Be the Best You Can Be
Most people would like to be the best possible version of themselves. Everyone has a different concept of what makes you the best that you can be. Though this is hard to define, the best version of yourself is the happiest version of yourself. Once you determine who you want to be, address the things that are keeping you from being that person, and invest in improving yourself, you will be acting as your best self.
Contents
Steps
Knowing Who You Want to Be
- Be aware the kind of person you strive to be. Know who you want to be and be that person. Make a list of the most important qualities in your personality. If you find yourself deviating from those qualities, slow down and regain your composure.
- For example, if you want to be a more patient person, come up with a plan to practice patience in stressful times, such as counting to ten.
- Things like meditation, exercise, and spiritual practices can help you recenter yourself on who you want to be.
- Set achievable goals. When your goals are specific and achievable you are more apt to meet them and feel good about it. On the other hand, if you goals are vague and unrealistic you are more likely to get frustrated and forego all of your goals.
- For example, going to the dentist twice a year is a specific and achievable goal. On the other hand, improving your health is too broad and vague.
- Prepare for success. Eliminate things that stress you out and slow you down. Try to be one step ahead instead of one step behind. Being prepared will help you feel less stressed and overwhelmed. Create routines for yourself that promote success.
- Prepare for the next day the night before. Lay out your clothes or pack your lunch.
- Stop procrastinating and get your work done before any deadlines.
- Come prepared to meetings.
- Surround yourself with positive people. Find friends that support you and surround yourself with positivity. Spend less time with friends that are always negative and not productive. Learn from people who are trying to be the best versions of themselves.
- Be a source of positivity for those friends as well.
Making Lifestyle Changes
- Get rid of anything that is unnecessary. If you have too much stuff, get rid of some of it. If you have too many commitments, get rid of some of them. Unnecessary things cloud your thoughts and make it hard to be the best that you can be.
- Declutter your house.
- Streamline your finances by coming up with a filing system or go paperless.
- Limit your commitments outside of work. Choose one or two activities to commit to and do them well.
- Say “no.” Be realistic in what you can accomplish every day and say “no” to things that you don’t have time for or that don’t make you happy. Only put things on your “to-do list” that you will actually do. If you have more to do than you can handle, delegate that work to people who offer to help you.
- For example, if your child’s teacher requests that you direct the school Christmas play but you know that you are especially busy at Christmas time, feel confident saying “no”.
- Take time to self-assess. Keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings to determine how you think and feel throughout the days. After some time read through your journal to find patterns of success and failure.
- Create a plan to minimize the failures in the future.
- Make a plan to achieve your goals. Divide your goals into long-term and short-term goals. Set deadlines for these goals and develop a plan to push you towards achieving them. Consider using a daily planner to allocate the time you need to reach your goals.
Invest in Yourself
- Take care of yourself. Be sure to take care of yourself physically and emotionally. Take control of your health by eating well, getting enough rest, and exercising regularly. Stop ignoring health problems and address them as soon as possible.
- Make and keep regular doctor’s appointments.
- Strive to get eight hours of sleep each night.
- Make time for you. Making time for yourself is not selfish. Do something that you enjoy and do it for yourself. Doing things for yourself can help to re-energize you to accomplish more throughout your day.
- Take a break from work to meditate or take a walk to clear your head.
- Find a hobby, such as writing or knitting.
- Join a club.
- Build strong and healthy friendships. Good friends help you achieve your goals and support you through tough times. Spend less time with friends that bring you down. Healthy friendships consists of friends that accept you for who you are.
- Seek out friends that model the qualities that you want to improve upon.
- Make friends at activities or within organizations that represent issues that you strongly believe in.
- Never stop learning. Learn to do something that you have always wanted to do but you never made the time to do it. Develop a skill to further your career. Becoming stagnant in your career and life is exhausting and demotivating.
- Take an online course.
- Take an in-person class.
- Read a how-to book or article.
- Learn from your friends or family and share your knowledge with them as well.
- be yourself
Tips
- Don’t get discouraged.
- Take time to rest and relax.
- Enjoy your life.
Warnings
- You do not have control over everything in your life. Your day may not always go as planned and that may not be your fault.
Sources and Citations
- http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12940/11-ways-to-become-your-truest-greatest-self.html
- http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/goals-tips.html?ref=search
- ↑ http://tinybuddha.com/blog/be-best-version-you-lot-more-often/
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201210/emotions-are-contagious-choose-your-company-wisely
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-naylor/10-tips-for-being-the-bes_b_189854.html
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbaldoni/2016/10/30/peter-berg-finding-energy-for-yourself/#609d611d6eb3
- http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/how-to-make-friends.htm
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2013/06/24/to-increase-your-value-think-of-yourself-as-a-product-and-upgrade-yourself-every-year/#27c89b616253
