How to Give Yourself the Best Chance of a Good Life: Part 2

In today’s fast-paced world, finding ways to improve one’s quality of life has become increasingly important. In Part 1 of this article, we looked at a few ways to give yourself the best possible chance of living a good life – now, we’ll explore some additional practical ways to achieve lasting changes for the better.

Broaden Your Horizons

One of the simplest ways to broaden your horizons is to take an interest in something new. This could mean exploring new hobbies, trying out different sports or activities, or going out and meeting new people. Reading challenging and stimulating books is also an inexpensive way to spread your mental horizons wider.

Traveling is another great way to experience other cultures and gain new perspectives. Spending time with people who think very differently than you do can also be eye-opening. Dull, narrow-minded, parochial types have boring, narrow lives and jobs – don’t be one of them.

Deliberately Keep Shifting Your Perspective

Playing around with different ways of looking at the same thing can be a great exercise in mental flexibility. Trying out unconventional and contrarian types of thought can be a good starting point. Play is often the best way to learn – we learn most when we are young and playing.

Try Out Some Unfamiliar Options

If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get the results you’ve always had – or worse, since circumstances change and yesterday’s sure thing is tomorrow’s disaster. Try fresh possibilities and let go of your prejudices. If you don’t like it, stop, and at least, you’ll have learned something. If you like it, do it some more. If you habitually focus on mostly short-term, practical things, try focusing on something long-term and visionary, and dream a little. If you’re a strategic thinker, always looking years ahead, try limiting your focus to today, or better still, to this very moment.

Question Everything and Keep Learning

Whatever the problem or topic is, never assume that you already know all the answers. Nothing shuts down your mental faculties more quickly. Don’t be timid or risk-averse – choose the less obvious answer and take calculated risks. Everyone makes mistakes; learn from them instead of letting them paralyze you. Life is full of opportunities to learn – we need to use our brains to prevent degenerative illnesses like Altzheimer’s Disease. Find work that stretches your mind – if it doesn’t, you’ll lose interest quickly. Take every chance you can to learn more and develop your intellect.

Align Your Work with Your Values

If your work and your deepest values don’t match well, you’ll never be happy or make much of a success of your life. You need sustained determination, long-term effort, and high levels of energy to succeed, and work that’s out of line with your core values won’t supply any of those things. You won’t have any passion for what you do or natural strengths to draw on. Trying to do work that’s at odds with your most important values is likely to produce nothing but misery, stress, frustration, and health problems.

Conclusion

Giving yourself the best possible chance for a good life requires a combination of curiosity, continuous learning, and being open to new experiences. It’s about having an open mind and continually challenging your beliefs and assumptions. Aligning your work with your deepest values is also vital to long-term success and happiness. By following these practical steps, you can aim to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life.

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