Everyone wants to live a fulfilling life, but few know how to achieve it. We’ve reached a point where the day-to-day tasks are pretty stressful and challenging, demanding more and more of our time and attention, leaving us tired and with little to no satisfaction with our experience on this Earth. Many people struggle to feel accomplished and happy and often can’t find a way out of being stuck in a situation where they feel miserable. If all of this sounds too familiar, you should know this problem too has a solution! If you want to, you can change your life and shape it according to your vision! Our time-management experts share a few simple secrets to making most of our life and living it to the fullest.
Take Full Responsibility for Your Life
To change your life, you need to come to terms with the fact that you and only you are responsible for the quality of your experience! What does this mean? The very first definition in Macmillan Dictionary for the word responsibility is “the state or job of being in charge of someone or something and of making sure that what they do or what happens to them is right or satisfactory “. The definitions then go on, but the first one particularly resonates with the topic of our life and our happiness.
In this sense, responsibility translates to response-ability, meaning that you’re the person that has to master the ability to respond to any situation adequately. You are in control! As Fred Koffman says in his book Conscious Business, you either choose to be a spectator in life, a victim, where nothing depends on you, or a player where you actively participate and can take your destiny into your own hands.
Read also: What Is Time Management and How Can it Help You Achieve Your Life Goals?
How to Get in the Driver’s Seat?
We know that sometimes, taking control of your life may seem impossible. With all the tasks we have in our hands, we often feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. There are just too many aspects in life, and when nothing is going well, we are tempted to give up and just let things happen. But actually, the most efficient way to take control is to approach each aspect of your life individually instead of trying to handle everything at once. Or, as Rene Descartes has eloquently said: “Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it, and watch the whole transform.”
What Are the Most Important Things in Life?
Because our journeys are unique, some of the priorities in our life may vary from one person to another. One can feel at their best when they travel and explore the world while having a high-end career is the ultimate goal for another. Still, a few things are common to all of us when discussing being satisfied with our lives. And if you learn to handle these aspects the exact way you want, you’ll know you’re on the right path to living your life to the fullest.
Here are some areas in life that affect all of us and are essential to our well-being.
Health
How can you have a fulfilling life if you aren’t in your best condition? Health is not only exercise and nutrition. It also involves breathing, sleeping, mindfulness, sex, regular dental and doctor checks, and you should ignore none of those. Put some time and effort to improve your physical and mental shape every day – and it doesn’t even have to be a complete workout or meditation! A brisk walk, a few push-ups, or a 10-minute pause in the middle of a hectic day will do wonders for you in the long term. When you feel good inside and out, you will have the strength to conquer your dreams.
Family
To live life to the fullest, we need the love and support of our family. Time is the ultimate currency, but it passes quickly. So, make sure you’re not neglecting your parents, children or spouse because someday you’ll wake up and realise they are gone, grown or have become strangers. Make time for family trips, games, conversations and cuddles. Even on days when you feel exhausted and preoccupied, try to give your loved ones your undivided attention – even if it is for an hour or two. Your family knows how busy you are, and they will appreciate each second you spend with them even more, taking your connection to a whole new level.
Work
People often think that the primary goal of working or running their business is making money. Sadly, this mistake leads them into doing something that makes them miserable. Work is a considerable part of our life, and of course, we all want to get a fair price for what we do. However, to be truly satisfied with your job, it is best to see it as an opportunity to solve problems and help others. Regardless of what work you do or the business you run, you can do it intelligently and efficiently. Consider your work a spotlight, a place where you can show who you are and help as many people as possible. If you do what you do only for the money, one day, if you somehow lose the money, you will have lost your time too. But if you are passionate about your job, nobody can take away your fulfilment, no matter what.
Finances
As we said, it is essential that you are satisfied with your work. Unfortunately, not all jobs and businesses can give you the financial freedom you need to live your life to the fullest. Luckily, there are many ways to achieve your economic goals, rather than your job! Educate yourself about finances – reading books, magazines, even watching videos is helpful! Even if you are a novice in the world of economics, youtube has thousands of videos on the topic – from very basic to very profound. With little persistence, you will learn how to make money from various investment opportunities. Property or precious metals are a traditional choice for those seeking financial prosperity; cryptocurrencies are also here to stay. Be open-minded and try different things – new opportunities are coming up all the time, and usually, the ones who are brave enough to ride the first wave of hype are becoming millionaires.
Entertainment
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is an old proverb many disregard or interpret as a joke. However, its true meaning is that a person becomes both bored and boring without time off from work. Relaxation is crucial for our mental health as it helps us unwind from our routine. Some of the most popular forms of entertainment and the most accessible ones are undoubtedly TV, surfing and online gaming. But we all know that these are guilty pleasures, same as junk food – it’s okay to do them every now and then, but they’re not enriching us, nor help us live our life to the fullest. So, if you need to relax but don’t want to waste your time, think of some activity that is beneficial to you and supports your goals. Use your free time to go to the museum or a concert or engage in games and activities that develop your brain and make you learn new skills.
Social life
In his profound TED talk, “What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness“, Professor Robert Waldinger states that “Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.” And this applies to everybody close to you, not only your family. However, as we have a limited amount of time on this Earth, we must choose the people in our circle wisely. We meet a lot of people, but do they all deserve our attention? Surround yourself with the people who resonate with you to build meaningful relationships. It may require an effort, but it is what makes us happier in life.
Self-development
Self-development is the process of consciously improving yourself in different aspects of your life. It is a pursuit of personal growth by bettering your skills, talents, and expertise. Still, the main goal of self-development is your growth to seek self-fulfilment and proactively reach your fullest potential. Investing yourself in this process will be easier if you have a clear vision of yourself and the life you want to for yourself. If you don’t know where to start, try this exercise: imagine you’ve suddenly won a considerable amount of money – enough that you never have to work ever again. What would you do, what will you change, and how? The answer to this question will help you discover what you’re passionate about and what to include in your self-development journey.
Contribution
Helping others without expecting anything in return is the ultimate sign that you are successful in your life. And we are not talking about financial prosperity but about feeling fulfilled. Unsurprisingly, this works both ways – you can’t be happy without helping others. Many studies support the idea that volunteering, donating money, or even spending some on someone else brings as much satisfaction as doing things for yourself. Giving also promotes cooperation and social connection, things that are often missing in our busy lives today. So, choose a cause that is dear to your heart and start supporting it, be it by investing your time in voluntary work or donating to a charity. At the end of the day, we are the ones responsible for shaping the world we live in, so why not make it better?
How to Manage the Different Aspects of Your Life?
Many life coaches and business gurus say you cannot master what you don’t measure. There are many ways to distribute your time and efforts and keep track of the most important things for you via a calendar or a to-do list. And all of them are fine as long as they work for you. But if you feel that the items on your checklist are piling and most tasks are rarely ever crossed off, don’t be afraid to try something different!
We, at Master Time, have developed a tool that enables you to define a clear vision for each area of your life. Our goal is to help you invest yourself in actions that support your goals. You will find the aspects in life common to all of us included in our time management app, but you will see you can customise everything to fit you best.