Are you living life to the fullest?
Daily life’s endless drudgery makes us forget how precious and limited our time is. Instead of seizing every moment, we merely exist, floating from one moment to the next, one task to another, without fully appreciating the world around us.
Of course, we’ll never admit it. We wax poetic about living, boasting about taking life by the horns, living life to the fullest, and living our best lives, but how many of us truly live like that every day?
You can start.
Live Life to the Fullest – But What Does It Mean?
The call to live life to the fullest is more than an empty platitude. It’s an achievable goal.
Living life to the fullest means enjoying life to the greatest extent possible each and every day. It’s about embracing life’s challenges, enjoying nature’s bounties, and experiencing the full scope of the human experience.
Don’t let the poetic definition deter you. Living life to the fullest doesn’t mean you have to embark upon epic adventures or uncover the mysteries of the universe.
You can live life to the fullest every single day, starting today.
How Do You Live Life to the Fullest Every Day?
Every day is a gift. Embrace it.
These simple activities help you live your best life each and every day with little to no extra cost.
Practice Gratitude
Most people have one shining light in their life, even when things seem at their worst. A beloved pet, a treasured heirloom, a healthy mind, or even a roof over our heads could be things we’re thankful for.
Take a moment each day to think about all the good in your life. Appreciate it.
Thinking about the good things will boost your happiness and help you feel better about your overall situation.
Forgive
Anger and resentment are barriers to a life of fulfillment. It’s okay to let go of the past and forgive wrongdoings.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you will forget. You don’t have to let someone who wronged you back into your life. Although you should let go of the hate, you must also protect yourself.
Journal
Journaling is a fantastic tool for living life to the fullest. It can help you identify what you’re grateful for, spark creativity, improve productivity, and become comfortable with your inner feelings.
Starting a journal is easy. Grab your favorite notebook and write! Check out our journal prompts if you need some inspiration.
Embrace Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the act of being present in every moment. We often focus too much on what we must do and forget to notice what’s happening around us.
Stop. Take a breath. Notice the world around you, and live in the current moment.
The present is a fleeting gift meant to be celebrated. Recognizing that truth will help you live a happier life.
Meditate
In our busy lives, mindfulness is far more challenging than it seems. Meditation can help.
Meditation allows you to focus your attention. It helps you accept your fleeting thoughts and gives you space to let them go so you can focus on your surroundings.
Setting aside just ten minutes each day for meditation will help you become more mindful in your daily life.
Stop and Smell the Flowers
Literally, stop what you are doing and smell the flowers, whether at the grocery store, on a daily walk, or in an office.
Taking a moment to smell the flowers will add joy to your life. Five seconds to sniff the delightful aura of a rose bouquet won’t change anything in your life, but it will give you an instant mood lift.
It’s essential to stop and smell the flowers figuratively as well. Take a moment to pause wherever you are and enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
Get Physical
Having a healthy body will make living life to the fullest much easier.
Work out. Go for a run a few times a week. Get a set of small dumbbells to lift at the office. Switch to a standing desk.
Even small amounts of physical activity can make a big difference. Take care of your physical health to emjoy life for as long as possible.
Take a Walk
Although walking is a top choice for physical activity, it has other benefits. Getting out into the sun for 15 minutes daily can lift your mood.
Walking allows you to stop and smell the flowers, giving you a much-needed break from your work.
A swift walk gives you an instant reset and helps you come back refreshed.
Practice Self-Care
Living a fulfilling life is hard when you’re constantly stressed and tired. Take time out of every day to take care of yourself, even if just for a few minutes.
Stretch, practice breathwork, or take a walk.
Dedicate extra time each week for a self-care routine to ensure you’re ready for any new challenges.
Engage with Friends and Family
Humans are social creatures. We crave connection and community.
Make time for your family and your friends. Call people you haven’t spoken to in a while, meet up with old friends for coffee, and reconnect with family members you’ve missed.
These simple connections are crucial to living life to the fullest, but we often neglect them.
