10 Tips for a happier and more fulfilling life

A happier and more fulfilling life? This sounds like a dream. Too good to be true, right? Who does not want a life filled with joy and lots of happy moments? A life where all of your actions contribute to a much more fulfilling existence.

But no matter how desirable this dream is, just a few seem to have found the secret recipe. The issue is not that we don´t want to live like that – the challenge is to create a life that provides all of this. How can you start living such a happy and fulfilling life? What do you need to do to get to this point of feeling happy and fulfilled?

Before going any further, what is happiness? What is a fulfilled life?

Sure, a happy and fulfilled life is a very individual and personal matter. Everyone defines these two terms very differently; so far, so good. But how can we define something so particular?

There are uncountable definitions of the meaning of this particular topic, but my very own one is the following (feel free to agree or disagree):

It´s about feeling good and light, no matter the external circumstances. About attracting situations that please you. It´s about possessing what you desire. Living the life you think is the perfect life for you. It´s about fulfilling your dreams, not chasing after other people´s ones, and feeling peace within yourself. Also, it´s about specifying your definition of happiness and fulfilment and taking your personal growth seriously to a point whereby you understand how significant your inner development is to be able to attract what you desire within your outer world.

With this topic come many more opinions on what it takes to create this kind of life. And, of course, there isn´t just one way of doing it. But there are a few crucial elements that all approaches have in common regarding happiness and fulfilment.

One important thing you should understand before reading further:

It would be best if you were willing to grow. Not physically but mentally. To learn new things and to be open-minded to new perceptions. To broaden your horizon. It would help if you were willing to welcome the uncomfortable. Because if you follow the steps below, I promise you, it´ll be unpleasant. But if you find courage in yourself, you have the chance to become someone who can achieve any desire. I guess that´s a pretty good deal.

If you want to change your results, you need to shift your focus towards your preferred new direction. It´s not helpful to think of your desire, your new destination, but continue to go towards your known ones – the ones you want to quit.

So, if you want to create a happier and more fulfilling life (for what other reason would you currently read this blog post), having a clear vision of your ideal life would be helpful. Changing some of your habits – is necessary to shift your focus towards more desirable goals.

To support you with this, I collected 10 habits in this blog post that will make it much easier to achieve your goal of creating a happier and more fulfilling life.

1. Compliment yourself

Let´s start with the most important habit. Complimenting yourself is one of the most intense ways to feel happier instantly. Whenever you cheer yourself up or say something loving, you train your mind that you are valuable. That you deserve to get compliments. That you do something well.

Why do we even pay compliments?

Think about this for a moment.

We compliment others if we experience something related to them that we appreciate. Therefore, we want to let this person know that something they do, say, or are, is sticking out to a point where we have to tell the person what we perceive as something extraordinary.

Also, we want to let the person feel a certain way with a compliment.

The thing with compliments from others is that however beautiful it is to receive compliments, we have no control over whether we get them, when, or to what extent.

So, if compliments are that great, but if you have no control over getting them from others (and you should never wait until you do), the easiest solution is to start paying them yourself today.

How can you do that?

Well, start telling yourself some loving phrases. Treat yourself as if you are your friend. Your best friend.

I remember how awkward I felt when I actively paid myself a compliment. The first time when it was my active intention to compliment myself. Before, I saw a video about a guy who used to stand in front of his mirror every day and say the following: “I´m a gift to the world.” Just copying this behaviour was, for me, a real challenge. I could barely look myself in the eyes while whispering this compliment. Yes, I whispered because I was too afraid even to tell me something nice in total volume.

But trust me when I tell you now that it´s just the beginning. Nowadays, I can say much more frightening phrases without losing my mind. And you will, too, if you start today.

As you may imagine, I understand how weird and uncomfortable it feels to start paying yourself compliments. I also know it can be overwhelming to find compliments you can say to yourself if you´ve never considered this possibility first.

2. Stop comparing yourself to others

As humans are social creatures, comparing to others is pretty normal behaviour. It comes naturally to us whenever we encounter other people. This could be a great thing as it makes us want to grow or improve.

