Maria Shriver Shares Her 9 Secrets For Living a Meaningful Life

When you truly think about it, what does a purposeful life looks like to you? What is truly meaningful in our life and what do we pay attention to more than we should be? These are the questions that the NBC News Special Anchor Maria Shriver is marking in her new book, “I’ve Been Thinking… Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life.”

For Shriver, life that is fulfilled and true can be sort of a complex thing to achieve. Her catholic faith play a big role in her life and so is her family, also she mentions the lesions she learned from her parents and all the life teachings she grasped from her entire life.

There are 9 of her tips to lead you into living a full life, but she has a lot more in her book.

1. Find Your Inner Strength

Shivers refers to this as “intestinal fortitude” and she uses it to depict people that remain calm and in contact during the storms into their lives. She thinks of these people as owners of a strong energy that all others want to be around them.

2. Embrace The Ability To Shift Gears

Life doesn’t always go by our plans, we know that. When the winds change into something that we don’t expect to, we need to learn to use this wind to navigate us to our direction. It’s ok to step into the unknown. We have to learn to believe in ourselves more.

3. Make Your Home A Place Of Peace

If our home is our daily teeth grinding when it comes to staying inside, we have something to deal with here. She recommends changes into our everyday life, into things that are simple but valuable, such as joy, honesty, laughter and community.

4. Practice Gratitude

Research has found that practicing gratitude on a daily basis makes us happier, healthier and more hopeful. Shriver says that she starts the day with expressing gratitude towards God for everything in her life, for the fact that she’s alive, for the gifts of living, for being surrounded by the people she loves. Try this practice, this will give you a new view into your life, a little brighter.

5. Hit Pause Sometimes

When you’re feeling like you need to stop, do it. Take a pause, your wellbeing is more important than what’s bothering you. Recharge yourself with love and laughter. Your closest are always here to support you, and most important, you should support yourself in this process more.

6. Forgive

We think that forgiving is the most difficult thing that we can do, but it’s not unsuccessful. Try to accept the pain that some people did to you, accept the fact that this is the past and this no longer controls you. It takes time, but concentrate on this so you can concentrate on self love more.

7. When Life Throws A Curve Ball, Swing The Bat

In other words, address the crisis straight forward, and don’t avoid it.

When hard times are coming, it’s the worst thing to ignore it like it’s not happening. You are the power of yourself, the head and the mastermind of your life. Help yourself before it’s too late, don’t put everything under rags.

8. Stop Complaining

Shriver addresses this like something that we need to put end to it. We all complain, that’s true. She sets her own non-complaint zones into her office and home in which she focuses on the good stuff in life.

9. Focus On Your Brain Instead Of Your Body

We are forced to think that we are not valuable if our bodies don’t look great. It’s the best of your interest to keep your body in shape and healthy, but the brainwork is something that you should focus more on. Your mind leads your life, your body just follows it. Focus more on the brain, but don’t forget the body.

Source: Today.com