Cut Out Toxicity
A vital caveat to engaging with friends and family is knowing who they are. You don’t have to engage with toxic people, regardless of how they are related to you.
It’s okay to go no-contact with negative, toxic people. You can forgive them, love them, and wish them the best, but you don’t have to interact with them if they continue to cause you pain.
Living life to the fullest means letting go of people who bring you down.
Eat Well…
Eating a well-rounded diet is part of maintaining physical health. Cut back on processed foods and snacks and eat more whole grains and vegetables.
A healthy diet will help you feel more energized and help you live a longer, healthier life.
But Allow Indulgences
While eating healthy is essential, enjoying our lives and food is also important. Everyone has a few comfort foods and snacks they find irresistible.
Give into the craving every once in a while. Allow yourself tasty treats on occasion.
Living a full life isn’t about sacrifice but about balance.
Be Kind
You can’t enjoy a life of fulfillment by tearing others down. Kindness is free, and being kind to others works wonders for lifting your spirits.
Be kind to cashiers, service workers, and strangers. Give others the benefit of the doubt. Show grace when others make mistakes. Your kindness will impact not only your day but theirs as well.
Help Out
Part of being kind is offering a helping hand. Hold the door for someone, pick up items they’ve dropped, and provide a helping hand whenever you can.
Helping other people, even with small, simple things, can improve our moods and make us feel good about ourselves.
However, remember that everything has limits. It’s okay to set boundaries and say no to helping someone if doing so will negatively impact you in the long term.
Set Boundaries
Having and holding personal boundaries is vital to living your best life. The adage “You can’t set yourself on fire to warm someone else” holds true.
You can’t live life to the fullest for yourself if you’re constantly hurting yourself to benefit someone else.
Helping people is terrific. Showing kindness, empathy, and compassion is vital to living a life of contentment. But, like everything, there are limits. You can’t help others to your detriment. Set boundaries that make sense to you and stick to them.
Be Silly
“Don’t take life too seriously; you’ll never get out alive.”
The Van Wilder quote is funny because it’s true. We’re all human. We all make mistakes and do silly things. Embrace the silly.
Like all high schools, my high school had cliques. I wasn’t in the “cool kids” clique, but my group was about two steps down from it.
However, we weren’t fun.
One memory stands out as a crucial lesson in embracing silliness. We were on a field trip to the local park. My clique was sitting in the stands, trying hard to look cool. We watched the “dorky” girls run around, laughing and playing without a care in the world.
The group leader, let’s call her Michelle, commented, “It’s always the nerdy kids who can have the most fun.”
I’ll never forget that.
Michelle was right. We were trying so hard to be cool that we forgot to live, and now that I’m older, I know I’ll never make that mistake again.
Laugh at Yourself
Part of being silly is learning to laugh at yourself.
Laugh when you run into things, drop things, or make stupid verbal mistakes. Embarrassing things happen to all of us, and it’s human nature to poke fun at those things.
Don’t let others control the narrative or make you feel bad about stupid mistakes.
The best way to stop those cringe-inducing moments from occupying our heads is to own them and laugh them off. When you let go of the defensiveness and own up to your faults, others will follow suit, and it will be far easier to let them go.
Accept imperfections
Nobody is perfect. We all have flaws and baggage. To live a life of fulfillment, you must accept and embrace your imperfections.
Ancient Japanese cultures understood the individual beauty of each flaw. They practiced Kintsugi, the art of repairing a broken object with sparkling gold and silver to highlight blemishes rather than hide them. Kintsugi was more than a repair method. It symbolized the idea that we’re beautiful because of our flaws rather than in spite of them.
If you can learn to accept your flaws and imperfections, you will be happier and more content with life in general.
Embrace Change
Things change, and people change. Cities grow and develop while industries embrace new technologies, and people flow in and out of each other’s lives.
Change is imminent; there’s no escaping it.
Rather than resist change in futile attempts to hold on to something that will never be the same, embrace the new opportunities that come with change. Look forward to what might come rather than backward to what was but will never be again.
