20+ Ways to Live Life to the Fullest

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Plus, explore the many benefits of living your best life
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You've likely heard that you should live life to the fullest, but what does that even mean? Well, first of all, get that "should" out of here. What you should do is whatever fulfills and enriches you. This can seem pretty overwhelming if you have no idea where to start, but you've come to the right place. We talked to psychology experts and life coaches to pin down the best things you can do to start living your life to the fullest today.

Top 7 Ways to Live Life to the Fullest

  1. Repeat positive affirmations.
  2. Step out of your comfort zone regularly.
  3. Broaden your horizons with new experiences.
  4. Keep your mind in the present moment.
  5. Define and live by your core values.
  6. Be kind and build supportive and meaningful relationships.
  7. Be generous with yourself, your time, and your resources.
Section 1 of 3:

Living Life to the Fullest: Expert Steps

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  1. If you want to live life to the fullest, start by loving yourself for exactly who you are. Every stage of life comes with its own unique excitement and adventure. Living life to its fullest is a process that takes your whole life to develop, with new things to learn and discover at each step of the way. [1]
    • Try this: Stay active and by joining a recreational sports league or fitness class with people who are close to you either in age or life stage. Talk to them about the aging process.
    • For life coach Kamal Ravikant, this means "you live life as the hero of your own story from a deep sense of confidence and love, as purely about you, for you, has nothing to do with others."
    • Life coach Rachel Clissold emphasizes that "the first step is acceptance. We've all got a path and things to work out, and I think it's just accepting what happened rather than potentially judging it."
  2. Your comfort zone is just the routine parts of your daily life that are familiar to you. Your comfort zone triggers feelings of safety and security, but it also keeps you from growing and changing. Over time, your comfort zone can feel more like it's restricting you and holding you back. That's why it's important to shake things up every now and again. [2]
    • Try this: Make a commitment to yourself to do something a little differently every day, even if it's something as basic as putting your left sock on first instead of your right. Does it make you feel weird or uncomfortable to make that change? You might journal about it.
    • Clissold notes that "it could be as simple as taking a five-minute longer journey to work and going the scenic route or going to a different café, trying a different food, or joining the gym. Simple tweaks shift everything."
    • Reader Poll: We asked 214 wikiHow readers how they prefer to get out of their comfort zone, and 53% of them said doing something they’ve never done every single day. [Take Poll]
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  3. The biggest enemy to living life to the fullest is the infamous rut. Luckily, it's pretty easy to get out of a rut—just try something new! Trying something new and different almost forces you to grow and expand, taking in the entirety of the experience. As you encounter something different with a beginner's mind, you'll find it a lot easier to keep your mind focused on the present, so you can definitely say that you're living life to the fullest in that moment. [3]
    • Try this: Open up a portion of your neighborhood on your GPS app. Close your eyes and put your fingertip on a spot on the screen. Open your eyes, and travel to the spot under your finger.
    • If you're having a hard time coming up with things to do, licensed counselor and psychotherapist Ira Israel recommends that you "write a list of things that fill your heart from your soul, whether it's going to a museum, planting, or playing baseball—the things that nourish you and put you into the zone where you feel fulfilled."
    • Clissold says "it's almost like embracing that inner child that just wants to play… there's something inside of us that wants to come out."
  4. According to clinical psychologist Elisha Goldstein, "acceptance… implies understanding and caring." By accepting yourself, you demonstrate that you understand and care about yourself.
    • Try this: Make lists of your accomplishments, your strengths, and the things you love about yourself. Refer to these lists whenever you're starting to feel down about yourself.
    • While we tend to shy away from, hide, or ignore the parts of us that we don't like, Goldstein advises that "these parts of ourselves that feel defective or deficient really need to feel supported."
    • Goldstein recommends a technique called "opposite action," where you locate the emotion you're feeling somewhere in your body and make contact with it—moving towards it, rather than away from it.
    • "Everything's like a muscle," Goldstein adds. "Through intentional practice and repetition [you'll] move towards greater self-acceptance.
  5. With negative self-talk, you're basically telling yourself that there's something wrong with you. Goldstein notes that "if we get that message over and over again… you start feeling pretty bad about yourself, and that ignites that feeling of shame." Ravikant agrees that "the voices you have in your head, they're all just patterns built over the years."
    • Try this: Choose a positive affirmation or write your own. Stand in front of a mirror and repeat it to yourself out loud in the morning and in the evening. Do this for at least a couple of weeks. You might also journal about any changes you notice as you do this.
    • Ravikant warns against trying to fight against those voices: "You're trying to fight darkness. Don't fight darkness. You can't. What you do is you turn on the light."
    • Positive affirmations are a great way to turn on the light, even though it might feel a bit fake at first. As Ravikant notes, "it's really strange at first, it feels like you're lying to yourself but then because it's a new groove and it's going against the darkness, soon enough it cuts through."
    • "Eventually… it becomes a natural pattern," Ravikant continues. "You start finding yourself, as you used to have negative thoughts all the time, you start trying to have positive thoughts all the time coming from a place of love for yourself."
  6. This doesn't mean that you never tell a "little white lie"—what this means is that you always act towards yourself and others in a way that's true to your core values. When you always act honestly and authentically in service to your core values, you're consistent and people know they can rely on you. This enables you to better build the connections that enable you to live life to the fullest. [4]
    • Try this: Think back on how you acted in the past in a moment that you're not proud of. Reflect on how your actions didn't align with your values. Make a list of other ways you might handle a similar situation in the future if you want to act in line with your values.
    • Like a lot of things, changing your behavior to better align with your values is a long, gradual process—for many, it's even a lifelong process. Small changes get you that much closer to living your life to the fullest.
  7. A gratitude practice is such a relatively small thing that can have such a dramatic impact on your life. Simply by showing gratitude , you can experience better overall physical and psychological wellbeing—which is definitely essential if you intend to live life to the fullest.
    • Try this: Make a list of the people in your life that you see on a regular basis. Think of one specific thing to thank each of those people for, and share your gratitude with them the next time you see them.
    • For Ravikant, gratitude is tied into loving yourself: "When you start to love yourself, gratitude actually becomes more of a natural state and it's a very interesting side effect, because it can be gratitude for anything, you just start becoming more of a grateful person."
    • "I think it's really powerful to take some time to fuel into what you're grateful for, write down three things every day that you're grateful for, and just really feel that gratitude," Clissold adds.
    EXPERT TIP

