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Do you have this amazing idea of how your life should look like but it’s not going your way? Do you want to know how you can start to live life to the fullest?

Say this: 2021 will be the year that you will start to live the life you imagined. Without compromises, and regardless of the challenges that will be thrown at you.

If there is one thing that the last year has taught us, it’s that anything can happen and we cannot let our internal well-being be a reflection of outer circumstances.

Yet, the truth is that everything you need to live your life to the fullest is in the palm of your hand.

You alone have the power to live an extraordinary life and to make yourself happy. To change your life for the better is a matter of changing your mindset.

Yes, life can sometimes throw rocks your way. Stress, anxiety, self-doubt, and other circumstances (hello pandemic…!) can easily cast a dark shadow over a positive attitude. But the reality is that there will always be things that will stand in your way to live life to the fullest.

It is your job to remind yourself how to love life every single day.

For this reason, we have put together a list of our 28 favorite tips and thoughts to live by for 2021. These are daily reminders that will help you to take control of your life in every situation and make 2021 your best year yet!

And by reading this list, you’re already taking the first important step!

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You want ideas on how to live life to the fullest in the new year? Life can be tough sometimes. That's why it's important to learn how to love life even when it's not going your way. Here are our favourite 28 tips and thoughts to live by to help you start life the life you imagined. These daily self improvement tips help you to change life for the better and make yourself happy. 2020 can be your best year yet! #livelifetothefullest #personaldevelopment #makeyourselfhappy #thoughtstoliveby

1. Live life to the fullest with a set vision and goals for 2021

What we have noticed over time is that you can only feel like you live life to the fullest when you know what that actually means for you.

How does your dream life look like? What is an ideal day in your life? 

To make yourself happy, you need to know what makes your life a fulfilled life. Do you agree?

So, go to the drawing board! Take the time to set a vision, goals, and an action plan for your ideal year of 2021. Think about the following:

  • If money was not an issue how would your day today look like?
  • If you had three wishes free, what would they be?
  • Imagine you don’t have any limitations, what would you stop doing immediately?
  • If you had more time, what would you do more of?
  • What would you do if you had absolutely no fears?

These are questions that help you set a vision. The next step is to translate your high level vision into practical SMART goals and create an action plan to live life to the fullest.

We created more triggering questions and a set of templates for you to set and get your goals in 2021. Download our free workbooks here. 

2. Practice gratitude

It sounds cliche but it really makes a h*ll of a difference! Whether you are happy or not depends on whether you look at your glass as half empty or half full.

Think about it! If you constantly focus on the things that you don’t have, you automatically focus on everything that is missing in your life. No wonder you would feel miserable about yourself! 

Instead, shift your eye to all the things that you do have. Happiness is not having all you want. It’s appreciating what you have.

Make it a ritual to remind yourself of what you have and what you have achieved. Regardless of the situation, there is always something to be grateful for.

We do our ritual every evening before we go to bed. It just takes 30 seconds, but it will make your entire day.

3. Keep a journal of your achievements and successes

Did you know that our brains remember rather bad memories than good memories? This is why we spend more time criticizing everything we did wrong than praising something we did well.

Don’t let your mind trick you. Start a journal. Call it your little book of greatness.

Whenever you achieved a goal or do something you are proud of, note it down. It doesn’t matter how big or small, track every single of your successes. And then go through this list once in a while. It will remind you that you are capable. That you are enough. And that there is so much more in you!

4. Smile more

Did you know that you can easily trick your brain? It is scientifically proven!

When you are sad and you force a smile for 30 seconds, you will automatically feel better. Because your physical pose is sending signals to your brain to release endorphins. And these happy hormones do their job and make you happy. It’s a nice trick. You can’t imagine how often we went to the bathroom to secretly strike a happy pose before a stressful presentation!

When you feel anxious or sad, don’t dwell in your negative state. Do the opposite: Lift your hands into a triumph pose, smile or laugh, dance. Make it a habit!

5. Create a mantra that reminds you to live life to the fullest

We love mantras! Having reminders of positive thoughts to live by make you feel good about yourself and motivated to take on any challenge.

Pick one to five mantras that you find powerful for your particular situation. Write them down on a piece of paper. Keep that paper somewhere where you can access it anytime. 

Like this you carry your encouragement with you wherever you go.

