How to apply myself fully?

I loved this idea of a better me sitting next to me at work and pushing me to achieve my potential. For the next week or so, I would think with every move I made—what would better me do?

But even with a nice metaphor like this, keeping up with your better self is not an easy task. It takes hard work and persistence, and it’s easy to just want to revert to your self that hits the snooze button a couple of times and hops over to Pinterest for “just five minutes” in the middle of the workday.

To help you (and myself) out in this quest for continual self-improvement, I’ve come up with a couple of strategies that make staying on track with my better self a little easier.

Sometimes you already know the changes you want to make in your life. But sometimes, it’s not as clear what behaviors are holding you back from your full potential.

The best way to figure it out? Start trying different things. Make a list of productivity tips you’ve read about or friends’ behaviors you’ve been wanting to try, and challenge yourself to do things differently. It doesn’t have to be big things: If you usually get up and check your phone, instead get up and relax for five minutes to start the day fresh. If you usually check your email first thing when you get to the office, instead try spending an hour working on your big task for the day first.

Not every change you make will be one you want to continue, but experimenting like this will start to give you a sense of what’s holding you back and what will help you move toward the better version of you.

Oftentimes when people get excited about improving themselves, they’ll think about all the things they want to do differently and make it a goal to change them all at once. I fall prey to this far too often, too—this week, I’m going to stay organized at work, devote time to side projects, eat healthier, and actually exercise. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happens in this scenario: Monday I’m gung-ho for all of them, but by mid-week I’m back to my old ways.

Changing habits is hard, but it’s nearly impossible when we overwhelm ourselves with too many changes at once. Instead, it’s better to focus on one major change at a time, and give yourself ample time to establish this change as a habit. I find the most effective way to do this is to practice the new habit every day for a month. Even if you aren’t looking for this to be a daily habit in the long run, doing it every day at the start makes it easer to condition the behavior as a regular part of your life. Scott Young explains this well in his article on 99U.

For example, over the summer I was working out approximately never. I wanted to get to the point where I was active three or four days a week, so I made it a goal to work out every day in September. By spending a month focusing on how working out could fit into my life every single day, doing it a few times a week is now a piece of cake.

This could apply to things at work, too. Want to start devoting more time to special projects at work? Devoting even 15 to 30 minutes a day to these projects for a month can help get you there. It may feel like slow progress, but in just a year of doing one thing a month, you’ll be closer to your better self in 12 major ways.

Nothing makes a goal fail faster than not keeping yourself accountable. It’s all well and good to say you’ll wake up half an hour earlier every day, but if you’re not checking in on yourself, you’ll probably start hitting the snooze button again before you know it.

So, set up a regular time to check in with yourself on your goal. Every evening, once a week—whatever cadence you think you need to stay on track. Sit down and think about what you’ve been doing well and where your weaknesses have been, and then come up with action items for how you’re going to overcome them. Better yet, write them down so you can keep up with your progress.

And if you’re still having trouble staying on track, find someone else to help you stay accountable. It could be your roommate, your best friend, or even your boss. For example, I had a goal to start writing more. After sharing it with my boss, we set up regular times during my work week that were blocked out for writing, and she checks in with me at the beginning of each of those times to see what I’m working on that day. She’s even started joining me in this writing time—meaning we’re both making progress towards our better selves.

All of this is not to say that you should be constantly self-critiquing and never be happy with where you are in your development. But when you do find ways you can change your habits to make your life a little easier? These strategies will do wonders.

• Don't delay. Thinking about running that marathon? .
• Prioritize what matters to you — not others.
• Don't sweat the small stuff.
• Accept help from others.
• Take a break from social media.
• Celebrate small victories.
• Exercise daily.
• Speak up for yourself.

Do you feel stuck in a rut?

It can feel frustrating to be stuck in the same place and feel like nothing is changing. When you’re languishing, it feels like you’re not moving forward toward your goals.  One of the ways to break this rut is to take action. Making a conscious decision to better yourself can be empowering and motivating.

But self-improvement sometimes gets a bad rap, and for good reason. Our desire to improve ourselves has spawned an industry full of bad hacks that can leave you feeling more frustrated than before. Or, that feel good but don't move you forward.

Working to improve yourself can positively impact your own well-being and your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. Let’s explore 15 things you can try that will move you forward — get involved in your own well-being and learn how to work on yourself.

For some people, the idea of improving yourself is motivating. For others, it can be more helpful to think about it as growth. Growth is positive and not always a straight line.

Improving yourself is a very personal journey, and the specifics can change from person to person. It requires putting in the work and being willing to experience discomfort.

Change is uncomfortable. Growth requires stretching past what you know. But every step you take is part of the process toward becoming the best version of yourself.

Behavior change can be a long process, but it doesn’t have to be grueling. In his talk, Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about the power of improving just 1% every day. Improving yourself can be a series of small habit changes, like taking five minutes in your day to be more mindful. Or it can be a more involved process, like overcoming fears.

However, bettering yourself doesn’t mean changing the core of who you are. For example, if you’re an introvert, you shouldn’t aim to become an extrovert.

On the other hand, if you have social anxiety, you can practice learning techniques to get past your discomfort. Eventually you may fully conquer your social anxiety so that you can navigate social settings with more ease.

There are several reasons to keep working on yourself.

