THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.
Are you living your best life? Do you know what I mean when I ask this question? If not (to both of these questions) then listen up because this is important!
Life is so precious. We only get one life to live and in all honesty that means we have to live it to the fullest. Believe it or not, a lot of people may not necessarily know what it means to live your life to the fullest. I at one point and time in my life, and for a very long time, was one of those people.
I always thought that the best way to live your life the fullest was to always have a plan in mind. A 5-year plan that you would actively works towards, and a 10-year plan just in case you needed to think further into the future. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a 5- or 10-year plan, this method doesn’t consider the many unpredictable, and unplanned things that we can encounter in life.
So, in reality when you think about living your life to the fullest based off of a 5-or-10-year plan, even when it’s made up of goals, your greatest passions, and biggest dreams, you’re never really living it to the fullest if you’re not living authentically.
Living Your Best Life, Why It’s Important
Life is super unpredictable and it’s hard to plan the framework of your life in anticipation that nothing is going to not go as planned. Think about it for a second. We all enter this world as a blank slate eager to be painted upon. As we grow, learn, and explore we begin to create dreams, passions, and goals that are 100% personal to how we identify ourselves as individuals in this world. All those dreams, passions, and goals are tools that we learn to use to bring our canvas to life. The best part about this is that it’s something that can be very unique in a very authentic way.
It’s also something that can easily navigate our lives in directions that were not foreseen or planned, simply because we never thought to give ourselves hope that it was a life we were worthy of living. You’d be surprise by the number of people who are not living a life that they are proud of.
It’s important to live your best life because it shows the type of person that you are. All too often we allow ourselves to fall into the shadows of others, or to become prisoners of our own fears. We learn at a very young age to dream big but some of us never really learn how to make those dreams, hopes, and wishes our own realities. By never learning are we are already selling ourselves short of what we are capable of achieving. By selling ourselves short we are taking away the one thing that could literally change our lives for the best in an instant.
So I ask you like I once asked myself, is living an ordinary life that is completely unfulfilling worth it?
Related Posts: Make the Most Out of Life: 5 Ways You Can Make More Time for The Things You Love
It’s Not Worth It, So What Do I Do?
To answer this question in simple terms, choose to start living a more fulfilled life now!
This means that you are living a life that you find genuine joy in. You look forward to greeting the day every day because you have some many things to be grateful for, so many things that make you happy, and so many things that brings you true fulfillment. This gratefulness, happiness, and feeling of fulfillment has NOTHING to do with money, but EVERYTHING to do with your authenticity.
Fulfillment is all about your perspective on life and whether or not you’re willing to take the necessary risks to get to where you want to be in life.
How Do I Start Living My Best Life Now!?
This may seem like a complicated formula but I promise you it’s not. All you have to do to start living your best life right now is simply lay out all your biggest hopes and dreams on the table right in from of you. Once you have done that just simply take out the fear that has been holding you back. Fear is the number one reason why we don’t allow ourselves to reach our full potential, but it doesn’t have to be the reason that we never have the guts to continue to try time and time again.
If you’re curious about how to eliminate that fear factor out of your life, so that you can start living your best life right now, then you’re going to want to check out the list below!
Related Posts: Make Your Goals A Priority: 5 Ways You Can Stay Motivated to Reach Your Goals
The Steps & 8 Books That Can Help You Start Living Your Best Life NOW!
All these books below are books that are filled with personal stories from the author about chasing their dreams, going against the grain, and most importantly kicking fear right in the ass!
If you’re ready to give fear the boot and to start letting YOUR voice be the only one that has a say in how fulfilling you can let your life be, then look no further. These books may not have the answers you’re looking for, but they most certainly have the inspiration you’re craving.
Step 1: Know yourself
This book tells you the one thing that no one would ever admit out loud. Nobody has life figured out. What makes this book such a genius one to use a guide to living a more fulfilled life, is that it covers anything and everything you need to know about LIFE. If you are feeling overwhelmed with your life, and unworthy of all the things that you want for yourself, then you need to read this book. It’s filled with practical strategies to help you move past these feelings, and to start becoming the person you were meant to be.
Step 2: Take control
There is a lot that can be said about this book but to put it simply it teaches how to and encourages you to take control of your life. This book is a self-help book that will teach you how to love what you can’t change, change the things that you don’t love, and above all create a life that you know is worth living.
Step 3: Be creative
Book: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book will inspire you to start living a more creative life instantly. It definitely takes you on a spiritual journey of exploring the parts of you that you consider to be creative, and how you can bring that creativity into your daily life in order to let go of any suffering you may be experiencing. This book will also teach you how to let go of fear in order to allow more room for love. There are habits, attitudes, and approaches that must be adopted in order to start living your most creative life. This book teaches you how to do just that.
