32 no-nonsense tips to (finally) get your life together

We’re all well aware this last year has been a bit of a trainwreck.

For countless people it has been a year of chaos, loss, hardship, and failure. The world scene has been–let’s just say less than optimistic.

That can be frustrating, worrisome, and a huge cause of stress.

If you’re like most people, you might be craving the chance to get your life together.

Let me say, first off, that it’s okay if your life is a mess right now, for whatever reason it’s that way.

It’s okay if you’re having trouble even taking things one day at a time. You’re not alone.

But you don’t have to be the victim. Just because it’s a wreck right now doesn’t mean it always has to be that way.

There’s something you can do about it.

Actually, there’s a number of things you can do about it. I’m going to show you 32 of the best things you can start doing right now to get your life together.

Before we dive into those things, though, I want to briefly discuss the pitfalls of being reactive (and what that means).

The hard truth about reacting

While this past year has been an exceptionally difficult one, the fact is this: life isn’t just going to stop being difficult, or magically one day start going your way all the time.

So are you a reactive person or a proactive person?

It might be a tough question to answer truthfully.

Truly successful people will tell you one of the biggest keys to leading a successful life is to be proactive, not reactive.

Steven Covey identified in 1989 that proactivity is an important character trait of highly effective people:

“People who end up with the good jobs are the proactive ones who are solutions to problems, not problems themselves, who seize the initiative to do whatever is necessary, consistent with correct principles, to get the job done.” – Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

If you are constantly reacting to the negative things in your life, you will always be dealing with the adverse effect of those reactions.

On the contrary, if you think and act proactively, those negative things will become smaller, easier obstacles–problems to solve, little roadblocks to navigate.

You won’t be thrown off course because of your negative reactions to misfortune.

Having this mindset from the beginning will help you through every step of the journey towards getting your life together and reaching your goals.

Go with the flow, as they say. Be flexible, roll with the punches. Take decisive, affirmative action, regardless of the circumstances.

Plans will fail, but moving with a purpose will allow you to face life on life’s terms and take proactive steps no matter your circumstances.

Because the truth is:

So many people are sitting around waiting for things to happen to them – good and bad.

Stop waiting and start doing. It’s not just a catchy sounding internet meme. It’s real life.

So what kind of things can you start doing now to get your life together? Let’s dive into those 31 things.

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32 things you can do to get your life together

1) Identify the chaos

People will often say that we all have the same amount of hours in a day, but individual circumstances invalidate that statement. It’s just not true.

Some people have weighty obligations or setbacks specific to class, race, health issues, or family situations.

That being said, there are still ways you can eliminate unnecessary burdens and disorder from your life.

Take an honest look at your personal situation. Are you frantically running around every day trying to get all kinds of things done? Does it seem like you’re always busy?

There’s a term for it: hurry sickness. It can actually be damaging to your health, and it’s not something that’s going to make you more successful.

If you’re rushing through everything frantically, you’ll find yourself at the end of your life faster than if you took the time to go slow.

Understanding what makes you overly busy and identifying sources of chaos is a vital first step in getting your life together.

Being frantic is no way to reach your goals. Calm, proactive actions will put you on the fast track to a life that’s ordered and successful.

If your life seems like a total mess right now, identify each of the elements that make it that way.

Once you identify the chaos, you can start to organize it and begin eliminating what’s unnecessary.

2) Don’t waste energy complaining

So your life sucks.

It might be really bad. Like horrifically bad. “You don’t even wanna know” bad.

So what?

If your life is in shambles, it may be tempting to complain about it all the time. And that’s okay.

It’s valid to grieve about all the terrible things that have happened to us, the things we’ve lost, and how hard our life is.

But there’s a difference between acknowledging our hardships and complaining about them.

Adopting a “woe is me” attitude will get you nowhere fast.

Having a victim mentality is far from healthy, and it’s not constructive.

Here are some great ways to understand this mentality and people who have it.