Every time you improve in one aspect of your life, you can feel more fulfilled as you start achieving your goals. And bettering yourself can help you in every aspect of life.

For instance, bettering yourself at work can help you improve your work performance, find more meaning in your work, and even get promoted.

Bettering yourself can also help you improve your personal relationships, improve your ability to set boundaries, and form closer bonds with the ones you love. Acting to improve yourself is a form of self-care, and if you look after yourself better, you’re more likely to have more to give to others.

Plus, you can develop improvement goals alongside your loved ones. Having their support improves your chances of success, and working together to achieve similar goals can help you bring you closer.

Finally, learning how to improve yourself is a valuable capability to have in a world where you must constantly adapt. Knowing that you have the capacity for change can make you more confident about the future and less afraid of discomfort.

You've been there before. You already have a history of successfully growing and improving yourself — you can do it again.

Want to learn how to improve yourself and feel better? Here are 15 tips you can implement in your life right away to become your best self.

Before you learn how to be better, it’s important to start with the basics. You need to have your basic needs met before you move on to self-improvement. Part of that is to make time for rest and self-care.

There are many different types of rest. Are there moments in your schedule where you have the opportunity to do nothing and take a break? Those quiet moments of rest can help you decompress and process what happened in your day.

That’s why making time for rest can do wonders for your well-being. Plus, when you’re well-rested, you’ll have more bandwidth to work on the other ways you can better yourself.

There are books on virtually everything. So, reading more books can help you explore your current interests, but also develop new ones. You can even learn a new skill with a book.

Some books are written specifically to help you start working on self-improvement and personal growth. You can also read to improve your leadership skills.

But even getting deeply engrossed in a fiction novel can do wonders for you. The bottom line is that whatever passions you may have (or be curious about), carve out some time to read about them.

One way to learn how to be a better person is by being grateful for what you have.

Practicing gratitude for your current situation can help you avoid feeling bitter about what you don’t have.

You don’t have to feel grateful about huge things, either. Try to notice the small things that make you happy and make you feel grateful.

You can fine-tune your gratitude practice over time. With practice, it gets easier to naturally think of what you’re grateful for. This new perception can change your life for the better.

It’s never too late to learn a new language. Learning how to speak another language helps you think differently and see things around you in a new light. It can also open up doors for you.

You’ll get to immerse yourself in another culture as you learn how another language operates differently from English. Plus, you can travel to places where people speak the language you’re learning.

Learning a second language can do more than help you out during your travels abroad. It can even help you with your career opportunities.

More and more employers in the US are looking for bilingual talent. Currently, surveys show that US employers are struggling to find enough employees who speak languages other than English.

56% of employers report that their needs for foreign languages in the workplace have increased over the past five years. And 1/3 of employers currently don’t meet those needs with their current workforce.

Some of the languages that are high in demand include Spanish, Chinese, and French.

Meditation provides you with a great way to slow down in a fast-paced world. Even just a few minutes a day of meditation can help you better yourself and improve your mental health.

A recent study has shown that meditation can improve anxiety, depression, and pain scores, especially during times of crisis.

You’ll also become more aware of your thought patterns. This mindfulness means you can learn more about yourself over time. It can help you spot bad habits that are making a negative impact on your mood and your life.

Meditation can also help you practice mindful breathing and improve your self-awareness.

Journaling is a great way to complement your meditation and gratitude practices. It also makes a great new hobby.

You can write about the things you’re grateful for in your journal. You can also practice how to become more aware of your own thoughts.

Plus, research shows that journaling can improve your well-being and reduce mental distress. The same research shows that participants had increased their resilience after the first two months of continuous journaling.

When you start writing in your journal, do your best not to censor yourself. Write what comes to mind, and don’t judge what comes out.

It’s easier to live your best life when you feel energized and well-fueled. What you eat has a huge influence on how you feel.

Start watching what you put in your body. Eat a variety of different foods in different colors across all food groups.

Try to eat fresh foods whenever you can. If you don’t have time to cook healthy meals at home, look for other alternatives, like meal kit subscriptions or healthy catering services.

While nutrition plays a huge part in how you feel, movement and exercise also have a role to play.

There’s a variety of ways to start moving more. For instance, you can start a new sport and even have a friend join you to spend quality time with them.

If you’re not interested in picking up a sport or joining a gym, you can still find other ways to add movement to your life. For example, you can start taking daily walks.

You can also start an exercise routine from the comfort of your own home. Many free workout routines are available online, which means there’s always something new for you to do if you get bored.

Kindness is one of the best ways to become a better you.

First, it’s free. It doesn’t require much effort to be kind instead of indifferent or unkind.

Second, it can help you feel much better about yourself.

Third, it can improve other people’s lives as well. Showing kindness requires you to become more aware of those around you. By doing so, you’ll notice more of what people need, even when they don’t say it.

For example, you may notice a work colleague is struggling with something you can help with. Or you may see a stranger struggling to open a door with a baby stroller.

Make it a goal to do one random act of kindness every day. If you’ve started journaling, note how it made you feel and how the other person reacted.

If you work in an office (and even if you work remotely), chances are you don’t get to spend a lot of time outside during the day.

Find opportunities in your schedule to spend more time outdoors. If you have access to areas of nature, consider spending time there.

