Break Free: Ways To Live Life To The Fullest

“Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. He becomes so anxious about the future that he fails to enjoy the present, with the result that he neither lives in the present nor the future. He lives as if he will never die and dies having never truly lived.”
– Dalai Lama

This powerful quote reminds me why living life to the fullest has become my top priority. This doesn’t mean I enjoy every moment or that my days are perfect—far from it. Bad things happen, but what matters most is how we choose to view and respond to these experiences, as that shapes the life we ultimately live.

So how do you break free and live fully? Here are 40 principles I follow to lead my best life—may they inspire you too:

1. Create a bucket list. Set goals and write them down.
Write down your goals, no matter how big or small. Your list will evolve, and you may not achieve every goal, but writing them down makes them more attainable. Life is fleeting—experience as much as you can while you’re here.

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2. Decide what’s important to you. Don’t live for others.
Live for yourself, not others. Don’t let societal expectations or the opinions of parents and friends dictate your path. At the end of the day, you’re the one living your life. Do what makes you happy, and the rest will fall into place.

3. Live in the present.
The past is for learning, and the future is for planning, but the present is where life happens. Don’t miss it by dwelling on what was or worrying about what will be.

4. Quit complaining.
Don’t be like the howling dog, always howling and never doing anything. Stop complaining about your problems and work on them instead.

5. Ignore the haters and negativity.
No matter what you decide to do with your life, there will always be someone around to point out the many ways you’ll fail. Know that every winner loses, but not every loser wins. Successful people don’t start successfully. What makes them successful is that they keep pushing through failure.

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6. Ignore the things you can’t (or won’t) change.
Focus your energy on things within your control. Dwelling on things beyond your influence only drains your spirit. Yes, shitty things are going on in the world. Unless you’re planning to do something about it, ignore it and focus on the things in your life that you can change.

7. Be positive.
If you can see the positive sides of everything, you’ll be able to live a much richer life than others. Purge unnecessary negativity from your life.

8. Make a positive difference in someone else’s life.
Do a random act of kindness daily. Helping others transforms your perspective and enriches your soul.

9. Let go of relationships that do not serve you.
That means negative people, dishonest people, people who don’t respect you, people who are overly critical and relationships that prevent you from growing.

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10. Love your parents and cherish them.
If they’re still around, give them all the love you’ve got. If you’ve been lucky enough to have loving parents, it’s easy to take them for granted because they’ve always been there for you. That won’t always be the case.

11. Don’t be jealous.
Jealousy is a destructive emotion. It’s also a symptom that you’re not living your life to the fullest – people who are fulfilled can celebrate other people’s success. People who aren’t fulfilled fill up their emotional void through negative emotions.

12. Rather than think “what if”, think “next time”.
Don’t think about things you can’t change or unhappy things because these are disempowering. Instead, focus on the things you can act upon. That’s the most constructive thing you can do in any situation.

13. Don’t compromise your values.
If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Don’t compromise on your internal code of ethics. Life doesn’t work like a movie. It’s filled with grey areas. Trust your instincts. Do whatever you want so long as you can look yourself in the mirror.

14. Do something you enjoy each day.
Life is too precious to spend it doing anything else. I love to read articles on the internet and do some research for my knowledge. So I make sure I do this every day. When you do something you enjoy doing each day, you relieve tension and stress that has built up throughout the day.

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15. Don’t be a crab in the bucket.
Don’t pull others down when they’re trying to rise. Support and uplift instead.

16. Focus on What vs. How.
Focus on what you want first before you think about how to do it. Anything is possible, as long as you set your mind, heart and soul to it.

17. Keep your mind open.
Just because you’re right about something doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to look at it. Listening to ideas you don’t agree with or understand keeps your brain active and healthy.

18. Challenge yourself daily.
I once heard someone say, “Everybody dies but only a few live.” So, yeah…live every day like it was your last. This mindset will inspire you to make the most of every moment.

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19. Develop 100% self-belief.
Believe in yourself and your abilities. Remove your limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering ones. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you?

20. Let go of attachments.
Don’t fixate yourself with a certain status, fame, wealth or material possessions. These are impermanent and will ultimately disappear one day when you die. Focus on growing and living life to the fullest instead.

