5 Ways to Live an “Extra”ordinary Life

Live true to who you are. I heard a quote once that said, “The biggest regret someone that is nearing death has, is that they didn’t live a life true to who they are.” We are unique and wonderful just being ourselves, but there are so many times when we try to reshape ourselves to fit a mold. Examples would be living someone else’s dream, keeping our opinions to ourselves because we don’t feel confident enough to give them, or acting in a way that doesn’t express our values or morals. Express yourself and your individuality in everything you do. We all have different interests and talents and it would be pretty awful to hide those because we are too scared to be seen for who we really are. There is nothing to be gained by doing this except a lifetime of unhappiness.

Continue to grow and learn. I don’t think there is ever an age where we can honestly say we’ve learned enough. Life is about growing through experience, learning from our mistakes, and constantly educating ourselves to become more knowledgeable in any given area. Take a class, read a book, find what areas of your life you want to improve and take action. Find a mentor, someone that does what you want to do….watch them, learn from them, grow with them.

Quit comparing yourself to others. There will never be anyone quite like you. You will never be able to be exactly like anyone else. It’s like a slap in the face to compare yourself to someone because most of the time…you never add up. Someone else always has more money, is better looking, has more well behaved kids, etc. Insecurities run wild when we consistently do this to ourselves. I used to compare myself all the time to other people and always came away feeling less than perfect.

Live out random acts of kindness. A great quote by Winston Churchill states “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” It’s hard not to be self-absorbed in the world we live today. Everything always seems to be centered on what someone else can do to make our lives better. What we really need to be asking is “how can we help someone else?” Focusing on someone else for a moment and helping them, even in the smallest way, will allow us to grow and start reshaping our mindset and our character.

Find the positive in a negative world. If you’ve heard the saying “Attitude is everything” that is what I’m talking about. This is not to say that life will always be perfect and you always have to be in a good mood no matter what the situation. However, there is so much more to be accomplished with a positive, optimistic outlook. Negativity is like a disease and you are not able to see things as clearly with that mindset. It helps to surround yourself with people that hold the same values, beliefs, and ideals and that will encourage you rather then hold you down.