5 Tips to Become the Best Version of Yourself

Have you ever felt you’re not living up to your potential? Do you feel you’re meant for something more? I know the feeling. Here are 5 tips that can help you (and me) realize our full potential.

Start with the end in mind. We need to have a destination to orient ourselves to. Take time to imagine your ideal life. Consider these questions:

  What does your ideal life look like in 1, 5 and 10 years?
  How will you be spending your time?
  Who will you spending it with?

Whatever the dream is, write it down. Let your imagination run for a bit, but keep things realistic. It will be important to refer back to your vision when life feels confusing. Don’t get too caught up on the details, the vision can evolve along the way. Focus on what matters most to you and let that guide the framework for your life.

Now that we have a destination in mind, how do we get there? If you’re observant and honest with yourself, your life experience will inform you about what’s working and what isn’t. Becoming the best version of yourself is largely a trial and error process. However, that doesn’t mean you can't learn from others¹.

Make goals that are consistent with your vision for yourself. Again, take time and write down some short- and long-term goals. Perhaps you can ask yourself:

  Are there things that I need to start doing to become who I want to be?
  Are there things that I need to stop doing?
  What can I learn about myself from past experiences?

Establishing good habits will go a long way to helping us reach our destination². Focus on effort rather than outcome³. It’s never too late to try or get started. The brain is constantly wiring and rewiring itself based on experiences⁴. Becoming the person you want to be is not always a comfortable process. It requires both determination and discipline. There’s no growth without discomfort.

It can be overwhelming to consider who we are versus who we want to be. My advice? Be kind to yourself. In my experience, we tend to be our harshest critic. Becoming the best version of yourself is a process, not an event. Regularly practicing gratitude will help the process along. Personal growth occurs incrementally. Be patient. Consider tracking your growth using a journal.

Keep in mind, we’re all different and are starting from different places.

Don’t compare yourself to other people. That is not a useful exercise. You end up either bitter or proud. If you have to compare yourself, only compare yourself with who you used to be.

Proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise are the foundation for mental health. Sometimes deficiencies in these areas can give rise to mental health concerns. Conversely, taking care of your body can set you up for success. There is wisdom in the body; learn to listen to it.

Realizing change requires a sustained level of intensity and intention. It will be easier to give up than to strive to reach your potential. Becoming the best version of yourself requires your best effort. You can’t become the best version of yourself without giving it your all. It is exhausting. But the alternative is to hold back and not put yourself out there. And in my opinion, that is a recipe for regret.

To me, the best version of yourself means that you are setting up the conditions for a happy and fulfilling life. It doesn’t mean that your life will always be happy or fulfilling. It just means that when you look back on it, you won’t have regrets -- it means you'll have done your best. We don't want to cross the finish line with gas in the tank.

Everyone has it in them to realize their full potential. It’s ok if you don’t know where to start. What’s important is that you do.

1. Warren Buffett has been quoted, ‘When people tell me they’ve learned from experience, I tell them the trick is to learn from other people’s experience.’

2. Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: tiny changes, remarkable results : an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. New York, New York, Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

3. Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
4. Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. Penguin.