Live Life Today

This post is a bit lengthier than before, but trust me, it's worth the read...

Too often we go through life on autopilot, going through the motions and having each day pass like the one before it. That's fine, and comfortable...

Until you have gone through another year without having done anything, without having really lived life...

Until you have reached old age and look back on life with regrets...

Until you see your kids go off to college and realize that you missed their childhoods...

It's got you wondering, hasn't it? If you want to truly live life, to really experience it, to enjoy it to the fullest, instead of only living a life of existence, then you need to find ways to break free from the mold and drink from the cup of life.

What follows is just a list of ideas, obvious ones mostly that you could have thought of yourself, but that I hope are useful reminders to start living - Today.

Love Deeply - Perhaps the most important of all. Fall in love or fall in love with your partner all over again. Love family members, friends, animals and all of humanity.

Get Outside – Walk in the rain or on the beach. Hike through the woods or swim in a freezing lake. Bask in the sun or walk barefoot through grass. Get out and enjoy nature.

Savor Food - Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavours and savor every bite.

Create a Morning Ritual - Greet the day, watch the sun rise, tell yourself this day is a gift and live every moment to its fullest.

Take Chances - We often live our lives too cautiously, worried about what might go wrong. Be bold once in awhile and take some risks.

Follow Excitement - Find the things in life that excite you, and then go after them.

Find Your Passion - Similar to the above tip, this one asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do.

Travel - Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you're older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon.

Rediscover What's Important - Take an hour and make a list of everything that's important to you. What you want to do in life. Make a short list of most important 4-5 things and focus your energy of these.

Eliminate Everything Else - What's going on in your life that's not on your short list? All that stuff is wasting your time and pulling your attention from what's really important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing its effects.

Exercise - Get off the couch and go for a walk, a run or even swimming, hiking or biking. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it and feel more alive than ever.

Be Positive - Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints and the reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts.

Open Your Heart - Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love and to give love unconditionally.

Kiss in the Rain - Seize the moment and be romantic!

Face Your Fears - What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it, because only by facing our fears can we be free of them.

When You Suffer -- Suffer - Life isn't all about fun and games and suffering is an inevitable part of life. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. And when you're done, be grateful and find joy in life once more.

Slow Down - Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days and it's not always healthy. Slow down and enjoy what you’re doing.

Touch Humanity - Get out and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them and understand them.

Volunteer - Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the homeless, the sick, those with disabilities and those who are dying.

Play With Children - Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them and learn to be joyful like them.

Talk to Old People - There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories, give you advice, tell you about their regrets and their joys, so you can learn from them too. They are the wisdom of our society -- take advantage of their existence while they're still around.

Learn Something New - Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still -- not because you're so imperfect now, but because it is gratifying and satisfying. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve -- if only because the process of improvement is life itself.

Find Spirituality - For some, this means finding God or Jesus, Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its power.

Take Mini-Retirements - Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take time off every few years. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.

Do Nothing - Despite the tip above that we should find excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well, as in sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still in silence, to hear our inner voices and be in tune with life.

Watch Sunsets - One of the most beautiful times of day is at sunset. Make it a daily ritual, find a good spot and enjoy!

Break Out of Ruts - Do you do things the same way every day? Change it up, try something new. Approach life from a different angle. Search for new perspectives.

Laugh Till Your Belly Hurts - Laughing is one of the best ways to live. Tell jokes, watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything, especially yourself!

Lose Control - Not only control over yourself, but control over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others and it will only lead to stress and unhappiness for yourself and those you try to control. Let others live and live for yourself.

Cry - Crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.

Make an Awesome Dessert - How about warm, soft chocolate cake? Berries dipped in chocolate, or crepes with ice cream and fruit? Fresh apple pie, or homemade chocolate chip cookies?. This isn't an every day thing, but an occasional treat once in awhile. It's wonderful!

Try Something New - Ask yourself: "What new thing shall I try this week?", then be sure to do it. Seek new experiences. Give it a try, you might decide you want to keep it in your life.

Be in the Moment - Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through bringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.