Step 4: Be your own boss…literally
Book: How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Singh
She’s an OG YouTuber, she’s hilarious, and super inspiring! I was so excited to get my hands on this book! This book covers a variety of topics, such as FOMO (fear of missing out), learning how to make your creativity a priority, and challenging yourself in many different ways. It’s the perfect guide to conquering life while making it very clear that there are absolutely no shortcuts to success. “World domination requires real effort, dedication, and determination”. Lilly even shares some personal stories with her readers about experiences in her life that helped her overcome her depression.
Step 5: Don’t compare your success to that of others
Book: A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like by Ashley Graham, Rebecca Paley
I have to start off by saying Ashely Graham is by far one of my biggest role models! From the moment I first laid eyes on her I knew that there was going to be something about her that was going to have a meaningful impact on my life, and when I stumbled upon this book by accident I knew I was right. This book teaches you how to be your most confident self, recognize your beauty and self-worth, and how to let your dreams guide you in your life without any limitations.
Step 6: Know your truth and sell it
Book: I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart, Neil Strauss (With)
I will admit this book took me by surprise. We know Kevin Hart as a comedian, not necessarily someone who tells stories in a book. This book encompasses the spirit of learning how to successfully survive in this world, taking those survival skills and making a living out of it where you actually get paid, ad how important it is to always believe in yourself. Kevin shares personal stories that helped him become the person he is today, and achieve the success that he has achieved with the talent that he was given.
Step 7: Create opportunities for yourself if none are presented
Book: Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It by Charlamagne Tha God
This book is brutally honest about how “living an authentic life is the quickest path to success”. Charlamagne shares personal stories that helped shape him into the man he is today, as well as allow him to have the career that he successfully has today. Coupled with bold advice about living a life that’s worth living according to your standards, and your standards alone, this book will empower you to start living your own truth today!
Step 8: Remind yourself of why you do the things you do, even if nobody else understands
Book: Note to Self by Connor Franta
I stumbled upon this book while surfing the internet one day and thought that it sounded like a beautifully written book for anybody who needed a reminder of why they live the life they live, do the things they do, and want the things that they want out of life. I just didn’t know where or who to share it with, until now. Connor talks about his battles with clinical depression, social anxiety, self-love, and acceptance, things we all can relate to one on level or another. Underneath it all is the desire to continue to live an authentic life, especially in a world where our self-worth can be controlled by the approval or disapproval of others.
Interested in learning more about wellness and how it can have a positive impact on your life? If so, sign up today for the free Live Well Health and Wellness Email Course where I’ll teach you how to create a personal and effective wellness routine for your everyday living.
Bonus Steps and Books
Bonus 1: Step into your power
Book: Becoming by Michelle Obama
This sounds like a book that is sure to shake up womanhood in a positive and inspiring way! We know her as the First Lady and a strong advocate for women, but we don’t know the experiences that have made her. Michelle opens up and shares her personal triumphs and disappointments with the world. From teaching us how to proudly defy expectations placed on us by others, to inspiring us to not let our past define us, this book sounds like a must read this holiday season!
Bonus 2: Stop apologizing
Book: Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals by Rachel Hollis
I’m so excited to get my hands on this book! This book sounds like it has all the answers to overcoming every insecurity that every woman has ever had. From having desires that tend to be frown upon by others, to trying to come off as the perfection woman, this book is giving women everywhere a reason to stop apologizing for who they are and what they have to offer. It sounds genius and super inspiring and I can’t wait!
*This book is available for pre-order and will be in stores on March 12, 2019!
Related Posts: I Quit My Secured Life to Start Living My Dream Life
Now What? Or Better Yet, What Now?
Now, you start living your best life. Break free from the chains that hold you prisoner to living out your dreams. Don’t listen to the voices in your head, and outside of your head, that tell you, you are too ambitious. Instead, look fear dead in the eyes and make it clear that it will no longer control you, and don’t let it control you any longer.
Once you’ve done all of that all that’s left to do is to take that first step. Take the first step towards living life on your terms, to allowing yourself to be happier and freer, and vowing to start living your best life NOW!
We never know how much time we have left on this planet. So instead of just living life while time passes by in hopes that something amazing will happen to you one day soon, take matters into your own hands. Start living your best life now so that the day something amazing happens to you, it’s no longer a day you have been anticipating.
Instead it’s a day that just happens, a day that you simply live because you allowed something amazing to happen.
That day will be life changing.
Looking for an unlimited amount of support from your peers? Want to know how to start living a happier and more fulfilled life today? Join the free Wellness Warrior Facebook Community and start living your dream life today.
-Xo
Kimora