How to Enjoy Life Fully: 12 Ways to Become Your Happiest Self

How do I enjoy life fully? Here are 12 ways to enjoy life more and become happier.

The image shows a woman sitting on a bed, surrounded by various items like a laptop, strawberries, and a lamp. She appears to be wearing a pink and white striped robe and has her hair tied up.

How would you feel if today was your last day, and you had to look back at life? Regrets, what ifs, a sense of accomplishment, or would you say you’ve enjoyed life and lived doing the things you love?

Oh, okay, let’s not string up sad stories and emotions. Permit me to ask this question differently.

If you can peek at your life and watch a replay, would you say you enjoy life?

Are you happy? Do you create happiness daily, or wait for happiness to happen to you?

If the latter is your answer, you’ll find yourself stressed, unhappy, always chasing, waiting for your “big break” to be happy and enjoy life.

As long as humanity exists, the problem of surviving, busy routines, tight schedules, targets, and goals will always exist.

Even with this, our time on earth is limited.

With a grasp of this reality, creating your happiness daily, finding joy in the simple things in life, and romanticizing your life daily will help you enjoy life to the fullest without waiting for any special occasion to be happy.

As someone who used to chase and chase endlessly, setting aside time daily to do things I love improved my mental health and helped me care for myself better.

Lately, simple things like singing my favorite Kdrama OSTs while making breakfast, the smell of fresh flowers, the sound of rain and cold nights, hugs, going for walks in the evening, journaling, etc, are some daily rituals I wouldn’t trade for cash.

I want you to experience the magic and peace of romanticizing simple moments in life.

Hence, keep reading to learn simple ways to enjoy life to the fullest. I promise you, this is no fluff.

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12 Ways to Fully Live and Enjoy Life

Here are 12 ways to enjoy life more and become a happier person. feel free to choose what resonates with you.

1. Know Yourself

Start by searching within to find out how to enjoy your life every day.

First, learn to be self-aware.

Find out what enjoying life means to you, where you are mentally, emotionally, and physically, and how making these small changes to enjoy life to the fullest will affect your life.

We all have different realities. I always say this, and I can’t stress this enough.

The first step to change something is understanding why it happens.

What is your reality at the time? Are you a student juggling the uni? Or single with no family obligations, or have family obligations? Are you married with or without kids?

Do you work 9-5 daily, or do you work from home?

For each of these groups, they all have different realities.

My friend Dee, a young mom of twin girls (my goods), will always say, “Faith, I just want to sleep.”

Other times, she’d say, “Baby girl, you have a morning routine that you read in the morning; I no longer have the luxury of a proper morning routine.”

And I do understand her. I get it, and I bet you do, too.

For me, a single lady who is her own boss, working from. I have a different reality from my friend at the moment.

Having a few minutes to an hour of silence and rest to herself could make a difference for her.

While on the other hand, I have the luxury of enjoying quietness and peace daily.

Also, knowing yourself isn’t all about your reality at the moment; you also need to clearly understand your personality.

I thrive in a calm, quiet place.

Plus, I only have a certain amount of energy to spend when out with others.

Once I run out of this energy, nothing makes sense. “I just want to go home.”

So, know yourself, your limits, and reality, and understand what makes you happy.

By doing this, you’ll be able to curate activities and do what makes you happy, instead of doing things because someone else is doing them.

2. Begin With Gratitude

To truly enjoy your life to the fullest, cultivating a gratitude mindset is necessary!

To enjoy the life you live, you must first love the life you live.

And to love your life, being thankful for everything you have right now, is the first step to living a life that brings you happiness.

Happiness and gratitude go hand in hand. You don’t necessarily need something grand to feel thankful.

There’s always something to be thankful for!

Celebrate your small and big wins.

Find little things around you to be thankful for — an uplifting habit that will change your life.

It could be little things such as having “me time,” hearing your parent’s voice (calling my mum daily makes me happy), your business, work, family, or even enjoying sunset and sunrise.

Although these may seem small, when you start taking note of these little things and become thankful for them, you’ll realize how many good things you have going on in your life.

3. Pour into Self Care

If you want to enjoy life to the fullest, practice self-care daily.

Pouring into self-care is like filling your glass with wine. You can’t pour from an empty cup. You can only pour into others when you’re full.

So prioritizing yourself and practicing self-care isn’t selfish.

It doesn’t have to be grand, like going to the spa daily or going on fancy getaways (although that’s nice, and I recommend you do them at least a few times yearly if monthly is too much).

Sometimes, it’s the little things that truly nurture your soul.

In your daily routine, always carve out time to breathe, unwind, and focus on yourself.

I know you’re thinking, “Faith, I’m super busy. I don’t have time.”