A recent study shows that even a short 15-minute walk in the forest can decrease negative moods like anxiety, fatigue, anger, and depression. In the study, forest walks were more effective than city walks.

They were also more effective in participants who had higher anxiety levels.

With the right clothing, you can take advantage of the outdoors even when the weather isn’t perfect. Consider saving some money to invest in robust outdoor clothing that can protect you in any weather.

If you take up an outdoor activity, make sure you’re well equipped for it. For example, make sure you have good hiking shoes if you begin hiking.

If you want to better yourself over time, it’s important to start setting goals.

When you write down specific goals, you can start tracking your progress over time. This is another thing you can journal about.

For example, you can set a goal to walk every day for 30 minutes by the end of the year. You can work up to your goal incrementally.

For instance, if you currently take no walks, you can start with short 10-minute walks three times a week. Every week, you can increase the length of your walks.

And every few weeks, you can add a new walk to your schedule until you reach your daily walking goal.

Fear of failure can stop you from taking steps forward to achieve your goals and working on your self-development.

To better yourself, it’s important to find ways to do the difficult things, even when fear is holding you back. That’s why it’s important to work on your fear of failure and ease out of your comfort zone.

To improve this fear, you can start with small things and work your way up to bigger fears. This means you don’t have to start by conquering your fear of public speaking by signing up to give a seminar at work.

Instead, you can work up to that in small increments.

For example, practice public speaking in a private setting to people close to you whom you trust, like your family or spouse.

Over time, you can start practicing in front of more and more people. Every time you speak in front of someone new, you’ll prove to yourself that you can conquer your fear of failure.

Remember that failure will still happen, and that’s okay. Resist the urge to beat yourself up when you fail. Embrace the failure and see it as a necessary stepping stone toward reaching your goals.

Are you noticing that spending too much time scrolling through social media is sapping away at your good mood?

Have you found that spending too much time around negative people chips away at your energy?

Try to notice what fulfills you and what drains you throughout the day. Some activities that drain you may be unavoidable, like updating your budget or grocery shopping.

But there are other factors that you have much more control over.

For example, try deleting social media apps on your phone if you find yourself in a sour mood after too much scrolling. Or try to limit how much time you spend with people who are constantly negative around you.

It can be easy to say yes to everyone and everything, even when you don’t feel comfortable. This can be true at work and in your personal life.

Some family members invite you to their home the day you set aside for you-time? You’re allowed to say no and keep that day to yourself.

Your manager asks you to take a look at something while you’re on vacation? You can also choose to say no.

Inner work happens when you explore your inner experiences.

It involves all of the processes, values, and mental models that you use to navigate the world. Some examples include decision-making, spiritual wellness, and self-awareness.

Inner work can be even more effective when you combine it with support from a coach and trusted inner circle who can help you reflect and take action.

One of the best ways to grow and improve is to get support. By working with a coach, you get someone who can help you see yourself more clearly and who is there to help you succeed. You deserve to have someone in your corner.

Coaches at BetterUp know how to help you unlock your personal and professional growth. They can also help you develop the practice of inner work so that you never stop growing.

A coach can give you a new perspective on self-improvement that you wouldn’t have on your own.

They can also help you with other specific aspects of improvement that can help you thrive in life, like improving your diet and increasing your resilience.

Perhaps you want to learn new things, replace bad habits, become more productive, find emotional balance, or improve your relationships?

Whatever it is, we’ve put together this guide to help. It features 20 practical self-improvement ideas that you can use to develop yourself.

But remember, developing yourself takes time and dedication, so be kind to yourself.

It’s not easy to rewire our habits, change our perceptions, and learn new things. We also need to find the courage to step into the emotional discomfort that arises when we move beyond our comfort zones.

So, don’t do too much at once, and focus on the long haul.

Aim for daily, sustainable, small wins that add up over time. As the Microsoft founder Bill Gates once said, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

Okay, let’s get into it.

First, let’s explore some self-development activities that you can use to learn new skills. Because, as the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”

Taking an online course is a great way to learn new skills, expand your mindset, and improve yourself.

Whether you want to learn digital marketing, photography, or programming, there are so many amazing free online courses.

For example, you could learn how to start an online business with Shopify Compass, or check out online course platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and edX.

Learning a new language is a great way to work on yourself, explore a different culture, and change your way of looking at the world. Plus, learning a new language can open up new travel possibilities and introduce you to many new potential friends.

If that’s not enough, you’ll also get the perfect opportunity to practice valuable life skills, such as patience, perseverance, dedication, and hard work.

To get started, check out some free online language courses on Duolingo, edX, and Alison.

Just like languages, music can open you up to a whole new world. Learning an instrument can be a fantastic way to join a dedicated community, find a healthy method of emotional expression, and develop a life-long passion.

So, if you’ve always wanted to play a musical instrument, there’s no time like the present! Plus, there are tons of free tutorials online to get you started. Head over to YouTube to search for free lessons.

Starting a business can provide many of the same benefits of learning a language or instrument. However, there’s a bonus benefit: you can also make money.

There are many different types of businesses you can start such as freelancing, consulting, and teaching online. However, if you’re new to business, consider dropshipping. This business model allows you to start selling products online without any upfront investment.

You can get started for free in less than 30 minutes!

It’s vital to motivate yourself, but as the entrepreneur and speaker, Jim Rohn said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” So, let’s explore some ways to better yourself through your habits.

