Everyone has different opinions when it comes to how to live a great and successful life. Eating healthy, getting more exercise, travelling, etc. But where do these cliché beliefs come from? We tend to ask people who have crossed the 100-year-mark what their tips to a long, happy life are. Yet we don't often bother taking the advice from those around us who are the happiest. Take Brandon Khademi for example. His happiness is contagious. Brandon has seen his fair share of trials and tribulation, but this has not stopped him from working toward becoming the best he can be. He succeeds, not only in motivating those around him to be better versions of themselves, but also in the way he shows others that it's OK to laugh at your mistakes. He sees what he wants out of life, and goes for it with guns blazing. For your personal reading pleasure, here are five of Brandon's most sure-fire ways to living a life you will be proud of.
1. Get your heart broken.
Experiencing heartbreak is something inevitable for all of us. Yet there is a negative stigma surrounding getting your heart broken. There is a lot of crying, ice cream, country songs and excessive drinking. While this may be true for some people, what others fail to mention is that you will learn something. You will learn what matters most to you, and what can make you the happiest.
2. Don't always follow the rules.
So maybe "Paper Towns" takes it too far when Margo breaks into Sea World and just happens to get away with it, but there are plenty of things that may slightly bend the rules and be beneficial to you. Whether it be snatching a tiki-shaped glass from your local Red Robin or putting a white shirt in with your colors, there are so many ways to branch out of your normal routine and get your heart pumping. Because, let's be honest, no great story ever started with eating a salad.
3. Get rid of the surface-level people in your life.
We have best friends, friends, acquaintances, and the 400 people we are "friends" with on Facebook. Why are we "friends" with so many of the people from our past? These are surface-level people who we see in passing, and often don't even acknowledge anymore. These kinds of people need to go. Take a stand and only include those in your life that mean the most to you. The ones that make you smile, that you can actually hold a conversation with. A quick rule of thumb — if you would not bother going out of your way to wish them a happy birthday, odds are you shouldn't be "friends."
4. Always be the one to apologize, even when you shouldn't have to.
We have all been in this situation with a friend, significant other, sibling, co-worker, or pretty much any living, breathing, human-being. Fights and quarrels occur over everything from spilled milk, to being late, to forgetting an important date. But if you truly value a relationship you have with another person, are you really going to allow a fight to end that connection? Regardless of whether it was your fault or not, say sorry.
5. Give each person you talk to a compliment.
The recent viral video of the girl from a Chicago high school who went around telling people they were beautiful was just one example of how much a simple compliment can effect someone. Can you imagine how many smiling faces you would see in a day if you gave a compliment to each person you interacted with? There is an incredible power in telling someone they are beautiful, or acknowledging their intellect, or whatever stands out to you. Brandon and I both urge you to get out there and start making people's days.
What are you waiting for? Go live a life full of happiness!