Instead, focus your energy into constructive things, taking proactive–not reactive–steps to get your life in order and reach your goals. Complaining has never gotten me anywhere.

stop blaming other people or situations and look for ways your problems can be solved. Don’t focus on things that you cannot control.

Once you’ve worked out problems or solutions you do have some control over, it’s up to you to take the initiative and start acting.

This is where you need to figure out your steps in advance. If you’ve got a big problem, it won’t be solved in a day. You need to use your analytical skills to plan what steps you need to take.

Make sure you’re setting realistic steps as well. If you’re giving yourself an unrealistic set of tasks that you need to finish a day, it’ll just lead to disappointment.

But setting tasks you can actually get done will give you the motivation to continue and eventually achieve what you need to achieve.

And remember, consistency is crucial if you want to be proactive.

3) Be grateful

It may not seem like an important step in getting your life together, but being grateful will go a long way in life, no matter what stage you’re in, and no matter the state of disarray.

Practicing gratitude will help you when times are tough. It will keep you from giving up in the face of hardship and spiraling further into disorder.

Furthermore, being grateful is scientifically really good for you. There are all kinds of positive benefits, both mental and physical.

Showing gratitude will help you to make positive decisions and be proactive (not reactive) through every step of getting your life together.

It’ll change your attitude which will create a new reality that is full of positivity and opportunity.

Here’s a bunch of great things you can do when you’re down and out.

4) Find your resiliency

When your life is falling down around you, it’s easy to compare it to others. I once felt like you, unable to progress forward, watching everyone around me building their lives.

So, what makes them different? How come other people seem to have life made up so nicely?

One word:

They’re resilient. They persevere and keep on top of their sh*t, even when life keeps knocking them down.

Without resilience, most of us give up on the things we desire. Most of us struggle to create lives worth living.

I know this because until recently I had a tough time getting my own life together. I was a mess, and I’d dug myself into such a deep hole that it seemed impossible to turn it all around. 

That was until I watched the free video by life coach Jeanette Brown. 

Through many years of experience as a life coach, Jeanette has found a unique secret to building a resilient mindset, using a method so easy you’ll kick yourself for not trying it sooner. 

And the best part?

Unlike many other life coaches, Jeanette’s entire focus is on putting you in the driver’s seat of your life.

To find out what the secret to resiliency is, check out her free video here. 

5) Get organized

If you can’t wrap your head around where it all went wrong, or where to even begin getting your life together, start with a list.

Start writing down what you do in a week: how much time you spend doing things like watching TV, playing video games, etc. If you’re not already tracking your spending and what it is you’re buying, it’s always a good time to start.

Once you have an idea of where your time is going, where your resources are going, and what you’re devoting your energy to, you can start to organize your life.

Cut out anything that isn’t beneficial and start making proactive choices about your lifestyle.

Your life is a mess because you let it be a mess. That’s not to say you’re the only reason. External hardships can–and do–play a significant role, but at the end of the day you are in charge of your own destiny.

There’s no room to make excuses if you’re looking to get your life together.

6) Find a starting point

If you’ve been reading up to now, and you’re still unsure about how to proceed, it’s okay.

Finding a place to start is oftentimes the hardest part in a journey to better yourself and your life.

It’s okay to be unsure about where to even begin.

Give it deep thought, though. Think about your future. What kind of things are you hoping to accomplish? What sort of lifestyle do you dream of achieving?

When envisioning a life for yourself, what about that life is going to make you happy?

Think in specifics.

These elements will start to give you an idea about where you’re going to end up, and where to launch from.

If you’re looking to change your career, what career do you want? And what stands between you and getting it?

If you’re looking to make more friends, how exactly can you be more social?

Breaking down those desires into practical steps will lead you to a starting point. If they still seem too big, break them down even smaller.

Even the tiniest step forward counts as a start. And once you have a starting point, there’s nothing that can stand in the way of your trajectory–only problems to solve and work to be done.

Here’s a bunch of great personal development goals you could use as a starting point.