Do you wish you spent less time on social media, YouTube, or Netflix? Reading is a great alternative.

Many of the most successful people in the world value reading as a way to improve themselves every day. For example, Bill Gates reads a whopping 50 books a year – that’s almost one per week.

Not sure what to read? No problem. We’ve put together a guide on the top 40 must-read books of all time!

There’s a reason why successful people exercise regularly. It boosts our immune systems, gives us more energy, and can regulate our hormones and emotions, which helps us stay focused and motivated..

If you want to begin exercising regularly, consider downloading an exercise app, working out with a friend, or setting a daily goal, no matter how small.

With so many unhealthy options out there, it can be challenging to eat healthily.

However, our diets have a massive impact on our happiness, wellbeing, and success. What we consume can heal us or hurt us.

There’s an Indian ayurveda proverb that says, “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”

When trying to change a bad habit, start small, and focus on consistency. For example, you could start by eating at least three types of fresh fruit and vegetables every day.

The saying, “you are what you eat,” also applies to everything we consume, such as the things we listen to and watch.

Every podcast, movie, and social media post that we consume impacts our mental and emotional states.

In fact, a new study has proven that social media causes negative effects on wellbeing, and increases feelings of depression and loneliness.

Eek.

Consider your media habits. Is there anything that you regularly consume that could be harming your mental or emotional health?

One of the best ways to improve yourself is to change what you listen to and watch. So, switch it up and check out some motivational podcasts or watch inspiring and educational TV.

These days, there’s so much to do: Work, study, read books, watch TV, listen to podcasts, catch up on social media, message friends, run errands, clean, travel, shop, cook, exercise…

It never stops, right?

What’s more, it’s common to feel like some types of “doing” are “resting,” and others are “work.” For example, work, studying, and cleaning is “work.” And travel, social media, and messaging friends is “rest.”

Except, travel, social media, and messaging friends are also tiring!

Here’s the thing: Sometimes, we just need to do nothing – literally, “no-thing.” The writer and meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein wrote, “Don’t just do something, sit there!”

So, try to sit quietly, watch the sunset, and spend time in nature with your wonderful self.

Just be.

This can feel incredibly uncomfortable at first. However, learning to be with yourself without distractions is an essential part of meaningful self-development.

Focus is that skill that allows you to direct your attention wherever you truly want it to go, without being distracted by uncomfortable emotions, outside stimulation, or bad habits.

As a result, increasing your focus is a vital aspect of personal improvement. So, here are some self-development tips that can help you to increase your focus.

According to some reputable scientific studies, meditation can help to:

Sold? Awesome!

There are countless meditation teachers out there, such as Tara Brach and Joseph Goldstein. You could also check out meditation apps, such as Headspace.

French writer and pioneering aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

In other words, turn your wishes into goals by creating a plan and scheduling time to work on them. To-do list apps can help.

Journaling provides many health benefits. Research shows that expressing your thoughts and feelings in this way can:

It’s also a great way to stay focused on your goals and increase your feelings of gratitude and happiness. Give journaling a try, or consider a product like The 5-Minute Journal.

The software engineer Matt Cutts said, “If you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.”

In his Ted-Ed talk, “Try Something New for 30 Days,” Cutts shared the benefits of doing something for 30 days in a row. He said that time was more memorable, and his self-confidence grew.

So, is there something you’ve always wanted to learn or do?

Whether it’s starting a business, writing a novel, or exercising every day for 30 days, give it a go. The results may surprise you.

If you want to improve yourself, you need to pay attention to your emotions.

The author and science journalist Daniel Goleman said, “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.”

Here are some self-improvement tips to help you work on your emotions.

Everyone fears failure to some degree. But as the Businessman George Addair once said, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”

If you want to improve yourself, consider working on overcoming the fear of failure.

To get started, try Noah Kagan’s coffee challenge. This entrepreneur suggests that you walk into a coffee shop and ask for 10% off – for no reason – then wait for a reaction.

Kagan says, “If you go ahead and ask for 10% off coffee, I guarantee  that you will learn something about yourself that will surprise you.”

Our emotions can often overwhelm us and make us behave in ways we’d rather not. That’s why learning to observe your emotions and managing your behavior is a vital part of improving yourself.

Doc Lew Childre, an author and the founder of the Heartmath Institute, said, “Learning to ‘just say no’ to emotional reactions isn’t repression. Saying ‘no’ means not engaging the frustration, anger, judgment, or blame. Without engagement, you won’t have anything to repress.”

Try sitting for a few minutes each day and just observe how you feel. You could be surprised by what you discover.

Chris Martin, the singer-songwriter and frontman of the band Coldplay, said, “You’ve got to express yourself in life, and it’s better out than in. What you reveal, you heal.”

How can you express yourself in a healthy way? There are so many ways to express your emotions, such as art, music, writing, and sports. Start developing a healthy outlet.

Let’s face it: Everybody struggles with their emotions sometimes.

And these days, it’s very common for people to work with a therapist to improve themselves. Many successful, respected people like J.K. Rowling, Emma Stone, and Michael Phelps all promote therapy’s benefits.

Working with a licensed therapist is one of the best ways to improve yourself. These trained professionals can provide guidance and support when it comes to navigating your emotions.

Check out online therapy services like Talk Space, 7 Cups, and Better Help.

