What if the key to becoming successful and happy is to quit trying to be either?

Think about it. The world has never been more competitive. If you want to have a fulfilling career and live a good life, you’ve got to get ahead of the competition. The only way to do that is to do things differently, to find your own unique path that works for you.

Here are my top 10 tips for you to lead a more fulfilling life:

1. Smile More: Smiling more is a simple way to greatly improve the quality of your life. All you have to do is smile, and life will be better, Really. It’s that simple. Smiling is the natural way to force yourself to be happy. It is a very powerful tool that is utilized less and less as we grow older and need happiness more than ever. Just remember that while happiness leads to smiles, smiles also lead to happiness. Researchers think that by forcing a smile, you activate a specific set of muscles in the face. That set of muscles is closely connected to the emotions of happiness and joy. By smiling, you are signaling the emotional centers of your brain to tell them that everything is good.

2. Be Yourself: You just have one life make sure you do not waste a single moment of your time living someone else’s life or dreams. Love others but make sure no one loves you more than you love yourself. Do not seek social approval for things that are morally right and important to you. You must prefer loneliness over an immoral company. Be completely at peace with yourself. If you have the feeling of guilt about your past then forgive yourself and make a fresh start.

3. Know Your Purpose: I think it is very important to know your purpose in this life. You are not a product of assembly-line manufacturing, no matter how much you would like to believe the ‘monkey theory of evolution’. We human beings are much more than instinct-driven animals. One way to find your purpose is to ask yourself- what is that one activity or a group of activities that make you feel vibrant, vital and alive about your existence.

4. Have Big Goals in Life: Believe it or not, human brain is a cybernetic mechanism. It consciously or unconsciously chases any goal or vision we set for ourselves. The process might be inexplicable but it’s real for sure. I do not know what latent universal forces work to make our goals a reality, but I am convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that goal-setting is a powerful medium to tap those resources. Bigger your goal, bigger will be the motivation. Have big goals for what they will make of you in the process of achieving them. Set goals for yourself in the area of health, wealth, relationships and service.

5. Don’t wait: Don’t put off life, don’t wait until things are perfect. Figure out how you can start now, start small. Just start. You’ll be so glad you did.

6. Procrastination: If you have to procrastinate then you must procrastinate, ‘procrastination’. Time is the fabric of which our lives are made of. It is a much more valuable resource than money. Time cannot be saved and it can only be invested in meaningful activities or wasted in useless pursuits. Never wait for the right time to begin a right thing; else you will always be waiting. Your tomorrow is designed by what you do today.

7. Take Action: All goals fail without action. The action is the difference between Warren Buffet you know and the Simon Buffet you have not heard of. Hard work will always beat talent. Maintain a daily schedule and then follow it religiously. Observe your actions and improve them every day. Fall in love with taking action and the rewards will take care of themselves.

8. If you respect your own boundaries, people will respect you: Practice building self-awareness, discover what you are willing to do and what you don’t want to do. Start putting this into practice by saying no when something doesn’t resonate or align with who you really are. People might get mad at first, but eventually, most will come to respect you.

9. Health: Keep yourself mentally and physically fit. Make sure your workout for a minimum of 30 minutes every day and meditate for 20 minutes every day. Physical workout builds your muscle mass and keeps your metabolism in a peak state. Meditation is the internal bathing of the body. Exercising is the best health insurance you can take. Remember people who do not make time for health eventually make time for illness.

10. When your body says stop, listen to it: Learning to listen to your body is a major ingredient for lasting success in life. Drink water when you’re thirsty. Eat good food when you’re hungry and stop when your body says it’s full. Sleep when your body wants to. Stop pushing when you feel tired. Take a vacation when every cell in your body and mind is screaming for it. Take a break when your shoulders creep up around your ears or your neck starts aching. Take really good care of your body, and listen to it. In turn, it will take really good care of you.