Everyone has a legitimate desire to have a better life. Having a better life could mean different things to different people. What a man considers to be a better life may be different from what a woman considers to be a better. Also, what a young person considers a better life would be different from what an older person considers a better life. For a young person in their 20s, better life could mean having many materials things (car, house, clothes, money, etc.) which they believe would make them happy.
For older people, a ‘better life” for them would be living their dream with lots of passion, lots of laughter and love, which of course brings happiness to them. Not a material thing in sight! Even though our definition of what a better life is can change over the years, the steps we take to how we can attain that “better life” doesn’t really change. As Elbert Hubbard said, a sculptor creates the beautiful statue through a process of chipping away the parts of the marble that are not needed. This process of elimination is what we need to take on board as we try to eliminate those things that we do which prevent us from attaining a “better life for ourselves”.
No matter your age or gender, and whatever “better life” means to you, you can attain that legitimate desire by chipping away those parts of your life that are not needed. Also, if you do want to create change in your life, get clear on the definition of what a better life is for YOU. This will help you identify the key things that you need to STOP DOING so that you can have a better life.
Your life can be beautiful and meaningful if you take the following steps:
1. Stop overcomplicating your life
Complexity creates confusion and hides solutions in a haze of fog. It is very hard to be creative and innovative when you are bogged down with complexity and detail. Complexity will also prevent you from being open to finding the solutions that are often right in front of you.
2. Stop Adding Stress To Your Life
Being too busy, working too hard on things you really don’t like doing, striving for perfection, taking on more responsibilities because you think it makes you feel valued and ending up having too many things to do takes away time for you to JUST BE YOU. Bad stress is harmful to your health and I don’t need to quote all the scientific research that supports how harmful bad stress can be. To be blunt, BAD STRESS over a continuous period of time will KILL YOU – so if you are prone to creating BAD STRESS in your life PLEASE STOP. Figure out WHY you are doing this to yourself and change.
3. Stop Regretting Your Actions From Your Past
The past is over and what is more important is where you are now and where you want to be in the future. All your past experiences, mistakes and failures in your life have prepared you for living your life in the present and in the future. Acknowledge your past and what you have learnt, then let the past go and move forward to the future.
4. Stop Saying You Have NO TIME
Whether it’s to be with a friend, to visit your elderly aunt, to watch the sunset or sunrise, to have a holiday, to read a book, to sleep peacefully, or to go to a funeral, our time is so precious and you will never know when you run out of time. With no time, you can miss the most precious and beautiful moments in your life. With no time, you will put off all the important things you know you should do however choose not to do because you say you have no time.
5. Avoid Fear
Fear is paralyzing and it will stop you from making any changes in your life. Your limiting self-beliefs will control your thoughts and actions and will fuel your fear. You must deal with these limiting beliefs and know why it is that you are so FEARFUL. Acknowledge your fear and act anyway and I guarantee you will feel liberated and free!
6. Stop Procrastinating
Whether it’s taking up a cooking class, learning another language, going back to university, following your dream, writing a book, taking drama or painting classes, go do it. Take a trip to Europe, go to the gym, get fit and lose weight. Figure out what is important to you and what makes you happy and then go do it
7. Stop Looking To Others for Your Happiness
When you look to others to make you happy, it is a sign that you are not being true to yourself. It is a dangerous thing to do because we can convince ourselves that being with the people we love does make us happy, however that is only part of the equation to you being happy. The message is pretty clear “only you can make yourself happy” and it’s important to figure what it is that you need to do to be fulfilled and happy.
8. Stop Comparing Your Life to Others
Stop comparing your life to others because they will have a better life than you and you will always feel miserable. If you are doing this, then please stop and focus on doing things that build your self-confidence and self-belief in you.
9. Stop Waiting for the Right Time
Don’t wait for the “right time” for you to take action, to make the change, to leave your job, to follow your dream, to do whatever it is that you need to do to be happy and have a better life. There never is a right time to be courageous, to initiate change and chase your dreams. If you choose to keep waiting for the right time, accept that your life will pass by and you will never attain that life you desire. Choose not to wait and you will have that life you so desire. Very simple!
10. Stop Running From Your Problems