Life is meant to be an adventure. It is meant to be lived FULL OUT, filled with passion, laughter and lots of love. But there is one thing you must understand if you want this for yourself: Nothing will change until you take a risk.

Most of us were taught to shut down our passions when we were young. There are many reasons why. See if you recognize yourself in any of these four rules that I've seen to be key reasons why you might be shut down to living a fulfilled life.

As you give yourself permission to receive, your cup will be so full that you'll want everyone else to feel the way you do. You'll serve others by lifting them up. You'll want to give like never before. Your life will be your greatest act of service.

But when you step back and remember the bigger picture and purpose of life -- love, enjoyment, growth, unity, appreciation, beauty, connection, creativity -- they suddenly lose all significance and you can get back to peace and happiness.

I have some upcoming work deadlines and my head kept ruminating about them. If I'm honest with myself, I was unaware of what my mind was doing. I wasn't paying attention. All I knew was that I didn't feel as if the day was fulfilling my expectations of feeling joyful and relaxed.