Although change can be scary, it’s generally a good thing. You’ll be happier and healthier if you embrace it with open arms.
Be Proactive
Stop waiting for something to happen to you, and go out and make things happen!
Being proactive is about forcing the change you want. Be an active participant in your life rather than a passive observer. Go after what you want. Try things, even if you aren’t good at them at first.
You’ll find that taking action to live the life you want is the best way to live life to the fullest.
Set Daily Intentions
“I will choose happiness today.”
Say this to yourself three times every morning, write it in your journal, and embrace it in everything you do today.
Your intention can be about anything, from choosing happiness to giving yourself grace. You can even set multiple intentions each day.
Setting an intention each morning can help you focus on living intentionally. Once you get the hang of it, the intention will almost be second nature.
Get Creative
Humans are amazing creatures. We’re the only animal capable of imagining things. We can create new worlds and ideas and share them with others to enjoy.
Embrace humanity’s creative nature. Write a story, paint a masterpiece, draw a silly cartoon, or build a new toy.
There are numerous ways to tap into your creativity. Try them all and see what works best for you.
Give Yourself Grace
“To err, is Human, to forget, Divine”
-Alexander Pope
Forgive yourself.
We all make mistakes, and we’ve all done things in life we aren’t proud of.
Stop dwelling on those things. Engage in self-reflection to understand why you did what you did and work towards preventing further lapses, but don’t dwell on it.
Let it go and forgive yourself.
Become a Lifelong Student
Humanity’s capacity for learning new things will never cease to amaze me. Embrace it by becoming a constant student. Open your mind to new possibilities, explore new cultures, and learn how the world works.
The world abounds with fascination and wonder. Open yourself to learning new ways to do things, new ideas, and different perspectives.
Dream Big
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”
-Vincent Peale
Aim high. Shoot for the craziest, wildest outcome you can possibly imagine. Don’t let limiting beliefs prevent you from setting your sights high and working towards living your dream life.
Even if you don’t get exactly what you wanted, you’ll be better off setting your sights as high as possible.
We can’t always get what we want, but often get what we need.
Make Plans
A dream without a plan is a wish. Make your dreams come true by developing a plan to achieve them.
Planning serves two purposes – first, it’s fun. Nothing beats the satisfaction of hammering out an action plan to achieve a significant goal.
Second, planning makes your dreams achievable. It helps you set goals and outline tasks you need to complete to achieve those goals. Your plan is your roadmap to a fulfilling life.
Show Compassion
Compassion and empathy go hand in hand. Empathy is the secret ingredient to a meaningful life. Understanding how others think and feel will help you be a better friend and person. It can lead to a more robust support network and deeper connections.
Compassion is turning empathy into a desire to help. Rescue that stray cat, volunteer at a homeless shelter, or donate to a meaningful cause. Embrace those compassionate feelings, and do something meaningful for someone else.
You may not change the world, but the small impact you make on whoever you help will be lasting.
Clean Your Space
Some people thrive in chaos, but others feel better when the space around them is clean and organized. Help yourself flourish by keeping your home and workspace clean.
Find an organizational system that works with your tendencies and embrace it. A clean, clear space promotes a clean, clear mind.
Read
Books are journeys into other realms full of possibility and wonder. They can transport us to another time and place or teach us about the universe’s inner workings.
Reading is a fantastic tool for learning new things or tapping into our creative minds. The best part is that it can be free.
Go to your local library and browse their selections. You’re sure to find something interesting.
Enjoy the Small Things
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”
-John Lennon
Small things make up life. We all have significant moments that we’ll never forget, but it’s the rest of the time; the daily meals, the weekly game night, and the nightly cuddles, that truly fill life.
Enjoy those moments.
Take pleasure in the Sunday morning bacon and the weekly bonus coffee. Stop what you’re doing to listen to your child or pet your cat when they come asking for attention. These little moments make up life, so enjoying them is key to a happy one.
Avoid Judgement
Live your life how you choose, but avoid judging others for making different choices. Everyone is doing their best with the cards they have, and everyone makes mistakes.
