Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Make the most of yourself—for that is all there is of you.” Yes, we all have this innate need to make the most of ourselves, the best of ourselves. According to psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, in their book Self-Determination and Intrinsic Motivation in Human Behavior, people tend to be driven by a need to grow and better themselves.
But how do you develop the best version of yourself? According to Vanessa Edwards of Science of People, it all starts with purpose. Ask yourself why is it truly important to be the best possible version of yourself. Search within yourself. Find your motivation. Whatever reason you have for wanting to create the best version of yourself becomes your foothold, a secure position to hold on to as you embark on the journey of becoming the best you. Also, you will have a better chance at succeeding when you know why you want to better yourself.
The journey to becoming the best you is long and arduous. There will be obstacles and adversities, but they are part of the process and are unavoidable. Being the best version of yourself takes work. You need to put in a lot of effort to get there. Here are five essential steps to jumpstart your journey to the best version of yourself.
- Identify your purpose.
Life is aimless, even pointless, if you don’t have purpose. Peter Diamandis, cofounder of the Xprize and HeroX, has this advice if you are still trying to figure out your purpose: find something you would die for and live for it.
- Embrace your fears.
Asking, “What if I fail?” is good. Fear of failure is the awareness that you might not succeed in your endeavours. This is natural. We need to learn to live with fear because it actually makes us achieve more. Why? Because fear motivates you. It keeps you going, moving you forward toward your goals.
- Challenge yourself.
If you want to be the best version of yourself, you have to step outside your comfort zone and experience new things. When you seek new learning experiences, you discover new aspects of yourself. There is a myriad of resources and capabilities that you can access within yourself, but you will never discover them if you don’t step out of your comfort zone.
- Do the work.
The work of becoming a better version of yourself rests solely on you. Nobody else can do this for you. The effort and the work have to come from you. Understanding and unlocking your potential is your job.
- Live authentically.
Being your best self means being true to yourself. Your best life may be different from someone else’s. What may be right or the best for somebody may not be the same for you. Trying to meet somebody else’s expectations does not help in creating the best version of yourself. Focus on your own needs and goals and do what makes you happy and fulfilled.
It is a not an easy journey to becoming the best version of yourself, but you are definitely worth the effort.
Sources:
Harkness, Brendan. “5 Steps to Becoming the Best Version of Yourself.” Accessed February 5, 2023. https://www.herox.com/blog/735-5-steps-to-becoming-the-best-version-of-yourself.
Hayes, Julian II. “How to Be the Best Version of You and Live Your Best Life.” Accessed February 5, 2023. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/starting-today-stop-these-6-things-become-the-best-version-yourself.html.
Perry, Edwards. “10 Ways to Become Your Best Self.” Last modified July 8, 2022. https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-be-the-best-version-of-yourself.
Van Edwards, Vanessa. “10 Life-Changing Steps to Become the Best Version of Yourself, Science of People. Accessed February 5, 2023. https://www.scienceofpeople.com/best-version-of-yourself/.