7) Think about your dreams constantly

There’s a lot of power in thinking. We’re made up of our thoughts–good and bad; what we think about has a direct effect on our outlook, our happiness, and our success in the real world.

Self-actualization, the complete realization of one’s potential, starts with your thoughts.

And when you constantly think about your goals and dreams, you are much more likely to reach them.

So think about them all the time, it will help you focus your energy, keep you on track, and keep you away from distractions.

The subconscious mind is powerful, and so is the way we think.

Studies at Yale have shown that the subconscious mind is far more active than thought before.

It demonstrates that elements in our lives can selectively activate goals or motives that are already there.

Thinking about your dreams constantly will keep them focused, no matter the external inputs.

Never underestimate the power of your thoughts.

8) Turn those dreams into goals

Dreams exist as an idea, in our minds. A future hope, something that is theoretically possible.

A goal, however, has a purpose, and a path to reach it.

Having dreams is a huge part of getting your life together. Without dreams, there’s nothing about your life to change.

But if they stay dreams, your life will stay the same. There’s no genie that’s going to grant you your wish.

But if you turn that wish into a goal, you can grant it yourself, with hard work and proactive (not reactive) actions.

Think about the specifics involved in reaching your dream. Start to lay out what it’s going to take, and then start making the moves.

When there’s a tangible way to achieve your dreams, it’s not a dream anymore, it’s a goal that you can reach.

You’ll be surprised how fast focused effort will help you get your life together, and reach your dreams.

Here are 4 golden rules for setting goals (you know, so you actually achieve them):

1) Set goals that actually motivate you:

This means setting goals that means something to you. If you’re not interested in what you’re doing, or you don’t really care about the outcome, then you’ll struggle to take action.

Focus on setting goals that are a high priority in your life. Otherwise, you’ll end up with too many goals and you won’t take action. To find out what’s important to you, write down why your goal is valuable.

2) Set SMART goals.

You’ve probably heard of this acronym before. It’s popular because it works. Here’s what it means:

Specific: Your goals must be clear and well-defined.

Measurable: Label precise amounts and dates. For example, if you want to reduce expenses, what amount do you want to reduce them to?

Attainable: Your goals have to be achievable. If they’re too difficult, you’ll lose motivation.

Relevant: Your goals should be aligned with where you want to get to and what you want to do.

Time-bound: Set yourself a deadline for your goals. Deadlines force you to get things done, and not procrastinate.

3) Set your goals in writing

Don’t just rely on your brain to remember your goals. Physically write down each goal, no matter how small it is. Putting a line through your goal will give you the motivation to keep going.

4) Make an action plan.

You’re not going to achieve your big goals in a day. You need to write out individual steps to get there. Cross them off as you complete them to give you more motivation.

Recommended reading: 10 steps to create a life you love

9) Work hard

There’s no underestimating the value of hard work.

Like John C. Maxwell says,

“Dreams don’t work unless you do.”

If you’re going to get your life together, you have to be willing to put in the work to get there.

Nobody said it was going to be easy.

So don’t shy away from the hard work it’s going to take to achieve the kind of life that you want.

And remember, hard work doesn’t just mean “running around frantically trying to get too many things done.” That leads to hurry sickness, and it’s not beneficial.

Focus your effort, and don’t shy away if the going gets a little bit tough. The rewards will be a life that’s in order, with your goals always moving closer.

10) Focus your energy

There’s no point in wasting energy on something that isn’t going to bring you closer to your goals.

So when you start getting your life together, ask yourself: Will this move me closer to reaching my goal? If it doesn’t, there’s no need to waste your energy and time on it.

Of course, that’s not to say you should sacrifice your quality of life just to achieve your goals. Life is more about what happens on the journey. That should be the definition of our success, not just a destination.

The main reason you want to get your life together is probably because you’re currently unhappy about it. If you aren’t doing things that make you happy along the journey, then there’s really no point.

