Become the Best Version of Yourself

 Everyone wants to become the best version of themselves, but few actually do it. We’re our own worst enemies when it comes to achieving success, chasing our dreams, and living a life that’s filled with passion and purpose.

Some of us are self-destructive without realizing it, and others are conscious of the fact, but lack the tools and/or knowledge in order to improve. But no matter who you are, there are 6 main habits that continually get in people’s way of becoming a success.

What Does “Be Your Best Self” Mean?

You’ve finally decided to work on your best self, but what does that term actually mean?

The definition of “best self” is subjective. Your version of your best self may not be the same as your family or close friends. Considering this, do not give in to the temptation of comparing yourself with others. Instead, remember your personal definition of your best self.

Additionally, your “best self” does not need to be the same thing forever. Over time, your definition of your best self will change in all areas of your life so do not be afraid to be flexible.

Generally, your best self means taking control of your life. When you call the shots, you become more empowered to make decisions towards your happiness.

More than that, remember that your best self does not always mean winning. All areas of your life can’t turn out the way you want to. That’s simply not how life works. Instead, it’s about acknowledging that being your best self means showing up to face each challenge.

Even if you ask your most successful close friends, they will tell you that unlocking your best self is not an overnight process. Sometimes, it can take a lifetime. Just brace yourself for the ride, and enjoy the journey.

Finding Motivation to Be Your Best Self

Your motivation involves the reasons you have for wanting to become your best self. If you start your journey towards self-improvement without clearly knowing your motivations, you may lose track of why you’re making an effort to become better in the first place.

How to Become the Best Version of Yourself

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

5. Stop the Fear of Failure

Does failing make you worry about what your close friends think about you? Does failing worry you that people will think you’re stupid and not a competent person? Does failing make you worry about the future and the desired lifestyle you seek? Do you tell people beforehand that you don’t expect to succeed or thrive in order to lower expectations?

Highly successful people, such as Michael Jordan, Richard Branson, and Bill Gates have all failed at some point in their life. Even your close friends have failed. Failure is needed because that’s when valuable insights are learned that can drive you to become highly successful in life.

With the victory of each goal implemented into different areas of your life, 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.