How to live life to the fullest is a very heavily-searched keyword on Google.

Everyone wants to know how they can live life to the fullest.  Makes sense, right?

But it’s easy to go about your day-to-day, just letting life happen, rather than really making the most of it.  It’s easy to let life pass you by, really.

So fun fact: today is my birthday.  And since I’m all about being totally real and authentic, I’m gonna just put it out there that I’m forty-seven today.  Forty-fucking-SEVEN.

Good Lord.

I’m almost FIFTY.

Whaaaaaat?

There is a piece of me that gets totally freaked out when I think about the fact that I am three years from turning the big 5-0.  I mean, that is crazy, because I don’t feel a day over thirty.

Okay, so maybe that’s not entirely true either.  My knees hurt.  My hamstring has been bothering me for literally weeks, after that last yoga class where I stretched just a little too deeply in some crazy pose my old self thought should be no friggin’ problem.  

And I get tired.

But ya know, I have this one damn life.  And a lot of it has been a struggle.  I refuse to let it pass me by.  I am, come hell or high water, going to make the most of it.

One of my favorite Pearl Jam songs is called I am Mine.  The song is really about what’s inside you – you own it, and you have the freedom to let it out how you choose.  

There is a verse in the song that goes like this:

North is to south what the clock is to time
There’s east and there’s west and there’s everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I’ll die
The in-between is mine
I am mine

I know I was born and I know that I’ll die.  The in-between is MINE.

I love that.  The dash in the middle is mine.

I get to decide, on purpose, what I do with the dash.  No one else gets to decide that for me.

I think that’s pretty cool. And, if I do say so myself, a nice thought to have on my birthday!

My Grandpa Swenson was someone who embodies making the most of the dash.  He is my hero and I am so thankful that I inherited the genetics that give me my adventurous spirit and belief in myself that no dream is too big or small – that I can do anything I put my mind to.

One of my favorite Grandpa Swenson-isms  is:

“You’ve just gotta go for it.  Life’s too short not to.”

God bless him in heaven.  I carry that with me every single day. 

He inspires me, even from heaven, to make the most of my dash.  He inspires me to live my life to the absolute fullest, just like he and my Grandma have done.

They’ve started businesses, built houses, rebuilt houses after theirs burned down – twice. They’ve traveled the world, even doing missionary work in Ecuador. They’ve cruised the Amazon in dugout boats and slept on the ground in the jungle. Even in his early 90s, the man was still weeding their garden, cutting his own wood for their fireplace and crafting beautiful handmade wood furniture pieces.

Unreal. And inspiring.

What can do to make the most of your dash?  How can you live your life to the fullest?  

You start with making the commitment. 

Every single day, you live life to the fullest by recommitting to living your life as fully as you can.  

That is a pretty darn good start, right there.  

But, since I like lists, I’ve compiled a list of ideas for you.  Here are some things that can help you really make the most of your dash.  Remember, only YOU get to decide what you fill your dash with.  YOU get to decide ON PURPOSE, what your life looks like! 

Now to the list. 

25 Ways You Can Live Your Life to the Fullest 

1. Know your values and don’t compromise on them. Decide what’s important to you.  It doesn’t matter what.  
   
2. Challenge your fears.  Fear can (and will!) accompany you on your journey, but most of the time, it’s not serving you, so challenge fear, be courageous and walk through it.  You’re braver than you think!
   
3. Be kind.  Be compassionate, empathetic, show your love to the people you care about.
   
4. Live in the present, stay in the moment, practice mindfulness.
   
5. Keep your mind open to new things and new perspectives.
   
6. Remember, every day is a fresh start.  Don’t quit, recommit.
   
7. Be true to who you are, always.
   
8. Stop complaining about things – work on them instead.  Nothing is going to just magically happen for you – you create your own opportunities.
   
9. Ignore the haters.  Their opinion of you is none of your business. You do YOU.
   
10. Take action on the things that matter to you. (see #1)
    
11. Stop putting your life on hold.  You matter.  You are worth it.  RIGHT. NOW. You don’t need to wait until you lose 10 pounds or find the perfect relationship to take care of yourself and be happy.
    
12. Be committed to your growth.  Push yourself.  Stretch yourself.
    
13. Know your dreams and goals.  Create an action plan.  Have a bucket list.
    
14. Do what you love.  Discover what you’re passionate about.  Don’t do things just for the sake of doing them.  Let go of what doesn’t serve you.
    
15. Believe 100% in yourself and your abilities.  Find your limiting beliefs and get help replacing them with more powerful beliefs.
    
16. Forgive those that have hurt you. Forgive yourself if you need to.
    
17. Let go of attachments to things and outcomes.  Perfectionism has no place in a life well-lived.
    
18. Increase your self-awareness.
    
19. Love.  Love yourself first, love others and love life.
    
20. Practice and express gratitude.
    
21. Let go of the past – disappointments, failures, things you wish you had done differently, regrets. Move on. There are better things ahead for you.
    
22. Enjoy the little things.  Take rest.  Take care of yourself.
    
23. Embrace mistakes and failures.  They have lessons to teach.
    
24. Remember, the only person you can change is yourself.  The only thing you can control is yourself.
    
25. Let loose.  Have fun.  ENJOY LIFE.

There are a ton of other ways that you can truly live your life to the fullest, so I invite you to make it a point to journal on your own ideas.  What’s in that beautiful brain of yours telling you how YOU can live YOUR life to the fullest? 

After all, you are the expert on yourself.

And remember, that life gets in the way sometimes.  You’re not going to feel amazing every day.  You’re not going to believe in yourself 100% every day.  You’re going to fall back into autopilot, busyness, being a perfectionist, a people-pleaser or your inner critic is going to step in and tell you you’re not good enough – not deserving of living the kickass life that you want. 

But you know better.  That’s why we recommit.  We don’t quit.

You ARE good enough.  You ARE worthy.  You ARE deserving of being the person you want to be and living the life you dream of. 

So go on, gorgeous! Go on with your bad self and create a life you are freaking EXCITED about! 

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