Make sure to do what you love, no matter your goal, and keep that energy focused on what’s important.

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11) Surround yourself with positivity

We already talked about the power of positive thinking in point 6, but positivity is more than just thoughts.

Our environment can have a strong effect on our outlook. In many ways, it shapes who we are.

If we choose to surround ourselves with people who aren’t like minded, or who are always pessimistic, it’s going to be hard to get your life together.

As you think more and more positively about your future, your goals, and your life, make sure to surround yourself with positivity.

Encasing yourself in positive energy will lead to lower stress, better coping ability, and you’ll be less likely to limit yourself.

Always endeavor to view yourself in a positive light. Positive, supportive people are vital in finding success. Inspirational books and uplifting music are great ways to build positive energy in your life.

Make sure your living spaces are bright, clean, organized, and bring you joy. If they don’t, it can be harder to get your life together.

Here are some great ways to discover inner peace.

12) Make the sacrifice

It’s not always easy getting your life together. There’s likely been some significant reasons behind why you haven’t up to this point.

Those roadblocks and obstacles might seem impossible to surmount.

Attaining the kind of life you desire will not be without sacrifice. Don’t be afraid to make the sacrifice and do whatever it takes to get to a good point in your life. Success more often than not requires sacrifices.

That could mean making some pretty hard decisions. Eliminating a vice from your life. Ending a toxic relationship. Letting yourself heal from trauma, even though it hurts. These things require sacrifice.

It’s not easy, but when you shed those burdens, that negativity, you’ll be able to spread your wings and fly.

13) Re-evaluate your habits

Good habits lead to success. Sometimes the very first step in getting your life together will be reworking your habits.

I always wonder where my bad habits come from. All of a sudden, it seems, there’s another one, or the same one is back again.

There’s a lot of fascinating psychology behind habits, how they form, and how to break them. Here’s a really interesting article from NPR about it.

Redefining your habits won’t exactly be easy, but one day at a time, with a little bit of self-discipline, and you’ll be reaping the benefits that come from having a life full of good habits, instead of bad ones.

Developing mindful habits will bring you happiness and satisfaction through every part of your life. This book, The Art of Mindfulness, is a wonderfully practical guide to help you develop a life filled with mindfulness.

14) Define and confront your fears

So many problems in our lives, and our society, stem from fear based reactions. Anxiety is instinctual, and something that–without proper awareness–can end up dictating our lives.

So many issues in our society are based on fear. Fear of anything different, fear of perceived threats (not real ones), fear of race, and so on.

In your life, what are you afraid of? What makes you hesitate when reaching for your goals?

Understanding and defining your fears is a huge step in overcoming them.

Once you understand a fear, it’s that much easier to change your response to it. Confronting your fears will lead you to success.

Fear might be in the way of you getting your life together. Confronting your fears is a huge step in the right direction.

15) Accept the setbacks

No matter how proactive, mindful, well prepared, and dedicated you are to getting your life together, there are going to be setbacks.

There’s no way to avoid it. Life is full of contingency; there’s no guarantees about how anything is going to turn out.

That’s no reason to be dismayed or give up.

Proactive decision making can bring you to success. Like we talked about at the beginning, rolling with the punches and going with the flow will help you get your life together, no matter the external circumstances.

Being reactive, however, will not.

So accept the setbacks as they come. Don’t let them discourage you or stop you in your tracks.

There is always a way to overcome them, and to keep moving closer to getting your life together

If everything seems too overwhelming, just remember to take it one step at a time. Even the littlest step forward is still progress.

It’s just a matter of time before you’ve got your life together and you’re making all your dreams come true.

16) Hang out with people who add to your life

Stop spending time with people who bring you down. It doesn’t add anything to your life.

You’ll live a much more successful and fulfilling life if you choose to hang out with people who are positive and uplifting.

So, how do you work out who you should actually spend time with?

It’s quite simple. Ask yourself these 2 questions:

Do they make you feel better after you spend time with them?