    Annie Lin, MBA

    Life & Career Coach
    Annie Lin is the founder of New York Life Coaching, a life and career coaching service based in Manhattan. Her holistic approach, combining elements from both Eastern and Western wisdom traditions, has made her a highly sought-after personal coach. Annie’s work has been featured in Elle Magazine, NBC News, New York Magazine, and BBC World News. She holds an MBA degree from Oxford Brookes University. Annie is also the founder of the New York Life Coaching Institute which offers a comprehensive life coach certification program.
    Annie Lin, MBA
    Life & Career Coach

    Start a daily gratitude practice. Spend a few minutes in the morning and before bed thinking about what you appreciate in life. Learn to be present and become curious and observant. Notice the wonders that abound instead of taking things for granted.

  8. Goldstein recommends taking some of those general terms that might come to mind, things such as justice, your health, or your family, and turning them into verbs. So "if you value your relationship with your kids, that means going out and spending quality private time one-on-one with each of your kids."
    • Try this: Make a list of the 5 things that you value the most. Pick one to focus on and think about changes you can make in your life to better support that value.
    • You can use Goldstein's trick of turning your values into verbs to come up with some little things that you can do to bring your life more into alignment with your core values.
    • As you make changes, journal how your life and your perspective change as a result. Does your life feel more fulfilled? Do you feel like you're getting more out of life than you were before?
  9. Following Goldstein's advice and turning your goals into verbs will give you a lot to work with in terms of setting goals for yourself. Set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant (or realistic), and time-bound. [5]
    • For example, if one of your values is family and you want to build your connection with your extended family, you might set a goal to call one of your cousins every Sunday and make plans to meet for lunch or coffee if they're local.
    • Try this: Write down your goals and stick them in spots where you'll see them often, such as the bathroom mirror or the wall next to your bed.
    • Ravikant believes that this is the key to living your life with purpose: "When you start making commitments to yourself and keeping them, you become confident in your ability to do what you want."
    • Over time, "you have to step up and you start to create better commitments to yourself," Ravikant continues. "Before you know it, you are actually living your purpose."
    • As you do this, stay away from the "shoulds." You might feel guilty about some goals, believing that something else should be more important. These "shoulds" are based on someone else's idea of living life to the fullest—not yours. [6]
  10. When it comes to living your life to the fullest, the present is where it's at. Really! The present moment is the only moment over which you have any real control. The present moment is the only moment that you can actively be in . And it's gone as soon as you think about it, which is why staying in the moment is really all about turning off all of those thoughts, most of which aren't really helping you anyway. [7]
    • Try this: Try turning off your thinking mind while you're doing a mundane task or household chore, such as watching the dishes. Instead of thinking about all the other things you have to do, observe the water and the suds and how the dishes are cleaned by the act of scrubbing.
    • Israel recommends yoga and meditation as tools for training yourself to stay in the present moment.
    • You might also try short breathing exercises throughout the day. They can help calm your emotions and give you better mental clarity.
  11. The whole idea that you should "do what you love" is unrealistic and can put a lot of unhealthy pressure on you. Instead, focus on what you feel about your work experience—is work something you dread every day? Is there someone you work with who is toxic for you? Use these questions to start to align your work with your core values. [8]
    • Try this: If there are things bothering you at your current job, make a list. Then, schedule a meeting with a supervisor you trust to talk about those things. You might be surprised what accommodations can be made if you only speak up!
    • You might also consider if your employer or the work that you're doing for them is in line with your core values. This can cause some psychological discomfort that can prevent you from living life to the fullest.
    • Think about your material needs. It might also be possible for you to work less, or take a more fulfilling job for less pay. This might also be more of a long-term goal.
