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How to live life to the fullest and benefit from all of stages of life
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“New year, new me!” This is the sentence we all hear coming from every corner once the year starts. We all want to become the better versions of ourselves, to turn the next year into an adventure.
But most of the time, all we notice is that our lives are growing duller, and we seem to be going down rather than up. So how do we live life to the fullest and enjoy all four stages of life?
The answer is variety. When you wondering how to live your life to the fullest you don’t just have to think of one way to improve your life. If you feel as if you have reached a standstill, try changing more things in your life. Add some spice.
Take a break from ordinary activities and do something for your life. You don’t want to reach your old days, thinking “I wish I did that.” Do it now to spare the regrets! Here are some ways to make your life a lot better this year and live your life to the fullest.
Equipping yourself with a few enjoyable habits can make every stage of life youthful and smooth. Especially as a millennial person, so well known for delaying the commited aspect of life, you can make the third phase less scary.
1. Watch the sunrise
We know, this isn’t what you may have been expecting when you read the word “fascinating” – but our bodies sure agree to it. Have you noticed how dull you feel the entire day, when you wake up with the sun already up, leaving you in a complete hurry to get to your workplace and – once more – go forward with your dull day? Not to mention the stress that the day brings about.
Even if you aren’t a morning person, try to be one and watch the sunrise. Brew some coffee, go on the balcony, terrace, or whatever place brings you a good view, and watch how a new day begins. Not only is the beauty of it enough to brighten your whole day, but it will also make you start the morning like every human should and make you feel more productive in your tasks.
2. Quit the jobs you hate
Life is short, so why should you be torturing yourself by doing something you hate? Say you graduated with a major in biology, dislike working with kids and have a curious mind. Still, you decided to become a teacher since it seemed like less of a hassle at the time – only you realized it’s more of a struggle than it’s worth. You wish you went for a career in research, where you would continue to learn fascinating things.
Well, what are you waiting for? Sure, it’s risky, and it may take a while to reach success, and you may curse your days when you see your wallet. What do you want to be – broke and happy, or rich and miserable?
3. Get out of your comfort zone
Meet new people. Go to new places. Having a better life doesn’t mean that you only have to improve your current social life – you need to expand it. Sure, it’s crucial to groom your relationship with your close friends, but that doesn’t mean you have to say no to new people. Every person comes with new knowledge, a new adventure. Who knows, maybe that person that has been trying to understand you is someone that will rock your world. Many opportunities for an infinitely better life may come from you simply shaking hands with a new person.
4. Be kind to random people
By performing random kindness acts to people, you’ll not only bring about a positive outlook on your life, but you’ll be lifting their moods as well. Hold the door for someone at your job, treat someone to cake, send a random thank you e-mail or simply give some spare change to a homeless person. It won’t only make you feel good throughout the entire day, but it will extend to the other people as well. Studies have shown that helping others significantly increase your own happiness!
5. Get a gym membership
Going to the gym may seem like a drag that you associate with sessions of torture, but you will be thanking yourself later on. Not only will regular exercising make you look like the Greek god you always wished to be, but it will also improve your productivity by increasing your stamina.
Long story short, you will not get tired as easily, and you can get more things done without feeling like you’ve reached a new level of hell. Plus, this will also improve your immune system, and you will no longer feel weak.
If going to the public gym is not your thing, you can make your own training zone at home. Websites such as garagegymplanner.com could help you choose what equipment you should get.
6. Start saving money
Wouldn’t it be better if you drove a car to work every day instead of taking the overly-crowded bus? Sure, there are still traffic jams to keep in mind…but you will at least be sitting in your own space, maybe sipping a coffee without a bunch of other people breathing down your neck.
Saving some money can help you achieve that. Instead of blasting it on stuff you don’t actually need, start a savings account. Eventually, you will save up enough money to buy whatever you want, such as a decent car that will get you from point A to point B.
7. Travel more
The world is big, full of fascinating stuff that you need to see. We’re not trees, so we don’t need to have our roots stuck in the same place for our entire life. Seeing these places on TV won’t compare with the feeling you get by going there yourself. Once you start seeing what the world has to offer, you won’t get enough and will continuously want to learn about different cultures.
Go to places that don’t share your customs or even language. Dare to do something different. Make memories. What you’ll learn this year by traveling will definitely be something to tell your children when you’re old and gray.