Believe me, you do!

5–30 minutes daily is enough to decompress and love yourself more.

That’s why I recommend having a self-care Menu.

For me, doing simple acts of self-care daily looks like singing my favorite K-drama OST while making breakfast or curling up with a book every morning.

And Journaling my thoughts at least 3–4 times weekly.

Or drinking tea while listening to the sound of rain, cuddling, going out for evening walks, and spending at least an hour every evening catching up on my favorite shows before falling asleep.

Ask yourself: what makes you feel cared for?

Maybe it’s taking a hot self-care bath, doing a manicure, reading a good book, snuggling your pet, or napping. Whatever it is, prioritize it.

These moments remind you that you matter and that happiness doesn’t have to wait for the perfect timing.

The image shows a woman reading a book while sitting on a bed. The person appears to be wearing dark clothing and sunglasses as they intently focus on the book. Copy

4. Get a Job You Love or At least Like

If you spend 8 hours a day (or more) doing something you hate, it’s no wonder life feels harder than it should be.

A study shows that 85% of people aren’t happy with their jobs.

Imagine being part of that staggering number of people who dread their jobs.

If your job frustrates you, or you wake up every morning wishing for the day to end, it might be time to explore other options.

Think about what you enjoy doing or what kind of work would excite you (or at least not miserable).

Sometimes, it’s switching companies; other times, it’s changing your career path entirely.

When you enjoy (or even just tolerate) what you do, it’s easier to feel more at peace and less stuck in the daily hustle.

5. Find Joy in Simple Things Daily

I can’t stress this enough!

Finding joy in daily, mundane things will help you create happiness. You can enjoy your life daily without waiting to experience something grand.

Look around you; what things go by daily that you never notice? If you do, it will change everything for you.

I encourage you to start romanticizing the little things around you.

Imagine if, at least once weekly, on your way back from work, you stop by to get yourself your favorite flowers. Over time, it becomes a habit.

Buying yourself flowers on the surface looks ordinary, but this helps reinforce the belief that you love and care for yourself and that you’re deserving of the good things in life.

6. Romanticize Your Morning and Evenings

I have always been a pro of “having a morning routine.”

Every time I tell others, your morning is the only time of the day exclusively for you (well, except you’re a mama with little kids running around).

No one will ask you to go on a date at 5 a.m., and no one will show up at your door at 5 a.m. unless there’s an emergency.

Morning is the golden hour of the day.

Always start your day with a healthy morning routine. Do something, even if it’s 5 minutes, that is for you.

Often, people say that morning routines are unrealistic and that life is not social media.

A good morning routine begins to feel unrealistic when you try to model your life to suit that girl’s lifestyle on social media.

Instead, I recommend waking up early, at least an hour before the time you leave for work, and doing something you love that could set the tone for the day.

Are you starting your day with coffee?

Take your coffee slowly while listening to your favorite song, reading a book, or journaling (if that’s your thing) instead of gulping it while searching for what to put in your work bag

Did you notice the shift?

Rather than drinking your coffee, now you have a coffee-sipping morning ritual.

Find out the 12 things I do in the first 2 hours of my day that you can add to yours.

The same way goes for your evening routine.

Ask yourself what you can do that will change how you spend your morning and evening.

If added to your routine, what’s one activity that will help you decompress, reduce stress, and enjoy life daily?

The image shows a cup of green tea with a tea bag in it. The tea appears to be steeping, and the cup is placed on a white and pink plate.

7. Reduce Stress

We are constantly exposed to stress, especially in the modern way of life — email, social media notifications, calls, and other life situations, as well as the hustle and bustle of paying bills.

These are all stressors.

One of the biggest culprits of stress is our smartphones.

Stress is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to run your life. Therefore, you be mindful of your habits and the stress level you expose yourself to.

If you’re constantly overwhelmed, it’s hard to enjoy your life.

Start with setting healthy boundaries to reduce stress.

I learned to say no to things and people that drain my energy and yes to what truly matters.

Also, I completely turned off social media, emails, and other notifications in the last two years.

I’ll go to the app if I want to see what’s new.

I wake up early naturally every day and don’t use an alarm (I realized it causes me stress and headaches).

Although these may seem like insignificant changes, they have significantly improved the quality of my life and productivity.

To reduce stress and enjoy your life more:

Start by listing the things constantly causing you stress and find a way to manage them.
Go to bed early, no later than 10 p.m. daily, and wake up early, at 5 a.m. Waking up early helps you build a better morning routine for productivity.
Learn to say No and set healthy boundaries with others and at work.
Organize your life and make space for everything.
Get rid of toxic habits and reduce clutter to simplify your life.
Eat mindfully and practice self-care daily.
Schedule zero screen time and indulge in off-screen activities.
Turn off unnecessary notifications.
Let go of toxic relationships (both romantic and non-romantic).

