4 Signs of a Life Well-Lived

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The older you get the more likely you are to look back on your life and examine it. You start asking yourself if you made the best use of your time on earth, and you start wondering if you lived a good life. While this sort of reflection is often seen in aging people, it is never too early to start considering what it means to live a good life. The younger you are when you start focusing on making sure you have a well-lived life the more time you will have to make decisions that will leave you feeling like you lived a good life.

So what does a well-lived life look like? This can be difficult to describe because a well-lived life is not quantified by traditional, tangible measurements. Monetary success does not necessarily translate into a well-lived life. Similarly, having a large family or many friends does not guarantee that you have a well-lived life. Instead, a well-lived life is measured by nebulous intangibles that are difficult for other people to quantify. Only you can decide if you have spent your time on earth living a good life. That said, here are four common signs of a life well-lived.

Laugh Lines

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This is perhaps the easiest sign of a well-lived life for other people to see. As you age, your veins will begin to pop-up on the backs of your hands, and your skin will begin to sag. At the same time, you will start to acquire all sorts of wrinkles as your life begins to write itself across your face. These thin lines will tell everyone you encounter how you have been living your life. Life is too short to obsess over the things that go wrong, and you will have frown lines if you spent most of your time angry, sad or complaining. If you spend your days hunting for the good and focusing on the positive, however, you will have smile or laugh lines carved alongside your eyes and mouth. You cannot stop life from leaving its marks, but you can make sure that the signs you wear come from a history of joy.

Shared Love

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“A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” This famous quote from L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” encapsulates one sign of a life well-lived. To live a good life, you must earn the love of those around you, and the best way to do that is to share your own love. You can spread your love, and earn the love of others, in any number of ways. You might volunteer at a homeless shelter and have changed a less-fortunate man’s life. You could spend your evenings helping at the ASPCA and have helped a dog and a lonely child complete each other’s lives. You might also have made the greatest difference in your own family. Perhaps one of the most significant ways you can share your love and earn love in return is through how you raise your children. Bringing up happy children who are generous with their own love creates a domino effect. You share your love with your children who then share their love with someone else who then also shares it with someone else. This cascade of love continues on and touches the lives of dozens of people in small but meaningful ways.

Treasured Memories

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” Though the original author of this quote is disputed, their sage advice is applicable to anyone who wants to live a life well-lived. If you spend your whole life without making memories that you continue to treasure years later, you have not made good use of your time on earth. “Treasured memories” do not have to be earth-shattering or dramatic moments. You could hold on to the memories of your daughter’s first Christmas or the look on your son’s face the first time he understood the Call to Prayer. Your dearest memory could be of when your spouse said “I do” or the look on your brother’s face when he returned from military service overseas and saw you waiting for him in the airport. These little moments are what make the inevitable trials and challenges of life worthwhile. If you do not have cherished memories, you are not making good use of the limited time you have on earth.

No Regrets

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It is arguably impossible to achieve a life without any regrets at all. There will always be something small that you regret. That said, a life well-lived is devoid of any serious regrets. If you live your life well, your “regrets” will be insignificant and set far in the past. You will also have to work hard to remember what you “regret.”

To live a life without regrets, you will need to take careful advantage of every day. Live your life intentionally, not on autopilot, and always be aware of the opportunities you encounter. As Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” This is true. Missed opportunities are one of the most common things people regret, regardless of whether a person missed an opportunity to change careers, fulfill an old dream or travel. Take full advantage of your life by taking advantage of the opportunities you encounter. If you do not stumble across an opportunity to do something you have always dreamed of, go make your own opportunity.