Have you thought about what it means to be you?
We are also busy doing stuff, that we never get time to stop and think about who we really are and what are we doing. We are living life on autopilot.
What are the essential elements of you? – Your values, interests and passions that define you. Once you understand this you can have a clear vision of what you want and how to get there.
It can take courage to embark on a voyage of self-discovery. You will have to turn away from distracting false beliefs that distort yourself perception. Is part of your identity currently living up to other people’s expectations? Have you a lack of confidence in yourself, maybe self-limiting beliefs?
Remember you are unique; we are all unique. We all have different values, interests and passions. Don’t compare yourself to others.
Are you trapped, living a life that you don’t enjoy and is not who you really are?
By learning to recognise your current situation and how it doesn’t represent you, you’ll be able to push forward and find the person you really are.
In simple terms, if you were to get a piece of paper and start defining yourself. Imagine you are describing yourself to another person – what activities do you enjoy? Who do you enjoy been around? What are your passions and interests? What books do you like to read? etc.
How are you feeling at the moment: are you happy or sad? What other emotions have you got? Are you positive or negative?
Getting in touch with this essential self will set you free to become the best version of yourself.
So in essence, really have a clear picture of who you really are and what you really want and then you can plan to become the best version of yourself.
Some things you will have to do to get there:
Be willing to shed your old identity.
You may find your “old self” will resist due to feelings of insecurity and fear of the unknown. You may feel fear of losing what you already have and being rejected by people that you currently know. There is a false comfort in familiarity.
Be willing to face your fears.
When you feel anxious and afraid, identify what you feel afraid of, write it down. Writing down your fears is a way of getting them out of your emotional brain and into your logical brain. When you see them in writing they may not appear as daunting at all.
Set reasonable goals and prioritise outcomes.
When you have your plan done – break it down into smaller achievable goals and objectives. As you achieve small goals and objectives, you build your confidence. It takes time, be patient. If you improve by 2% per week you will 100% better in a year’s time. That would be awesome.
Deal with setbacks.
Not everything will go according to plan. Don’t get discouraged, review your plan and think about it. Sometimes we have to modify our plan as we go on a journey of self-discovery.
Manage yourself effectively.
It’s important to have an overall plan and weekly plan. So the start of each week, review your progress from the previous week and also keep in mind your overall plan – and set a plan for the coming week. Be accountable to yourself. Be honest with yourself. Don’t let yourself off the hook.
Future you.
Your future you will thank you for the work you’re putting in now. When you’re living a life where you are the best version of yourself, you will be happier and more fulfilled. It does take constant review. As we get older and we learn, we change. The person you want to be when you are between 20 – 30 may be different in many ways than 30 – 40 and 40 – 50 and so on.
Becoming yourself is a ongoing work in progress and a lifelong journey.
Get some help?
Sometimes people can’t get started on this process, or they get to a certain point, get stuck and can’t go further. If this is happening to you then you may need to think about getting some help. Using the services of a life coach could work for you and help you to assess who you are, vision of where you want to be in the plan to get you there. It can be a daunting task to do it on your own, so doing it in partnership with somebody else is often useful.
Invest in yourself, because you are worth it. You have one life, don’t waste it living someone else’s.