Here are some examples of mantras that we love:

  • I am grateful for all that is unfolding in my life, and all that is yet to come.
  • Everything happens for me, not to me.
  • I am strong, I am beautiful, I am enough.
  • Wherever I am right now is exactly where I need to be.

For more inspiration and mantra ideas, check out this page.

6. Travel more

You will agree with us on this one. Travel is a perfect way to take your mind off things and focus on the here and now.

During our daily life, we often times run on autopilot. We rush from one thing to another, do what we always do, and wonder where time goes!

When you travel, you live more intensely. More mindfully. Creating physical distance to your normal everyday life and your normal surroundings allows you to step out of the box. It lets relax, de-stress, and think more creatively.

Make travel an important goal for this year. Let’s do this little challenge:

  • What is a place far away that you always wanted to visit?
  • Think of a nice get-away you can escape to for one weekend!
  • What is a fun place to go to on a Sunday afternoon?

Travel is so good for the soul. Read more here:

7. Finally go after your dream job

One of our most valuable assets in life is time. And we spend a majority of our time on the career and job that we choose to pursue. So you do the math! If you are not happy in your career, the result is that you’re unhappy most of your time in a day.

Make it a priority for this year to go after what you really want. Do you experience signs that it’s time to quit your job and go for a new adventure?

It doesn’t matter how often you tell it to yourself, but there will never be a better time than now to finally take control of your life. 

What is your dream career? Do some self-reflection. Here are 6 questions to help you choose a career you love.

8. Make work life balance a priority

Work is a big part of your life, but it is still only a part. There are so many more ingredients to living a fulfilled life than doing your dream job. Your hobbies, your family, your friends, any weird but awesome self-care rituals you have! We’re guilty of watching our favorite series once in a while. It’s a stupid show, but it makes us feel good!

Are those things written down your agenda? If no, why not? We’re sure you’re work meetings are. Are your personal appointments and activities less important? Honor their value by adding them formally into your agenda.

If things are written down in your agenda, they become an important part of your day. No more guilty feelings about taking some time off for friends because quality time with your friends has never been part of your busy schedule.

You’re most productive and healthy when you are in balance. So make work life balance a priority in the new year!

9. Take a sabbatical

What do you do when you are stuck, stressed, and restless? Walk away.

You heard right! Although it might seem counterproductive but sometimes the best solution to a problem is to give it time. Taking a break from work was one of the best things we could do to our personal health, to our career, and to making ourselves happy again.

We know, it’s not as easy as it sounds, but there are ways to convince your employer to let you go for a while. Find here everything you need to know about taking a sabbatical:

And if you’re worried that there is no way you can afford a sabbatical, these will be interesting reads for you:

10. Spend more time outside

Walking and spending time in nature are proven to be balsam for your soul. Whether you take a walk around the block to explore the new gardening work of your neighbor or you take a 2 hours walk in a nearby forest, get outside and get moving!

Spending time in nature has only benefits. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you if you make this a daily habit.

11. Schedule time with family & friends into your agenda

Our friends are our friends for a reason. Spending time with them makes us feel good because we love them!

Unfortunately, we tell ourselves too often that we don’t have time, we’re too busy, and we exile time with our friends into a three hours time window on the weekend. Why not doing more of what makes us feel good?

Reserve more time for friends and family in the new year. Go for coffees, cook dinners, just hang out, or call on the phone. Whatever excuse you had before, you will always be happy after you saw them.

12. Spend less time on social media

Social media is fun and entertaining. But it can also be time-consuming and toxic.

It’s easy to get lost scrolling through your Instagram feed before you notice that almost a full hour has passed! Plus, most of the time you end up with the conclusion that others are traveling more, are more fabulous than you, and generally live life to the fullest while you are lying with greasy hair in your pyjamas on the couch.

We spend too much time going window-shopping in somebody else’s life and comparing our lowest moments to their greatest highlights.

Stop it! Set yourself a social media time cap if it’s necessary. But it’s time to spend more time in reality with the people you have around you than in the online social world.

13. Be mindful of your time in general

We said it briefly before and we’ll say it again because this is important to understand. Your most important asset is time. Time is continuously moving and you will never be able to gain back a moment that passed.

It must have been a very wise person who said that it’s better to regret something you have done than regretting not having done what you always wanted to do. Make sure you won’t have these regrets!

