If I asked you if it were possible to get into the best shape of your life, we could agree that it is. If I asked you if it were possible for you to become smarter than you’ve ever been, I think we could agree that you could work hard, study, learn, and practice more than you ever had. But strangely, learning to be your best self seems so unattainable to many. To some, it even seems impossible.
But it isn’t. It just requires you to work harder and more diligently than you ever have. Is it worth it?
Just ask yourself this: Would you like to be the smartest, best looking, fittest, funniest, best dressed, most compassionate, loving person you’ve ever been? Would you like to be your own definition of the perfect person?
If you answered yes, you’ve taken the first step to becoming your best self.
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The journey is long, the obstacles hard. The plan, though, is simple. Let’s go over the plan in a little more detail.
1. Visualize Your Future Self
Think about your perfect self. What does s/he look like? How does s/he speak, think, eat, and interact with others? What is s/he capable of that you aren’t?
Define your perfect self in adjectives that are measurable and obtainable. For example, you can say, “He is kind and treats everyone with compassion,” or “She is strong and eats healthy food in order to improve her health.”
It’s best if you take the time to write these things down and keep them somewhere where you will be able to see them at least once a week. This will help remind you what you are working toward.
It is also important to prioritize these things in order to be your best self. You may have many things on your list, and that’s great! However, try to choose one at a time to consciously work on.
For example, you can start by trying to eat healthier by replacing junk food with fruit. Once that becomes a habit, you can work on speaking more clearly in meetings with your boss. Take it one step at a time and see how fast you grow as a person.
In order to help yourself visualize your future self, you can also write a letter from the perspective of yourself 10 or 20 years down the road. What do they want to tell you? How do they speak to you and feel about themselves and their life? Doing this will really help you get a feel for the personality you can develop with patience and practice.
2. Tackle Your Goals
It’s a good idea to start with the shortest timed goals. “I will floss every day” will only take about a week or two to perfect, whereas “I will run a marathon” will likely take at least several months.
Get started with the ones you know you can complete quickly in order to build confidence. With each habit you introduce into your newly constructed lifestyle, you will be one step closer to learning how to be your best self.
You will also gain momentum with each goal, which will motivate you towards the next goal. By the time you reach the goals that could take months or even years to implement, you’ll be so full of new skills and motivation that you’ll tackle them with no problem.
You can check out this video to learn how to set goals and grow as a person:
3. Ensure Your Goals Match Your Purpose
Remember that each of your goals should have purpose. You may find that a couple of months (or years) down the line, a certain goal of yours no longer suits your interests or priorities.
Maybe there is no good purpose for having 10% body fat, but instead you find it important to have functional strength and cardiovascular stamina. In this case, you would align your plan to fit your new goals. Instead of focusing on body fat percentage, you would plan workouts that focus on increasing strength and stamina.
Take some time at least once a month to ensure that your goals are still pointing you in the direction of your priorities and life purpose. If they’re not, take some time to alter your vision and your plan.
4. Offer Yourself Unconditional Love
If you want to be your best self and step away from the status quo, you have to offer yourself a level of unconditional love that you likely haven’t experienced before[1]. In order to improve yourself, you must accept where you are today wholeheartedly, without judgement or criticism.
By working from where you are today, you’ll be able to step out of your comfort zone without fear of failure or rejection because you know that your self-love will not waver. If you fall back a step or two, catch yourself, recognize where you went wrong, offer yourself positive, supportive thoughts, and push yourself forward once again.
As you learn how to be your best self, you will also need to be your own best friend in order to feel good and live your life on your terms.
Final Thoughts
With the victory of each goal implemented into your lifestyle, you’ll be one step closer to learning how to be your best self. Each victory will mark a decision you made and a plan that you carried out, work that you did to make yourself better. You’ll feel better about yourself with each victory, and with the learning of each new skill or the discipline of each focus, you’ll find it much easier to move to the next goal.
It’s a long journey to the top of the mountain, but it’s completely obtainable and totally worth the effort. Start climbing today, and you’ll be well on your way before you even start feeling the pain.
More Tips on How to Be Your Best Self
- 25 Best Self Improvement Books to Read No Matter How Old You Are
- 42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself
- How to Be Your Best Self And Get What You Want
Featured photo credit: Courtney Cook via unsplash.com
Reference
| [1] | ^ | Tiny Buddha: Be Good to Yourself: 10 Powerful Ways to Practice Self-Love |