  12. Israel notes that "there are almost 9 billion people on planet Earth today. That means there are 9 billion different types of meditation." He advocates "trying as many as possible, whether it's a visualization, or concentrating on the breath, or walking meditation, or whatever it is."
    • Try this: Start with a commitment to meditate for just one minute in the morning and one minute in the evening. Do this for one week, then double your time to two minutes. Keep gradually increasing your time until you start to feel resistance, then stay at that place for a while longer.
    • Life coach Annie Lin adds that meditation "helps you learn to create some distance between you as the 'observer' and your emotions. Emotions are energies moving through your body, just like clouds that move across the sky. You can remain to be the space in which various emotions happen, just like the sky is there for the clouds."
    • Goldstein mentions that "thoughts are like saliva—they just form on their own. They're just automatic." Keeping that in mind can make it a lot easier to let thoughts go, because you won't be as attached to them or think they have more meaning than they do.
    • At the same time, Israel cautions that "mindfulness practice is the most difficult thing you'll ever do." Sitting and concentrating on one thing, whether it's an image or your breath, "is extremely difficult," Israel explains, "particularly in the society that we live in where we're continuously overstimulated."
  13. It's true that many aspects of your overall health are out of your control. But you can still eat right , stay hydrated , and get a little exercise every day. Keeping your body healthy ensures that you have the energy and stamina you need to live your life to the fullest. [9]
    • Try this: Next time you're walking at a park, challenge someone to a foot race. Always look for the most exciting way to do something, whether it's taking the stairs (two at a time!) instead of the elevator or skipping home from the bus instead of walking.
    • Remember that this is about what works for you . Don't worry about trying to follow somebody else's diet or fitness plan—eat foods that make you feel nourished and do activities that make you feel refreshed and energized.
  14. Curiosity is a basic part of human nature and the driving force behind a lot of creativity and innovation. [10] To live life to the fullest, think in terms of understanding something rather than trying to categorize it or judge it. Don't hold back— ask questions ! Try to think back to how you looked at the world as a small child and recapture that mentality again.
    • Try this: Next time you see or hear something that makes you uncomfortable, ask questions about it to try to understand it instead of immediately judging it or assuming that it's bad.
  15. For Clissold, "journaling is a very powerful tool for people to get clear" on what's emotion and what's fact. She notes that if you have an experience and fail to process the emotions surrounding it, you might continue to carry it around with you and let it affect you. Journaling is "about processing the emotion; it is about feeling the emotion, and when we can feel it, we can let it go. That's when we can start to actually see clearly."
    • Try this: Start a journal and spend 5 to 10 minutes each day writing in it. You can write for longer if you want, but it's good to start with a short duration that will be easier to build into a habit.
    • Journaling is a great way to help you get rid of any emotional baggage that might be weighing you down.
    • It also makes it easier for you to live in the moment because you aren't constantly thinking back to past trauma. All of these things are important parts of living your life to the fullest.
  16. Go back and think about your core values. To start simplifying your life and the place where you live, focus on things that serve those core values and get rid of the things that don't serve those values. This isn't one of those things that will happen overnight, but over time you'll find that you're spending a lot more time enjoying life and a lot less time shuffling around being "busy." [11]
    • Try this: Take 15 minutes each day to declutter one area of your living space. Keep going until you've done the whole place, then create a cleaning plan to keep the pace tidy.
    • Do the same thing with your time and commitments that you did with your living space—start to gradually eliminate things that aren't in line with your core values.
    • For example, if one of your core values is family, you might decide to switch to a job where you can work remotely so you can spend more time at home.
  17. Being generous is hardwired into humanity—humans are a social species! And when you're generous with your time, effort, or resources, it improves your life too. A big part of living life to the fullest is recognizing how connected you are to those around you. Offering help is a great way to build stronger connections. [12]
