Name: Live It!
Rating: 3.6 (333 reviews)
Author: Jairek Robbins

Will you look back on a fulfilled life or one riddled with regrets? The answer lies in the choices you make today.

1. Envision Your Perfect Day

To lead a meaningful life, you must first picture what it looks like. Without direction, chasing meaning is like wandering aimlessly.

Visualizing an ideal day helps you uncover what truly matters and ignites your passion. Think deeply about where you'd be, who you'd be with, and the activities that would fill your day. This isn't just escapism; it's crafting a vision to drive you forward.

Take Malala Yousafzai as an example. Her unwavering picture of a better future for girls in Pakistan guided her actions, even when faced with life-threatening risks. Closer to home, imagining your perfect day might reveal overlooked desires or goals that you've ignored in the busyness of life.

Examples

Malala's vision disrupted barriers to education despite a Taliban attack.
A writer imagining mornings by the ocean inspires them to finish their novel.
A business owner schedules daily family breakfasts after visualizing joy-filled mornings.

2. Prioritize Lasting Happiness

Daily life often pulls us into distractions, but long-term joy comes from focusing on essentials like health, relationships, and purpose.

Happiness doesn't stem from binge-watching shows or unnecessary shopping. It's your health, connections, and emotional well-being that provide life-lasting fulfillment. Think of your life's essentials as the inner workings of a house; focusing on them ensures your life is livable.

Evaluate the key areas of your life – health, emotions, family, friends, finances, and spirituality. Prioritize improving these areas instead of losing time to trivial distractions. When they align, your life naturally grows more fulfilling.

Examples

Regular health practice ensures vitality for longer adventures.
Strengthening relationships creates deeper personal connections.
Nurturing spirituality provides meaningful grounding in chaos.

3. Uncover Your Motivation

Knowing what's good for you isn't enough. Action requires activating your inner drive linked to emotionally compelling reasons.

Reflect on what propels you forward – whether it's a desire for adventure, financial stability, or legacy for your children. Your motivations are deeply tied to your sense of purpose and can act as emotional fuel for your decisions. Embracing that emotional power helps transform vague dreams into tangible outcomes.

Imagine waking early for an important meeting. Emotional stakes like securing your job can outweigh the comfort of staying in bed. Similar emotional triggers can guide your daily decisions toward fulfilling bigger aspirations.

Examples

Parents saving money to afford their children's higher education.
Artists enduring rejection for the joy of creating and sharing.
Entrepreneurs driven by the dream of independence and impact.

4. Follow Your Own Path

The world will often push back on your dreams, but satisfaction comes from doing what makes you happy – not others.

Society often imposes pre-set paths, but these templates don't work for everyone. The naysayers may question your dreams or discourage your ideas because they clash with their worldviews or bring up their fears. Growth requires silencing that noise and trusting yourself.

Whether it’s taking an unconventional career break or launching a business, staying true to your values matters far more than conforming. J.K. Rowling, for instance, ignored 12 rejections before sharing Harry Potter with the world.

Examples

A volunteer chooses international service over following others’ expectations.
A writer sticks with their craft despite rejections.
Recent graduates traveling before starting a career prioritize exploration over tradition.

5. Write and Act On Your Dreams

Dreams postponed for "later" often never materialize. Turn intentions into actions now for a regret-free future.

Concrete steps make lofty ideas achievable. Instead of a vague dream of visiting Barcelona, for instance, you can learn Spanish, save small amounts monthly, or renew your passport. Identifying smaller, immediate actions keeps momentum alive.

Balancing your priorities also keeps goals within reach. A full schedule shouldn't create blind spots for dreams. Re-framing urgency and importance prevents daily minutiae from stalling major life goals.

Examples

A bucket-list traveler breaks savings goals into small monthly actions.
A parent balances family dinners with office demands.
A hobbyist artist blocks sacred time to paint every week.

6. Harness Positive Thinking

Your mindset shapes where you'll end up. Positive thinking doesn't just feel good – it genuinely impacts results.

Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto's rice experiment illustrated how positive intention creates tangible change. Similarly, viewing setbacks as opportunities expands your capacity for success. When negativity strikes, practice visualizing outcomes as though they’ve already been achieved.

Consider a person nervous about an upcoming presentation. By mentally rehearsing confidence – imagining the audience's smiles and applause – they can flip fear into motivation. Preparation like this reinforces your trust in your ability to succeed against odds.

Examples

Practicing visualizing success drives better performance.
Positive affirmations boost confidence in competitive environments.
Shifting mental focus improves health and enriches actions.

7. Overcome Limiting Beliefs

The sly whisper that you’re "too old" or "not good enough" holds progress hostage. Confront those inner critics by replacing them with empowering beliefs.

Future vision exercises, like imagining your eightieth birthday, can reveal if your current patterns limit desired results. Replace beliefs like "it’s impossible" with mantras like "Yes, I can." These shifts open doors previously hidden by fear.

Focus entirely on one goal before jumping to the next. Humans can only truly dedicate energy to a single pursuit at any moment. Steering intent increases action while silencing limiting doubts.

Examples

Re-framing "I can’t" into "I can" builds confidence and courage.
Leaders imagining older selves stay committed to ambitious paths.
Saying "yes, I can" brings energy and better decision-making moments.

8. Build A Life Roadmap

Long-term goals are not reached overnight – break them down into actionable milestones to guide your journey.

Treat your ultimate dreams like a cross-country marathon, dividing them into smaller checkpoints along the way. Revisiting this roadmap ensures you keep pace with your path and make necessary course corrections.

Picture someone envisioning retirement in a tropical paradise. Researching destinations, visiting chosen locations, and learning the language offer stepping stones to ultimately building a livable reality aligned with their vision.

Examples

Writers setting chapter deadlines transform books into daily efforts.
Career builders dividing long-term raises into five-year ladders.
Travelers aligning vacation finances to budgets over months.

9. Stay Open to Adjustment

Sometimes the first attempt at achieving a dream won’t hit the mark. Re-assess and refine instead of walking away entirely.

If life veers off course temporarily, think of it as tuning an instrument instead of giving up. Success isn’t static; it adapts as people and environments change. Open-mindedness combined with clear goals allows natural progress.

Consistent reflection on your progress refines paths dynamically. If the version of your ideal life shifts in shape, give yourself permission to pivot and evolve accordingly.

Examples