--- description: Think about your story title: 8 Powerful Things That Will Inspire You image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1882bf48105c90ec/69885c63cd6848e5880a0f6e/woman-writing-close-up.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 8 Powerful Things That Will Inspire You by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 28, 2015 4:01 AM CUT  Woman working in a coffee shop Woman working in a coffee shopGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 28, 2015 4:01 AM CUT Eight ways to inspire yourself to get to the next level in life, with links to the research behind them: * To have meaning in your life [you need a story](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-add-meaning-to-your-life "undefined"). You need to reflect on how things could have been and why they turned out the way they did. Seeing that things had a direction and a purpose provides meaning. * Can’t figure out what your long term goals are? [Imagine your funeral](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-figure-out-what-your-real-long-te "undefined"). * To make radical changes in your life you need [the support of friends](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-key-to-radically-changing-your-life "undefined"). * It’s not over until it’s over. [Losing can lead to winning](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-losing-lead-to-winning "undefined"). * Need something to help you act in line with your beliefs and values? To make sure you stay you? Buy [a mirror](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-everyday-object-can-motivate-you-to-work "undefined"). * You might not need a to-do list. You might need a [not-to-do list](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-you-need-to-to-do-list-or-a-not-to-do-list "undefined"). * Keep in mind [what most people regret](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-we-most-likely-to-regret "undefined") and [what we regret before we die](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-do-people-regret-the-most-before-they-di "undefined"). * Stop worrying about what other people think. [They’re not paying attention to you](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-people-noticing-you-more-or-less-than-you "undefined"). In fact, there is no “they.” For more on the best way to be both happier and more successful, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/03/8-ways-to-inspire-yourself-to-new-heights/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 195,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/ "undefined") [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3971696/better-life-inspiration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3971696/better-life-inspiration/"},"headline":"8 Powerful Things That Will Inspire You","datePublished":"2015-07-28T04:01:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:38:10.460Z","description":"Think about your story","url":"https://time.com/3971696/better-life-inspiration/","keywords":["Psychology","Happiness"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1882bf48105c90ec/69885c63cd6848e5880a0f6e/woman-writing-close-up.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1882bf48105c90ec/69885c63cd6848e5880a0f6e/woman-writing-close-up.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"woman-writing-close-up","caption":"woman-writing-close-up","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3971696/better-life-inspiration/","name":"8 Powerful Things That Will Inspire You"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Nantucket Project: How Storytelling is Getting in The Way of Your Success","description":"The Nantucket Project: How Storytelling is Getting in The Way of Your Success","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/HSYDj99Q/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-17T21:10:40.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HSYDj99Q.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3971696/better-life-inspiration/","duration":"PT17M44S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3971696/better-life-inspiration/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```