Being exactly who you are, at your highest level, is your magic formula to attracting the things you want most out of life. This is true for your love life, career, relationships and overall health.
Becoming your best self is a continuous journey and can be life altering in the most beautiful ways. Once I realized and understood this concept, I connected to myself on a deeper level and gained a new sense of power over my life and the situations I face.
I have declared 2018, the year of #Growth. Join me in “Glowing” and “Growing” into your best self this year. Below are my four key ingredients to being your best self and living your best life. I hope this helps someone as it has been life changing for me.
1) Find YOUR Balance
Having balance in your life does not necessarily mean you need to have an Olympic athlete training schedule, but to function at our best, we definitely need to balance taking care of ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. Focusing too much on any one facet catches up with us and leads to other problems in neglected areas of our lives. Know yourself — figure out just how much rest, food and exercise your body needs in order to function at its best. Pay attention to days you feel amazing and days you don’t. What did you eat? What kind of workout did you do? Did you pray or meditate in the morning?
Additionally, we all lead busy lives, but we should always find time to connect with our loved ones regularly. Connect with your spouse daily, catch up with your girlfriends/guyfriends weekly, call your parents as much as you can. Maintaining the relationships that are important to you makes life so much richer.
Last but not least, make time for yourself! I am constantly working with my staff at Pace Center for Girls to practice self-care. We cannot serve girls in crisis at Pace if we do not first take care of ourselves. Read a book, take a walk on the beach, visit a counselor, keep a journal or blast your favorite song in your car. Be Intentional about doing something just for you to release and refresh.
Finding your unique balance is the key. There is no one-size-fits-all regimen for balance. It’s YOUR balance.
2) Practice Responsibility & Forgiveness
One of the most powerful epiphanies I have ever had was when I realized this: “How you feel is your own responsibility.” It completely changed the way I operate in situations and, in a sense, has freed me. Things will always happen in our lives that test us, and it is important to understand that the perception we have of ourselves is much more powerful than the perception others may have of us. When you hold yourself accountable for the way you choose to respond to a situation, you will find that you will not get knocked off your feet as easily.
When faced with adversity, what would happen if we replaced our irritability and frustration with patience and compassion? We would end up having a unique opportunity to “grow” through a circumstance, rather than to just “go” through it.
And I cannot talk about living our best life without mentioning the power of forgiveness. Healing is the secret sauce to having full access and control of our lives. When we forgive, we accept our life’s unique story and the purpose that each experience represents in that story — and we control what we do with that experience from that moment on.
3) Live a Life of Integrity
One of the Nine Guiding Principles at Pace Center for Girls, and my personal favorite, is “Act with Integrity and Positive Intent.” When you are a teenage girl and have been horribly abused your whole life, abandoned by your loved ones, or if you are experiencing food insecurity, it is beyond difficult to think about “Acting with Integrity and Positive Intent.” When a girl comes to Pace, however, “Acting with Integrity and Positive Intent” is an expectation. And the most beautiful part is, our girls do!
We act with integrity when we do the right thing, even when no one is watching, and especially when the choice is difficult. Integrity is staying true to yourself and your values, even when you’re faced with consequences for the choices that you’re making — whether it is walking away from a job or even ending a relationship.
Know who you are, your values and non-negotiables, and stand up for them no matter what. When we live our lives with integrity, our actions will speak for who we really are and what we believe in. While your true friends and loved ones may not always agree, they will respect you for it in the long run. Integrity is a choice – a choice we must choose to make every single day.
4) Practice Self-love and Acceptance
In its simplest form, FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF.
I saved this for last because it is of dear importance for me to share this message. I believe self-love and acceptance is the only way to be truly happy with who you are in life.
Self-acceptance doesn’t mean you do not want to change or improve your life. It actually leads to life-changing behaviors because you begin to give up the thoughts that were limiting you in the first place. You are not going to find true happiness, true love, and especially not live your best life if you are trying to figure out what is wrong with you all time.
In a moment of clarity in my life, I realized that I control how I feel about myself. It is when I owned that power, I chose to live my best life. To live your best life, it is vital to understand that true love comes from within. If you do not authentically love yourself, you cannot expect anyone else to authentically love you. Know yourself and know your worth — the way you treat yourself will set the standard for how others treat you.
To live your best life, vow to be loving, kind and generous to yourself. It is 1,000 percent OK to put yourself first. That is not an excuse to be selfish, it simply means to make yourself a priority. Loving and accepting yourself is imperative to maintaining healthy relationships and a healthy life overall.
Always remember, you are worthy of happiness, peace and fulfilment in your life, and once you come to that realization and make it a priority, you cannot help but live your best life. And what a game changer that is!
XOXO -NB
