3 Tangible Tips To Embrace The Thrill Of Life And Live It To The Fullest
Early in my career, I was all about the hustle and grind.
Leading an aerospace business, earning an MBA, and carving a path to success were my bread and butter. And hey, I wouldn't change it for anything — the stories, the trips, the unending journeys I'll share with a grin forever.
But there's more to life than pixels on a screen or the hum of gossip in an office.
You can't live an extraordinary life scrolling through your phone or tethered to your desk. It's time to go out, breathe, feel, and live. I'm talking about the taste of adventure, the scent of a new place, and the laughter shared with a friend halfway around the world.
Living life is about physically experiencing it, not just clamoring away daily at my desk (although that's important, too).
I want to travel and have amazing cultural dinners with hospitable clients in the Congo, Maldives, and Brazil. Earn a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, and thru-hike the Appalachian State trail, all while buying businesses and coaching the leaders I hire to run them.
That's living! That list is doable, but it's also imperative to remember what Oliver Burkeman writes in Four Thousand Weeks:
"You definitely won't have time for everything you want to do, or that other people want you to do—and so, at the very least, you can stop beating yourself up for failing."
You must accept you'll never have enough time to do everything, so you must choose what is worth saying yes to.
And you?
You deserve to live life, not simply be a bystander on a ticking time clock. So here are three tangible tips to guide you in embracing life's finest adventures:
1. Ditch the Screen, Feel the Scene
Put the phone down and look around.
Life is happening right in front of you. Make someone laugh, walk down an uncharted path, or listen to the birds chirp as they fly through the beautiful blue sky.
Live in the present, not the virtual.
2. Set Bold Goals, Chase' Em
Want to hike through Peru? I do.
Perhaps you want to buy businesses and exceed $100,000,000 annually. I do!
Write it down, plan, and chase it like your life depends on it. Because, in a way, it does. But always accept the reality that you may never reach the peak, instead, enjoy the journey.
Marcus Elliot calls it "creating impressions in your scrapbook," as Michael Easter writes in The Comfort Crisis.
"If you're seeing and doing all the same things over and over, your scrapbook looks pretty empty when you take inventory of your life...so we need to do more novel things to start creating more impressions in our scrapbooks, so we don't feel like the years are flying by."
Embark on goals that will leave a page in your life's scrapbook.
3. Balance Work and Play
Trust me, I've been there – all work and no play.
Find your equilibrium. Work hard, but play harder. If all you do is chase more money, I question that.
Enjoy your success, but don't forget to enjoy life itself.
These tips aren't just words but a roadmap to a fulfilling life.
I've tasted both sides: the all-consuming career drive and the joy of embracing life wholeheartedly. I can tell you there's a world out there waiting for you to dive in.
So, what are you waiting for?
Grab life by the horns, dance with it, and make it yours. Whether you want to visit a friend in a far-off land or master a new skill, it's time to live, really live.
Life is too precious.
