Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:14
I meditate on this verse daily. This word from James, Jesus’ brother, gives me so much comfort – in my own insignificance. Strange, isn’t it?! To find comfort in insignificance?! But it takes the pressure off —the pressure to be perfect, to live up to others’ expectations, to achieve by the worlds standards.
I carry these words with me as I endeavor to live my life fully – honoring God in my choices, words, deeds and attitudes. And, since I am a massive failure every day – I am so grateful for Jesus! I love this article from The Gospel Coalition which explains how to live a God Centered Life.
How do you feel about your life? Do you feel joy in your circumstances? Do you love what you’re doing? Are you looking forward to what may be next in your life? Are you living your life fully?
Here are 25 things you can do to live your best life. Feel free to print or bookmark so you can refer back.
Seek God’s will for your life purpose. Create a mission statement for your life; one that will drive you to live your life to the fullest. Just like setting a budget, if you create a clear goal, you can review each decision or purchase against the goal. Does it help you achieve?
Live in alignment with your purpose. What can you do immediately that will let you live in alignment with your purpose? How can you live true to your purpose each day?
Spend some time discovering your values. And hold yourself to the highest conduct. Every one of us has our own set of ethics and principles. Live true to them every day.
Set short and long-term goals. Journal along with your mission statement and values. Add in your personal strengths, blind spots, and create action plans. I used Unique Abilities 2.0 (UA), which is designed for entrepreneurs, but it would add value to this process for anyone. My favorite thing about UA is emailing family, friends, and colleagues for their input on strengths and weaknesses. Make sure you ask those who will be honest.
Make any shifts to your mission statement and goals needed after critically reviewing your personal strengths.
Consider delegating or (gasp!) not doing tasks or activities that aren’t in line with your mission, values, strengths or that don’t bring you joy. Don’t do things just to do them! And ask God to bring you joy in any things you HAVE to do but that don’t really fit or bring you joy. I don’t find joy in housework and have been able to delegate much of it, thankfully! I constantly ask God to help me find joy in the tasks I find mundane. Doing so helps lower my stress and frustration when doing housework in a house with five people. Here are some verses to get you started.
Discover your passion. Seek out significance. I love the book Half Time.
Be compassionate. Show kindness to everyone around you.
Let go of an unhappy past. This means past grievances, heartbreaks, sadness, disappointments, and anger. Consider going to a counselor to help walk you through the present-day implications of a complicated past. I did! And, it helped me to forgive wrongs done to me, like childhood sexual abuse, and to take responsibility for choices I had made that caused conflict with others.
Ask for forgiveness and reconcile yourself to God and others.
Forgive others and work towards reconciliation. I am currently working through this very issue and often refer to this article from The Gospel Coalition.
Be willing to move away from relationships that aren’t healthy. I remember a time when I cried and cried to God as He let friendships leave me one after the other. I felt so alone! One day, I was driving in my car and felt Him clearly say that He loved me and was removing relationships to protect me. He opened my eyes to the struggles in my life, specifically in my marriage, that were a direct result of me giving in to my flesh through those friendships. This article which explains “Let Go and Let God,” perfectly explains what I took away from that situation.
Seek out relationships with people who empower and encourage you. And those who hold you accountable to your purpose, values, and goals. AND, seek out people who have different purposes, values, and goals. Engaging in a loving exchange of ideas can lead to great personal growth.
Build genuine, authentic connections with people around you — friends, family, colleagues, business partners, and acquaintances. Make time in your life to make real connections. This is related to moving away from relationships that aren’t healthy. Make space for deeper relationships. If you are married, prioritize your marriage above any other relationship. My husband and I have benefitted greatly from Sacred Marriage. In fact, I also love Sacred Influence and Sacred Parenting. I give Sacred Marriage Gift Edition to all engaged couples. It has the text of the original book plus a year of devotions. If you are single, check out this blog Waiting for Your Boaz.
Do a kind deed each day. What is something you can do today that will make the world a better place? Go and do it.
Have a heart of service. Help people who are in need. Give more value than you receive. There is so much unspeakable joy that comes from giving. I feel called in different seasons to get involved in different areas. I limit my participation to those to which I am called in each season. Looking back I can see a thread throughout my education, professional and life experiences and my different volunteer passions. Prayer and journaling can help you to find your calling.
Simplify! I LOVE this book. It really helped me reorder my priorities.
Find a fitness routine that you can maintain regularly. Exercise helps clear your mind and lower your stress. Walking each day, finding a way to exercise through the day at work and finding an accountability partner are all great ways to start. Another way is to incorporate exercise into your everyday tasks. When we moved into our current house, I reworked my schedule so I could bike or walk with my kids to and from school and church. I added ten miles a week in “free” exercise! When alone, I put on a podcast, e-book or uplifting music and take off!
Invest in a healthy diet. Invest the time and financial resource in a healthy eating plan you can maintain. It takes extra planning to eat well! I love to batch cook. We try to eat organic and our son has a food allergy, so we love Wildtree — it is a very easy way to eat healthy every day. I put most recipes in my crock pot or Instant Pot. I also love Arbonne. I use their protein powder in recipes (I batch cook many of these for easy mornings!) I am about to embark on Arbonne’s 30 Days to Healthy Living too. It’s been a busy summer of travel. And we made the choice to homeschool our two littlest this year which has led to a few weeks of road schooling. I find it so hard to (WANT TO!) eat well while traveling. Grab a friend and join! (Why Arbonne!?!)
Take care of your body. Besides exercise and eating well. Get enough sleep and make time for yourself. Don’t let medical symptoms go untreated and be an advocate for your own health. I had a thyroid cancer scare while I was pregnant with our youngest. While my lesions ended up not being cancerous, I did have to have them and, subsequently the right and middle of my thyroid, removed. Afterward, I began experiencing symptoms of hypothyroidism. After learning from my endocrinologist that my thyroid function was in “normal range,” and therefore didn’t need treatment, I sought out symptom-based treatment. I ultimately settled on BioTe Hormone Optimization. Click here to find a provider in your area or visit Skin Essentials Med Spa in the Houston Area. I am a NEW woman now for over two years! I also use essential oils daily. While I have used both DoTerra and Young Living, I prefer Young Living. I use topically, internally, and also diffuse. I diffuse in different areas of the house and different times of day and easily do so by making a week’s worth in a labeled glass jar.
Travel! Set aside time and money in your budget for a travel fund. Exposing yourself to other cultures and ways of life gives a deeper sense of empathy for others. It can help you with existing relationships, build new relationships, can affect the way you choose to live your life when you get home and even the way you vote!
Embrace new ideas. Don’t mentally limit yourself. I read a post once on social media from a friend that I admire. She referenced parenting while giving children autonomy and I honestly had never heard of such a thing! I had been raised and was raising my children to do as they were told, not complain, don’t cry, etc. I am so glad I researched what she wrote. It opened my eyes! While I haven’t incorporated all aspects, I do feel that the shifts I have made have helped me to raise children who trust more and are more trust worthy.
Get involved in a community of believers. I appreciate the fellowship, accountability and opportunity for conflict and growth that exists within our church. And I LOVE how God multiplys our efforts in ministry when we partner together. Check out this article!
Spend daily time with God. My own journey has been filled with peaks and valleys of time spent with God. Looking back, I can see my response to trials greatly differ based on the amount of time I spend with Him. I respond more quickly and harshly when I am not prioritizing quiet time and having a fruitful prayer life.