Do you feel more optimistic and positive about life?

If you can answer yes to those questions, then make a conscious effort to spend more time with them. The positivity will rub off on you.

If you keep hanging out with toxic people who put you down and want to get something out of you, you’re not going to benefit at all. In fact, you’ll lose out and won’t realize your potential.

Also, according to a 75-year Harvard study, our closest relationships may have the largest impact on our overall happiness in life.

So if you want to make your life better, keep a watchful eye on who you spend most of your time with and make the necessary changes.

“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

17) Write your own eulogy

If you want to really get your life together, here’s something a little unusual that I high recommend: write your own eulogy.

Okay, this might sound a little scary.

But hear me out. Because it can be an incredibly powerful thing to do.

I learnt about this exercise from professional life coach Jeanette Devine.

And I did it myself a short while ago.

I wrote a eulogy describing my future life which I had no idea about.

It scared me at first. I don’t want to think about death. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. My life is finite. If I’m going to live a life of purpose, I had to embrace this.

I need to choose to live my life to the fullest.

So I started writing.

I wrote the fullest, most jam-packed eulogy I could muster. Everything I’d want someone to say about me, I threw it in.

And at the end: I was left with it: my vision for the future.

Click here to learn more about this powerful exercise, including how you can write your own eulogy in order to get your life together.

18) Get a pet and take care of it

You probably didn’t expect this one but there are several reasons you should get a cat, dog, rabbit or whatever animal you want.

The most important reason is that it’ll teach you responsibility. After all, you have to look after another living animal and make sure it survives, thrives and lives a happy life.

Not only will it teach you to be more responsible, but it’ll also show you there’s more to life than what’s going on inside your head. Your actions actually do have an impact on others.

And besides, owning a pet is actually healthy for you as well. According to research, having a dog around can lead to lower levels of stress for both adults and kids.

19) Stop chasing happiness with outside attachments

This is a tough one to realize and I don’t blame anyone for thinking that happiness exists outside themselves.

After all, aren’t we happier when we make more money or buy that shiny new iPhone?

While these experiences may give us a temporary boost in happiness, it might not last long.

And once that temporary joy is gone, we’ll be back in a cycle of wanting that high again so we can be happy.

While it’s fine to bask in temporary joy when it comes around, we shouldn’t rely on it for lasting happiness.

An extreme example highlighting the problems with this is a drug addict. They’re happy when they’re taking drugs, but miserable and angry when they’re not. It’s a cycle that no one wants to be lost in.

True happiness can only come from within.

“HAPPINESS comes from within. To be happy is to know oneself. It’s not in the material things that we own, it’s the love we have and show to the world.” ― Angie karan

Happiness is our inner feeling, along with how we interpret the events of life, which leads us to the next point…

(Non-attachment is a key Buddhist teachings. I have written a highly practical, no-nonsense guide to Buddhism and have dedicated an entire chapter to this concept. Check out the eBook here).

20) Find yourself

Having a concrete sense of self is an important part of your existence. Without it, you’ll find that goals are harder to define and your needs harder to understand.

Understanding what your strengths are and what you’re passionate about gives you confidence and empowerment to reach your potential.

So if you’re searching for how to make your life better, then get to know yourself and what makes you tick.

If you allow yourself to be happy about who you are, you’ll find that you are much happier in all areas of your life.

A practical exercise to find out what your unique characteristics are is to list down 10 traits about yourself that you’re proud of.

This could be your kindness, your loyalty, or the fact that you’re skilled at knitting!

Keep in mind:

Before you can do any kind of work on your future self you need to reconcile who you are right now.

It’s easy to discount the good things you think about yourself and let the negative thoughts take over.

But understanding what your positive traits are and what makes you unique will help you banish the negativity and accept yourself.

And if you’re going to find yourself, you need to accept who you are right now.

Change, whatever that might look like for you, is really going to come from a place of understanding and love.

Here’s a beautiful passage from Master Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh on the power of self-acceptance:

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don’t try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.”

