A Life Well Lived: Ralph Waldo Emerson

When your life is complete, will people say yours was a life well lived?

On my birthday I like to refresh and reset my commitment to life. When I turned 50 I decided to come up with my 'list of 50' for things to do or think about differently--one for each year.

This became an annual way of opening me up to think and act differently throughout the year--providing me with a road map to a renewed and unencumbered self.

It doesn't matter if I achieve everything on my list (spoken like a true ENFP). What matters is I open myself up to saying YES to better ways of thinking and being--and I find ways to view life as an adventure.

At the end of my life I want to be able to say I had a 'life well lived'.  What about you?

A Short List of 50

• Take 50 hikes within 50 miles of home
• Let go of 50 ways of thinking that no longer serve me
• Learn 50 new things
• Create 50 new Affirmation Hearts
• Gift 50 people with 50 Affirmation Hearts
• Study 50 inspiring people
• List 50 people you admire
• List 50 people you love
• List 50 people who have made a difference in your life
• Send 50 inspirational notes
• Thank 50 people who have made a difference in your life
• Study 50 quotes from 1 inspiring person

What's on your list of 50? How will you free yourself up this year?

 
A Life Well Lived: A Study of Wisdom from Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I started my quest this year I started with 'a life well lived' and discovered the term came from Ralph Waldo Emerson so studying 50 quotes from Emerson became my kicking off point.

Below I share a few items off my list of 50 and the Emerson quotes I choose to ponder to help me open up to change.

Let go of 50 ways of thinking no longer serving you

“You become what you think about all day long.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

• What are you bitter about? Let it go
• What old story are you holding on to about someone doing you wrong? Let it go
• Who are people you think are holding you back. Let it go

“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”Ralph Waldo Emerson

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Learn 50 new things

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “Always do what you are afraid to do.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reach out to 50 people in Need

“Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting some on yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Refresh and Reset your Commitment to Life Daily

“Write it on your heart that  every day is the best day in the year.He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.You have done what you could.Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,with its hopes and invitations,to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson