What It Means to Be Your Best Self and How to Get There
Every year, when the clock strikes twelve to usher in a new year, people all around the world resolve to work towards being their best selves, whether it’s a more active, healthier version of you, or a more mentally robust approach to challenges in your life. You too, may have made a similar promise to yourself to keep on improving, to achieve the best version of yourself thus far.
But what exactly does it mean to be your best self? More often than not, it actually boils down to just these 10 principles:
1. Making Room for Mistakes
You might think it’s ironic to say that being your best self involves allowing yourself to make mistakes, but it’s true. It would be impossible to reach new heights and conquer new adventures if you’re too afraid to fail or make mistakes.
Being your best self means daring to go out of your comfort zone, putting yourself out there and trying out new things even without any assurance on how it will turn out. As they say, if you never try, you’ll never know. This applies to big things like trying out for a sports team or signing yourself up for a school activity you have never tried before. However, it also applies to smaller things like finally picking up the courage to go over next-door to befriend the new kid on the block. Don’t be afraid to look goofy or to say/do something simply because you’re not sure what the outcome will be, or what other people may think of you. Listening to or giving in to that fear will inevitably get in your way to being your best self.
We always hear people vowing to be their best selves. But what does it really mean to be the very best version of yourself? Well, you can start by doing these 10 things. Share on X2. Considering Yourself As Your Only Competition
Comparing yourself to other people will always be a fool’s errand, because there will always be someone who is better and someone who is less adept than you at something. Instead, look inwards for your best and only competition. The only record you should want to break is a record you yourself have previously set.
In line with this, you have to celebrate wins, no matter how small you think they are. Being your best self means feeling elated when you swim a lap faster than you did last time, even if it’s just a 0.2 second difference. It means being happy with small, steady progress, because that is all you need in order to improve and better your old self.
Except in a formal competition, comparing yourself with others is rather pointless because their goals are not necessarily even similar to yours.
3. Having Purpose
Speaking of goals, everything you do must be in service of your purpose in life. Knowing the why behind doing the things you do will help to keep you on the right track that will lead to the best version of yourself.
For instance, having your eye on getting into a specific college will allow you to curate your goals towards being a good applicant for that school. If you know this college is looking for holistic and worldly applicants, you can work towards getting into a summer camp program or a conference that will allow you to travel before college.
Being purposeful in the things that you do will give meaning to all of your endeavours, in effect pushing you towards a better version of yourself.
4. Giving Your Best Effort in Everything You Do
Keep in mind that when you fall short of a goal or when you lose at something, it doesn’t mean that you have already failed at being your best self. In this regard, what’s important is that you are free of regret. If, after a competition, you find yourself thinking, “Oh, I wasn’t able to give my best performance out there,” or “I might have won if I gave it my all,” then there might be a problem you have to address next time.
However, if your thoughts post-game are closer to “I did my best, but I didn’t win,” or “I gave it my all,” then you can pat yourself on the back and proudly say that you have exemplified your best self. See the difference? It’s really not so much about the winning or the losing, but getting to say you gave it your best effort and that really gets you closer to the best version of yourself ever.
5. Not Spreading Yourself Too Thin
This is good advice that you can carry forward with you even into adulthood. Biting off more than you can chew will make it hard for you to do your best in all of them. For example, if you want to learn how to bake, how to garden, how to swim competitively, and how to dance ballet, try not to do them all at once. You might end up too pressured and too exhausted to perform well in any or all of these pursuits simultaneously.
Keep your focus on just one or two things at a time, this way you can give your all in both things without stressing yourself out too much. Giving yourself plenty of time to rest and refresh your body and mind is also key in being your best self.
The best things in life are reserved for those who do not tire of improving themselves. So here’s how you can become the very best version of yourself. Share on X6. Knowing Your Weaknesses
It’s pretty hard to intentionally improve yourself when you have no idea which parts of yourself need improving. There is power in knowing your weaknesses so you can take the necessary action steps to address them, thus pushing yourself to become better.
For example, you might find yourself struggling with stage fright every time you have to speak in public. Since this is a good life skill to have, you can actually take a class, join an organisation such as Toastmasters or find a public speaking mentor to help you overcome stage fright.
This is also applicable in terms of your attitude and behaviour. It’s very important to have good friends who are not afraid to call you out when you are wrong, because being your best self does not only pertain to achievements and accolades, but to your personality and attitude, too.
7. Developing Good Habits
Success is inevitably linked with having good habits. It doesn’t matter if it’s something as mundane as flossing before you brush your teeth, or dumping your clothes straight in to the hamper rather than leaving them on the floor — you need to do it day after day conscientiously until it becomes a habit that you do out of sheer muscle memory.
So whenever you want to do something good for yourself on a regular basis, like, practicing your instrument everyday or learning at least two new words daily, you have to keep doing it day after day until it becomes part of a routine that you can do in your sleep. If you want to have better habits, good practices must become second nature to you.
Living life bears little excitement and promise if you’re already content with who you are and what you have. So if you are willing to take things to the next level so you can become your best self, here are 10 tips you need to… Share on X8. Staying on Top of Your Health
This is very important. A lot of people tend to neglect their physical and mental health in their quest to chase the best version of themselves. This is not good, because your body is the instrument that will help you achieve great things in life. Being your best self means being able to respond to life’s challenges because you have the physical and mental capability to do so.
It’s never too early to start working out, especially since there are a lot of exercise routines you can do at home without signing up for a gym or without having to buy any equipment.
This also extends to your mental health. Burnout can happen to anyone regardless of age, so you have to protect yourself from it. As mentioned earlier, it’s important to leave some time for rest and recreation even though there are dreams you are trying to chase.
9. Maintaining a Good Attitude
In line with that, being your best self also means having a good attitude and mindset about everything you do. It’s putting a good spin on everything, even though things may be hard sometimes. We can never control what kinds of challenges life throws at us, but we can always control how we react to them.
Keeping a positive outlook means recognizing that there are ways to improve or recover from every setback you might encounter in life. Once you have this mindset nailed down, being your best self would feel more inspiring and adventure-like rather than something that only leaves you pressured.
Growth is uncomfortable and even painful at times, but if you really want to achieve the best version of yourself you can become, these 10 things should be on top of your mind day after day. Share on X10. Being a Positive Force in The World
Finally, when you’re constantly working to achieve your best self, it’s not just you who will notice. Your family, friends, and everyone around you will feel blessed seeing you blossom into the kind of person you were always born to become.
Thus, being your best self also means being a blessing to other people, by virtue of your compassion, kindness, and ability to empower yourself and other people.
Being your best self sounds like a grand quest that you would have to spend your whole life trying to achieve, but in the end it all boils down to these 10 practices. Do these, and you can be anything you want to be. Share on XFinal Thoughts
The best and most exciting thing about wanting to be your best self, is that it’s a lifelong journey. Just when you thought you have reached your peak, you’ll find that there’s always something you can do to push yourself further, and to improve or fine-tune everything that you have become. Growth can be painful and uncomfortable sometimes, but being your best self means keeping at it and being tougher when times get tough.
As long as you remain steadfast in constantly improving yourself and keeping track of your purpose, there won’t be any limits to what you can achieve in this life.
