In this post we’re going to cover the 4 Foundational Principles for living your best life.
Using these principles, you’ll be able to flourish throughout all of life’s seasons.
If you’re ready to realize your full potential, then this post is for you!
Let’s jump right in...
Living Your Best Life
Many different things may come to mind when trying to envision ‘your best life’.
Perhaps you’re thinking of the outward signs relating to your standard of living; prosperity, good health, a rich social life. Or maybe you would characterize this concept with some of the more personal, inner signs; confidence, happiness, peace of mind.
The true, complete definition will be different for each person, but there are several components that are universal.
What does living your best life mean?
The best living your best life synonym that comes to mind is self-fulfillment. Self-fulfillment is the state of being whole or complete; of becoming everything you are capable of becoming.
This is when you really are living your best life, meaning you’re using your full capabilities to move towards your desires & ambitions.
It’s a life you can look back on without regret.
It’s about becoming the best version of yourself and living each day with intention.
Common Misconceptions
Living your best life is not necessarily about outward success. While a life well-lived will often include the outward trappings of success, the focus would be on financial fitness & stability rather than a lavish lifestyle.
Striving only towards the outward signs of success will leave you feeling empty inside. It’s the shallow existence of a second-hand life. A life lived for the envy and admiration of others, not for your own betterment.
Where does living your best life come from?
It comes from within. Consider the inner signs we mentioned earlier; confidence, happiness, peace of mind, and so on.
It’s about how it feels, not how it looks. As stated in one of my favorite living your best life quotes:
We are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. We are hungry for purpose and meaning.
How can I live my best life?
The process itself is pretty straightforward, but not necessarily easy. All that’s needed is a commitment to improve yourself and to live each day with intention.
But in practice, the key is to first understand the 4 Foundational Principles for living your best life. Once these principles are internalized, the process will unfold naturally.
4 Foundational Principles For Living Your Best Life
There are 4 Foundational Principles that, once understood, will help you become the best version of yourself and live the best life possible.
There is a natural progression to these foundational principles, each one building upon the previous one.
The first principle helps you understand the nature of life itself, while the next two help you gain a clear picture of yourself and the world around you.
The final principle shows you how to put the first 3 principles into action.
Let’s get started..
1. Realize That Life Is Short
Today could be your last day, but it probably won’t be. But one day will. We are not guaranteed a certain lifespan.
Life is valuable.
Understanding this simple fact can help you understand the importance of living your best life. It helps move your focus away from the trivial and towards the significant.
It gives you the proper sense of urgency to start making positive changes & improvements today.
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It’s not about fearing the end, it’s about making the time you do have matter. When you realize that time is short, you’ll focus on your quality of life instead of the quantity .
This can give you the nudge you need to prioritize having a healthy mind and body, and it can pull you away from the escapism habits that fast-forward your life.
The more rare something is, the more value it has. Seeing your future days in this light is the first step towards living your best life.
2. Know Who You Are
This second principle draws inspiration from the Ancient Greek expression “know thyself”, and its purpose is to suggest that you practice self-awareness.
When you work on becoming the best version of yourself, it’s important to remember that this concept isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your individuality puts you at a different starting place than everyone else.
Knowing who you are is about understanding your personality, your temperament, your strengths & weaknesses, and so on.
This is your starting point.
Discovering who you truly are will let you play to your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, and help you avoid having unrealistic expectations. You’ll start setting attainable goals instead of practicing ‘wishful thinking’.
When you know who you are, you can better curate the life around you; based on your interests, unique taste, and personality.
The steps you take towards living your best life will be the right steps for your specific situation. This sets the proper stage for you to look outward.
3. See Things As They Are
After you regain a clear understanding of who you really are, it’s important to utilize this same filter on the world around you.
This principle encourages you to remove your biases and judgments from the way you look at the objects, situations, and people in your life.
We often have a tendency of projecting our knowledge, values, and experiences onto society. This leads us to make incorrect (or misguided) assumptions & judgments about the people and situations we encounter.
Objectivity is the key.
Seeing things as they are helps you remain humble and compassionate.
You understand that each person has taken a unique path in life. They have formed their own habits and beliefs, experienced different events and situations, and have a different way of viewing the world.
Seeing things as they are, not how you want them to be (or think they should be), removes the frustration from ‘negative’ events or situations.
The principles of ‘knowing who you are’ and ‘seeing things how they really are’ set the stage for you to begin living your best life.
4. Live With Intention
Living with intention means living your life with direction and purpose.
Your best life won’t happen by accident. It happens when you decide what is important and start moving towards it.
It’s a proactive approach where you take control of your life instead of letting it play out on auto-pilot. It’s the kind of life you live when you understand how its brevity increases its worth.
It’s about being authentic. You know who you are now, yet still put in the consistent effort to grow into the best version of yourself.
You live each day in accordance with your values without projecting them onto the world around you.
You see things as they really are.
You also realize that there is no endpoint, that living an intentional life is a choice you have to make each day.
When you live with intention, you can become everything you are capable of becoming, and when you do reach the end, you can look back on your life without regret.
Final Thoughts
Think of this post as a blueprint for self-fulfillment. It provides you with the materials & tools, but it’s up to you to put in the work and create your best life.
Remember, living your best life is not about seeking validation or admiration from others. The rewards of a life well-lived are personal and internal.
It’s the feeling of satisfaction you get when you give it your all; living on purpose with purpose.
What About You?
What steps do you plan on taking to create your best life?
Let us know in the comments section below..
To begin a path towards enlightenment (which I hope is the beginning of creating my best life), I’ll start with FORGIVENESS… on all levels of life; for myself as well as for others.
For those who wished me ill will …simply put; I forgive you. Trying too hard to prove my worth to you (who had made up your mind that I had no worth)… I forgive you.
My desire and efforts to please you were a naive and desperate attempt to prove that I was a good person and had value, that I was worthy. For that I forgive myself.
Forgiveness is a great place to start. Thanks for the comment, Karen!