The state of our relationships has a huge impact on the condition of our lives. So, here are some self-improvement tips to help you enjoy improving yourself through your relationships.

What relationship habits could you improve? Perhaps you could spend more time with people you care about or listen to them more than you speak?

The journalist Doug Larson once said, “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have rather talked.”

Once you’ve identified a way to improve your relationship skills, start practicing.

One of the best ways to improve yourself is to meet new people.

Not only will this give you a chance to practice your social skills, but you’ll also be exposed to new ways of looking at the world. As the entrepreneur and speaker Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Find ways to meet new people that are likely to lift you up and inspire you. For example, if you want to improve your fitness, consider joining a local gym class or yoga studio.

Another great way to work on yourself is to set boundaries in your relationships. Our boundaries (or lack of boundaries) shape our relationships – and as a result, our lives.

The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins said, “Your personal boundaries protect the inner core of your identity and your right to choices.”

Is there something someone always does that you wish they didn’t? How could you compassionately deal with this issue?

“When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated,” said author and psychologist, Brené Brown. “This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.”

Personal improvement is an ongoing process that can help you to create more joy, happiness, and contentment in your life.

If you’re looking for things to do to improve yourself, here are 20 practical self-development tips:

Do you have any personal improvement suggestions? Let us know in the comments below!

It amazes me how many employees don’t fully apply themselves in their work.  I am not suggesting that employees don’t care; they just aren’t mindful enough nor have they been taught how to best apply their strengths, natural skills and characteristics.  Many times this results from not having been properly trained, not being made aware of their unique aptitudes, or because their leader or organization doesn’t know how to best utilize them.  As such, there are many employees that spend their entire careers in search of the right workplace environment, the exemplary supervisor, or that one defining moment that enables them to discover their full potential.

There is no question that when employees decide to fully apply themselves, their workplace productivity, results and overall performance increase.  However, there are many other things that begin to take shape.    Not only does an employee’s confidence, competitiveness and engagement increase, but they begin to understand the depth and breadth of their role and responsibilities; more than that, they discover where they best fit in.   It’s as if suddenly, things begin to come into focus and they stop paying attention to the colleagues that used to intimidate them and hold them back – the leeches and the loafers.  Fears of the past are now tackled head-on.

Don’t waste time in your career by failing to contribute at your highest levels. Here are eight unexpected things that happen when you begin to fully apply yourself at work:

1.  Discover New Skills

When you fully apply yourself at work you begin to realize that you can do more than you ever thought possible.  You discover skills that you may have never used before or even recognized.   You never know what you are capable of until you start doing it.    This is why you must always have a strategy for change.  You must trust yourself enough to take the calculated risks that you’ve been hesitant to take in the past.  Stop focusing on  being what others want you to be;  when you have faith in yourself and listen to your gut,  there’s no telling what skills you are capable of unleashing .

When you keep moving forward – regardless of the outcomes -- you begin to discover more about yourself and your aptitudes; this is how you make work enjoyable again and free yourself from the burden of growing complacent.

2.  See Opportunities More Clearly

When you put everything you’ve got into your work, you begin to see opportunities previously unseen by creating an elevated awareness of your surroundings.  As you see and understand the dynamics of the workplace more clearly, the cloud that has been cast over you will no longer hold you back, pull you down or distract your thinking.  When it’s no longer there, you can begin to develop greater attention to detail and strategic focus.

3.  Learn to Navigate the Workplace

I’m often asked how to anticipate workplace dynamics. My usual response is that you must be active enough in your work to know the players, personalities and politics in order to understand the real expectations for the corporate environment you serve.  In order words, if you are not actively participating in the game, you’ll never understand how to play the game.

You must stop hesitating and start activating .

Practice makes perfect and when you fully apply yourself to your work, you begin to connect the dots and learn how to navigate the workplace to get things done.  Over time, your entrepreneurial attitude takes root and your influence begins to grow.

4.  Resources Become Abundant

The more you do, the more you learn.   The more risks you take, the more the fear of uncertainty begins to wane.  When you see things more clearly, you begin to understand what resources are required for you to do your job more effectively and contribute more abundantly.

When employees don’t know how to manage resources – their relationships, tools, intelligence, teams, etc. – it’s difficult to get the job done.  When you fully apply yourself, you begin to realize that your success and your ability to sustain the momentum that you create depends on your ability to find the right resources and manage them well.   Recognizing that resource management is a critical success factor, you become more mindful of identifying the right resources, perhaps  even collecting a playbook of the resources required to  fulfill your designated responsibilities and produce the desired outcomes.

5.  Network Grows; Relevancy Rises

As your performance improves, relationships elevate.   You unexpectedly begin to attract the interest of more colleagues (especially those that never gravitated towards you before).   You begin to matter more to the organization that you serve, people want to become associated with you and your relevancy rises.

As you become more important to your team and your organization, you begin to realize the importance of applying yourself even more as responsibilities and expectations increase and you rise to the occasion.

6.  Value Yourself

As you fully apply yourself at work, your ability to influence growth and innovation heightens.  If you remain consistent, you begin to see more opportunities and the impact you are creating; over time your confidence grows and you truly begin to value yourself more than ever before.  You begin to notice your ability to influence outcomes both directly (as you lead an assignment) and indirectly (as part of a team).  The positive attitude that you bring to work becomes infectious and inspires those around you.

