Q&A for How to Live a Good Life

There are many things that can help you live a good life. Here are some ideas. Stop and smell the flowers. Drive with the windows down and smell the world around you (avoid this when you're in traffic, though). Take scenic detours or different routes to work. Pause to look at nature and appreciate areas of your city that you've never seen or noticed before. Perform small acts of kindness. Put change in a stranger's expired meter, pay for the person behind you's coffee, help someone grab an item from the top shelf at the grocery store, leave quarters for your neighbors in the laundry room, and leave a generous tip for servers during the holidays.

Strive to see new places and experience new things. Smell new smells, taste new foods, take classes for fun, read for pleasure, socialize with different people, try new activities, redecorate your home, start a garden, learn to cook, and so much more. Also, try to live in the moment. Schedule regular meditation times to relax your mind and body. If you don't like meditation, practice mindfulness by eating your meals slowly and being in the moment more.

Do your best in school. You don't have to be perfect, and nobody should expect you to be. Decide what is important first, and then prioritize. For your parents, one or two acts of kindness a day will help improve your relationship - make their bed, do the dishes, feed the dog, etc. You should be able to make your own choices, but still respect your parents; they only want what's best for you, even if you can't always see it now.

Start by knowing the value of education. Understand the importance of it, and how it will be beneficial to your life and future. The rest will come naturally.

Find things you love to do and people you love to be around, and surround yourself with these things whenever possible.

One of the best ways to stay on task is to create a nightly study timetable. Remove all distractions, buckle down and study for 45 minutes, then reward yourself with a 10 minute break. Check messages, get a glass of water, stretch a bit, then return to studying for another 45 minutes. Plan study/homework time around events, and schedule free time around that.

Perhaps, at the very moment of anger, think funny things about the thing you are angry about.

Find someone you are compatible with, that you can be best friends with and would want to spend your lives together. Don't rush into 'choosing a wife', though. Meet different people. Build friendships. Then build a relationship with someone if it feels right to both of you. If it works out really well and you decide you want to get married, get married. And if it doesn't work out, that's okay. It can take a few tries.

First you must be happy with yourself. Although you don't need friends to be happy, friends are a huge factor to your happiness, so go make some friends!

Have an outlet to express/relieve your stress. This can be talking to a trustworthy person or writing in a diary, for example. Find your way of relaxing by trying different things. As for tests, if you study enough, you won't feel nervous, because you're really prepared.

Pick someone who you can trust and who is not selfish.

Discuss your issues with a therapist or counselor.

You don't have to be social; at least, not all the time. Feel free to bundle up behind your locked door, unplugged and unconnected and enjoy silence, peace and quiet. Humans, however, have the undeniable desire to be with (a few) other humans from time to time, so go out and meet friends once you're done being not social. There may not be a purpose to life, i.e. some as of yet undiscovered concept to which we'll all say, "Aah, so that's the reason we're alive", but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a few good things in life, like coffee, before you die, or choose your own purpose.

You don't have to open up all at once. Just start by saying you've been struggling lately, and let the conversation go from there.

You may find the advice in Tell Your Parents that You're Depressed to be helpful.

Remind yourself every day that your ex lost the best thing in his/her life when the two of you divorced. Remember your many excellent qualities and how lucky other people are to know you. Build yourself up, because the alternative is unacceptable. Don't listen to anyone who puts you down. You deserve a good -- a great -- life as much as anyone does.

Know that money is not everything and that many people spend a lot of time after college paying off their loans. If you have to refinance, do it only once and ensure it's at a rate you can comfortably pay off. Find responsible financial guides to help you make your dollar stretch and enjoy your life meanwhile. And find a job you either like enough to stick with or can tolerate until you can find one you really like; remember, there are very few dream jobs out there, most people have to be realistic.