8. Learn how to cook
As a man, you probably think that cooking shouldn’t be in your area of expertise; however, knowing the basics of cooking will save you a lot of time, money, as well as indigestion caused by bad food. Plus, if there’s anything that ladies love to see in a man, it’s the ability to cook. Surprise them with a romantic dinner and homemade pasta, and they’ll be yours forever.
8. Pick up dancing
This one is another thing that men probably don’t associate with themselves, and here’s where they are wrong. Even if you aren’t the king of the dancing ring, learning a few dance moves won’t hurt. It will improve your balance, increase your stamina and boost your self-esteem. Plus, just like with the cooking part, many women find this characteristic extremely sexy – so by showing off your tango skills, you might actually be getting yourself a girlfriend this year.
You should never be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. These exact ways to do so may turn your life around for the better so that you’ll have the best year of your life. Why be miserable? Strive to change your ways: read a book, learn the waltz, or try lifting some weights. No matter how simple it may look, it will definitely be worth it in the long run.
Source: get-a-wingman.com
There is a culture that permeates all aspects of leadership in the advanced countries which I believe has contributed to the success in all aspects of their national lives. Citizens strive to excel so that they will not find themselves in a situation where they would have failed, to necessitate a decision to resign.
Countries where failure is frowned upon, it pushes the citizens to strive for success. In our part of the world, failure and mediocrity has become an accepted norm and therefore, there is no shame in failing in a particular position of leadership.
A head of an organisation mismanages the place and he does not see the need for him to resign. The appointing authority does not also see the need to sack him and so the merry go round continues.
It becomes friends and family as usual and if care is not taken, the rest of the world will leave us far, far behind.
The practice of resignation in parts of the world for failure in some parts of the world has to be institutionalised in our country too. It encourages the principle of accountability which is good for any organisation, sector of an economy or a country.
It promotes good governance, a necessary ingredient in the growth of the economy of any country.
When this practice becomes a culture, every individual, privileged to hold a position of trust, gives his or her full attention to the job assigned him or her, to ensure that objectives are achieved.
This trickles down to every individual down the chain of command and there are no rooms for errors.
That is how efficient systems are built over time and this is the difference between advanced nations and third world countries.
Where systems are designed such that people take responsibility for things that go wrong under their supervision or ultimate responsibility, there is evidence of development.
There are a few people that I admire in Ghana as far as this culture of resignation based on principled stance. One of them is the late Mrs Emma Mitchell. She was a cabinet member but chose to resign after the confrontation between late President Jerry Rawlings and late Vice President Kow Akaah.
She was not prepared to be part of a cabinet which was lying to the general public that Rawlings did not assault Akaah.
She was of the conviction that telling the truth is more honourable than telling lies and that if she was bound by confidentiality oaths to tell a lie, then she would resign and she did exactly that.
That is how we build a culture of truth and accountability. We have people in positions who have not lived up to expectation but are still holding on to their positions not prepared to let go of it.
This is a clear case of display of selfishness, trying to be a Boss instead of a Servant to serve the people, which leadership is all about.
The ineffectiveness of some leaders, often result in waste of resources which could have been channeled to other sectors of the economy which could have been more productive. A culture of voluntary resignation must be advocated for by all stakeholders, especially the CSOs, traditional leaders and the clergy.
This is the only way the needed growth in every sector of our national life would manifest.
Presidents, Prime Ministers, heads of reputable organisations have voluntarily resigned by taking ultimate responsibility and it is about time, we started seeing it manifest in our country.
The people in charge of our sports especially our soccer, can initiate this long desired culture and resign in view of the embarrassment witnessed from the defeat of the Black Stars by Gambia. God bless.
BY LAUD KISS-MENSAH
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THE QUR’AN FORBIDS RELIGIOUS PROVOCATION
There is a remarkable verse in the Qur’an which every Muslim preacher should memorise.
Allah says:
“And do not insult those they invoke besides Allah, lest they insult Allah in hostility without knowledge.” (Qur’an 6:108).
Think about this carefully.
Allah knows that the unbelievers worship false gods.
Yet Allah tells Muslims: Do not insult their objects of worship.
Why?
Because your speech may provoke an even greater offence.
This establishes a profound principle:
A Muslim must not fight religious provocation with religious provocation.
If someone insults what we hold sacred, we do not respond by insulting what they hold sacred.
If someone attacks Islam, we defend Islam with knowledge.
If someone misrepresents Muhammad (pbuh), we explain who is Muhammad to him.