When you begin to value yourself, you start to trust yourself more – and soon realize the return on investment from utilizing the skill-sets and capabilities that you weren’t using before you learned to fully apply yourself.

7.  Learn to Reinvent Yourself

Your new understanding of what happens when you fully apply yourself gives you the insight, wisdom and courage to continually test your ideas and ideals.     You’ll never know what it means to discover your full potential until you trust yourself enough to put your true talent to the test.

Sustaining workplace momentum requires the continuous renewal and reinvention of your skill-sets and capabilities.   Now that you see the rewards associated with delivering your full talent at work, your eyes are opened to the value of investing in yourself more intently and continually introducing new aptitudes, roles and responsibilities.

8.  Build A Reputation

The first seven things have now elevated the expectation of who you are and what you represent as an employee.   You must now continue to step-up your game because your colleagues expect more from you as your reputation rises.

What took you time to discover can be lost in a moment’s notice if you don’t continue to deliver upon it consistently.   Your responsibility is not only to build upon the momentum you created, but to elevate your reputation by serving as a role model and mentor to others.   Your reputation management platform must be viewed as a portfolio of assets that you now have the confidence to fully build upon each day.  You must now be more accountable than ever to assure that the value of those assets grows and that you continue to diversify your portfolio as you elevate your reputation not only for yourself – but for the betterment of the organization and the people you serve.

Fully applying yourself at work is reward in itself, but as you can see there are many perks as well. You will discover skills you never knew you had, realize the value of the unique aptitudes you do possess, and learn how and where you best fit in – all while making work fun again.

In 1885, a monk set out to run a 1,000 day marathon. Specifically he and his fellow monks ran 40 kilometers a day for 100 days. Yes, you read that right. 40 kilometers per day! They did this for 5 years. They are called the Gyoja, or marathon monks. And these monks do the impossible.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. During the 5th year of the 1,000 day marathon, they have to go 7.5 days without food, water or rest.

From 1885 to 1988 only 46 men have completed the 1,000 day marathon.

These monks dare to do the impossible. They know how to be the best versions of themselves. They dare to push themselves to the extreme. They dare to be the best.

I hope you answered yes. In fact, if you didn’t answer with a resounding yes and a mental fist pump…

Then maybe you need more confidence….and I am happy to help.

Here’s a BIG truth: People who are the best have the confidence to want to become the best in the first place. So if you don’t have that confidence, maybe you’ve been told a lie that we’ve been told over and over again.

Here’s the lie: hard work is all it takes to become the best.

We’ve been sold the lie countless times through movies, books, and even by our parents. We’ve been told to put our heads down, to focus on our work. And then, after years of toiling, the magic starts to happen. Only after hard work can we feel good about ourselves. But here’s the big problem:

When we work hard at something, all that happens is we get good at doing that thing. So if you’re counting pennies as a cashier at Walmart, you’ll be good at… counting pennies. And hey, you might even become the best at it.

But is it the best version of yourself?

Here’s the dilemma: If people don’t LOVE what they are doing, they will become the best at what they HATE.

This was me. In college I studied foreign languages because I was told I was good at them. I didn’t really have a passion for language but I was adept at learning them quickly. Then, 4 years into school I realized I hated every single one of my classes. I wished to take more psychology, sociology, and writing classes.

If you don’t love what you are doing and are satisfied with living a life of mediocrity, then here’s my advice to you:

But if you are unsatisfied and want to become better… there’s hope. I know there’s hope because I’m living proof of it.

It wasn’t so long ago that I was voted most awkward in my graduating class.

But here I am today, having done all of that. I proved them wrong because I took the first steps to being my best.

In the book, Elite Minds, Dr. Stan Beecham dives into how great minds think differently.

This is the Big Idea:

Here’s a simple equation to become your best:

The Best Version of You = Purpose x Courage x Control x Luck x Hard Work

To become your absolute best, you must gain control of each of these variables (we’ll talk about them below). But first…

WARNING: If at anytime while reading this post you say to yourself the following:

“I’ve heard this before.”

OR

“This won’t work for me.”

Then it’s time to go back to square one. Are you sure you really want to be the best? Experts hear these thoughts and flip them off. They reframe with these mental challenges:

And if you’re struggling with reframing, you might want to start at the goals you’re setting for yourself. Setting the right goals can give you confidence and help you feel achievement:

Here are 10 steps to teach you how to be the best:

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Have you ever watched the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi? In this film, an 85-year old named Jiro Ono is considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef.

Check out a clip here, where you can see the perfect craftsmanship of Jiro himself:

The sushi that Mr. Ono creates is so good that famous people from all over the world fly in to enjoy their $300 sushi dinner—often booked several months in advance.

Barack Obama even stated, “I was born in Hawaii and ate a lot of sushi, but this was the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life.”

So how did Jiro become the best sushi chef? He had one simple mission: to pursue his lifelong quest to create the perfect piece of sushi. For Jiro, it was as simple as that. He didn’t aspire to have a chain of restaurants or create the largest sushi mall in the world. Just one perfect piece of sushi.

So here’s the simple secret of all experts in their field:

How?!

