1. Find your tribe and love the heck outta them.
Life is grand when you’ve got friends to go through it with? Somehow, with just a couple of trusty mates to confide in, lean on, complain to, and depend on, a bad date turns into a hilarious story, a scary new thing becomes your new favorite thing, and life starts to feel like it really makes sense. When you have people to share experiences with you’re more open to everyday opportunities, and to understanding how impactful your own love, trust, and loyalty can really be. Good friends will help keep you grounded.
2. Lend a helping hand.
No matter where you live, you’re part of a community — an apartment building, a neighborhood, a school, a company. The more involved you become in your communities, the more empowered you’ll feel about your direction in life. Get out and help your fellow man, woman, neighbor, or colleague. Not only will you be supporting another person—which will always leave you feeling warm and fuzzy—you’ll be putting your own skills to the test and seeing just how purposeful you really are.
3. Stop worrying about things.
Remember when you were nothing without LA Gear light-up sneakers, Carrie Bradshaw’s Fendi Baguette or iPhone whatever or… The point is, things come and go (and come and go again and again). If you attach your happiness to a ‘thing,’ whether that’s a piece of fashion or a piece of technology, you’ll never find real fulfillment in the real world. Focus on valuable relationships and rich experiences instead of material things.
4. Prioritize what’s important.
You don’t have to know who you want to be when you grow up—*gulp* we’re still figuring that one out—to know what’s important to you right now. For some people it’s traveling the world, for others it’s building a home. Whatever it is you love—from cooking to gardening to singing karaoke realllly out of tune—make it a priority in your life. This way you’ll not only enjoy yourself but work towards honing a craft (yes, destroying the chorus to “Don’t Stop Believing” is a craft — you heard it here first).
5. Be you!
Cliches aside, this is the best advice we can give for helping you feel powerful, purposeful, and meaningful in your everyday life. Authenticity is super-important to us and it should be to you. Being true to yourself is the fastest, easiest way to feel like you’re bringing value to the world. After all, there’s nobody out there like you. There’s a lot of meaning in that distinction: the you-ness of you. Don’t ever lose sight of that, and don’t ever forget to celebrate it.
Great article and very true!