Just think about yourself:

When was the last time you bought perfume because it smelled incredible on another person? Or did you ever cut your hair because you saw a stunning haircut on someone passing by?

Or maybe you observed another person interacting with people, and you thought to yourself: “wow, this person is an amazing communicator! – I wanna be like her!” Because of this encounter, you improve your body language or learn more about communication skills.

Comparing can have lots of benefits since it guarantees progress.

But then there is the other side of the coin. The not-so-nice and inspiring one. Where we compare and want to punish us for being different. For being not like the person, we compare ourselves to.

The reason for the feeling that hurts so immensely until we lose ourselves while comparing ourselves to others is that we try to convince ourselves that we are not as worthy as the person next to us. That we are less than others. That we need to be different to be valuable.

The toxic trait is that we start thinking that we are imperfect and that this imperfectness is a flaw. And what leads to the ultimate catastrophe for our happiness and self-esteem is that most of the time, we cannot change what we desperately admire in other people. It could be our height, body shape, eye, hair and skin colour, the sound of our voice, the shape of our hands or feet and so on. We feel trapped in our bodies, and this results in a condition of disgust.

And for what outcome do we do this to ourselves?

To be a copy of someone else. Read that again.

Why should we ever prefer this way over the decision of being our true selves?

Because if you decide that you finally accept yourself and your body the way it is, the pressure can go. But don´t get me wrong: don´t stop growing and improving yourself; only the urge to be someone different can leave. There is no need for it. You can still be a better version of yourself every day, even if you accept that you and your body are enough because that´s the only truth that matters.

And the way you are and look is the exact way you need to be.

From the spiritual side of view, your soul chose long before you incarnated in this body and this particular life the exact way that it should look and the exact way of all your circumstances because your soul knew back then that these are the perfect conditions for you to learn and experience all the things for what you came to earth.

The moment you realise and understand this is when everything makes sense. Your parents may have given you your name, but why do you think they resonated with this specific name and chose it in the end? There are millions of names out there. Why this? Coincidence? I don´t believe in such things as that.

Albert Einstein once said:

With this quote, I resonate so much. Because think about it for a while, and it makes such beautiful sense!

If you find just one thing worth being called a miracle, something valuable, everything needs to be called the same. Because even if a particular issue may not be practical in your perspective of thinking, it can be of tremendous value for another! The same goes for all things in life.

For instance:

Some people may love apples, though others may prefer peaches. But you would never say that the first is less worth just because you like the other much more.

And so are you.

You may not be exactly like the person you compare to and may prefer somebody’s attributes over others. But just because you think you are less worthy doesn´t mean you are right. It´s just your focus. And you are capable of shifting your focus.

Start shifting now!

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3. Stop overthinking – be confident!

Who does not know a situation like this?

You have a meeting at a restaurant; you are running a few minutes late. For this reason, your meeting partners are already sitting at your table, which happens to be the one at the very end of the restaurant. You must walk through the entire location to get to your meeting. You enter the restaurant and are confronted with several unfamiliar eyes – people are staring at you. Urgh – how uncomfortable!

And, on top of that, your brain is going wild – with all the potential nightmares you believe people assume about you.

But in reality, they perceive a person entering the restaurant—nothing else. Most of the time, people are so busy with their life that they have no single interest in making others their business.

And on the other hand, if you are happy with your overall appearance, why would you care about another person’s opinion?

Why would it matter? Especially from a stranger?

The problem with overthinking is that we think we need to do things differently. That the way we handle issues somehow is incumbent upon the criticism of another person. But that´s not the case. You can do things exactly the way you want them to be done. You can be different. And if you have the chance to be different – do it!

But no matter what you do and how you tackle life, you must decide that this is your approach. As soon as you go along with your decision, you can stop overthinking since you are already convinced, and that´s enough. You don´t need more opinions. Period.

And on top of that:

You are not responsible for considering what another person could think about you. That´s not your business. It´s just in your head since the person has never shared her thoughts about you. Also, if this chaos of overthinking thoughts is just in your head and are imaginational thoughts about all the things that could be bad or go wrong, and if you do not yet have proof, it´s not fair of you to expect the worst from someone else.

Focus on yourself and start regulating your harmful thoughts; you will start feeling better.