    • Try this: Make a commitment to yourself to practice one random act of kindness every day.
    • For example, if you have a friend who's studying for a major exam, you might offer to come over and clean for them or do their laundry.
  18. Clissold emphasizes how important it is that you "have people in your life that are supportive of you, rather than people that are going to drag you down and judge you. The people in your environment can be a huge influence on you."
    • Try this: Think of someone in your life who you don't know that well but want to get to know better. Reach out to that person and invite them out for lunch or coffee. Savor the opportunity you have for a one-on-one conversation.
    • Israel notes that "93% of all communication is nonverbal. So what we're doing through text messaging and through Zooming is not actually what feeds our heart and feeds our soul."
    • "We're deluded into thinking that we're connected through computers," Israel continues, "but what we really need is to break bread with people, to throw a frisbee, to hug people and make eye contact and things like that."
  19. When you forgive someone, you're essentially acknowledging their humanity. No one is perfect—everyone makes mistakes. But sometimes those mistakes wind up hurting someone. When you're the one who was hurt, "forgive and forget" can be easier said than done. But you can't begin to heal from any trauma until you forgive those who caused it. [13]
    • Try this: Think about someone who wronged you in the past. Have you forgiven them? Why or why not? You might journal about it. If you feel comfortable, reach out to them and let them know that you've forgiven them (if you have).
    • Israel emphasizes that "atonement… which is essentially cleaning up the past so that you can show up authentically for the present moment… is how you connect with people. And you do that by forgiving people."
    • Forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean that you have to start having positive thoughts about the person who wronged you—it just means you let go of any actively negative thoughts.
  20. Start to think of kindness and respect as the default way that you'll treat people, regardless of how they act towards you. Often, when rude people are met with kindness, they'll soften. Remind yourself that you don't know what anybody else is dealing with. You'll increase your own self-esteem and empathy in the process, and you'll open yourself to connections that you would have otherwise shut off. [14]
    • Try this: Next time you see someone in need of assistance, volunteer to help them—don't wait to be asked! A lot of people feel awkward about asking for help but will be grateful that you offered.
    • It helps to remember the acronym LOVE : L isten more, talk less; O verlook mistakes and shortcomings; V alue what you have; E xpress your appreciation. Spread love and you'll enjoy wonderful and fulfilling relationships with people, even if you don't always see eye to eye with them.
    • This means treating yourself with kindness too. Try talking to yourself the way you would your best friend instead of mentally beating yourself up when things don't go quite according to plan.
  21. Humans are a social species—we need connection with others. If you want to truly live life to the fullest, making those connections to the people around you is essential. Those wonderful connections also reward you personally with improved mental health and overall wellbeing. [15]
    • Try this: Go to your local library or community center and look for a bulletin board advertising local events. You could do this online, but it's way better to go in person. Pick an event you're interested in and go!
    • If there are any faith-based or nonprofit organizations in your neighborhood that offer assistance to people in need, you might volunteer there as well.
    • You can also team up with friends and make care packages for unhoused folks in your area or offer to help your neighbors out if they need anything.
  22. Research shows laughter is connected to physiological healing—it really is the best medicine! Having fun can lower your stress hormones and trigger your body to release endorphins so you continue to feel good. [16]
    • Try this: Take in a live show at a comedy club or watch a comedy movie in a theater where you can share laughter with an audience of other people.
    • Clissold recommends that you "just keep playing, keep curious, keep that investment to life, and don't allow the outside world to infiltrate you and your passion and your enthusiasm and your excitement for play. Don't work, play."
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Section 2 of 3:

