After 20+ years of research on the world’s most successful people, the High Performance Institute discovered that highly accomplished people are very clear about what it means to be their best. Highly accomplished people understand how they want to show up in the world, communicate with others, and take on the qualities needed to succeed. They keep these ideas front and center, so they are sure to live as their best selves every day.
When I work with people as part of my high-performance consulting and success coaching program and through on-site workshops and off-site leadership retreats, I share the concept of gaining clarity on what it means to be your best. I then stress important tools and strategies everyone should use to remind them to live from their best throughout each day.
This may sound obvious at first, but are you doing it? Many people just stumble through life and hope for the best. However, people that live successful lives don’t just hope; they create their best lives with deliberate intent. You may read these ideas and think you understand, but results only come from following through and applying these essential points.
What it Means to “Be Your Best”
Do you know what it means to be your best? Do you have words that describe your best self, how you want to show up in the world, and how you want to communicate with others? What do you need to be like to be successful? Write down words to describe these attributes. Now you have something to work toward. Put this list in obvious places to remind you—even if it means setting labeled alarms on your phone! This is only the first step, though.
If you follow my work or have read my best-selling book, Stressless Success: The Surprising Secrets to a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Prosperity, then you know that the answer to being successful is not just in your head and in knowing what you want. Success doesn’t come from just thinking about words to describe your best self or creating only positive thoughts about yourself and your life situations. The real power comes from feeling what it feels like to be your best and then taking action from that energized state of being. What does success feel like to you? Your feelings generate an energy that emanates from you and affects what happens around you.
Many of us feel we are far from our best. We have negative self-talk and inner conversations that further solidify our limited self-image. Furthermore, our brain filters, developed throughout our lives as we designed these beliefs about ourselves, permit us to only see more reason to confirm those limiting thoughts about ourselves. The beliefs you have about yourself determine how you show up in the world and relate to others, so you can easily see how this affects the level of success you experience in your life.
It is important to note that those limiting, often negative beliefs, disempower you. They create an energy that affects the world around you, and sure enough, you then feel like a victim. You can learn more about this in my book and previous blog post.
How to Overcome “Negative” Self-Talk and Use Those Beliefs to Your Advantage
If you try to fight against this negative self-talk, it only gets worse. Everyone else teaches that you should only “eliminate negative thoughts and beliefs,” but I’m here to tell you the opposite. Your awareness of them is actually helpful, as you only can begin to change and improve through awareness. Uncomfortable feelings are simply your red flags on the side of the road leading to the life you want. The red flags are letting you know that you’re getting off your path. So, they really are a good thing. Now, doesn’t that feel better already?
We live in this uncomfortable gap between where we are now and where we want to be. We often feel that “being our best” is somewhere in the future, and we live in a place of feeling less than our best each day.
We all want to bring forth an ideal version of ourselves. If you could speak encouraging thoughts to yourself that you truly believe and feel, this would all be solved. But, how do you shift the concept you have of yourself?
What if I told you that you already are truly your best self?
What if I told you that you are infinite, and therefore, have infinite possibilities available to you?
Do you know that you have a greater part of you that is eternal? Whatever your beliefs are, you have a soul, a higher self, or an inner being that speaks to you often, wishes you would listen more, and guides you when you are open to it.
Do you know that this eternal part of you lives in ongoing states of peace, love, joy, fulfillment, confidence, excitement, hope, and inspiration?
Acknowledge the Wisdom and Best Self Within You
If the physical part of you is only temporary, and the greater and wiser part of you is eternal and always at its best, you truly are always your best self. All you need to do is remember and tap into who you are at your core. As you do this, you will begin to feel like your best self and live from your best.
This does not mean that you must be perfect all of the time. Your best self is kind, compassionate, and forgiving. Give yourself the grace to laugh at yourself when mistakes are made, and be grateful for the awareness that you’re heading off your path and get back on the road to being your best. Create a harmonious journey to a better life.
You will begin to notice how you are living more from a place of flow and love and how small (and sometimes large!) things begin to happen around you that reflect the true, wonderful version of you. Success will begin to flow to you with ease instead of struggle. And, overall, life will begin to become more fun, uplifting, and enjoyable.
Now that is true success.
To learn more about my teachings and how you can reach this true self within you, check out my blog or connect with me. I look forward to helping you discover your best self that’s been there all along.
Love,
Janet