Create a Happy List. Write down all the things that make you happy on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis. Add life goals. Keep this Happy List as a reminder that time is valuable. You will see, filling your time with items from your Happy List will make you feel like you live live to the fullest.

14. Exercise every day for 20 minutes

Ha! If you knew me personally, you would laugh that this is a point that I am making. You probably could describe me as the most lazy person when it comes to sports.

But same as you, I am trying to implement new habits that make me go from meh to live life to the fullest. And yes, exercising and sports haven proven to rock in helping me to do exactly that!

Since we implemented a morning routine of start the day with a 20-30 workout, I feel so much more fit, energetic, and good about myself! I recommend you to try it!

If you’re looking for some free home workout apps, here are our 6 favorites.

15. Read as much as you can

Books are an open invitation to peak into other people’s brains. To learn from their mistakes, get inspired by their genius, and to improve yourself. The stories that you read can lead you to that one idea that will change your entire life in a second. That’s what makes books priceless.

We love reading books that make us dive deep inside, learn something new about ourselves, and grow. These 10 books made us do exactly that. They are the books that influenced our lives greatly and will stay with us forever.

16. Take 30 minutes just for yourself daily

We sometimes get so busy with ourselves that we don’t even realize that we don’t do anything for ourselves. To live life to the fullest includes doing things for yourself.

Yes, of course you do things for yourselves. You do laundry for yourself. Prepare meals for yourselves. You work hard to make more money for yourself. But are you actually giving enough quality time for yourself?

How often do you take a moment out of your busy day to do something just for yourself? Read a book, watch your favorite show, get a new haircut, meditate, anything! 

Make it a new challenge this year to take 30 minutes just yourself, every single day. No excuses!

17. Create a budget

Ok, we’re talking money! It was just a matter of time until we ended up at this topic. And you know what? It’s a very important one! If you’re not thinking about money on a daily basis, then start doing it from now on.

No, we don’t want to make you a materialistic, money-centered cheapskate. Our intention is to do the exact opposite! We want to get you to a state where you don’t have to worry about money because you are smart about your money.

It all start starts by creating a monthly budget and sticking to it. Do you know how much money you left after covering your bills and other expenses? How much money can you potentially save in a month?

Make it a new resolution to be in control of your money instead of letting money control you. Be mindful about your spending, so that you have more for things that truly matter to living your live to the fullest. Start with these 15 Frugal Living Money Saving Tricks.

18. Start learning about financial freedom

What if you could cover all your expenses and be able to have extra money for hobbies without having to work?

Uhm no, this is not some far-fetched crazy fantasy. This could be your reality. To start making financial freedom a reality for you takes only a commitment of a couple of minutes every day. In our 12 realistic baby steps to financial freedom we tell you how you can get closer to live the life you always imagined by just being a bit smarter about your daily decisions.

Learning how to generate passive income, enabled us to travel for over one ear without having to work and without touching our savings. It only is unrealistic if you don’t try.

19. Be more minimalistic

Sometimes we have so much junk lying around that it makes us forget to focus on the  essential! Can you relate?

Whenever you get something, it’s only a matter of time until it breaks, gets lost, or until you don’t like it anymore and want to replace it with something new. Why not make this problem disappear all at once?

Leaving all our belongings behind and going to travel for one year with only a backpack each was the best lesson about the benefits of a minimalistic lifestyle. You own less, you have less to worry about. Easy. And you remain with more money to spend on experiences that don’t have an expiry date but will last a lifetime.

20. Write yourself a love letter

It’s a fact. We’re too harsh to ourselves most of the time! No?

We’re too late, too different, too average, too this, too that. Make it a goal this year to be more kind to yourself. Acknowledge everything that you can and that you are instead of focusing on your shortcomings.

Write a love letter to yourself.

Tell yourself nice things about yourself. If you have trouble doing that, use the following scenarios as help:

  • Imagine you are 100 years old and you’re looking back at your life. You look back at yourself as the young and alive person that you are right now. Remind your young self this moment about everything that’s great about you and your life.
  • Put yourself in the shoes of your mom / dad / sister / brother / boyfriend / girlfriend / best friend / god / the universe (wow that’s deep!). Write from their perspective.

21. Be kind to others

Isn’t there something incredibly satisfying about giving presents to others? Seeing the look on their face, their joy, their gratitude.

