{"id":2486,"date":"2020-12-28T03:03:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-28T03:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=2486"},"modified":"2020-12-28T03:03:33","modified_gmt":"2020-12-28T03:03:33","slug":"the-4-most-important-things-to-do-in-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2020\/12\/the-4-most-important-things-to-do-in-life.html","title":{"rendered":"The 4 Most Important Things to Do in Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"important<\/a>
Photo by maitree rimthong from Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are lots of lists out there describing what people consider to be the most important things to do in life.\u00a0 And these lists have lovely sentiments.\u00a0 Find love.\u00a0 Appreciate your family.\u00a0 Do something you are passionate about.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t disagree with any of that advice.\u00a0 Those are<\/em> important things.\u00a0 But all those lists avoid what I consider to be the most basic <\/em>things that you need to do to have a good life.<\/p>\n

Unless you are the recipient of a trust fund, or you are Oprah and have unlimited funds, much of your life is focused on very practical issues.\u00a0 Food, clothing and shelter are the things that concern most folks.\u00a0 Add to that mental and physical health.\u00a0 For most of us, our concerns are very mundane.<\/p>\n

Most people aren\u2019t trying to find the “meaning of life.”\u00a0 That is a luxury of the ultra-rich.\u00a0 Most folks are typically trying to just make ends meet and be mentally and physically healthy.<\/p>\n

The list below are the four very basic things that you need to do in order to have a good life.\u00a0 Focus on achieving them, and see your happiness and peace of mind increase!<\/p>\n

Create A Life That is Safe<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Safety may sound like silly thing to pursue in life.\u00a0 After all, shouldn\u2019t safety be something that we all just have?\u00a0 Well, yes.\u00a0 Yet so many people don\u2019t live in safety.<\/p>\n

When I refer to safety, I mean both physical and emotional safety.\u00a0 Your first order of business in life is to find a home and community where you can be safe from physical harm, and in which people consistently treat you with kindness.<\/p>\n

Realize that many people don\u2019t live safe lives.\u00a0 Many people live with spouses who are either physically or emotionally abusive.\u00a0 Lots of children live with parents who either abuse them, or who just have bad judgment.\u00a0 Cruel and irresponsible behavior abounds in our world, from the poorest homes to the wealthiest and most educated households.<\/p>\n

So, creating a life in which you are safe is a top priority.\u00a0 You cannot be truly happy until you live in safety.<\/em>\u00a0 You can\u2019t relax and feel good if you live under stress or in fear.\u00a0 So, the first practical thing you want to accomplish in life is to find a way to live with kind people in a safe community.<\/p>\n

Become Financially Secure<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Achieving financial security is no small matter. \u00a0Making enough money to pay your bills and support your children is a real undertaking.\u00a0 You have to be careful with how you spend.\u00a0 And you need to learn to live under you means in order to save for a rainy day.<\/p>\n

The good news is that becoming financially secure is one of the most rewarding things that you can accomplish.\u00a0 It is the key to having a relaxed, easy-going life.\u00a0 It is much easier to be relaxed and happy when you can pay your bills with ease.<\/p>\n

So, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of earning money. \u00a0And don’t rely on anyone to create financial security for you.\u00a0 For example, if you are a young person, realize that your parents won’t always be able take care of you.\u00a0 Learn to be responsible because someday they won\u2019t be around to bail you out of your financial debacles.<\/p>\n

And the hard truth is that you can\u2019t rely on your spouse for financial security either.\u00a0 50% of marriages end in divorce, which means that your spouse cannot be your lifetime financial plan.\u00a0 Moreover, sadly, people can lose their jobs or even die.\u00a0 For instance, this week one of our church members died unexpectedly.\u00a0 He was the family\u2019s only source of income.\u00a0 His death leaves his wife and their children in an extremely vulnerable financial situation.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, working and earning money isn\u2019t always fun.\u00a0 And working while raising kids is tough.\u00a0 But when you work hard and spend carefully, you can rest easy, knowing that you have the money to pay your bills, with a little left over for any unexpected life events.<\/p>\n