Don’t judge people for their mistakes or for choosing a path you wouldn’t choose. Instead, choose compassion.
Offer to help when others are suffering, and be the person they can trust with their deepest secrets. Your non-judgmental presence may be just what they need to get back on the right track.
Face Your Fears
Living life to the fullest can be scary. It’s easy to follow the life script, do what’s expected of you, and live a mediocre life.
It’s much harder to go against the grain and dedicate yourself to pursuing your dreams. What happens if you fail, if your family doesn’t support you, or if you can’t financially support yourself?
These are valid fears, but you need to face them. Step out of your comfort zone and discover what you’re made of. You will likely find that those fears were holding you back, and you’re fully capable of doing everything you want to do.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
So many of us obsess over things that don’t matter. We cry over the spilled milk, get angry over misunderstandings, and run scenarios about what we should have said over and over in our heads ad nauseam.
Let all that stuff go.
Ask yourself if anyone will get hurt. Then ask yourself if this will matter a month, a year, or five years from now. If the answer is no, stop worrying about it.
In the grand scheme of things, these small obstacles don’t matter, and stressing about them prevents you from living a happy life.
Get Philosophical
Have you ever wondered how the world works? Why did humanity become what it is? What else is out there in the universe? What is the true meaning of life?
Dive into those philosophical questions you have about the inner workings of the universe. Discuss ideas with your friends and family. These deep ponderings and conversations may help you develop new perspectives on people, cultures, and our world, which can ultimately lead to a more fulfilling life.
Do What Makes You Happy
Other people will try to tell you how to live your life. Though they may have good intentions, they aren’t you. Only you know what makes you truly happy.
Ignore the haters and the naysayers and live your life how you see fit.
Do what makes you happy, regardless of what other people think.
But Be a Good Person
The caveat to doing what makes you happy is that you shouldn’t hurt people in the process. Follow your dreams and pursue your own path, but don’t lie, cheat, or steal to get what you want.
It’s also essential to fulfill any obligations that you have. If you have children, you must take care of them, even if it prevents you from following your dreams for a while.
However, you’ll likely find that being there for those who need you is fulfilling in and of itself. A fulfilling life finds you when you’re a good person.
Experiences to Help You Live a Full Life
Happiness comes from experience.
Living life to the fullest is about having adventures, doing things, taking action, and collecting a wide range of experiences.
Explore these eight opportunities to do more and live your best life.
Complete Your Bucket List
A bucket list is an extensive list of things you want to do before you leave this planet. It could include competing in extreme sports, traveling to a specific location, reading a certain number of books, or learning a new skill.
Live life to the fullest by writing out your bucket list and trying to check every single item off it.
Travel
Traveling is one of the best ways to live life to the fullest. The world abounds with rich cultures, fascinating histories, beautiful sites, and people with varying perspectives. Spend time exploring the vast richness of our world.
Traveling is also a great way to find yourself. Sometimes, it takes a trek to ancient ruins in distant mountains to discover what we really want from life.
Get a Degree/Certification
Although you don’t need a degree to be a life-long student, it may be necessary to land a dream job. Consider going back to school or earning a credential.
Degrees and certificates are great for opening doors to new opportunities, but they also provide you with new perspectives and information to pursue a life of learning.
Become an Expert
You don’t need a degree to become an expert. The internet is a vast resource that puts knowledge at your fingertips. Use this technology to become an expert on whatever interests you, whether it be the geo-political atmosphere of ancient Rome or the life and work of Stan Lee.
Alternatively, you can become an expert in a specific skill or craft rather than a subject. In this case, practice is far more critical than what you will find in books. Dedicate time and attention to your craft. Complete master studies. Perfect your skill. Become an expert by doing.
Give Back
Find purpose in helping others. Join a volunteer organization that speaks to you and help make the world a better place.
Build houses with Habitat for Humanity, mentor a child through the Big Brother Big Sister Program, or volunteer at a humane society to help animals in need.
Living a full life is about more than what you can do for yourself; it’s also about how you can help others.