Recommended reading: How to find yourself in this crazy world and discover who you are

21) Start saving your money

No matter what stage of life you’re in, it’s always a good idea to focus on building your savings.

In the future, you want to have financial independence and savings to depend on.

Calling your own shots, financially speaking, gives you the freedom to make choices in your life separate from your weekly paycheck.

Having this sort of freedom means you can change careers when you want to, go on vacation when you feel like it and help family members who are short of money.

It also means that if you have a family, or you’re planning on having a family, you can take care of them and help them achieve whatever they want to achieve.

This doesn’t mean you have to become rich. Achieving financial independence is possible by putting a little bit of money away each month and letting it accumulate.

So, what’s the best strategy to do that?

A popular piece of advice in financial circles is the 50/30/20 rule. It means that at least 20% of your income should go towards savings. Meanwhile, another 50% should go towards necessities, while 30% goes towards discretionary items.

22) What gets your juices flowing? 

One of the surefire ways to get your life together is to find what lights you up and follow it.

We’re not saying quit your job and start a charity, but if charity is what makes you feel good about yourself, do more of it.

Stop wasting time binge-watching shows on the internet. Don’t listen to others who want to offer suggestions for endless sitcom episodes.

Avoid the noise. Find your passion, be willing to explore other passions, and do more of what makes you feel alive.

You’ll start to see the positive results of all of these wonderful steps when you put them into action, and not a second sooner. So close your web browser and get to work!

And remember:

We’re all unique and we all have special talents.

You have a better chance of becoming successful and making a difference in the world if you do what you’re passionate about.

And if you’re not happy at work, then it’s more difficult to be happy in other areas of your life.

Doing what you love is a core ingredient to getting the most of yourself. It will help you grow and become all that you can be.

Being motivated and having a sense of meaning and purpose is crucial to living a fulfilling life.

So, how can you figure out what you’re truly passionate about?

According to Ideapod, asking yourself these 8 weird questions will help you find out what you really want to do in life:

1) What were you passionate about as a child?

2) If you didn’t have a job, how would you choose to fill your hours?

3) What makes you forget about the world around you?

4) What issues do you hold close to your heart?

5) Who do you spend time with and what do you talk about?

6) What is on your bucket list?

7) If you had a dream, could you make it happen?

8) What are the feelings you desire right now?

23) Accept yourself and all your emotions (even the negative ones)

According to Psychology Today, one of the main causes of many psychological problems is the habit of emotional avoidance.

However, there’s no denying that we all do it. After all, nobody wants to experience negative emotions.

And in the short-term, it may be beneficial, but over the long-term, it becomes a bigger problem than what was being avoided in the first place.

The problem with avoidance is that every single one of us is going to experience negative emotions. We’re all going to experience suffering.

These emotions are just a part of being a living human being.

By accepting your emotional life, you are affirming your full humanity.

By accepting who you are and what you’re experiencing, you don’t have to waste energy avoiding anything.

You can accept the emotion, clear your mind and then move on with your actions.

Negative emotions won’t kill you – they’re annoying but not dangerous – and accepting them is much less of a drag than the ongoing attempt to avoid them.

Let me explain how accepting my emotions helped me turn my own life around.

Did you know that 6 years ago I was miserable, anxious and working in a warehouse?

I was never at peace because of one recurring problem: I couldn’t learn to “accept” where I was without wishing it were different.

I used to wish I had a better job, more fulfilling relationships, and a sense of calm deep within me.

But avoiding and fighting against what was happening within only made it worse.

It was only after stumbling upon Buddhism and eastern philosophy that I realized I had to accept being “in” the present moment even when I didn’t like the present moment.

I stopped fretting about my warehouse job (and what I perceived to be a lack of progress in life) and my everyday worries and insecurities.

Today, I’m rarely anxious and I’ve never been happier.

I’m living my life moment-to-moment while focusing on my passion — writing for Hack Spirit’s two million monthly readers.

If you want to learn more about acceptance, as well as how to live a mindful, peaceful and happy life, check out my brand new book on eastern philosophy here.

I wrote this book for one reason…

When I first discovered eastern philosophy, I had to wade through some really convoluted writing.

There wasn’t a book that distilled all this valuable wisdom in a clear, easy-to-follow way, with practical techniques and strategies.

So I decided to write this book myself. The one I would’ve loved to have read when I first started out.

Here’s a link to my book again.

24) Do what you’ll say you’ll do

Doing what you say you will do is a matter of integrity. How do you feel when someone says they’ll do something, and then they don’t? In my eyes, they lose credibility.

Every time you do what you say you will do, you build credibility. Part of getting your life back on track involves being trustworthy and living your life with integrity.

And the fact of the matter is this: it’s hard to get your life together if you won’t do what you’ll say you’ll do.

So, how can you make sure you’ll do what you’ll say you’ll do?

Follow these 4 principles:

1) Never agree to or promise anything unless you are 100% sure you can do it. Treat “yes” as a contract.

2) Have a schedule: Every time you say “yes” to someone, or even yourself, put it in a calendar.

3) Don’t make excuses: Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. If you’re forced to break a commitment, don’t make excuses. Own it, and try to make things right in the future.

4) Be honest: The truth isn’t always easy to say, but if you’re not rude about it, it will help everyone out in the long run. Be impeccable with your word means you’re honest with yourself and with others. You’ll become that guy or girl that people can rely on.

25) Experience all that life has to offer

Don’t be afraid of new experiences. The more experiences you have, the more mature and wise you’ll become.

We only get life once – so bask in life in all possible ways – the good, the bad, the bitter-sweet, the love, the heartbreak – everything!

We only get one shot at it – so we may as well make the most of it.

Here’s a great quote from a Spiritual Master Osho:

“Experience life in all possible ways — good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become.”

26) Look after your body

If you want to change your life, you are going to have to change a lot more than just the clothes you wear and the words you allow yourself to think.

Taking better care of yourself will have a dramatic result on your life.

Not just from a health perspective, but also from an energy perspective.

When your body is properly nourished and you are at your peak performance, you’ll feel like you can take on the world.

When you shove donuts down your throat every time you feel badly about yourself, well, you can imagine where that leads, and the answer is not a better life.

And in the end, there’s a huge relationship between the body and mind and the physical and spiritual.

By listening to your body’s needs, we can become more aware of our emotions and our desires.

Make sure the body is getting enough vitamins, minerals and is operating in its best shape possible.

Having a healthy body and mind will undoubtedly help you get your life back on track.

If you’re looking for a quick guide on how to make exercise a habit, check out this article on Ideapod: 10 ways to make exercise an unbreakable habit.

27) Live in the moment

I think you’ll agree with me when I say:

Life is the best when you’re effortlessly living in the moment. There are no regrets about the past, and no worries in the future. You’re simply focused on the task at hand.

Not only does this make you more productive and focused, but it could make you happier, too.

But the question is, how do we achieve this state more often when our overactive minds get in the way?

Well, according to spiritual master Osho, we need to practice taking a step back and observing the mind and realizing that we are not our thoughts.

Once we stop identifying with every single thought that we produce, they’ll become weaker and weaker and we’ll be more easily able to live in the present moment, rather than being distracted by future worries or past regrets:

“Your thoughts have to understand one thing: that you are not interested in them. The moment you have made this point you have attained a tremendous victory. Just watch. Don’t say anything to the thoughts. Don’t judge. Don’t condemn. Don’t tell them to move. Let them do whatsoever they are doing, any gymnastics let them do; you simply watch, enjoy. It is just a beautiful film. And you will be surprised: just watching, a moment comes when thoughts are not there, there is nothing to watch.”

28) Get rid of the fat

When it comes to getting your life together you need to be ruthless with cutting out the noise – or the fat.

