The short 4-word phrase "Live your best life" which means "Live a quality life" became a popular message after being disseminated by renowned artist Oprah Winfrey as a practical guide to happiness and success. This message is very useful and easy to understand, but many people don't know how to apply it. This article describes some of the steps you need to take so that you can live a quality life according to that message.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Determining Life's Purpose
Step 1. Power to the best of your abilities
Whatever you do, do your best. When completing a task, do your best. Try to show your best performance even if you don't like the activity you are doing. Poor work results do not provide the expected satisfaction or return.
Develop the skills you have and learn new ones whenever possible
Step 2. Find out your hobbies, strengths, and life goals
Perhaps, this is the most difficult step for people who crave a quality life. Many people try to find out their purpose in life, but never find it. However, it plays an important role in enabling you to live a meaningful life. Reflect to find out your talents, activities you enjoy, and how to contribute to helping others.
- The way to find out which path in life to take is to open yourself up to opportunities that will lead you to the life you dream of and do things to determine what activities you are most interested in. Maybe you get an unexpected answer.
- A surefire tip to determine whether or not the path you have taken so far is to measure how much satisfaction you have in your current life. If life feels good when you work and go about your daily life, this is a good sign.
- A meaningful life does not mean having a prestigious job or a luxurious lifestyle. A person is said to live a meaningful life when his daily life is enjoyable.
- Even if you don't have the skills that support the realization of your goals, you can still determine the life mission you want to achieve, for example volunteering to help the homeless. If this makes life enjoyable, focus on doing the activity on a regular basis.
Step 3. Find out your shortcomings
In addition to knowing your best abilities, you need to identify the personal aspects that you lack. Sometimes, doing certain tasks persistently is not the right decision because your skills will be more useful if you use them to complete other jobs. Think about the activities you are competent in and then consider the skills you have when making decisions.
- For example, you are very good at drawing and making other works of art, but not very good at technology. Focus your energy on activities that give you the opportunity to show creativity, instead of doing technology-based work. This step will help you achieve success in the area of your interest and the results are more satisfying.
- Don't let this make you passive and unwilling to change or adapt.
Part 2 of 4: Increasing Happiness in Life by Controlling the Mind
Step 1. Learn to control your mind
Thinking about something terrible, scary, or difficult even though the activity you are doing does not trigger it at all is one of the main causes of stress. Focus your mind on the present and enjoy every moment that is happening second by second. This very short life will be in vain if it is used to dwell on exaggerated problems.
- Do mindfulness meditation by being aware of what is going on and observing each thing that is being experienced in detail. This meditation and self-awareness enable you to enjoy life and prioritize what is truly important so that your quality of life improves.
- One way to practice focusing attention is to meditate. Meditation does not need to be done according to certain rituals because the benefits are the same even if you only set aside 2 minutes a day to sit quietly while doing reflection. Focus on the breath so that the mind is not distracted while meditating.
- Another way to practice focusing attention is by doing yoga. In addition to maintaining a healthy body, yoga practice helps you control your mind by observing your body's condition, how your body moves, your body's response to your surroundings, and your mind's connection with your body. Reflecting with this technique is very effective when practicing focusing attention.
Step 2. Develop a spiritual life
You don't have to belong to a particular religion in order to develop a spiritual life. A spiritual person is one who seeks truth and is connected to the source of life/God in his own way. Determining the philosophy of life is not easy, but this step is very useful when living everyday life.
Living a spiritual life means connecting with the universe and other people. Be grateful for the life you live and show gratitude through your behavior to others. Treat others with respect and kindness. Appreciate your relationships with other people and the good things in everyday life
Step 3. Find a supportive mentor
Find someone who can be trusted and can give advice, such as a close friend or professional counselor/therapist. Making wise decisions is not always easy, but it can be done well if you have time to discuss it with someone. In addition to increasing confidence when making decisions, discussions with counselors are useful in dealing with stress and anxiety.
