5 Ways To Live Your Life Like A Shutterstock Image

Disclaimer: this article doesn’t really have to do with apps. It has to do with lifestyle and happiness. Just FYI.

REAL TALK: Yes, I click those link bait articles too.
BusinessInsider must be full of the most incredible people. Every day they seem to put out another list that teaches us how to be better than our normal, lame selves. Same with BuzzFeed. I can only imagine the army of model-esque people reading 2 books a day with an IV of kale juice hooked up to their workstation as they meditate, performing 80% of their workweek by Tuesday lunch. That’s also without checking email because, as we all know, email is the devil (that’s #2 on every list).
Lifehacking, specifically self improvement, seems to be an obsession these days. 10 years ago it was Tony Robbins standing on a stage, now it’s millennials reading the latest “trick” about their morning routine. “WHAT?! I can’t believe I’ve been drinking REGULAR coffee all these years! Of course if I add butter I’m going to be happier and more productive. Duh.”
In reality, I actually think these types of articles are helpful. They’ve brought forward a very important topic for us as humans – happiness. Because at the end of the day, what else are we really searching for other than that?
Which brings me to my point – when you look at the science and the macro view of all people, you’re going to see something very telling: we’re a lot more similar than we are different. Of course there are differences that we all have, but there’s a reason why most people tend to enjoy having friends . And why vegetables tend to be a good thing for our bodies. And why drinking water is generally considered the right thing to do.
And yet it seems like we’re always looking for something new. Some trick that we haven’t tried….because our Instagram and Facebook account certainly don’t make us FEEL like we could possibly be the SAME as all those other people living their lives, and the stuff that works for them couldn’t POSSIBLY work for us.
But in reality, we all click those link bait articles searching for the same thing.
This happens in business more often than you might think. You read the information, you learn the system. You “follow” the plan but in reality you start to make it your own because you think the rules don’t apply to you. YOU’RE different. YOU’RE smarter. You don’t need a plan – you just need some guidelines.
I do this all the time. I bet you have before too.
It’s not a bad thing, but you have to realize that BUSINESS is just like LIFE. Certain things just work. No matter how different you think your business is or how unique you think you are, there are fundamental tenets that are simply inescapable. Markets are built one way which drive certain behaviors. People are built one way which cause certain results. Often the most successful people in business and life are people that just follow the plan and execute.
And so, hopefully I can save a lot of people some time by giving you a quick list of what those link bait lists seem to regurgitate. These aren’t hacks, they’re just fundamentals. If you do them, they work.

TOP 6 LIFE RULES

1. Be Healthy. You’ve heard this a million times. What you HAVEN’T heard (yes I’m talking to you 25-35 year olds) is that the negative stuff exponentially outweighs the positive stuff with each day you get older. In other words, drinking spinach juice every day doesn’t mean shit if you got wasted two nights last week. Going for a 6 mile run then sleeping 3 hours is a ROI negative situation. CUT OUT THE NEGATIVE FIRST. Health is everything.
2. Be Honest. Tell the truth. Don’t fabricate it. Don’t avoid hard questions. Just tell the truth. If you don’t, eventually the truth will find you.
3. Have Faith. It doesn’t matter if it’s God, energy, family, or the three legged dog down the street that seems to read your mind – you need to believe that something greater than you is taking care of you. This will singlehandedly eliminate all anxiety from your life (by definition). Stress will dissolve as well. Meditation medicates anxiety, Faith cures it.
4. Be Positive. Think about things that makes you happy. Speak positive words. Read news that’s interesting, not depressing. This really isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. Just do it.
5. Be Proud. This is the key. Pride is the crystallization of good choices. Arrogance is the crystallization of bad choices that worked out well. Don’t be arrogant.
6. People matter. Introverts and Extroverts alike need people. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but you MUST have those connections. The more you strengthen those connections, the happier you will be.

 
If you do all these things, you will be happy. At the very least, you’ll be happier than if you didn’t do them. So why don’t we just do them? Why are we constantly looking for the tricks and hacks to bypass what we already know works?
Because the hardest part is actually doing these things. We are faced with infinite distractions and conveniences, regularly trying to outsource our unhappiness the way we do with the other parts of our lives. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. You can’t outsource being human (well, not really).
In the meantime, enjoy the ride. It’s why we’re here.
 
Rock & Roll,
Carter