×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Battle to be the best

Last Updated 19 January 2018, 17:52 IST

We all struggle to discover the best potential inside us. Many a times, we get lost in the crowd because the opportunities that come our way look like the best option. In this day and age, where we have a pool of jobs in different fields and industries growing at a fast pace, it's important for us to take some time out to think about our best potential. The satisfaction of knowing we are utilising our best set of skills at work and in life provides a great sense of self-confidence and helps  bring down the stress levels. The quality of life becomes better, giving shape to happy families and societies.

Let's learn about techniques that can help us become the best version of ourselves, socially, financially and mentally. The pressure of fitting in can make us adopt a personality that is not entirely ours and over time, it can cause a tremendous amount of stress. So here are ways in which we can carry our own personality in society, without any pressure to fit in.

Take full responsibility

Recognise that the best version of yourself should be your vision, not anybody else's. Don't waste your energy trying to live up to what somebody else wants you to be. Stop putting the responsibility of who you are and who you becoming on external factors. While becoming your best, you must first believe that becoming better is in your control. Take the onus of who you are and own what you've been doing up to this point. Try to be real with yourself and believe that it's your own hard work that got you so far in life. You are in the driver's seat of your life, even when it doesn't feel like it and today, you are moving in a different direction. Once you take 100% responsibility, you will change the direction of your life and take it where you want to be.

Learn

Stop pretending to know things you don't know. You'll never learn anything if you pretend to already know everything. This is one of the most important steps towards greatness, we stop learning once we are out of college. Ask yourself what is that one thing you wish to learn, that would have a positive effect on your life? Is it becoming a better communicator, a writer, a better parent, a better partner etc? Identify that one thing you can learn that will impact your life, work or school. And, work towards learning it.

Create

When was the last time you created something? For example, a blog post, a thank you note, a recent chapter in your book or a new workout routine. Imagine if you got into the habit of creating every day, of convincing yourself that you can create anything you want. You can create the life you want, but you just need to start. What is that one small meaningful thing you can create today? Once your creative energies start rolling, new opportunities will come your way and take you closer to who you want to become.

Take massive action

Stop looking for a secret trick. There is no miraculous shortcut to finding a better version of yourself. What will other people think? What if I fail? How difficult will it really be? Reflecting and analysing is great and can help you make better decisions, but overthinking is deadly. Overthinking kills your courage, creativity and consistency. Move forward. Pay attention. Adjust. Move again. Make sure you spend every day moving just a tiny bit closer to your best. Remember path to success is massive action.

In good company

Do the people around you bring out the best in you? This is a simple question, that can't be avoided. If I were to ask you, "During the hard times, who contributed to the pain, failure and lack of progress?" You could probably give me a list, right? The same holds true for the good times. Great times come from being with great people. Surround yourself with amazing people. If you can't find any, look for them in new places. They're out there, and they're waiting to meet you and believe in you. If you do not find them in person, you can find them in books, videos, podcasts etc.

Stay excited

Are you happy? No, let me rephrase that question... Are you excited about your life? I wish I could tell you that working on yourself and your dreams is easy. Most of the times it's not. Honestly, there will be times when you will feel like quitting. And for a short while, you just might. The idea here is to get excited about what you are doing and remind yourself all the time that you have greatness within you. Stay excited about your work. Know that your best days are ahead of you, irrespective of your age.

Travel & explore

Where have you been lately? It doesn't matter if it's abroad or within your own self. It's time to travel, the need to explore new places, new people, new ways of looking at the world, new perspective on problems and exploring new interests that you didn't even know you had yet. It's difficult for us to know what we want in life, if we haven't explored our life enough to see what's really inside of us. And, what's inside of us only gets mixed up and brought to the surface when we explore, get out of our comfort zone and force ourselves to figure things out. So, the next time you have an opportunity to explore, just go for it.

Enjoy the journey

Becoming a better person, a leader or a success story - takes times. Trust me, there will be days where it feels like you are making no progress at all. There will be times when you are convinced that all this effort is not worth it. That's when you know you're taking everything a little too seriously and you need to have fun again.

Be excited about the problems you have. See them as blessings. Most problems people have, are really, good problems. For example, if you're having a hard time starting your business, think about the amazing and rare opportunity you have to even start one, own one, and get it going. People would kill to have that kind of problem.

Disconnect

There will be times when you need to completely turn off and shut down. Literally, just like your computer. It's amazing how that thing works 10 times better when you restart it. You're the same way. Whether you're working on yourself, a new work routine, rebuilding a broken relationship, changing careers… find time to pause, rest and chill.

Love yourself

Celebrate the small victories, another huge one right here! Loving yourself is huge! It's everything. Just take a second now and say, "I love myself." Breathe. Say it again. See how that feels. None of us are perfect and we will never be. We can't become better people if we are constantly putting ourselves down and injecting shame into our life. Shame is one of the most powerful negative emotions we can feel and will stop us dead in our tracks to growth.

Love others

Think about some people in your life who support you. Have you told them recently how great you think they are. Think about someone who has wronged you, criticised you or talked behind your back. Are you still angry with them? Will you love everyone, of course not. But, it's fair to say that everyone deserves forgiveness and, that loving others makes you feel better, in control and stronger. We have all made mistakes. And, we have all appreciated when someone forgave us so pay it forward.

Take risks

When was the last time you did something that scared you? And, it doesn't have to be skydiving or shark-cage diving. Maybe, it's making a phone call or looking for a new job, taking a class or learning a new skill. Maybe, it's finally putting down the concern of other people's opinions of what you should be doing with your life. Take the risk. You're worth it and you will figure it out, but you need to have faith.

Help others

Pay it forward because doing so will keep you motivated on your own path, and you'll find that the lasting connections you build by helping others will greatly benefit you in moving forward.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 19 January 2018, 07:16 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT