Do you like the person you are today? Luckily we can change. We can learn from mistakes and invest more time and energy into building a better version of ourselves. We hear remarkable growth stories daily, like stories of violent gangsters who turn their lives around and dedicate their time to helping others.
It is always possible to be the best version of yourself. Your behavior today doesn’t need to be part of your life in the future. If we respect our future selves, we do our utmost to be the best possible version of ourselves today. To give our future selves the best opportunity of excelling.
This article will outline what it looks like to be the best version of yourself and why this matters. It will also suggest 5 ways to help you be the best version of yourself.
Contents
What is the best version of yourself?
In the book The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield, he says, “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us.”
Humans are complex. Although we are driven primarily by our subconscious mind, we can override this and choose how we show up in the world. We can all live our potential.
A few years ago, I found myself at a crossroads. During this time, I became increasingly frustrated and defensive in conversations with loved ones. But the source of my irritability lived within me.
Did I want to be a hostile individual? Absolutely not. I wanted fun, joy, fulfillment, and adventure. I wanted to live my life with my values on my sleeve—the values of kindness and honesty, cheerleading my friends and raising others up.
Is there any disparity between who you are and who you want to be? And I mean who you want to be, not who you believe you should be or who others think you should be.
How do you know what your best version is?
What qualities do you like in yourself? What traits are you proud of? Would you want to be friends with yourself?
When you put the best version of yourself into the world, you invite the same energy back. Kindness begets kindness.
But here’s the thing, being the best version of yourself takes hard work, commitment, and dedication. In fact, according to the author Vanessa Van Edwards, there is an equation to being the best possible version of yourself:
Purpose x courage x control x luck x hard work = the best version of you.
Hard work alone doesn’t cut it. You need to love what you do. To be the best version of yourself, you must find your purpose. And then you need to harness your courage and find the discipline to control yourself. Add in a sprinkling of luck and a mountain of hard work, and there you have it—the equation to the best version of you.
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The benefits of harnessing the best of you
People are complex and multifaceted. While you can strive to be the best version of yourself, you will never be perfect. And this is ok.
A significant aspect of striving to be the best version of yourself is accepting that you are only human. You will get things wrong, and you will make mistakes.
These errors and your self-reflections will help you master being the best version of yourself.
You are more inclined to like yourself when you are the best version of yourself. Your outer self and inner self become more aligned, which improves many areas of your life:
- Confidence.
- Self-esteem.
- Self-efficacy.
- Motivation.
- Productivity.
- Sense of well-being.
- Relationship satisfaction.
Being the best version of yourself genuinely opens up a world of opportunity and possibilities.
5 ways to be the best version of yourself
If being the best version of yourself is all it is cracked up to be, why isn’t everyone working on this? Your guess is as good as mine.
We know it takes passion, heart, dedication, and commitment. It takes opening ourselves up and being vulnerable. We must be in the right frame of mind to carve out the best version of ourselves.
Here are 5 tips to help you create an outstanding sculpture of yourself.
1. Find your authentic self
How can you be the best version of yourself if you don’t even know yourself? It’s time to get to know yourself and find your true authentic self.
Take a moment to consider these points.
- What does your heart yearn for?
- What are your values?
- What are your personal ethics and morals?
- How do you want to be remembered?
- What energizes you?
- Where do you find your flow?
- What situations feel like home?
- What scares you but captivates you?
Give yourself some time to self-reflect. Use this self-reflection to consider past situations and how you responded. Could you have been kinder? Did you respond defensively or from a place of hurt? Historically, have you seized all opportunities that have come your way?
Or have you given in to a fear of failure?
It’s time to step up and honor your authentic self. If you want more tips on how to do this, here’s our article on how to be authentic.
2. Be enthusiastic
One key trait that happy people have in common is enthusiasm.
If you aren’t enthusiastic about your latest hustle, how is anyone else supposed to be? If your hobbies and interests don’t light a spark in the pit of your stomach, maybe you need new past times.
Enthusiasm is contagious. If you don’t have anything you are enthusiastic about, it’s time for a reshuffle. Remember, having a purpose is a vital part of the equation of the best version of yourself.
Yes, life can drag us down, but you create the world around you. You have the right and the ability to be enthusiastic for each day that graces you.
If you struggle to tap into your enthusiasm resources, it’s time to take control of your day. Schedule things each week to look forward to. Could you book tickets for live music on Friday after work, or invite a few friends for a dinner party. Get those enthusiastic juices flowing and watch how it impacts the rest of your life.
3. Deal with your shadow self
We all have a shadow self. According to this article, our shadow self is “one which is made up of all the parts of ourselves we deem unacceptable.”
Self-awareness will help you identify your shadow self. It will include areas where you feel anger, frustration, shame, guilt, and sadness.
These feelings and emotions are perfectly normal, and learning to recognize them is essential. The more self-aware we are, the more we can cast a light on our shadow self to help us understand ourselves and invite self-compassion.
If you are struggling with your shadow self, therapy may help uncover the layers of complexity, leaving you unshackled and free from invisible burdens.
Otherwise, here’s one of our articles that includes tips on how to be more self-aware.
4. Be kind
Kindness is a superpower. And the best thing is everyone can be kind. You can be kind, no matter who you are or your life circumstances.
When you choose kindness and interact with others from a place of kindness, you give yourself a huge advantage in finding the best version of yourself. You become a better person when you show kindness to yourself, others, the planet, and animals.
Being your best version doesn’t take extraordinary power or training. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple act of kindness.
5. Be willing to change
When we start the journey to being the best version of ourselves, we need to be ready for change. Change can be scary and uncomfortable. But feel this fear and do it anyway.
This journey may result in spending less time with people who resist or don’t support your personal mission.
To become a better version of yourself, you must challenge your limiting beliefs and develop a growth mindset.
To find the best version of yourself, you must challenge some things you once knew to be true. Be ready to rip up the old guidebook on who you are and prepare to write a new one.
We can’t grow if we don’t change.
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Wrapping up
Life is what you make of it. No matter your circumstances, you can always choose to be the best version of yourself. It takes courage to change, but you will be rewarded with boosted well-being.
How close are you to being the best version of yourself? What are you planning to do to close the gap? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