Raise a Family
Many people find purpose in their children. They consider raising a family the ultimate path toward fulfillment. Although the daily struggles are challenging, many parents feel their children gave their life purpose.
It’s okay if this path isn’t for you. Bringing another whole person into this world isn’t a decision to take lightly.
Despite what society tells us, you can live a full life without children.
Compete in a Sporting Event
Part of living life to the fullest is having crazy things to look back upon with pride. Competing in punishing sporting events could be that crazy thing.
Consider running a marathon, competing in a triathlon, or signing up for numerous athletic competitions. You can also do a Tough Mudder, a 10K fun run, or a polar dive.
All these activities will require training and hard work, but the sense of accomplishment you feel when you finish them will be worth it.
Push Yourself to Your Limits
You won’t know what you’re capable of until you test yourself. Give everything you do your all. Set challenging goals, face your fears, step out of your comfort zone, and force yourself to step up to the challenge.
There are thousands of ways to push yourself. You could compete in an athletic event, face your fear of public speaking with a theater class, study a difficult topic, take on a side project you aren’t entirely comfortable with, or even embark on an epic mountain climbing adventure. How you push yourself is up to you, but when you’re done, you’ll know that you truly lived life to the fullest.
How Do I Afford To Live Life to the Fullest?
There are two significant limitations to living life to the fullest, especially if you want to pursue goals like traveling the world or becoming an expert in a particular field: Time and money.
To live your best life, you must find ways to fund your passions while meeting your obligations.
The secret people don’t like to tell you is that you can have both.
Here are some essential tips on living life to the fullest while still paying your bills and surviving in the world.
Set Priorities
Setting priorities is the crucial first step for living your best life. We can’t have it all, and that’s okay. We must decide what we really want.
Consider your ultimate life goals and decide which are most important.
During this process, you must dig deep and think about what living life to the fullest means.
What do you want out of life?
Budget
Next, you need to look at your budget. How does your spending align with your priorities?
You may find that you’re wasting money on things that don’t bring value to your life or don’t align with your goals.
Cut back on the things that don’t matter and start funding the things that do.
Make a Plan
You need to be realistic. It’s probably not feasible to leave tomorrow and pursue your dreams. Most people have financial obligations that take priority.
However, it is feasible to make a five-year plan for achieving your dream life. Outline your short-term and long-term goals and make an action plan to achieve them.
Use The Money Triangle
Once you’ve outlined your plan to live a life of purpose, you need to make a financial plan to support it. Your financial plan should include the three sides of financial wellness: saving, investing, and debt repayment.
Develop your triangle based on your goals.
Adjust as needed when income changes or when you’ve achieved specific goals.
Turn Your Passion Into Cash
The best way to start living your dream life is by turning your passion into cash as soon as possible.
Start a side hustle that aligns with your idea of a fulfilling life. Sell your creations on Etsy, start that book, or make YouTube videos showcasing your passion.
There are thousands of ways to turn the things you love into money, and the sooner you start, the quicker you will be on your way to living your best life.
Who First Said Live Life to the Fullest?
Although many people have said something like “live life to the fullest” over time, one of the best attributions is Albert Einstein.
His full quote is:
“Live life to the fullest. You have to color outside the lines once in a while if you want to make your life a masterpiece. Laugh some every day. Keep growing, keep dreaming, keep following your heart. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
We hit on many of the ideas in his quote as methods for living your best life: keep learning, exploring, and laughing to enjoy life.
More Quotes on Living Life to the Fullest
Many celebrities and influential personalities have said inspirational things about living life to the fullest.
Here are a few of our favorites:
“Success is loving life and daring to live it.” – Maya Angelou
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist.” – Oscar Wilde
“There is only one success, to be able to spend your life in your own way.” – Christopher Morley
“Live the life you’ve dreamed.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did.” – Mark Twain
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” – James Dean
“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Breault
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Get Out There and Live!
Live your life to the fullest. Make the best of every moment, and you’ll live a happy life.
What are you waiting for?