Pick your analogy. This might come in the form of other people, your own thoughts, your lack of ambition, your mother’s unrelenting pressure to get married, or any other number of things that might pop up that prevent you from getting where you want to go.

In order to get your life together, you are going to have to become a cutting machine.

Do it with your best interest in mind and don’t make any apology for it. You might find that you actually inspire others to get their lives together in the process.

An example is your own negative thoughts. Cut it out because it only makes life more stressful.

According to Karen Lawson, MD, “negative attitudes and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness can create chronic stress, which upsets the body’s hormone balance, depletes the brain chemicals required for happiness, and damages the immune system.”

So every time you complain, it’s time to give yourself a pinch and stop it.

Over time, you may stop being negative as you learn to adopt a more positive and optimistic attitude. You’ll also be more well-liked and tolerable.

(To learn 5 science-backed ways to be more positive, click here)

29) Spend time on your relationships

Human beings are social beings. Getting your relationships in order is a crucial part of getting your act together.

According to a 75-year Harvard study, your closest relationships could be the most crucial factor in a successful and happy life.

Like anything, it takes time to get them right. Make sure you’re investing enough time in your family and friends and you’ll undoubtedly thank yourself later on.

30) Focus on doing the work

We all have goals and ambitions, but without action, they won’t be achieved.

So if you want to take responsibility for your life and get your life back on track, then start taking action today.

Even it’s small steps, as long as you keep on improving with your actions you’ll eventually get to where you want to go.

QUIZ: What’s your hidden superpower? We all have a personality trait that makes us special… and important to the world. Discover YOUR secret superpower with my new quiz. Check out the quiz here.

31) Get your stuff organized

I mean all your stuff, from your sock drawer to your car. Organize your stuff and get your life together as a result.

You don’t need to make drastic changes in your life to see dramatically different results.

You just need to change many small things that will accumulate into bigger, more awesome things.

Getting your stuff organized is a one-way ticket to getting your sh*t together and living a better life, pronto.

Here are 5 small tips to get your life organized:

1. Write things down: Attempting to remember things will not help you stay organized. Write down everything. Shopping lists, important dates, tasks, names.

2. Make schedules and deadlines: Don’t waste time. Keep schedules of what you need to do and set goals.

3. Don’t procrastinate: The longer you wait to do something, the harder it’s going to be to get it done.

4. Giving everything a home: If you want to be organized, it means you need to know where things you own are. Give your keys and wallet a designated spot in your home. Store things properly with labels.

5. Declutter: Dedicate time each week to organize and get rid of things you don’t need.

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” – Benjamin Franklin

32)  In the end, it’s about taking responsibility 

I know that no one chooses to be unhappy.

But if you’re going through a rough patch in life, are you going to take responsibility for getting yourself out of this funk?

I think taking responsibility is the most powerful attribute we can possess.

Because the reality is that YOU are ultimately responsible for everything that happens in your life, including for your happiness and unhappiness, successes and failures, and for getting your act together.

I want to briefly share with you how taking responsibility has transformed my own life.

Did you know that 6 years ago I was anxious, miserable and working every day in a warehouse?

I was stuck in a hopeless cycle and had no idea how to get out of it.

My solution was to stamp out my victim mentality and take personal responsibility for everything in my life. I wrote about my journey here.

Fast forward to today and my website Hack Spirit is helping millions of people make radical shifts in their own lives. We’ve become one of the world’s biggest websites on mindfulness and practical psychology.

This isn’t about bragging, but to show how powerful taking responsibility can be…

… Because you too can transform your own life by taking complete ownership of it.

To help you do this, I’ve collaborated with my brother Justin Brown to create an online personal responsibility workshop. We give you a unique framework for finding your best self and achieving powerful things.

I mentioned this earlier.

It’s quickly become Ideapod’s most popular workshop. Check it out here.

If you want to seize control of your life, like I did 6 years ago, then this is the online resource you need.

Here’s a link to our best-selling workshop again.