heart. Who cares about what others think? If you spend all your time thinking about others, you will just be wasting a ton of time!
If you want to live a life of adventure – Go for it.
If you want to start a family – Start planning one.
If you want a better job – Get one.
If you want to change the world – Do it.
Gain control of your finances.
Yes, it’s still possible to live life to the fullest while also gaining control of your finances. You should pay off your debt, earn more money than you spend, stop keeping up with the Joneses, save for retirement, and so on.
Gaining control of your financial situation is important when learning how to live life to the fullest because you won’t feel as stuck when it comes to money. You may be able to do more because you won’t be held back by monetary problems.
Like I said in the post Important Money Lessons My Dad Taught Me – Money Doesn’t Have To Make Your Life Miserable:
Even though my dad passed away too young, lived on a budget, and saved for a retirement that he never got to experience, I truly believe that he still lived the life he wanted to live. He was still able to travel all over the world and he visited many, many countries. I think the most important money lesson that I learned from my father is that money doesn’t have to control you. Even though you will never know when your last day is, you can still save and spend your money wisely, while also living the life you want. Too many people believe that they can’t lead a good life on a budget. That is not true at all. You can still live a great life while managing your money, and without regret.
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Don’t let life pass you by if you want to learn how to live life to the fullest.
It can be really easy to let life pass you by. Before you know it, years or even decades may be gone.
Too many people have the mindset of “Oh, in 10 years life will be so much better because of so and so.” And then they just let their lives go by without ever thinking about the present.
Well, what about now?! 10 years is a long time! Reaching a goal is great, but you should try to fit in some happiness now as well (on a budget, of course).
Think about the present (and the future as long as the above doesn’t happen).
While a person can learn a lot from the past, it is usually best not to live in the past. Thinking about events and situations that you regret from your past usually won’t help you at all. It’s best just to learn from the outcome and move on.
Living in the present can help you move on and be happier. You can’t change the past so there’s no point in living in it.
Be open to new things and tackle your fears.
When was the last time you did something new? So many people live inside their comfort zone when they actually need to branch out every now and then.
Yes, stepping outside of your box can be tough, but what if it completely opened your eyes and changed your whole outlook on life? Wouldn’t that be amazing?
If you want to learn how to live life to the fullest, this is something you need to do every now and then. You could even give yourself a goal to try something new each day, each week, or each month.
Create a bucket list.
A bucket list is something I need to work on. I created one a few years ago but I’m sure some things have changed since then.
A bucket list can help make you excited about life and give you fun goals to reach. This will truly mean that you have lived life to the fullest if you are able to scratch everything off your bucket list!
Make time for fun.
All work and no play is never good for anyone. You should always make time for the things that you love, even if it’s just a few hours each week. This can help lift your mood, increase your motivation, and more.
Create a plan to reach your dream.
What do you often dream of? Maybe you want a certain career, you want to travel, or something else.
Whatever you want to do, why not create a plan so that you can reach your dream? You might live in regret until that happens! You only live once, so creating a plan to achieve your dream is a good first step.
Help others.
Helping others can completely change your life and change other’s lives as well. Whether you do something big or small, do something!
This is one that I am guilty of not doing enough, but I plan on changing that. Yes, I do little things for others, but I really want to go all out and do something big.
Be positive.
I say this in many of my posts but I truly believe in it. It’s also something that I think more people need to work on.
Being positive can completely change your life. This means you should laugh more, smile more, be happy with yourself (this is very important!), quit being jealous, complain less, have a better outlook on life, and more.
Are you living life to the fullest? Why or why not? What tips do you have for someone who is interesting in learning how to live life to the fullest?
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This post is right on. I especially agree that it is important to get your finances in order so that you can be free to live life to the fullest and make the most of every opportunity. It is important to save money so that you can spend it on what you value and can derive joy from your money both now and in the future.
Thanks Ali!
I’m sorry about Mike’s mom. It definitely does make you think about life.
Thank you Dan.
Inspiring post! I used to be so focused on the future and what I “wanted” to do, rather than being present and just doing it. We would love to start a family soon, but recognize it’s not the best time. However, we are actively planning a family in the sense we are getting our finances in order and working on setting up our careers so that it will be more manageable. It helps to be taking steps that are working towards a goal. I also agree with the part about cherishing moments with loved ones. Now that I am in my late 20’s, I really am starting to get more focused on family. My family lives 18 hours away and I miss them quite a bit. But any time we see them, I try to be present and enjoy the time together.
Same here! Sounds like we are in a similar situation.
It’s tough to balance living in the moment with planning for the future. I think lots of people in the PF world are very focused on tomorrow and forget to enjoy today. I have been guilty of that myself. We don’t ever know how much time we might have so it’s important to remember and take advantage of the time we are given I’m sure your Dad would be very happy with how you’re making the most of every day.
Yes, I was afraid of how people would take that. Many PF bloggers and readers are all about tomorrow and don’t think about having fun in the present at all.
You sort of hit on my tip, but I’ll go ahead and throw this one out there: Stop caring what other people think. The young generations seem to have an especially hard time with this – it’s why bullying stings so much. It’s why we stay in jobs we don’t love. It’s why we post the things we do on social media.
When you can let go of what other people think, life becomes about YOU. You can’t really live life to the fullest until you do it for yourself.
Yes, people care too much about what other people think!
“Do what you want to do” is perhaps the best advice to give. Living out of his passion is wonderful, to get up and go to work without realizing we’re actually going to =)
The bucket list is vital, I update it every year and it gives a great overview of our objectives (personally and professionnally speaking), very helpful.
Thanks Alan!
People think that they will live forever. That’s just not the case. That’s a huge reason why I decided to make such a huge life change at the end of last year. I also love the look of your site!! Pretty 🙂
Thanks Michelle!
I agree 100%! I’ve had a lot of health challenges over the past couple of years that brought this point home hard. If there is something you want to do, don’t make excuses and say you will do it tomorrow. Be in a position to always say yes to new opportunities!
Thanks Kim!
There’s always the age old question, “What is the meaning of life?” Life is a gift meant for us to enjoy….the meaning of life is to enjoy it – whatever that means to an individual. At 41, I’m finally wrapping my head around the type of person I want to be, and what makes me happiest. Suddenly life seems so much more meaningful.
Always great to hear Travis 🙂
I’m very sorry about the sad news you’ve received recently. This post is timely for me, as I’ve been thinking more about what I want out of life. Blame it on turning 40 this year. 🙂 There are lots of good reminders in here – thanks for the inspiration!
Welcome Amy 🙂
Thanks Kayla! I agree.
Thank you 🙂
I love this post! I also want to add that everyone has a different definition of what living their lives to the fullest means. I think it’s worth it to take time and really reflect on what that means to you.
Great time of the year to start planning how to make the coming year even better than the last. Really like the idea to be positive… like attracts like afterall 🙂