How Do You Live Your Best Life?

This is certainly a loaded question... and it’s meant to be. You might immediately think of the people you treasure, the things you love to do, the places you want to see, or the memories you have yet to make.

There’s nothing wrong with a little mental wandering when you consider the question, but you haven’t actually answered the question. Those initial thoughts really reflect the things that would define your best life. But the question is, “How do you do it?”

We would submit…

1. Clarity

2. Communication

3. Commitment

Clarity begins with something deeper than random thoughts or even well thought out goals. It begins with your core values. I know. You have core values - but have you drilled down your top three core values in life? Do you have them written down? Do you follow them daily as you make life decisions? Do you use these to make all of your financial decisions?

Your core values should serve as the foundation for your entire life. Instead of living on a whim, or going through the motions, or doing things simply because the world tells you that’s what you should do, your core values should sit firmly in the driver’s seat.

Clarity begins today…

1. What’s important to you?

2. How do you define success?

3. If you’re in your last hours on this earth…

   1. What would you not want to regret?

   2. What would your life well-lived have looked like when looking back?

   3. What were your most cherished moments?

4. How do you want to be remembered?

If you put some thought into these questions, your core values should come through loud and clear. The key is to narrow your list down to 3 to 5 at most. You need to memorize these, keep them front and center, know them by heart and…

Communicate! Your family needs to know what values guide your decisions. If you’re married, you really should go through this exercise with your spouse and settle on these core values as a couple. Your children and grandchildren need to know them too. Just think—you may not need to say, “no.” Your core values could answer for you. And imagine the legacy of leaving this wisdom of core values to them.

Commitment is last, but certainly not least. Without it, all your hard work goes out the window. I could provide you with statistics galore pertaining to goals that are never met and New Year’s Resolutions that fall apart by mid-January. I think the reason why is because they don’t have roots. There is no foundation. There is no heart behind most of them. Commit to yourself to define and live by your core values starting in 2025!

Carpe Diem and May God Bless You!