8. Live in The Moment

Are you living in the moment, or are you constantly stuck in the trap of the past and future?

With the past, you keep holding on to things, events, and people that you should let go of.

Meanwhile, for the future, you reserve your happiness for tomorrow.

You leave out your best experience for tomorrow, or you’re constantly chasing new goals and a better life that you rarely have time to process and enjoy all the awesome things you have in your life right now.

One of the ways to live fully is to be present and mindful.

Intentionally become present and stop overthinking. When you start living in the moment, you’ll notice all the beautiful things surrounding you.

9. Enjoy Solo Activities

Having great friends and people around you adds flavor to your life.

But the greatest way of life is being content, confident, and unconditionally loving yourself, so much so that you enjoy your company whether you’re an introvert or extrovert.

Start by finding hobbies that excite you.

Set aside time for “me” activities and do what you love.

Take yourself on solo dates, go to the movies alone at least a few times a year, and list fun things you can do alone, whether at home or outside.

Personally, I make it a point to go on a solo date at least once a month, even though I’m in a relationship.

It’s my way of reconnecting and enjoying one-on-one time with myself.

The more time you spend with yourself, the better you’ll understand who you are and what makes you happy.

Plus, it’s a confidence booster! You’ll start trusting your own company and feel more at ease with life overall.

The image shows a woman sitting outdoors on a lounge chair, reading a book. She is wearing a black swimsuit or workout attire and has her long hair tucked under a black cap.

10. Surround Yourself with Positive People

Love makes life colorful. Having your “own people” will help you enjoy life more.

Learn to love wholeheartedly and allow someone to love you in return.

I know love comes with a risk and fear of being heartbroken, but you’ll never see the beauty of receiving if you hold on to hurts and fear.

Focus on finding a safe, soft love that makes you feel comfortable and alive.

If that person you love makes you second guess their feelings, please take your time, evaluate what you have going on, and know when to take yourself out of a toxic situation.

Apart from romantic love, be intentional about building your tribe of people, support system, and friends.

I only have a few friends, and they’re my ride-or-die.

While friendship is great to have, the wrong friend can bring toxicity into your life. So, focus on building healthy relationships.

Tell the people in your life how much you love and value them, and avoid holding back.

Because life is too short to wait for tomorrow before expressing your feelings.

11. Visit New Places

Where would you like to go?

Instead of waiting for special occasions to go on vacations, become intentional about visiting new places.

It doesn’t have to be expensive or a trip outside your country, especially if you’re not financially stable.

On weekends, tour your city, visit new places, and visit picturesque places such as fine dining, restaurants, cafés, museums, art exhibitions, national parks, nature reserves, and wineries.

Take pictures and document your memories.

You can do this as a challenge, such as a 90-day self-love challenge, in which you go on solo dates to different places in your city.

Also, you don’t necessarily have to limit yourself to solo activities, especially if you enjoy group activities.

You can go with your friends or partner, or join local groups in your city.

In my city, I connected with local groups of people that organize events like paint and sip, picnics, and group travels within and out of the country.

12. Let Go of the Need to Control

If, after learning these steps to enjoy life and be happy, you find yourself stuck and can’t find a way around feeling unhappy, I want you to ask yourself.

What do I need to let go of that keeps holding me back?

One of the fastest ways to live a stressful and unhappy life is by trying to control everything.

Yes, you are the master of your life, but you aren’t the architect of life itself.

Let go of the need to micromanage every detail. Release the constant pressure to predict and prepare for every outcome. Submit to the flow of life.

As an overthinker, I totally get it. My mind loves to spin up scenarios and solutions like it’s some kind of survival mechanism.

But I’ve learned (and I’m still learning) that not everything requires a plan or a fix.

Some things need patience, faith, or simply time to unfold.

When you stop holding on so tightly, you create space for joy, growth, and the unexpected joy life offers when you least expect it.

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Ready to Enjoy Life Fully?

Yay! You made it to the end of this blog post.

I know this is the first step to making the most out of everything you have and cherishing each passing day.

Life is too precious to let it slip by in living unhappily while continuing to chase new goals. By making small, intentional choices

Every new day offers a fresh opportunity to create happiness, find joy in the mundane, and cherish the simple joys that surround us.

You’ll become happier when you know yourself, practice gratitude, prioritize self-care, and learn to live in the moment.

As you take these steps, know I’m rooting for you!

How to Enjoy Life Fully: 12 Ways to Become Your Happiest Self