What does it mean to live life to the fullest?

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  1. In a really basic way, it means living in the moment, so that you're able to really appreciate all of the little details around you. But it's more than that—it also means living fully and vibrantly, and really immersing yourself in every experience. [17]
    • What it really means to live life to the fullest is different for every person because every person is going to be fulfilled by different things and find joy in different activities.
    • It also means stepping up and taking an active role in your own life, rather than just keeping your head down and staying busy while the world rushes on.
    • You might have heard clichés such as "stop and smell the roses," "seize the day," "YOLO," "grab life by the horns," or "take a leap of faith." All of these also relate to living life to the fullest by encouraging you to live in the moment and face life confidently without fear or hesitation.
Section 3 of 3:

Likely Benefits of Living Life to the Fullest

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  1. Goldstein notes that "the deeper form of happiness is something called psychological wellbeing. And that's more connected to meaning and purpose and a deep sense of connection with life. It's a deeper form of happiness, more enduring like a tree that has deeper roots—it's less likely to be blown over by the emotional winds of life." Living life to the fullest is a great way to ensure that you enjoy this kind of happiness.
    • The best part about this is that you enjoy "a greater sense of contentment with life and a sense of peace that's there during the inevitable challenges and obstacles that come," Goldstein continues. "And then you can really enjoy the wonderful moments that are there as well because life has both."
  2. Research shows people who believe their life is worthwhile also report lower incidences of chronic illness or depression and less chronic pain. People who are living their lives to the fullest also tend to make healthier choices, so they also tend to be more physically fit. [18]
    • All of these practices that go into living life to the fullest can improve your sleep quality as well. Getting restful sleep can do a lot in and of itself to improve your health.
  3. Most people would agree that a big part of living your life to the fullest is living life with purpose, and when you live life with purpose, you tend to live longer. A lot of this might be due in part to the fact that because you live your life with purpose, you tend to make healthier choices. [19]
    • Research also shows that living life with purpose decreases your chances of dying prematurely, even after controlling for such factors as chronic illness.
  4. Research shows that just practicing kindness can increase self-esteem, empathy, and compassion, as well as increase how connected you feel to the world around you. [20] When you live life to the fullest, you help spread love and joy through your community and out into the world.
    • As you start really feeling like you're living life to the fullest, you'll likely also start to feel more connected to the people around you and the place where you live.
    • You'll also start to notice more details and more patterns around you—and with them, more beauty and compassion.
  5. Some of these benefits might carry the "your mileage may vary" caveat, but not this one. Studies show that if nothing else, people who feel as though they are living with purpose also feel better about their overall wellbeing. [21]
    • When you consider that the whole point of living life to the fullest is to better your life, this "benefit" might seem a bit redundant—but it's really not. Studies show specific benefits in mental and physical health.
    • If you start to feel overwhelmed, remind yourself that living life to the fullest is a lifetime process that will benefit you. It's okay to take things slow or even feel like you're backsliding at times. Growth isn't linear.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://blogs.bcm.edu/2018/11/28/why-living-life-to-the-fullest-is-possible/
      2. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-flux/201512/5-benefits-of-stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone
      3. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-in-this-world/201004/trying-new-things
      4. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/authenticity
      5. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6796229/
      6. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/inviting-a-monkey-to-tea/201304/stop-shoulding-yourself-to-death
      7. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/human-beings-being-human/202201/live-better-being-more-present-in-the-moment
      8. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychology-in-the-real-world/202009/you-dont-have-to-do-what-you-love
      9. ↑ https://blogs.bcm.edu/2018/11/28/why-living-life-to-the-fullest-is-possible/
      1. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4635443/
      2. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meditation-modern-life/201507/henry-david-thoreau-simplify-simplify
      3. ↑ https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Generosity-FINAL.pdf
      4. ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/forgiveness/definition#why-practice-forgiveness
      5. ↑ https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-art-of-kindness
      6. ↑ https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/community-involvement-can-enhance-mental-health
      7. ↑ https://blogs.bcm.edu/2018/11/28/why-living-life-to-the-fullest-is-possible/
      8. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/life-gets-better/201307/live-like-your-life-depends-on-it
      9. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/202108/10-powerful-benefits-of-living-with-purpose
      10. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/202108/10-powerful-benefits-of-living-with-purpose
      11. ↑ https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-art-of-kindness
      12. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/202108/10-powerful-benefits-of-living-with-purpose

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To live life to the fullest, try to work on accepting yourself the way you are so you can focus more of your attention on doing the things you love. Also, push yourself out of your comfort zone as much as possible, which will expose you to new experiences and teach you to take risks. You can also try setting meaningful goals for yourself, like learning how to play the guitar or making new friends, to give yourself something to work towards. To learn how to develop meaningful relationships with others so you feel more fulfilled, scroll down!

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