If someone lies about Islam, we answer with truth and knowledge.
We do not allow another person’s bad behaviour to dictate our own morality.
LOOK AT MUHAMMAD (PBUH) — HE WAS INSULTED BEFORE WE WERE
Servant of Allah,
Sometimes we speak as though the Prophet (pbuh) lived in a world where everyone respected him.
No.
He was mocked and insulted. Quran 37:36, Quran 15:6
He was called a liar, magician, and a mad man. Quran 51:52, Quran 17:47
He was ridiculed. Quran 6:10
His followers were tortured, and some were killed. Quran 85:8-10
He himself was persecuted, leading to his migration to Madina.
Yet he remained the Messenger of Allah.
Allah said:
“Indeed, we know that your heart is distressed by what they say.” (Qur’an 15:97)
Allah acknowledged the Prophet’s pain.
Islam does not say that insults do not hurt. They hurt.
But the question is: What do you do with the pain?
THE DAY OF TA’IF: WHEN THE PROPHET (PBUH) COULD HAVE CHOSEN
REVENGE
One of the most powerful examples is the journey of the Prophet (pbuh) to Ta’if.
He went seeking support for his message.
Instead, the people rejected him and incited their children and others against him.
He was chased.
He was insulted.
He was struck with stones until his feet bled.
He was physically and emotionally exhausted.
Then the Angel of the Mountains came to him.
The two angels offered to crush the people of Ta’if between the mountains.
The Prophet (pbuh) could have said: “Do it.”
But he did not.
Instead, he hoped that Allah would bring from their descendants people who would worship Him.
This account is recorded in the authentic hadith literature, including Sahih Muslim (Muslim, 1795).
What a lesson!
The Prophet (pbuh) had suffered injustice.
But he did not turn his pain into indiscriminate revenge.
He saw beyond the offender.
He saw the possibility of tomorrow.
And this is one of the greatest characteristics of prophetic leadership:
The Prophet (pbuh) did not merely ask, “What punishment does this person deserve?”
He also asked, in effect: “What can this person become?”
THE PROPHET IN MADINAH: LEADER OF A DIVERSE SOCIETY
When Muhammad (pbuh) migrated to Madinah, he did not enter an empty city.
Madinah contained different communities, including Muslims and Jews, and there were also Christians who interacted with the Muslim community.
The Prophet became the political and communal leader of Madinah.
The Sahifah (A Covenant) of Madinah, preserved in the early sīrah (Prophet’s biography) tradition, established arrangements concerning mutual obligations, security, justice and relations among the communities of the city.
This is important:
The Prophet did not build Madinah by teaching Muslims to hate everyone who was not Muslim.
He built a society governed by covenant, responsibility and justice.
Allah says:
“Allah does not forbid you from being kind and just to those who have neither fought you because of your religion nor driven you from your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (Qur’an 60:8)
This is not weakness.
This is Islam.
THE PROPHET DEALT WITH JEWS IN MADINAH
‘A’ishah (Wife of the Prophet) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) bought food from a Jewish man on credit and gave him his iron armour as collateral.
“The Prophet purchased food from a Jew on credit and mortgaged his iron armour to him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2068)
Think about it.
This was Muhammad.
The Messenger of Allah.
Yet he conducted lawful commercial dealings with a Jewish citizen.
He did not say: “He is not a Muslim, therefore I cannot deal with him.”
No.
Islam gave him a relationship governed by justice and trust.
Jabir رضيهللاعنه narrated:
“A funeral procession passed before us and the Prophet (pbuh) stood up, and we stood with him. We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, it is the funeral of a Jew.’ He said: ‘When you see a funeral procession, stand.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1311)
Another narration records his response: “Is it not a soul?” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1312–1313)
What kind of heart did Muhammad (pbuh) possess?
A heart that recognised human dignity even in death.
THE PROPHET AND THE CHRISTIANS OF NAJRAN
The Prophet also received the Christian delegation of Najran.
They disagreed with him theologically.
Yet when they requested a trustworthy person, he did not choose someone because of hatred.
He selected Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.
The Prophet said:
“I shall send with you a man who is truly trustworthy.”
He then appointed Abu ‘Ubaydah.
This is authentically reported in Sahih al-Bukhari 4380–4381.
Notice something profound:
The Prophet could disagree with people without becoming dishonest toward them.
That is the standard we need today.
The author is the chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governance Expert.