Making others happy is how to make yourself happy.

It doesn’t have to be presents. It can be a kind gesture, a long phone call, a sweet message. Be attentive to the people around you and you will profit from it at least as much as they will.

22. Take a risk

Life is too short to sit on the reserve bench! Life needs to be lived and it needs to be live to the fullest.

  • What is a dream you have that is too unrealistic to chase?
  • Is there something on your bucket list that you always wanted to do but found too expensive?
  • What is an adventure that seems too dangerous?

You will never be younger, braver, or more ready than you are now. To live life to the fullest, you need to stop the empty promises and excuses that keep you from going after your highest dreams.

You don’t need to take radical steps right away. Break down your goal into achievable milestones. Think about how you can achieve something instead of coming up with reasons why not. 

Download our free Fear Fighter Workbook to battle your fears and start living life to the fullest.

23. Listen to your gut feeling

How often do you try to justify something we want or don’t want to do by coming up with logic Pro’s and Con’s? Sometimes it’s just so much easier to listen to your gut! 

You have your intuition for a reason. And if you’re honest with yourself, you often know deep inside what’s right for you. Don’t you?

Make your life easier. Listen more often to your gut feeling.

Whenever you have an important decision to make, think of the different options that you have. Now instead of making long Pro and Con lists, close your eyes. Visualize every scenario and observe how it makes you feel. Which option gives you a restless indecisive feeling? Which one makes you feel calm and relaxed? Your answer lies inside you!

24. Say no when you don’t want something

Why is it just so difficult to say no?! No wonder, the Japanese don’t have a word for no. You can’t reject or disappoint anyone. That is no one but yourself.

We know it, you know it. Saying no is difficult but it’s the necessary thing to do sometimes. And you know what? You’ll get better at it with time. 

A trick is to deliver your no in a way that isn’t harsh to the other person. Most of the time, an easy explanation why not is all it takes to make the other understand and take off stress from your shoulders.

25. Focus on things you can control

Life happens! And sometimes there is nothing you can do about it.

As long as you are obsessing about things you don’t have control over, they will control you. Accept that there will always be things you won’t have control over. That’s life and that’s how things work. 

You may not be able to control every situation, but you can control your attitude and how you deal with the situation.

Let go.

Focus on things in your life that you do have control over. Do your best to make the best out of every of those things.

You can’t control if your boss snaps at you, but you can control whether you get upset over it for days or if you just think they’re crazy and move on with your life. Just an example.

26. Be more diplomatic

It just comes naturally to be upset and blame somebody who did you wrong until eternity. This person should know that you’re angry and they should know it well! Well, maybe not.

What made this other person behave the way they did? Could you have reacted differently? Put yourself in their shoes and try to look at the situation from both sides. 

Probably this person is as upset as you are. And even if that’s not the case, at least you will have calmed yourself down a little and feel much better already.

27. Get enough sleep every night

Catching up on sleep is a myth! There is no such thing as recovering sleep. I’m sure you will agree, once you have lost sleep, it’s lost forever. It doesn’t matter if you sleep 1 or 10 hours longer the next day.

Sleep is so important for our physical and mental well-being! It’s one of the best things you can do to your body and mind. Why not do it?

Get 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Sleep in in the weekends. Take a nap. There is nothing wrong about giving yourself the rest that you deserve.   

28. Write a love letter to someone/-thing that hurt you

We said it earlier: There is a bad situation and there is your attitude in that situation. One of our most powerful personal mantras is Everything happens for me. 

Every good, every bad, every big, and every small event has made you who you are today. They are all small puzzle pieces that make you whole.

Without rain, there is no sun. Only because injustice happened to you, you can appreciate honesty. Whatever hurt you made you learn, move on, grow stronger, and become you.

If those things didn’t happen to you, you wouldn’t be who and where you are today. It’s a blessing that all these bad things happened to you!

Thank them. Here’s how.

Write them a letter, either physically or in meditation. Don’t worry, you won’t need to send it. You will be surprised how therapeutic this exercise is. Keep it as a ritual and pick it up whenever you feel it’s necessary.

Hoes does living life to the fullest look like for you?

How does your freedom lifestyle look like? What do you secretly dream about doing or trying? Let us know in the comments section below! We will brainstorm together with you how you can turn your dreams into reality, without worrying about money.