Let’s dive into how you can begin to find your purpose. Think of what you are putting most of your effort into right now. For most people, that thing is their job. In fact, we spend an average of over 13 years of our life working. So, say after… 5, 10, 15 years of doing your job over and over again, you finally become the BEST at what you’re doing.

Ask yourself: would you be satisfied? Is that the absolute best version of yourself?

Now, I’m not saying you need to quit your job to become a painter or astronaut. No, sometimes our job is not our purpose. Sometimes we just need to put bread on the table.

But what I am saying is that instead of hard work, sometimes we need to step outside the box.

Think: what do you want to become the best at? Being the best doesn’t have to be about fame or power.

Be the best parent.

Be the best employee.

Be the best leader.

Be the best lover.

Don’t just be.

Be the best.

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

Think about your goal. What is it that you truly want to be the best at? Write it down: ________________________

If you’re having trouble thinking of what you’re good at, there’s a nifty exercise that you might find helpful —that can be taken in just a few minutes—in my article on how to find your calling.

Or, you can watch my video below!

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The next step is to realize you might not make it. Yup, really.

Fear of failure is common for those who want to be the best version of themselves. And that’s a good thing. Asking…

Studies even suggest that roughly 75% of entrepreneurial ventures fail within 10 years. So does that mean you should just give up? Quite the opposite, really. The people at the top are the ones that take fear and learn to live with that fear.

In fact, being a little fearful can actually make you achieve your goals more. That’s why Dr. Beecham suggests that we should have dreams that we think have only a 60% chance of success—not 100%.

That other 40%? The 40% that says, “If I fail, then everything I ever worked for will be for nothing?” That fear is the exact thing you need to really get you going.

Here’s the thing: fear gets your full attention. When you are running from a pack of wild dogs, you will be 100% present in the moment.

And goals that are not frightening are not worth having. Think about your goals and dreams. Are they big enough? What are the chances you will achieve them? Do you have the emotional intelligence required to embrace fear and move forward?

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

If you need to, you can dive into some scientific ways to learn how to set goals, and set them so that the chance of you succeeding is only 60%.

And have you ever heard the phrase “fear is the killer of success”? True, too much fear can stop you from succeeding. But they forgot to mention one important thing:

Fear is the killer of success… but mind wandering is the killer of dreams.

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Now I spend a couple hours a week tending to my garden. In fact, I just planted pomegranate, fig, and mandarin orange trees with my husband!

But some people may dread having to get dirty and plant seeds—not to mention all the watering, mulching, and composting it takes. But to me, gardening is a time where I am relaxed and focused 100%.

And that’s great, considering a study of 2,250 people found that we are mentally checked-out almost half of our conscious time. According to the study by Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, 46.9% of the time we are not focused on the outside world or what we are doing.

Instead, we are spending our time looking into our own thoughts. This phenomenon is known as mind wandering.

Mind wandering is why some people’s “counting pennies” can be hell on earth, while for others this can be the next best thing to sliced cheese. When we mind wander, we aimlessly pursue our goals and fail to question exactly how far we are going or what is stopping us from becoming our best selves.

And here’s the most surprising part about mind wandering: people are not happy when they are mind wandering.

That means that for almost half the time you are conscious, you are also unhappy. Think about that for a moment.

When we mind wander, we live our life on autopilot and set our goals based on what others have already achieved. We think:

Ask yourself: what have you been told is not possible about your dreams? And more importantly…

What have you accepted as something you cannot accomplish?

Think about it this way: have you ever heard the story of the elephant and the rope?

Here’s the gist of the story:

If you accept your circumstances as they are, you are the elephant tied to the rope. More than anything else, learning your accepted beliefs is a great opportunity to “reinvent” yourself (we’ll talk about how to change your beliefs in the next step).

Beecham even says that being conscious is one of the most important differentiators between top performers and stragglers:

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

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On May 1st, 2010 an athlete named Galen Rupp announced he was poised to break the American Record for fastest man during the 10,000 meter race.

Not only did he break the record that night… but his competitor, Chris Solinsky, also broke the record. If that wasn’t enough, a man named Simon Bairu broke yet another record that night—the Canadian record!

So why did all of these men break records and set their personal bests… all on one night?

Because the moment Galen Rupp announced he could break the record… breaking the record finally became a possibility.

More specifically, these record-breakers were forced to use the part of their brain that snapped them out of mind wandering. Professor Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, calls this part of our brain “System 2.”

When we use the System 2 part of our brain, we instantly become more creative and challenge old ways of thinking.

Using System 2 is that powerful. And the simple part is you can use it anywhere you want.

“But how do I use System 2?”

System 2 requires one thing and one thing only… undivided attention. Yes, it’s that simple. But here’s the thing: most people don’t give their dreams and goals their undivided attention.

They are too busy snacking on Cheetos and playing Xbox while planning up their dreams.

So what’s possible for you? How fast do you think you can run? How high can you jump? How far can you take your dreams? Give your 100% undivided attention to this answer, and don’t let false beliefs cloud your judgment of what you can accomplish.

Because the answer to this question will define the boundaries of your success.

Remember: the more you think is possible… the more that becomes possible.

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

So how do we harness the power of System 2 to make our goals a reality? Well, it might start with a little bit of luck…

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Now it’s time to question your unconscious expectations. Top performers believe they are lucky—they believe in the power of possibilities. And this belief radically changes their success.

