Life is short, and we’re obsessed with the idea of living it to the fullest. Ironically, we end up wasting our lives feeling anxious that we aren’t living life to the fullest, thus robbing ourselves of the very thing we want: loving life on earth.

So here’s a quick guide to ease your anxiety. If you follow this guide, you can rest assured knowing that you are creating your best life possible. 

• Get out of your rut by pushing past your comfort zones
  As Thomas Jefferson once said, “If you want to have something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” In other words, it you want that feeling of gratification and fulfilment you expect from life you have to venture into unknown territory. It may be unpleasant and even painful, but it’s the only way to attain the self-esteem and courage required to truly enjoy life. 
   
• Don’t stop until your goal is reached
  The goals we set are things we want to see happen in our lives, presumably because we believe they will make us happy. The problem is, when the path to success gets rocky, MOST people become intimidated and quit. Some people quit as soon as the obstacles arise, others will themselves to keep going and going, until finally they meet an obstacle too big, and choose an easier path. If the easier path is also going to be fulfilling, then that’s great! But if you’re running from your best life because it got too hard to pursue, you’re robbing yourself of all of life’s goodness. Be the rare person who doesn’t EVER stop pursuing a goal no matter how long it takes, and eventually you will get there and the sense of reward will light up your entire life. 
   
• Choose happiness over pleasure
  There’s nothing wrong with pleasure, until it gets in the way of happiness. For example, if you’re working towards a healthier lifestyle because you know you’ll be happier that way, but you find yourself giving in to the temptation of chocolate cake over and over again, you are choosing pleasure OVER happiness. When you learn the difference between the two and start noticing yourself getting seduced by instant gratification, it will become easier and easier to stay on track. That self discipline that keeps you on the track is the ingredient that will lead you to your true joy. 

As far as we know, we only have this one life. There’s no way to know if that’s true, but we might as well live as if it is. Living life to the fullest doesn’t mean having fun all the time, it means discovering what you love through trial and error, adventuring ahead even when the odds are against you, and embracing the new and unusual with an open mind every day you possibly can. This is how you’ll get to the point where you can look back on your life with the satisfying feeling that you’ve done your absolute best.