4. Have dreams – dream as big as you can!

Dreams are something extraordinary. By dreaming, we allow ourselves to be creative and let our minds wander. Dreaming can show us the possibilities of our limitations. Whenever you dream about anything you wish for yourself, you expand what is possible. And since it´s “just” dreaming, there are no limitations!

But you will see that you likely do not want everything possible. You will have preferences regarding your life. What I mean by this is:

Only some people want to run their businesses or want to have children. Only some want to be built like an athlete or run a marathon. Some may also not want a huge house – some want a trailer and want to travel the world with that. Some may not even want to see the whole world. They don´t want to travel. They want to stay where they feel comfortable and build the cosiest home possible.

There are endless dreams! So, it does not matter what your desires are. But what is indeed significant is that you at least have them.

Why is it important?

Because dreams allow your life to have a specific direction.

And at this point, it is unnecessary if you believe your dreams are achievable. There is no urge to bring them into your reality. Dreaming alone can also incredibly impact your happiness since you can be creative and enjoy fantastic visualisations.

Now you could ask yourself, why even try dreaming if you wouldn´t expect any results?

Well, that´s, of course, a justified question.

Think about this: what is the point of children drawing? Not all of them will be professional artists. Why make an effort to do it, then?

Because life is way more colourful if we are willing to do things just for the sake of doing them – because it brings us joy.

Just imagine how dreary life would be if everyone only started a project, hobby, passion etc., when they could be sure, 100% sure, that they would reach their goal with the first step. Or if nobody didn´t have dreams and would never start something they could be good at.

Everything always starts with a thought. And then it grows louder and louder until the idea cannot be unheard. That´s when plans are made. When dreams become more powerful and something real. That´s when we start taking action.

But no project would have ever been realisable if there had not always been the dream, the thought about the dream. Dreams can become so much more. But they are always the first step.

So, start dreaming BIG!

5. Do things for yourself – only for yourself

When life happens, and we are stuck in our daily habits and experiences, deadlines we need to comply with to be successful in our jobs, children or other family members demand our time, household needs to be done, and meals want to be cooked. Friends want to be entertained and socialised. These things and much more make it easy to forget to appreciate ourselves. To care for us. To make us our number one priority. Therefore, take some precious quality time just for yourself. Get yourself what you need to be happy.

Kindly reminder:

You do not have to prove that you deserve it! I know the feeling and the thoughts that you “must do this or that before you deserve something nice.” You need to “finish this project,” or you “need to reach your goal before you can think about making yourself a gift.”

No. Simply no. Do not go down that road.

You are valuable, and you deserve it. Simply for the fact that you are enough the way you are. 

Take your break. Rest and calm down. The world can wait for one moment.

It does not have to be something enormous—just a 5 min meditation session to start the morning with the proper flow. A 15 min walk outside to get some fresh air and clear your mind. The book you wanted to read last month – let´s start today with just one page.

Prioritising you and your happiness does not have to take hours. It´s about small actions. The few minutes in between your appointments and meetings. It´s about choosing your favourite comfort food instead of what is supposed to keep you in shape. About looking up to the sky and watching the moon and stars glowing for just one moment, even when you are your busiest. It´s about reminding yourself that you and your time are valuable. Everything in life is about the decisions we make daily.

Start by saying “yes” to yourself, by saying “I deserve it” – this is one major tip for creating a happier and more fulfilling life.

6. Create goals

Goals. Everyone is talking about setting goals. Reaching goals. People seem to love to ask: “What are your goals in life?” As if the goals we have developed would mean everything. But yes, somehow, our plans do matter this much. The goals we set for ourselves determine whom we become. Why?

For every goal we have in mind but have not yet reached, we need to become a different person, develop skills we currently don´t have and show up as someone who can achieve these goals. Our past self could have never done what our present self is mastering daily.

For this reason, asking about our plans is not only about what we desire in the outer world but also shows who we are about to become in our inner world. It shows the values that are most important to us.

Goals are something incredible. They give our lives some concept. Whenever you have a plan, you are moving towards it—taking steps towards its fulfilment. That´s natural since you, of course, want to reach your goal.

