Despite meeting many personal and professional achievements, you may feel you have yet to reach your potential. As a result, you might feel unfulfilled with who you are, what you have, or where you’re going, but unsure how to make the necessary changes in order to reach this.
Rather than beating yourself up or limiting yourself, start focusing on the small steps you can take to transform your daily habits, general health, and mindset. Keep reading to learn how you can become the best version of yourself this year.
Set Clear, Measurable Goals
According to Michigan State University, writing down clear goals will increase your likelihood of success. Putting your desires down on paper can help you focus on what you want out of life, helping to turn a dream into a reality.
It doesn’t matter if a goal is related to your career, physical or mental health, relationships, or outlook on life; grab a pen and write down at least one goal you want to achieve this year.
Be specific in what you write, too. For instance, rather than writing “I want a promotion,” you could say, “I will apply for a course to improve my skills and experience,” or “I will start networking to strengthen my industry connections.”
If coming up with goals for the year seems too much, consider starting with daily goals. Writing these down and achieving these could give you the motivation and confidence to go bigger and come up with your yearly goals.
Stop Limiting Yourself
Many people fail to achieve their goals because they believe they lack the knowledge, skills, and experience needed. If you make the mistake of placing limits on yourself throughout your life, you will never reach your goals and potential.
Let go of any limiting beliefs holding you back in life and start pushing yourself forward. Rather than telling yourself you can’t do something, prove that you can by climbing that mountain, applying for a course, or requesting a promotion.
Heal Your Mind, Body, and Soul
If you often wake up feeling tired, low, or unconfident, you might feel eager to make a change in your life. This is only natural, but doing this isn’t as simple as just getting more sleep or faking it until you make it. If you are struggling with poor mental or physical health, this could be impacting almost every aspect of your life, including how tired, happy, and confident you are, and so until you sort this out, not much will change.
If you suspect this is the case, you must work on healing your mind, body, and soul. You can learn how to do so at masternickeagle.com, as you could transform your life with breathwork, warrior wakeup movements, fasting, yoga, and confidence building.
Treat Yourself with Compassion
Negative self-talk can have a negative impact on your mental health, self-esteem, and professional performance. If you often call yourself “a loser,” “stupid,” or “a failure,” you will eventually believe that’s all you are.
Rather than being your harshest critic, you must talk to yourself like a best friend. You wouldn’t bully a loved one, so you must stop doing it to yourself. Instead, treat yourself with kindness and respect, as it will help you see yourself more clearly.
Rather than viewing your lack of knowledge or skills as a hurdle, consider them opportunities for improvement and growth. It’s a small mindset adjustment that could make a big difference to your daily life.
Refine Your Social Media Feed
According to the National Institutes of Health, heavy consumption of social media is linked to significantly higher risks of mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Cybersmile also reported that 85% of Gen Z social media users stated they felt “unsatisfied with their life” after comparing their lives to others’ highlight reels. This serves as proof of the negative impact that prolonged social media usage and the accounts you follow can have on your life.
If you’re spending more than three hours a day on social media, it is wise to slash your usage in half, at least. As you cut back, spend some of your social media time unfollowing accounts that have a negative impact on your mood, self-esteem, and outlook. Aim to follow social media accounts that are positive and motivating.
Learn Something New for Fun
In addition to cracking open a book or attending a course to grow in your career, spend a little time boosting your skills and knowledge for personal development. Set aside at least twenty minutes each week to learn something fun and interesting.
It will allow you to embrace a new passion, boost your knowledge, and enjoy some escapism from life’s stresses. It can help you enjoy a healthier, happier lifestyle and avoid stress and burnout.
Create a Healthier Routine
Your lifestyle and daily routine can determine your mood, energy levels, productivity, and health. Therefore, to become the best version of yourself, you must incorporate more positive habits into your day.
According to Dr. Andrew Huberman, who hosts the podcast Huberman Lab, how you spend the first 60 minutes of your day will impact your energy levels over the next twelve hours.
For this reason, you must have a disciplined approach to a healthy daily routine, which could consist of:
- Waiting at least one hour before a morning coffee
- Scheduling your hardest tasks at the start of the day
- Eating a healthy, balanced diet
- Taking a 20-minute active break for every 90 minutes of work
- Exercising for a minimum of 20 minutes each day
- Spending five minutes before bed writing down your goals for the next day
Sticking to a healthy routine will make you feel happier, healthier, and more confident and resilient, even on the most stressful of days.
Follow the 1% Rule
Many people make the mistake of expecting overnight success when they start making changes to their lives. For instance, a person might feel disappointed if they fail to lose many pounds after a few days of dieting, or could become disheartened when an exercise doesn’t immediately transform their appearance or endurance.
Instead of expecting improvements to happen at a rapid pace, embrace microhabits that will improve your life by 1% each day. This might mean taking more breaks than others during a group workout or stopping yourself from ditching a diet because you ate a candy bar. If you keep working hard and focus on gradual daily improvements, you could achieve your personal or professional goals by the end of the year.