Why? Their expectation of luck changes their behavior and how they see opportunities. In a study by UCLA and Columbia University, researchers found that our beliefs about luck fall into one of two categories: stable or fleeting.

So why does this matter?

It turns out that the people with a stable form of luck had a significantly higher drive to succeed than the people who saw luck as fleeting.

That’s because the stable luck believers felt that luck was in their control, and used that belief to their advantage. The people who saw luck as simply fleeting didn’t care about luck—why believe in it if it’s a random occurrence?

So, I can assure you—if you believe you are lucky, good things will happen.

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

Okay, you might be wondering… “Am I doomed to failure if I don’t believe in luck?”

You see, you WOULD be… if luck was the only thing that influences your performance (hint: it’s not). Along with luck, there’s an even more important factor…

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Here’s a story you will probably be able to relate to… and which also happens to be one of my favorite stories in Beecham’s entire book:

When Beecham said that, he officially primed his daughter to win. And the result of the race?

She went on to run the fastest race of her life.

When her expectations were primed, she broke a 19-minute barrier in a 5K cross country event for the first time ever.

So whether you believe this was luck or not, science says it doesn’t really matter. What really matters is your expectation about the outcome.

In fact, there is a name for this type of expectation phenomenon. It’s called the Pygmalion effect.

Let’s take a look back into the past, at the first-ever study that looked specifically at expectations. In the 1960s, a Harvard psychologist named Robert Rosenthal conducted a study to determine whether teacher expectations would influence a student’s performance in the classroom:

Here’s the amazing result… These “high achieving” students actually had much better academic performance than their peers! All because of expectations.

So if you’re wondering, “How do I become a better version of myself?”

Well, you don’t have to believe in luck… Rather, try believing in expectations.

As Beecham’s daughter and Rosenthal’s study showed, great expectations about us can really push us to succeed—especially if the other person is an influential figure in our life.

Now it’s your turn…

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

Bonus: A lot of our expectations come from our friends. Learn how to make great friends as an adult and avoid toxic ones to change others’ expectations about you.

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While positive expectations can increase our success, negative expectations can harm it. This is called a nocebo.

Harvard published an article on various medical experiments that showed exactly how powerful the nocebo is:

And it’s not just in the medical field that makes nocebos so harmful. We are exposed to nocebos everyday—how many times do people tell us we just can’t do things, and we believe them?

Here’s the key takeaway: if you believe something will have a negative effect, it probably will. Having an elite mind isn’t just about raising your expectations. It’s also about eliminating the harmful ones.

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

Take a moment to try to identify your nocebos:

Remember: Increased self-awareness leads to improved performance. While your competitors are avoiding them and pretending they don’t exist, be exceptional… seek out difficult emotional beliefs and put an end to them for your own sake.

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What kind of person are you? Here’s a scenario:

What excuse do you make? Do you choose to:

If you chose the second option, science has some bad news for you.

In a study published in the Journal of Psychology, researchers found that 72% of college students admitted to making fraudulent excuses. That’s not very surprising.

But, what is surprising is that they found a direct correlation between fraudulent excuses and lower grade point average!

In other words…

Read that again and let it sink in.

What excuses are you making for your failures?

The Gyoja monks achieve the seemingly impossible because they get rid of excuses and double down:

Great achievers hustle and don’t tolerate excuses. In the words of Abraham Lincoln:

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Every top performer in the history of anything has had a bad day.

Here’s the deal: top performers don’t do things perfectly. They do things purposefully.

Perfect is just an excuse in a glittery costume. We can strive to obtain it, but it’s just silly to try to achieve it. And it’s no surprise that there are a ton of studies that point to perfectionism being correlated with mental health problems.

Remember, no matter who you are or how successful you have become…

You will have bad days, you will make mistakes, and you will have hurdles.

So what do you focus on instead of perfection? Beecham found that elite minds shift the focus from perfect to learning.

Even if you feel like your life today is so far away from who you want to become, the important part to remember is to ask yourself this question every single day:

Don’t strive for perfection, but strive to do the best you can. And then do more. Even if you strive to do 1% better every day, you will be 100% better in just over 3 months.

Think about it this way: if you look at where you are now and where you want to be, it can look like it’s unobtainable.

It’s only when you take things one step at a time that progress actually starts to happen—slowly, but surely. Nothing is perfect, but adopt this one-day-at-a-time mentality, and I can guarantee you will see success.

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

Oh, and those bad days we talked about earlier?

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You know as well as I do, competition makes people achieve more.

Competitors can help you. They can fuel you. And they can inspire you.

Take, for example, competitive racing. Have you ever wondered what’s the best starting lane for runners on a track? Is it the 1st lane, where you start at the very end and can see all the other runners? Or is it the 8th lane, where you start at the very beginning and see nobody?

While it depends on the athlete, it’s a general consensus that nobody wants to be in the 8th lane. Why is that?

Because as the leader of the race, you are literally competing for yourself.

One of the best lanes to race on is the middle lane, or what is known as the marquee position. In this lane, a runner can see his opponents and chase them down throughout the race.

In other words, a great competitor raises your expectations, shatters your idea of what is possible, and sets the bar higher.

Being a top performer means that you use your competitors to help you run faster, not to hinder you.

The Best Version of Yourself Exercise:

And remember… your competitors are afraid, too. No one is better or faster than you—only less afraid.

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