My Four Things to Live Life to the Fullest

How does Peter Pan say it?

To live will be an awfully big adventure."

J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Have you ever thanked God for your life? He created you. He molded you into who you are. He sent you here to experience life. It's hard, yes. It can be disappointing and frustrating and painful. But it is, in it's entirety, beautiful.

Life grants us the incredible opportunity to grow and become something more. It allows us to experience this magnificent world. It allows us to have joy, peace, love, and so many amazing, wonderful feelings.

None of that would be possible if you were not here, alive, full of the life God gave and granted you.

We're Meant to Live Life to the Fullest

I've pondered a lot on what this blog post should be this week. And the thoughts that keep coming to my mind are "What does it mean to live life to the fullest?" and my tagline: Live, grow, play, create.

I came up with this idea/tagline about four years ago. I wrote about it and then didn't do much with it because life got in the way. But the words have remained apart of me, have stayed in my mind, I think because they are important, and they represent what I truly believe leads to a fulfilled life.

Let's dive in.

Live

What does it truly mean to live? I think it means enjoying the little moments, such as watching my daughter's imagination run wild as she plays with her dolls and toys. I think it means seeking and embracing opportunities that lead to feelings of success and fulfillment. I think it means enjoying family and friends and basking in time spent with, caring for, and being served by loved ones. I think it means taking action to live the life we want, not sitting back and letting the world act for us but taking charge and going after what we want. I think it means finding true happiness and contentment.

Of course life will always be full of trials and pain. But we can either wallow in the pain and let life pass us by, or finding joy in what we can do, even making someone else smile or inviting a friend to have lunch.

Living is about the little things, the moments, that lead to the big things.

Grow

I believe in the importance of growth spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and environmentally (these are also the six fundamental categories of health). I believe that God wants us to progress in our talents and abilities.

Another way to think about this is through the Children and Youth Program that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put out a few years ago. This new program revolves around goal setting and progressing in the areas of spiritual, social, intellectual, and physical. This is based on the scripture:

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."

Luke 2:52

Wisdom = Intellectual

Stature = Physical

Favour with God = Spiritual

Favour with man = Social

If we continue to grow and progress in these areas or the six fundamental categories of health, we will feel more fulfilled as well as healthy and happy.

Play

Do you still play? Hopefully you do. It most likely does not look the same as when you were a child, but it's still important.

For children, play is fundamental for helping them understand the world. I read a book or article years ago that talked about how children often play out the scenarios they witness at home or other places in their environment. This allows their minds to digest the information they are taking in and better understand it.

As adults, we probably don't do this enough. We are witness to a lot of craziness and chaos that is hard to put into perspective. But through play, maybe we can better gain the understanding of our world that we crave and need.

I don't think we need to play with dolls or GI Joes. But we do need to find joy in an activity that allows our minds to rest.

In an episode of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon decides they he needs to do something more "menial" to allow his brain to solve a problem he's working on. Through working as a waiter at a restaurant, he allows his mind to rest and eventually solve the problem.

Another way to look at this is through Einstein who said,

Play is the highest form of research."

Albert Einstein

I think play can involve board games, video games, coloring, playing with children, sports, adventuring, vacations, laughter with family or friends, and anything that allows our minds and bodies to relax and experience joy.

Create

If you've read anything by me, you know creativity is important to me. I believe that God created us to be creators. He wants us to create as part of fulfilling our potential and progressing in this life.

Creating can look like many things: art, writing, music, inventing, baking and cooking, event or party planning, organizing, home design and DIY, refurbishing or recycling, sewing, mechanics, engineering, programming, gardening, fashion, and so, so much more.

I believe that when we find our passion for creating, we experience joy and fulfillment. We also experience growth and, sometimes, play. Creating is important to living a good life.

Living a Fulfilled Life

The truth is, only you can know what really will help you feel fulfilled in your life. Your relationship with God, your telents and passions, your current life circumstances all play a role in how you figure that out.

These are my thoughts on what it means to live life to the fullest. I find great value in them and hope that they can help you as you continue to progress and go through this life. My greatest hope, really, for you is to have happiness. No matter what life is throwing at you, I hope you can find and experience joy.