21. Don’t chase money for the sake of money.
Having money is important in life, but only because it gives us the freedom to chase what we want in life. You only get one life, and money is no good when you’re 6 feet in the ground.

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22. Spend more time with people who enable you.
Hang out with people who you are compatible with, like-minded people, people who are positive, successful, strong achievers and positive for your growth. You are after all the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

23. Speak through your actions.
You’ll hear people say, “I had that idea,” every time you see someone create something great. Everyone had the idea for Facebook first. The reason Mark Zuckerberg got rich off of it is because he went out and did it while everyone else was talking about it. Ideas are useless if you don’t act on them.

24. Keep learning.
There is something to learn from everything you see, hear and experience. This includes your mistakes and past mishaps (if any). Learn to interpret each event objectively. Focus on what you can learn from it so you can apply them moving forward.

25. You don’t always have to win.
On the other hand, life isn’t always about winning. No matter how strong you are, no matter how rich, no matter how beautiful, no matter how smart, no matter how talented, no matter how loveable, there will always be someone better than you. In the end, we all end up in the same place – wherever that place may be.

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26. Don’t confuse pleasure with happiness.
Pleasure comes from the quick fixes that give us joy – shopping, listening to great music, seeing great beauty, sex, and alcohol. Happiness comes from self-actualization and meaning. Pleasure is important to a happy life, but pleasure alone is not sufficient.

27. Keep upgrading yourself.
Equip yourself with a huge depth of knowledge. While you can usually only level up to 99 in video games, in real life you can level up to infinity.

28. Don’t settle.
Don’t settle for less. Don’t settle for someone you don’t like as your partner. Don’t settle for a job you don’t like. Don’t settle for friends who make you feel like a lesser person. Don’t settle for a weight you are unhappy with. Go for what you want.

29. Make time for what truly matters.
Many of us often complain about not having enough time or being too busy to pursue the things we want to do or accomplish. What we need to recognize is that we’re often the ones putting ourselves in these situations. If you feel trapped in a job, are you actively taking steps to change your situation? If you are, then there’s no need to waste energy complaining. If you’re not, what are you complaining about?

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30. Take a break.
Striving for excellence also means knowing when to rest. Take breaks to recharge—it’s essential for sustaining your journey ahead.

31. Don’t criticize or judge others.
Show respect and acceptance for people as they are. Everyone is on their own unique path.

32. Focus on changing yourself.
The only person you have control over is you. Stop expecting others to change to meet your expectations. When you focus on self-improvement, you’ll find greater happiness and fulfilment.

33. Set your role models in life.
Having role models can inspire you to become better than you ever thought possible. I draw inspiration from Angelina Jolie (for her success, intellect, and beauty), Ellen DeGeneres (for her authenticity and passion for helping others), Taylor Swift (for her talent, resilience, and unapologetic self-expression), and many more. Seeing their accomplishments and how they navigate life reminds me of what I can achieve, motivating me to reach greater heights.

34. Discover your life purpose.
Define a mission statement for your life—something that inspires you to live fully and purposefully every day.

35. Take care of your body.
Prioritize your health by eating well, getting enough sleep, and staying active. A healthy body boosts self-esteem and equips you to handle life’s challenges.

36. Don’t badmouth other people.
If you have an issue with someone, address it directly and respectfully. Otherwise, keep it to yourself—it’s unkind and unproductive to speak negatively behind their back.

37. Stop giving up.
Every challenge feels tough until it doesn’t. Persevere, because you’ll never know how close you are to success if you quit before reaching the finish line.

38. Take risks… a lot of them.
Every reward comes with its share of risk. If you avoid taking chances, you’ll stay exactly where you are. Looking back, most people regret the opportunities they didn’t seize more than the ones they did, even when things didn’t go as planned.

39. Maintain an internal locus of control.
There are two types of people: those who focus on what they can control and those who dwell on what they can’t. Choose to take responsibility for your actions and outcomes. Instead of blaming others or circumstances, work with what you have—there’s always someone who has achieved more with less.

40. Tell people you love them.
Whether it’s family, friends, or someone you’re romantically interested in, don’t hold back. Expressing love can brighten a day or even change a life. If you care deeply for someone, let them know—life’s too short to leave these words unsaid.

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