101 Ways To Live A Big Life
“Living a big life includes the full range of what it means to be human with all its guts and glory - having a list can serve as a reminder that your going in the right direction or a nudge to re-adjust headings”
Ever look up at yourself in the mirror and ask “how did I get here?” Sometimes in awe, sometimes in curiousity, sometimes in exasperation. It’s normal. Getting off course (whatever that means) if normal. While I’m forever looking to grow in a way that makes the best of my own experience in life, it’s never a straightforward path and sometimes I’ll get distracted. Writing things down or staying engaged in learning experiences helps much like having bumbers to keep you between the mayo and the mustard while racing through life.
WHAT is a big life?
The term "big life" is subjective and can mean different things to different people. It generally refers to a life that is fulfilling, meaningful, and rich in experiences and accomplishments. Living a big life includes the full range of what it means to be human with all its guts and glory - having a list can serve as a reminder that your going in the right direction or a nudge to re-adjust headings. I believe that our best big life is at the intersection of adversity and well-being. Friction and flow. Challenge and success.
“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.” - William Feather
101 ways to live a big life
Act like you’re already walking your dream
Focus on the mastering basics over engaging in optimization
Use systems and outsourcing to regain time
Re-read the few books you want to implement
Drop the majority of books that don’t grab you
Listen to listen, not to respond
Any time you can opt to be outside – do
Prioritize a preventative approach to health
Unsubscribe often – streaming services, memberships, apps
Make your home a safe space for all who live there and visit
Spend money on experiences over things
Under promise, over deliver
If frustrated by external little things, look internally for big things
Take your vacation days – all of them
Allow what made you weird as a kid to be a superpower as an adult
Check your posture and stand up straight
Nurture faith in yourself, others, and the unknown
Aim for quality of life over quantity of life
Treat debt like an emergency
Trust your gut, challenge your mind
Remove societal norms from decision making
Enjoy completely screen free days to connect to yourself, others, nature
Get up when you fall
Research before repeating headlines
Purposely listen to music to uplift mood
Tell the truth with kindness, even when it’s difficult
Accept that your way isn’t the only way
Find a way to give back to community
Create a vision for future you and work towards it
Listen when your body talks to you
Challenge fears and seek to understand them
Choose a better tomorrow over the comfort of today
Celebrate each small success
Increase your ability to be self-sufficient
Ask for help and leverage existing resources
Make consistent and quality sleep a priority
Learn enough about the opposition to argue in favour of them
Consider therapy, peer groups, and mentors
Take an active approach to investing for retirement
Talk to strangers and ask about their story
Take a moment to breathe in gratitude daily
Whenever possible, walk to your destination
Assume the best first, seek to understand second
Be alone enough move past boredom in to creativity and comfort
Choose a real life experience over online every time
Treat every day as a fresh start
Ask which choice would contribute to a bigger life before taking action
Realize the bold power of being authentic
Create the breaks you can’t catch
Build up vocabulary and understand the meaning of the words you use
Get to know your neighbours
Process the past so that it lessens the impact your future
Take action before you feel ready
Read about the physiological changes to expect throughout our lifespan
Base friends on whether or not you can be yourself around them
Learn from history and science first
Choose to live in an area and community that promotes movement
Base mentors on who you’d like to grow into
Vote in every election
Understand when to take consistent action and when to take big leaps
Celebrate the everyday - use the good plates and wear the good clothes
Give compliments freely
Embrace different seasons for different goals
When it comes to feedback, listen to the chorus not the solo
Define your moral arcs and live within them
Dress to look as good as you want to feel on the inside
Figure out what drives your spending habits and why
Jump in a lake or cold shower for a natural high without the crash
Realize that even the most revered humans are fallible
Feed your body in a way that fuels your big life activities
Give more in value than you receive
Learn from those that have succeeded in what you want to achieve
Make having integrity the default setting
Ditch the side hustle with little to no return in investment
Mix your socials with adventures
Explore a spiritual life and what that looks and feels like for you
Leave the wrong relationships, partnerships, all-the-ships
Feel all the feelings without numbing or distraction, then move on
One of the most impactful actions is to be present
Create white space on the calendar
Re-design your living space to support your habits and desired outcomes
Learn enough skills to save a life
Work based on your values over accolades
Adopt good habits, let’s the bad ones drop off
Find reasons to laugh, including at oneself
Make a list of regrets if you died tomorrow, then act to change them
Realize that we are only in charge of changing ourselves
Look up at the stars often
Participate in a goal or activity you’ll likely fail at achieving
Spend more time with your family or chosen family
Smile and make eye contact with others
Love yourself as you are
Don’t put off what can be done today
Explore new roads, new places, new cultures
Prepare yourself for the next adverse event
If it costs your health, relationships, or sense of self – its too expensive
Write down your goals and plan for the next 6 month, 1 year, 5 years
Own the life you’ve lived, appreciate the life you’re in, work for the life you want
Be bold enough to live big
Don’t follow this list, create your own
In Depth Look At the big life list
As articles and newsletters on the 101 ways to Live a Big Life get published, I’ll update the list above with links so that you can explore recommended resources or share in the experiences.
bye bye bucket list
I had a bucket list, back when I started girlgonegood.com. It was filled with the sort of thing that bucket lists are typically filled with - other people’s expectations of what is deemed as an exciting life. Now I prefer my own Big Life List, something that’s internally driven and acts as a guide instead of a one-and-done checklist.
Living your own big life
How are you doing less, but better in the new year? Feel free to tag me on Instagram or LinkedIn with you’re big life lists, experiences, or future plans. My own focus will be on using what’s listed as reminders and guides along this big life ride.
Cheers to living your own big life.