3 Ways to Bring Your Best Self
Phonies aren’t successful. They might appear successful, but fulfillment requires whole heartedness.
Your best self doesn’t wear a mask.
You never get where you want to go when you leave yourself behind.
Know yourself to bring your best self:
- Notice what energizes you.
- Appreciate your greatest contribution to others.
- Know your core values by heart.
You’re less than your best when you lose yourself to people pleasing.
Emulate others to become your best self:
Plastic fruit isn’t tasty.
Your true self includes emulating others. We all learn from people we admire. Emulation isn’t imitation when you’re genuine.
Expand life by copying positive behaviors you see in others. For example, I love work because my dad loved work. But my work is different from his. I don’t live on a farm and don’t want to.
You might emulate grit, social skills, or speaking techniques, but do it your way. Find personal expressions of practical skills and effective behaviors.
Use a best self exercise:
Research says visualizing your best self has positive impact. Here’s how.
- Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths and clear your mind.
- Visualize yourself 5 years from now living your best life. You have achieved your personal, professional, and social goals.
- Think about the strengths, skills, and qualities you developed to flourish.
- Focus on how it feels to be your best self. What emotions are you feeling?
- Stay in the moment for a minute or two. Enjoy, don’t judge. Let it sink in.
- Open your eyes. Take a few deep breaths.
- Get up and get busy.
Do you think you could try this every morning for a week or two?
Still curious:
How to Show Up as Your Best Self Today (90 second read.)
What does “Choose How You Show Up” Really Mean and Who Cares
How to Bring Your Whole Self to Work
10 Ways to Bring Your Whole Self To Work
Dan, I love the ‘best self’ exercise. I am going to include this in my morning routine. I was listening to a podcast yesterday, addressing social anxiety. It really is about what we are thinking about ourselves. We are already doing a ‘self’ exercise daily. Why not choose deliberately for that to be our BEST self. Thank you for this!
How to Bring Your Best Self has wonderful strategies for all ages . I love the distinction between emuilating and imitating and the awareness that being genuine does mean being your best you. So often we can lose our true selves by trying to be somone we are not. Taking off the mask is scarey at first but it is also freeing. Thanks so much for sharing this Dan. I will post it on Facebook as a reminder to friends and myself too.