And whenever we are moving forward in life, having goals provide our existence with a direction. You have become the person you are today solely through yesterday’s decisions. But doesn´t this mean conversely that even the tiniest goals we set today change the experiences we´ll have tomorrow?

And if this is a thing, doesn´t this mean that we can become everything? Even happy and fulfilled? Even though it seems like a dream right now?

Yes, it does.

So, setting today’s goals could be your most significant decision ever.

It can change everything: your today and your tomorrow.

But for now, it´s essential that you do not think too further because every mountain climb starts with the first step. Even though most people always only see the last step and disregard all the necessary actions to reach the top. But you do not become someone who can get to the top of any mountain (in your life) by taking only the final move. You become someone greater with the first step and any steps that follow. The most remarkable growth happens between the first and the last step and even more before you take the first step. Overcoming the fear of starting in the first place is sometimes more potent than the actual climb.

Therefore, focus on making the very first move. You do not have to master your climb before it even starts. Just begin by taking it to step by step. Set yourself small goals. Goals you can look forward to reaching every day.

7. Find your purpose in life

Finding your purpose in life also leads to a happier and more fulfilling life. If you find what truly fulfils you, you can make wiser decisions. If you do the work, inner work, and emotional work, if you are willing to ask uncomfortable questions and endeavour to find answers for them, you can make decisions that lead to a happier and more fulfilled life.

But what is this so-called “purpose in life”?

Your purpose in life is the summary of all aspects of your life. Mean all your hobbies and interests, the topics you are talking about, your passions, the books you read, the movies you watch, the music you listen to, and why you wake up every morning. All these things have a common origin—your purpose in life.

Therefore, you cannot actually “find” your purpose in life. But you can be aware of it indeed. Discover it. So, it´s a question of focus. If your focus is aligned with your inner world and all aspects, it will be much easier to attain awareness of your purpose in life.

But your purpose in life is not necessarily limited to your beliefs and passions. Mostly it´s what you are contributing every day. It´s the value you can provide to your environment. You will automatically offer the ideals most important to you to the world and all beings interacting with you.

Discovering your life purpose correlates to making wiser decisions, going the right paths, and attending the for your best journeys. You can get a clear vision of what your life is all about, and finally, you´ll be able to undergo the perfect experiences you need to grow and be the person you´ve always meant to be.

8. Social

Our social environment plays an enormous role when creating a happier and more fulfilling life. This is because your closest friends determine what you are talking about – the essential topics you usually discuss. They decide on what occasions you spend your money. They can significantly impact what day-to-day experiences you have.

The people you spend the most time with determine whom you identify as. Because we tend to adapt to our environment since we want to fit in.

Until here, no problem. As long as the people closest to you go along with your desires.

It starts with a few easy questions: Are your friends supportive of your goals? What do you do whenever you meet? Are your friends open-minded about new ideas? Do they push you to be your best every day? What are the topics you usually discuss? Do these topics make you feel good?

To have people around you who genuinely support you in your life is by far the most fantastic thing ever, right? When your priorities are aligned, you focus on having a great time together, laughing and enjoying life. What could be better?

People can be a blessing or a curse.

It´s all about how selective you are with the people you spend your precious time with—choosing the kind of friends who admire having goals and chasing after them and who want to see the best in you can build a strong foundation for all your dreams and future actions.

9. Move your body

This tip is for all the couch potatoes out there. (Hello, friend!)                                           

If you´ve been active your whole life, you don´t need this tip since it´s already your second nature. You are used to being active and moving your body regularly, and I suppose no one needs to tell you to train your body since you feel the urge to move if sitting for too long.

For all of you who have a hard time jumping in your sports outfit and moving your body, listen:

Don´t move your body because you want to achieve a particular body shape or change your appearance. Don´t go to the gym just because you see it all over social media.

Instead, move your body because you love yourself (or at least want to take one step further in this direction) and are convinced that your body deserves to be moved. Moving your body equals self-love. Move your body because you love it. Not necessarily the part of being active but the way your body feels afterwards.

Move your body because you believe that you are showing yourself self-love with this act. Doing something like this long-term will make you feel happier and more fulfilled. Therefore, find sports you can genuinely enjoy.

