11. 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. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don’t check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world!
12. Rediscover what’s important – Take an hour and make a list of everything that’s important to you. Add it to everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.
13. Eliminate everything else – What’s going on in your life that’s not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling your attention from what’s important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that’s not on your short list, or minimizing it.
14. Exercise – Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some push ups or crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike, Whatever you do get active, and you’ll love it. And life will be more alive.
15. Be positive – Learn to recognise the negative thoughts you have. These are the self doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can’t do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!
16. Open your heart – Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love unconditionally. If you have a problem with this, talk to someone about it. And practice makes perfect.
17. Kiss in the rain – Seize the moment and be romantic. Running outside? Grab your lover and give her/him a passionate kiss. Driving home? Stop the car and pick up some wild flowers. Send her/him a love note. Dress sexy for him.
18. Face your fears – What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognise it and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.
19. When you suffer, suffer – Life isn’t all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is part of life – really feel the pain. And when you are done, move on, and find joy.
20. Slow down – Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It’s not healthy, and it’s not conductive to living. Practice doing everything slowly – everything from eating to walking to driving to working to reading. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail’s pace.
21. Touch humanity – Get out of your house and manicured neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.
22. Volunteer – Help at homeless soup kitchens. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are dying.