You live and learn.

We’ve all heard the saying, but I often question how much I’m really living. I also constantly question how much I’m learning.

It’s easy to fall into the routine we call “the rat race.” We’re all living it.

Over the past few years, I’ve been studying people. Especially the ones that are thriving in all aspects of life.

Not just having a good job and being successful on paper.

I mean people who have that, but people who are also healthy, full of energy, are well connected with their spouse and children, and are active in their community.

While I don’t think everyone has it all together, I do think there are some who are thriving at a level most are not.

Here are a few commonalities I’ve observed:

✔️ Prioritize health

This means being intentional and specific about what they eat, limiting or eliminating alcohol completely, exercising daily, and getting 7+ hours of sleep every night.

There’s a reason they tell us on airplanes to put our own mask on first. People who prioritize their health or stronger for all those who need them.

✔️ Set personal and professional goals

When we have something we’re shooting for, it makes the daily activities a lot more intentional.

When we don’t know what we’re aiming for, it’s human nature to sell ourselves short, or get distracted by unproductive things.

✔️ Invest in learning

There are so many resources available today. There’s no excuse to not have information that can help us.

Setting aside an hour a day, either early in the morning or in the evening, to read a good book, listen to a podcast or an audio book, or watch a LinkedIn Learning, Ted Talk, or educational YouTube video is a much better use of time than Netflix.

✔️ Have an outlet

It’s good to disconnect from the stresses of life and do something we enjoy.

Having a hobby is a good thing. It’s healthy, and it models a great learned behavior for kids to see.

For me, my two outlets are working out and writing. They clear my head and make me more effective at everything in life.

✔️ Do fun things with family, friends and their community

This is one of the most important, and it’s also the hardest as our families get older, kids are more active in sports, and our responsibilities grow.

During the pandemic, we bought a travel trailer.

The kids were remote learning, I wasn’t traveling, and we were all home.

So we packed our computers in the trailer, did school work and conference calls at camp site picnic tables, and we did PE on the beaches in California and Oregon for most of 2020.

Although life is busier again, we realized we were missing a huge piece of connecting as a family, and we’ve continued booking 3-4 camping trips a year.

We certainly don’t have things down perfectly. But we’re trying our best.

And we’re constantly learning how to live better.

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Bret Barrie was a Hall-of-Fame and President’s Club-winning sales rep and has been a top-producing sales leader in multiple industries. He is also the author of The Selling Edge: How to Reach the Top in any Sales Industry. A baseball enthusiast and fitness junkie, he is happily married with three children and lives in the greater Sacramento area. For more information, visit bretbarrie.com.