Everyone wants to live an exceptional life. The problem arises when it comes time to define what that means to you. If you embrace someone else’s definition of what an exceptional life is, you will end up disappointed sooner or later, because you alone have to determine what you want.
It can be tough to get clear on what you want, and you won’t always be perfectly clear, but the goal isn’t to be clear, the goal is to move forward and explore. If you knew everything, life would get boring fast. There has to be a degree of uncertainty to keep things interesting.
With that said, I thought I’d throw in a few ways on how you can get
- Be Kind
One of the first things you want to do in order to live an exceptional life is to be kind. Being kind is nothing special, yet at the same time it is. It can be smiling at people in your neighborhood, or helping a friend out. Treat people as you would like to be treated.
- Learn
Become a lifelong learner. Study personal development material and incorporate the lessons you learn into your own life.
If you do this, you will see your life transform in more ways than you can imagine right now, because even one new tweak each and every week will yield powerful results in a few years.
- Exercise
We all have physical bodies, and the better you take care of yours, the better you will feel. When you exercise regularly, not only will you have more energy, but you will also have more clarity and sense of purpose.
I know that you’ve heard this over and over. However, most people still haven’t applied it and taken action. If you are in this group, you have to ask yourself why!
- Face Your Fears
Everyone has things that they are afraid of. The truth of the matter is that when you face your fears, they melt away.
What happens is that you realize that your fears are nowhere near as scary as you make them out to be. So face your fears and go after what you truly want, because that is what you deserve.
- Release Blocks
Throughout our lives we’ve picked up strategies and ways of doing things that aren’t helpful anymore.
There are easy and elegant ways to release emotional blocks and negativity in your life. I personally recommend NLP and EFT, but you may want to do some research and discover what fits with you.
- Set Goals
Setting smart goals can be as simple as writing down what you want to accomplish in three months, one year, five years, and ten years.
Sometimes you won’t reach your goals, but they help you move in the right direction. Set goals, and become clear about what you truly want to achieve and accomplish in life, as well as how you want to feel when you’ve got it all.
- Dream Big
Don’t be afraid to dream big. If you’ve always visualized being a world renowned writer, then go for it and see what happens.
It may come to pass, or it may lead you onto another path that may be even more fulfilling than the one you thought you wanted. Life has a way of surprising you from time to time, so plan for it.
- Simplify
There’s no need to clutter up your life. When you simplify and get rid of the stuff that you don’t need, you will feel more clear and better about yourself.
You don’t have to spend all your money on “stuff,” because what we truly want is to feel good, and the best experiences in life are free anyway.
- Meditate
Meditation literally opens new doors in life and in your mind. At least that is what I have experienced, having meditated for almost a decade.
Meditation is as simple as focusing your attention on one thing. It could be focusing on your breathing when you’re washing the dishes, or just noticing your muscles as you’re outside taking a walk.
- Be Yourself
Almost everyone has been taught that being yourself is not enough. But you may also have realized that you cannot not be yourself, because that is what and who you are.
You are on this blue planet of ours for a reason, and the only way you can do what you were meant to do is by being yourself.
- Be Honest
I don’t know about you, but honesty and integrity are values that are very high up on my list. If you want others to treat you with honesty, then you have to be honest. That means not telling small lies that might make your life easier. Become aware of the fact that there are no harmless lies.
- Focus on Your Strengths
Life is too short to worry about things that you’re not good at, and may not even like. If you like something and aren’t good at it yet, then go ahead and learn more about it.
But you don’t have to improve your weaknesses, because you can just focus on your strengths and become even more exceptional.
- Trust Your Heart
In the beginning it can be difficult to trust your heart because your mind tends to get in the way. But, once you start following your heart and realize that it guides you in the right direction, your mind will have enough proof to trust that your heart knows what it’s doing.
Besides, when you start trusting your heart, your life becomes much more interesting, and dare I say: exceptional.
- Eliminate Excuses
Life is too short to make excuses and avoid doing what you really want to do.
There is no such thing as security or comfort. Most people that have security and comfort are bored out of their mind. And when you’re bored, it means that you are shutting yourself out from what the world has to offer. So go ahead and face your fears, eliminate your excuses, and go after what you truly desire.
- Kill Perfectionism
Perfectionism has killed many dreams; don’t let it kill yours. You’ve probably learned that making mistakes is bad, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
It isn’t until you fail and make mistakes that you begin learning what works and what doesn’t. We are all different, so we have to travel our path and discover what we truly want from life.
- Explore the Weird
Don’t hold yourself back from exploring the weird parts of life. I know there are things that you enjoy that you are afraid of enjoying fully, because of what others would think of you.
There are people out there in the world just like you. And you aren’t going to feel fulfilled until you embrace the entirety of who you are.
- Surround Yourself with Awesome
When you surround yourself with exceptional people, your life will become exceptional. If you have friends that drain you of energy, it’s time to let them go.
It’s time to set boundaries for what you allow into your life, if you want to live a truly awesome and passionate life. It can be done, but the decision always starts with you.
- Learn from Negativity
Often the most negative events in our lives end up teaching us valuable lessons that come in handy down the road. When you are experiencing negativity, it may not feel like it is there for a reason, but it is. This is what experience has shown me to be true, but I may be wrong.
You’ll just have to go out there and find out for yourself, won’t you?
- Enjoy Life
And above all else, remember to enjoy life and smell the roses. When you walk, remember to breathe deeply and be grateful for what you already have.
You can always want more, but stop and appreciate what you already have, because if you don’t do it now, when will you?
- Find Your Passion
Personally, I think finding your passion in life is one of the most crucial things you can do, because it gives you a sense of purpose and it makes you feel fulfilled.
When you find your passion, it will carry you through the tough times and help you create the life of your dreams. But it all starts by asking the question: What makes you come alive?
- Follow Your Passion
Once you’ve found your passion, it’s time to start taking massive action in making it a reality. I started doing this just a few years ago, and I’m amazed at how far I’ve come in this short period of time.
You, too, can do this if you truly decide to start right away. It’s easy to put things off and wait for the perfect moment, but if you do that, you will be waiting for the rest of your life.
Do you really want to do that, or would you like to start now?
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Written on 6/16/2011 by Henri Junttila. Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where he helps people turn their passion into a thriving lifestyle business. When you feel ready to take action, get his free special report. | Photo Credit: JKDs |
