{"id":79284,"date":"2022-09-21T09:42:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T13:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=79284"},"modified":"2022-09-22T09:45:16","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T13:45:16","slug":"how-to-become-the-best-version-of-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-become-the-best-version-of-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Become the Best Version of Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does it mean to be the \u201cbest version of yourself\u201d? Do you feel like you\u2019re living up to your full potential? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everybody wants to be the best version of themselves, but few people can confidently say that they are being the best they can be given their resources, talents, and circumstances. At the heart of not living up to our \u201cbest selves\u201d is self-sabotage\u2014making decisions that we know, if perhaps unconsciously, have the capacity to reduce our happiness and success<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are six pieces of advice on how to become the best version of yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Live With Intention <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first and foremost piece of advice on how to become the best version of yourself is to live with intention<\/a>. When you live with intention, you don\u2019t just react to what happens. You proactively decide what your goals are, create plans to achieve them, and then implement those plans. With this in mind, here are the key signs you are living with intention as opposed to just floating through life<\/a> without direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. You live productively<\/strong>. In other words, you earn your keep by actualizing your thoughts, setting and pursuing goals<\/a>, and creating things that support your existence. The amount you produce is irrelevant\u2014as long as you\u2019re trying<\/em> to be productive.<\/li>
  2. You know what you want<\/strong> long-term in your personal and professional life<\/strong>\u2014or you\u2019re trying to figure it out. You can only steer your life appropriately if you know where you want to go. <\/li>
  3. You practice self-discipline. <\/strong>You can ignore your immediate desires that conflict with your long-term goals. But you\u2019re also capable of living in the present when it\u2019s appropriate. <\/li>
  4. You know how you\u2019ll get what you want<\/strong>. You have specific plans to achieve specific goals. <\/li>
  5. You know whether your behavior supports your goals <\/strong>because you regularly check whether you\u2019re behaving according to your plan. If not, you adjust your behavior or your purpose<\/a>.<\/li>
  6. You pay attention to real-world feedback and adjust accordingly<\/strong> because you know that <\/strong>following your initial plan doesn\u2019t always work. For example, your actions may have unintended negative consequences that detract from your ultimate goal.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    \nTITLE: The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
    \nAUTHOR: Nathaniel Branden
    \nTIME: 66
    \nREADS: 67.2
    \nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/the-six-pillars-of-self-esteem-cover.png
    \nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-six-pillars-of-self-esteem-summary-nathaniel-branden
    \nAMZN_ID: XYZ
    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Commit to Your Life Choices <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To live up to your full potential and be the best you can<\/a> possibly be, you must commit to your life choices. Many people fear committing to one choice, preferring to keep their options open in case a better opportunity comes up. However, that will only make you unhappy because you\u2019ll constantly worry if there\u2019s a superior alternative to what you\u2019re doing, and it\u2019ll keep you from experiencing the success that can only come from commitment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, if you\u2019re deciding between becoming a lawyer or a business owner, don\u2019t spend years indecisively trying jobs in both fields or seeking jobs that give you the best of both worlds. Instead, commit to one career and dedicate yourself fully to being good at it. You\u2019ll experience greater success by committing to one path than by keeping your options open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \nTITLE: Four Thousand Weeks
    \nAUTHOR: Oliver Burkeman
    \nTIME: 14
    \nREADS: 71.6
    \nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/four-thousand-weeks-cover.png
    \nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: four-thousand-weeks-summary-oliver-burkeman
    \nAMZN_ID: XYZ
    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Cultivate Self-Acceptance <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Self-acceptance means embracing all parts of yourself<\/a> unconditionally, even the things you wish you could change. It\u2019s important to accept yourself unconditionally <\/em>because partial self-acceptance magnifies the importance of unwanted flaws, increases self-consciousness and self-judgment based on individual experiences, and makes it difficult to feel happy with yourself as you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, you might wish that you felt more confident interacting with others. Not accepting this part of yourself makes you feel more self-conscious about how confident you appear\u2014you judge yourself according to how well you perform in individual interactions. After confident interactions, you feel good about yourself<\/a> and you feel happy. After unconfident interactions, you feel bad about yourself, uncomfortable about this part of yourself, and unhappy. This impels you to reject this aspect of yourself\u2014for example, by projecting a false image of confidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    On the other hand, unconditional self-acceptance<\/a> keeps your self-judgment consistent regardless of how confident you feel in each interaction. You\u2019ve already accepted yourself, so you don\u2019t look to others to decide how you should feel about yourself. As a result, you don\u2019t feel impelled to mask any aspects of yourself and find it easier to focus on how to become the best version of yourself than on how you come across to others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \nTITLE: The Happiness Equation<\/a>
    \nAUTHOR: Neil Pasricha
    \nTIME: 14
    \nREADS: 62.8
    \nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-happiness-equation-cover.png
    \nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-happiness-equation-summary-neil-pasricha
    \nAMZN_ID: XYZ
    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Clarify Your Values <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Values are the principles that govern how you want to act. Unlike goals, values are never accomplished. Rather, values involve continuous behavior\u2014they guide your choices and decisions according to the kind of person you strive to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It can be helpful to reflect on your values in four key areas: relationships, education and work, personal development and wellness, and leisure. You can determine your values<\/a> in each of these areas by asking yourself questions, including the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Relationships:<\/p>\n\n\n\n