There are so many self-proclaimed experts, articles, books and quotes on quality of life…but what is it really?

I’m not one of those self-proclaimed experts on the matter, but I’ve learned on my journey that the quality of our life is not equivalent to our standard of living. Here’s what I mean by that…I went on a missions trip to Panama and these people, from our myopic American perspective, had nothing…but they were some of the happiest people I’ve ever met. Of course many would argue that income can have a marginal effect on your quality of life, but that alone isn’t the full picture. Just look at some of the “rich” celebrities and you will soon discover that they are some of the most miserable people.

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
–Thorin Oakenshield

There are certain ways that we can influence the quality of our life in a positive way. The material stuff that most of us pursue are obviously more tangible than increasing happiness, health, or vitality. But how about the rest of it?

How about seeing life as an opportunity, eating healthier, pursuing your purpose, becoming more self-reliant, having an attitude of gratitude, doing something bold, spending time in daily prayer, spending time with your loved ones, doing anything outdoors and not stressing out about things, or fill in the blank _____________.

If standard of living is your number one objective, quality of life almost never improves. But if quality of life is your number one objective, standard of living invariably improves.
–Zig Ziglar

I can definitely include most of the items listed, but here are three things I’ve done recently that have also increased my quality of life in a positive way.

1) I gave up coffee.

Every morning I would take a detour into my local Dunkin Donuts or Cumberland Farms, wait in line and pick up a medium iced coffee with light cream. Living in New England, I had no problem drinking iced coffee all year round. Then late afternoons, during the work week, I would fill up again on a cup of Joe for that last mile kick. All in all, I would consume 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day and it didn’t stop on weekends. This was pretty much my ritual since I picked up the taste of coffee.

Today, caffeine is America’s most popular drug and is advertised as an energy-boosting, focus-enhancing wonder supplement without any downside. Marketing at its finest