Develop Good Habits<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We all know what good habits are.\u00a0 Make your bed every morning.\u00a0 Exercise daily.\u00a0 Arrive to work and appointments early<\/em>.\u00a0 Pay your bills on time.\u00a0 None of that is rocket science.<\/p>\n

And we all know that good habits can make our lives so much easier.\u00a0 When we regularly tidy up our homes, they look so much better.\u00a0 Paying our bills on time, leads us to have a better credit rating.\u00a0 Exercising regularly results in our having fewer health problems.<\/p>\n

In fact, good habits can transform your life into something you can be proud of.\u00a0 People with good habits have pleasant homes.\u00a0 They are financially stable.\u00a0 And other people view them as being competent and reliable.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, developing good habits takes discipline. \u00a0In fact, I would suggest adopting no more than one or two new, good habits a month.\u00a0 That will give you the time to let the new habit become ingrained on your brain before tackling a new one.<\/p>\n

The time and effort put in to developing good habits will never be wasted.\u00a0 It always will pay off with a life that is far superior to one without discipline.\u00a0 (To read about developing great habits, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Develop A Spiritual Practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I know a lot of people who don\u2019t have a spiritual practice.\u00a0 They view religion as being silly or unscientific. And they fancy themselves as being too intellectual to have a religious belief which is based purely on faith.<\/p>\n

The problem is that folks who don\u2019t have a spiritual or religious practice tend to fall apart when life is difficult.\u00a0 I\u2019ve known non-religious people who simply could not handle the normal disappointments of life.\u00a0 For example, I\u2019ve seen folks fall apart from mid-life crises, as if turning a certain age was an actual problem<\/em>.\u00a0 When confronted with typical life events, these folks have turned to alcohol, poor behavior and other vices.<\/p>\n

Having a religious belief will provide you with some perspective on life\u2019s challenges.\u00a0 When you have a religious practice, you realize that your life is so much bigger than your immediate, perceived problem.<\/p>\n

Moreover, a solid spiritual practice offers hope in the midst of real trials.\u00a0 We all will experience difficulties in life, whether they be a job loss, a divorce, an illness or the death of a loved one.\u00a0 No one goes through life unscathed.\u00a0 A spiritual practice can offer hope that even in the face of those challenges, things ultimately will get better.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, if you have a solid religious belief system, your life choices become far easier.\u00a0 You will choose to be kind, no matter what the circumstances.\u00a0 Helping the poor will be something that you will do without question.\u00a0 And with a meaningful spiritual practice, you will choose to serve others, rather than solely serving yourself.<\/p>\n

It matters little which spiritual practice you choose.\u00a0 Just choose one that has stood the test of time.\u00a0 Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism have all been tried and tested over the centuries.\u00a0 You will not go wrong by following the tenets of a major world religion.<\/p>\n

Consider making the above goals a priority for your life.\u00a0 These are the basic things that you need to do to create a good life.\u00a0 If you achieve them, I promise you, your life will be markedly better.<\/p>\n

Email: meerabelle@meerabelledey.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

To receive my Free E-Book, “The Confidence Course,” and my weekly newsletter, visit meerabelledey.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are lots of lists out there describing what people consider to be the most important things to do in life.\u00a0 And these lists have lovely sentiments.\u00a0 Find love.\u00a0 Appreciate your family.\u00a0 Do something you are passionate about. I don\u2019t disagree with any of that advice.\u00a0 Those are important things.\u00a0 But all those lists avoid…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 4 Most Important Things to Do in Life - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read about the four very basic things that you need to do in order to have a good life.\u00a0 Focus on achieving them and see your happiness improve!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 4 Most Important Things to Do in Life - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read about the four very basic things that you need to do in order to have a good life.\u00a0 Focus on achieving them and see your happiness improve!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2020\/12\/the-4-most-important-things-to-do-in-life.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-28T03:03:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/390\/2020\/12\/pexels-maitree-rimthong-1602726-550x367.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meerabelle Dey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 4 Most Important Things to Do in Life - 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