How To Live The Good Life

Living the good life means different things to different people.  There is, however, a slightly ambiguous, mutual understanding.  “The good life” is the life that you would like to live broken down to its most basic form.  It deals with the simple pleasures that make you happy, the compassionate deeds you perform, the personal goals you strive to achieve, the relationships you nurture and the legacy you leave behind.  Sincere personal fulfillment is generally the collective end result.

“The good life” is also about appreciating all your time, not just your leisure time.  Far too many people get caught up in the mad rush of a corporate lifestyle and grow completely numb to the little moments, the simple building blocks of time that make life magical.  Time, after all, is the single greatest element of life.

This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle; wonderful, magical and more, to whosoever will think of it.
- Thomas Carlyle

1. Slow Down – Urgency and haste instantly diminish accuracy, awareness and happiness.  There is a big difference between getting things done and getting things done effectively.
2. Appreciate Life’s Simple Pleasures – The best things in life are free.  From a quiet lakeside sunset to sleeping in on a rainy day, life’s greatest simple pleasures can only be purchased with mindful awareness.
3. Foster and Nurture Relationships – A happy, fulfilling life is a life shared with family and friends.
4. Be Self Sufficient – Freedom is the greatest gift.  Self sufficiency is the greatest freedom.
5. Learn About Different Things – In life, a jack of all trades is far more equipped than a master of only one.  Combining the two is the key.
6. Concentrate on Your Passions – True wealth comes naturally to those who are passionate about their endeavors.
7. Travel to Distant Places – There are places in this world that will open your mind to realities you’ve never imagined in your wildest dreams.  These realities will inject your conscience with healthy, new perspectives.
8. Talk to Strangers – Quite simply, this is how you will meet great people.
9. Exercise Your 5 Senses – Sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.  Each provides a gateway to rewarding personal experiences.
10. Use What You Have – Success is not the byproduct of limitless resources.  Success happens when you stretch the limits of the available resources.
11. Assist Others – What goes around comes around.  Nuff said.
12. Be Clear on Your Goals – You will never get where you want to go if you don’t know what you want.
13. Make a Decision – Indecision is the leading cause of missed opportunity and wasted time.
14. Practice General Time Management – Trying to achieve your goals without doing a little time planning is like sailing the open ocean without a compass and map.
15. Leave Time for Spontaneous Excursions – Opportunity sometimes knocks at unexpected times.  Make sure you have enough flexibility in your schedule to respond accordingly.
16. Educate Yourself on the Facts – Ignorance is only bliss in a vacuum.  In the real world you will eventually be confronted with the facts, and by then it may`be too late.  Be aware of reality, get your facts straight and make educated decisions.
17. Think More, Talk Less – The more you think and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss.
18. Own Up to Your Actions – Either you own up to your actions or your actions will ultimately own you.
19. Keep Your Promises – Not doing so guarantees loneliness and failure.
20. Always Find the Positive Lesson – Every negative outcome holds a positive lesson.  Finding it is the key to greatness.
21. Forget Perfection, Find Satisfaction – Perfect is the enemy of good.  The idea of perfection is based primarily on personal opinion, circumstance and flexibility.  Instead of searching for perfection, find something that satisfies your needs.
22. Eat Clean – Never doubt the old adage “you are what you eat”.
23. Sleep Well – A tired mind is inefficient and unhappy.
24. Laugh – Some of the most memorable moments in your life will be moments spent in laughter.
25. Be Here Now – Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.  Right now is life.  Don’t miss it.

Also, check out these best selling books for more life tips:

• The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
• The How of Happiness
• The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things