A counselor can help you increase your self-awareness so that you are aware of what is happening and are able to control your thoughts as you go about your daily life
Part 3 of 4: Becoming a Positive Person
Step 1. Focus on the positive
This is one of the fundamental aspects of living a quality life because everything you experience is determined by your perception. In fact, a very dire situation can change with a positive attitude. For example, instead of thinking, "I'm stuck in traffic," say to yourself, "In the middle of a traffic jam, I can take the time to reflect on my life."
- Being positive is a choice. Try to see the bright side of things and learn from each experience.
- The ability to think positively is useful in reducing the stress you experience in everyday life.
- For example, instead of thinking, "I've never done this task before," say to yourself, "I'm going to take this opportunity to learn something new."
Step 2. Be grateful for everything you have
Whatever the circumstances of your life, there is always something to be grateful for. If you take other people and things in your daily life as normal, you will look for something else because you are never satisfied. Take time to reflect on all that you have so you can enjoy the present.
If you feel like you have nothing to be grateful for, it really isn't. For example, reading this article is proof that you can access the internet and use electricity (a luxury of life that many people don't enjoy) and free time to research certain topics while having fun. These things are something to be grateful for
Step 3. Don't be jealous
The nature of envy is a negative thing that makes you shunned by people because the mindset and behavior that shows envy are unpleasant to others. Also, it's useless if you feel jealous of what other people have because they are just things that are meaningless in the future and can't be taken with you when you die!
- If you feel jealous, focus on what You have, not on what others have. Think of things to be grateful for in everyday life and be a person who is able to be grateful.
- Instead of being jealous of the other person for what he or she has (negative emotion), think of what you want as a goal to be achieved (positive emotion). That way, you don't get distracted because someone else has what you want. You are only focused on the steps that need to be taken to achieve the goal.
Step 4. Don't complain
The habit of complaining is such a negative trait that positive people don't feel right for you. Start remembering the good things that have happened to you and ignore the unpleasant events. Once you feel like complaining about something, think about why it bothered you and treat the negative experience as a learning opportunity. Furthermore, there is nothing more to complain about because you are still learning and developing yourself.
Part 4 of 4: Taking Real Action
Step 1. Get used to exercising and adopt a healthy lifestyle
A quality life can be achieved if you take care of your health and take care of your body. The better you adopt a healthy lifestyle, the body will stay healthy and function well longer. That way, you can live a longer quality life because you stay healthy into old age.
- Adults should exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
- Eat a balanced diet. Avoid fatty fried foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Drink water as needed. Adult men should drink approximately 3 liters of fluid a day and adult women 2.2 liters a day.
Step 2. Make actionable decisions
Define your life goals and work to achieve them. Make a plan and execute it as best you can. Be assertive when you reach your life goals and live your daily life. Don't let other people force you to make decisions that don't benefit yourself.
If you want to go to college or change jobs, think carefully, consider various options, and then make a decision. Then, carry out the plans that have been prepared so that the desired changes can be realized
Step 3. Be proactive
Time is running and the days are getting faster and faster. In contrast to the infinite past and future, human life is very short. So, make the most of every second as possible.
Don't sit around waiting for something to happen by itself. Strive to realize your life goals. Once you've determined what you want, work towards it. As soon as there is an opportunity, dare to take it even though there are risks that must be faced
Step 4. Invest by doing something worthwhile
In everyday life, many things take time to be realized. Whether you want to build a harmonious home or start a successful business, all worthy dreams take time. So that you can live a quality life, try your best to fight for something that really matters with patience and persistence.
- Don't rely on instant solutions. Something that seems too easy or too grandiose might not be the best solution.
- If you have a fight with your partner, don't immediately decide to separate. Instead of breaking up immediately, set aside time and energy to work through the conflict so that you two get back together again.
- Don't punish your child right away if he makes a mistake. Sometimes, situations like this can be used as an opportunity to teach valuable life wisdom to children. Thus, you invest time and energy in educating him because he plays an important role in your life.