Sport does not have to be what social media let us see. It´s not about heavy lifting and enormous discipline. You do not have to force yourself to do a specific sport.

Primarily doing sport should be a joyful experience. Therefore, be inquisitive and try out new things. I´m convinced that there is the perfect sport for everyone out there. You could go to a dance course like Tango or pole dance, or try team sports like basketball.

If you don´t like interacting with people, there are plenty of sports you can try at home: Yoga, Pilates, or Zumba. You can find millions of talented people on YouTube who love showing you how it´s done correctly. And maybe you can find motivation in watching these videos.

Or you can also start going for walks. This is the most initial form of movement. For this, you don´t need any technical devices, no membership, no extra costs or fancy equipment. Also, human beings are born to walk/run.

No matter what you decide to go for, always keep in mind that you should feel happy. It´s essential that you enjoy doing the sport you went for.

Only when it´s a reward for you and not a punishment, doing your chosen sport, can you start creating a happier and more fulfilling life.

10. Nutrition

Why should nutrition be a factor in generating a happier and more fulfilling life?

Well, let´s talk about it.

Since you need to consume food regularly first to feel satisfied and secondly to keep your body fuelled with energy and all nutrients required to function correctly, it is one main factor for creating the life you wish for.

If you provide your body with the right kind of food, your body will become stronger and more energetic. And having the strength and energy will conclude in the ability to create the life you desire – a happier and more fulfilling one.

Think of your body as a vehicle that brings you anywhere in life. That carries you all the way along. But for your body to perform to your pleasure, you must fuel it with the right fuel.

And the solution is not a specific diet or cutting out certain foods – this will not make you happy or more fulfilled.

Nutrition has always been and will be furthermore the most personal issue. We all decide daily what we put into our bodies. And this is, of course, how it should work. Your life, your responsibility.

For that reason, what questions do you ask yourself?

Wait, what? Questions? What questions?

I´m glad that you asked! Let me explain …

We ask ourselves consciously or subconsciously questions regarding food (or any other topic in life). And we answer them the same way. And we act accordingly to the answers given.

We all decide daily what is most important to us and what we expect from certain areas in life. The same goes for the food we consume.

Some people may be focused on the pleasure food can bring them. They think it is essential that food tastes very sugary, savoury, or salty and is easily accessible. In these people´s opinion, nutrition is not a topic they want to bother themselves with. They are not aware of the nutrients, or the lack of nutrients, they put into their bodies. And it´s also not one of their main priorities.

Other people may be interested in nutrition and the facts behind it. They want to be aware of what nutrients certain foods can provide them. People like that may inform themselves of what is good for their bodies and what is not.

The third group may see food only as a means to an end. They focus on nutrients and eat only what provides them with everything so their bodies can work on maximum performance.

Regardless of the group of people you see yourself in, always remember to keep your focus on your emotions. This is the most crucial part of any topic in life. Because the emotions you feel are a sign of what in your life is doing fantastic and what you should focus on improving further.

If you feel great in your relationship with your body and the food you consume, that´s amazing! Enjoy feeling good! But if you feel lost in nutrition or sometimes feel bad for what food you put into your body, then it´s time to work on your relationship with that. Nutrition and eating should be a satisfying experience. After every meal, you should feel great in your body. You should feel as if you can achieve everything in your life.

Remember: You deserve to feel glorious! Also, after and before every meal you eat. The food you consume shouldn´t be more powerful than you are. It shouldn´t have the ability to change your mood massively.

Hurray!

You´ve made it to the end of this freaking long blog post! – Thank you for sticking around this long!

Many topics were discussed throughout the last couple thousand words, and you´ve hopefully got a lot of new ideas you want to think about for now. Maybe you want to make a few decisions now?

The only thing I want you to ask is: As for any guide or anything else you have access to on the internet or elsewhere, don´t forget to pick what suits your very own opinion about anything out there. Nothing you read or hear outside your mind can tell you what is best for you!

You are the only person who can tell you what this is. What your recipe for success in your life is, no matter what area.

Be proud of yourself every moment for how far you´ve come.

You are glorious!