How to work towards being the best me? This is a very interesting question that I often ask myself. When there are a million things pulling us apart, it can be difficult to be the best version of yourself all the time.
After some research plus my own experience, the good news is that there are some simple steps you can take today to help make being your best self a reality!
Hi, I'm Joel, a teacher working in Singapore. I make videos on productivity, personal development, and lifestyle hacks. If you love these content, do consider subscribing to the channel so that you don’t miss the videos.
This video is going to show you 10 simple steps you can apply easily in your life and they will have an enormous impact on your mood, energy levels and confidence! These 10 steps can be completed by anyone-no matter what their current situation may be. The best part is, you don’t have to spend any money to become your best self. There are no expensive courses to buy.
Alright I don’t want to waste your time, let's dive into step no 1 right now.
Smile more to other people
I am going to start the list with the easiest step and it doesn’t require a lot of effort. The first step is to smile more to other people.
One of the things that I started to do was smile at people more. It's a simple thing and most people don't think about it, but smiling releases endorphins and can even make you feel happier! Of course I am not referring to the creepy smile that scares people.
Be genuine about your smile. From today onward, start smiling more to the people around you. For example, your colleagues, your boss, the cashier at the supermarket, the barista at your favourite cafe etc. Try it. You will find the world is a much more beautiful place.
2. The second step is to wake up earlier and commit to a morning routine
In the mornings, I used to lie in bed for as long as possible and then rush around at the last minute. That was many years ago. It took a while but eventually I started waking up with more time to spare and taking the time to have a slower morning routine that was less rushed. This allowed me to make my morning experience way more enjoyable and guess what, when you feel less rushed, you can smile more!
3. The next step is to exercise regularly
Exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on various aspects of our lives. It can help you lose weight, improve your mood, lower stress and anxiety levels and make you more energized! The best part is, it's so easy. You just have to make the decision to exercise for at least 30 minutes per day.
In my opinion, working towards being the best me is not about what kind of exercise I do. It is about the consistency to make time to exercise. It doesn't matter what type of activity you do. It can be walking around the estate for 30 minutes, going for a run or just head to the gym for a workout.
All that matters is that you're taking those steps towards being the best you!
4. Next, Eliminate sugar to be more healthy
If you want to be better, get healthier! One of the simple (but not easy) things that I did to be the best me is to eliminate sugar from my diet.
According to WedMD, there are many harmful effects of consuming too much sugar, for example, our mood. The occasional candy or cookie can give you a quick burst of energy (or “sugar high”) by raising your blood sugar levels fast. When your levels drop as your cells absorb the sugar, you may feel jittery and anxious. Something we call the “sugar crash”. But if you’re reaching into the candy jar too often, sugar starts to have an effect on your mood beyond that slump:
Studies have linked a high sugar intake to a greater risk of depression in adults.
Therefore by eating less sugar, you are able to save yourself some health problems and be healthier overall!
5. Get more sleep in order to be the best version of yourself
Sleep is important to our health as it fulfills many bodily needs such as hormonal regulation, cellular cleansing and repair, and tissue maintenance. Sleep deprivation has been shown to lead to an increased risk of heart disease, hypertension, depression related symptoms including fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
In order for us to function optimally daily and be the best version of ourselves, we need adequate sleep which means 8 hours per night on average! So start planning your sleeping time for tonight!
6. Read more books to become better
Reading is one of the best ways to stay up-to-date with the field you are in, learning new knowledge or simply appreciating the beautiful writing of the author. Successful leaders, millionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett spend a big part of their reading.
Reading makes us open to new ideas and building new perspectives. You can easily strike a conversation with someone and share what you have learned from the book you just read! Therefore start a reading habit if you can so that you can become a version of yourself.
7. Spend less time on social media and start sharing your knowledge instead
One way to be the best self you can be is by spending less time on social media (unless your job is a marketer ) and spend more time sharing your knowledge instead.
We have been a consumer for a long time. The whole day we have been consuming material goods, food and even content from social media. I think it is time to start producing. And what I meant is us producing content that can be shared with the community.
We have a lot to offer as a person. Each of us has our unique talent and why not share our knowledge and help the people around us?
Some of the actions that you can take are creating videos, writing blogs or even conduct small classes to teach. Being the best version of ourselves is having the ability to see other people thrive.
8. Be a better listener when someone is talking and give them my full attention
One of the things that you might also want to do is to be a better listener when someone is talking to you. It's really common for people to not listen because they're thinking about what they want to say or figuring out how to respond instead of listening. This can make the person feel like their words are not heard and it's difficult for them to open up. If someone opens up and tells you something personal, then one thing you could do is just be present with them during that time and don't interrupt.
9. Be kind to people and focus on giving without taking
One of the things I did to be the best me was to focus on giving without taking. We are used to hearing this phrase, “Give and take” when we are negotiating over something. I found that it is not sincere at all because we are always thinking of giving and expect people to return something to us. There is often a mismatch of expectations.
To be the best me, I think we should rephrase the term to “Give and don’t take”. Always think of providing value for others and ask for nothing in return. I am sure we will lead a happier life.
10. Spend time to reflect
Generally, we don't think about how important it is to reflect, and it can seem that way because so many people would rather fill their time with anything else but reflecting...
But the short answer is: LIVING LIFE AS FULLY YOU CAN MEANS REFLECTING ON THE POSITIVE STUFF THAT HAPPENS IN LIFE.
We sometimes neither expect nor notice life's "little" things because they're just that - little. But when we really take time to consider those small accomplishments and successes, there's a sense of joy waiting for us. If you want to live your best life ever, make spending time reflecting on these moments become part of everyday life!
I love to spend my Sunday mornings reflecting my past week and take note of the small accomplishments over the week. I will also write what are the things I want to improve in the coming week. So don’t underestimate the power of reflection. Our best version is yet to come.
Wrapping up, I discussed how being the best you is all about taking simple steps. Let me know in the comments section below, which simple step will you be taking starting from today? I hope these simple steps can help you to live a more fulfilling life
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