I recently was asked this great question again.
And as sticky as it felt to me, writing this article, I hope my tips will help you to start becoming the very best version of yourself!
For me, becoming the best version of yourself is a very personal journey as we all are unique souls, gifted with unique talents, having individual perspectives to words like “Best version”, “Success” or even “Happiness”.
So there cannot be a “universal best practice” for this.
BUT … I wouldn’t write an article about this topic with nothing in my hands!
I have developed a GROWTH BLUEPRINT for my coaching clients… as you can see, the individual steps do not provide much detail. They offer you an overview.
You see… the action and individual steps are up to you!
Your life & your journey are as unique as you are… and therefore each one of your steps has to be! But don’t you hazitat… I’ve got you back 
Right?
But long story short.. Let’s take a look at the Blueprint!
The Growth Blueprint
21 action steps to become your best version
SHOW UP
Let’s say you want to run a marathon, but have no prior experience. The first step is lacing up you shoes and hitting the pavement. Right? Even if you only make it half a mile on your first training run, you’ll be about 2% closer to your ultimate goal than if you didn’t put in any work at all!
START FROM SCRATCH
You don’t just happen to stumble upon the best version of yourself. You need to start from the beginning and take a high number of small steps in order to become what you envision.
MAKE SURE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF IS YOUR OWN… NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S! Don’t waste your energy and time trying to live up to what somebody else wants you to be.
STOP LOOKING FOR A SECRET SHORTCUT Sorry… but there is no miraculous TRICK to the better version of yourself. Neither you take the whole journey… or you will never reach your destiny!
DON’T GET LOST IN THE DETAILS Just make sure that you’re moving in the right general direction. You probably don’t have the knowledge you need today to know the shortest path to your happiness five years from today. But there is a pretty good chance you have some real good ideas about how to move in the right direction. Take the first step. And just than: take the next step. So many people get stuck in the details, that by the end of the day, nothing has happened at all. You don’t want to be one of those… RIGHT?
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR OPPORTUNITIES Do you remember those days when the worldwide web was simply not existing. When we went to the public library to get our homework done? But now, it’s easier than ever to learn new skills! I mean the Internet has fundamentally changed our entire world! In the old days, knowledge was locked away in the minds of industry experts and in the pages of books that you needed to buy or check out from a library. But not anymore! Turn on your computer or use your mobile: Search what you are looking for. Find a platform and learn that skills you need for your next action steps! I cannot mention this enough: This is essential to becoming the best version of yourself.
JOURNAL “Translating” your thoughts into written narratives pushes you to think about the ideas in your head at a much deeper level.
Don’t know how to start a journal? No problem… I have written an blog article about this! Just click here.
STOP COUNTING THE HOURS! They don’t matter at all! Think about the last time you ran on a treadmill. If you looked down at the timer every few seconds, you probably didn’t enjoy your run. RIGHT or WRONG? It might made it far more difficult to run far. But what if you took the opposite approach? You plugged in your headphones, lost yourself in the music, and took it one stride at a time….while resisting any temptation to look at the timer at all. If you did this, you probably discovered that you enjoyed the run and made it pretty far. Right? In fact counting hours only slows you down from reaching your goal… or gets you stuck!
DON’T LET YOUR PRIDE GET IN THE WAY Reach out, ask questions, accept help from other people. “Asking for help” is not a sign of weakness! How could it? Most successful people needed help along the way, too.
CELEBRATE EVEN THE SMALL WINS Tell me: Is it common for you to remember things that have gone wrong in your live but forget things which have gone right!? Do this instead: Appreciating what you’re doing in the present gives you the motivation to keep making strides towards your ultimate goal. So start to celebrate even your smallest wins. Maybe you wanna start by writing down 5 small accomplishment or successes of today, which make you feel satisfied, happy or proud of yourself today… and don’t forget to notice them in your journal 😉
STOP PRETENDING TO KNOW THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW Will you grow and learn something new if you pretend to already know anything? Probably not… Right?
EMBRACE FAILURE Yes,this is definitely NOT a fun point, I know. But do think “playing it safe” will help you become the best version of yourself? NEVER, EVER! You will not your best version inside of your comfort zone! . For heavens sake: getting fired could even be the best thing that ever happened to you (look at Rich Litvin)!
CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE
Remember: Your mindset is key to everything! It affects not only your daily life but also the lives of others around you. Make sure to check in with yourself and see how you could improve how you react to situations.
CALL YOUR “FAMILY” By “family” I am not pointing only to the family you were born in ( oh we all know, that some families can turn your life into a never ending nightmare… especially for the Hollidays). For me “Family” is something we build through our entire life. Your best friend from school you call every three years but it always feels like you never parent? That is one of your family members. Some may call this “your tribe”. Whatever you wanna name it.Here is one reason why you should keep the connections alive: Your family/Friends/tribe value you… they’ve got your back! And so do you. So whenever you are facing a struggle… call them: There is a pretty good chance you will learn a lesson from one of your peers, that is not available through any Google search and aren’t accessible to pretty much anyone else in the world!
STOP BELIEVING THE SOCIAL MEDIA SCOREBOARD Some people don’t play right on social media. We all know. People draw an extremely exaggerated version of life on Facebook, Instagram, TicTok, and other social platforms. And well: YES. It is fun sharing the good things… and hide the bad! But we all face Ups & Downs in Life… and if someone only shares the Ups… okay enjoy the show. But don’t take it for granted… and most off all don’t feel ashame just because you are living a true life. It is just Hide and Seek.
HAVE FUN BEING UNPRODUCTIVE IN YOUR “FREE TIME”
It is obvious: our society values productivity. But as this brought our modern society as far as it did… the same productivity brings a lot of pressure with it. But neither is our body a machine… nor is our mind. In fact, studies show that „free-time“ is actually good for us – not only leisure time been related to a healthier immune system, reduces stress, and even increased longvity, it also helps you cultivate a richer sense of self and self-efficacy… which is your belief in yourself.
If you still need reasons why sometimes the most productive thing to do… is to take a BREAK… click here
MAKE A WALK IN NATURE A ROUTINE
As much as a daily walk in the fresh air may seem like a waste of time at first place… its benefits are also numerous: Spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces, is one of the fastest ways to IMPROVE your HEALTH, your Happiness & your PRODUCTIVITY.
You are sceptical? Click here and read my blog post “How a walk in nature can boost your health and your success”.
STOP CREATING FOLLOWERS
INSTEAD: Help other people become the best version of themselves. Pay it forward. Doing so keep you motivated on your own path, and you’ll find that the lasting connections you build from helping others will greatly benefit you moving forward.
VISUALIZE YOUR FUTURE What you visualize is what you will get. The practice of visualization is what gives high achieving people what seems like super-powers, helping them create their dream lives by accomplishing one goal or task at a time with hyper focus and complete confidence. We all have this power, but most of us have never been taught to use it effectively. Elite athletes use it. The super-rich use it. And peak performers in all fields now use it. Are you ready to join these achievers?
Click here to join a powerful guided visualization by Lisa Nichols. It’s free. So why not give it a try?
LAUNCH YOUR BEST VERVION EARLY If you’re not satisfied with the current version of yourself, then the quickest way to solve the problem is to begin working towards the better version today. There is no “right time” to get started.
It can be tempting to think about the best version of yourself as some intangible point in the future.
You know, the one where you are:
More successful
Doing what you love
Existing as an overall happier person
You see your current self as the regular season, and you’re just waiting for the playoffs to start before giving it your all.
But if all you do is wait for the best version of yourself to happen, you’re forever going to be stuck with the current version.
So, how do you launch the best version of yourself?
Start making progress today.
With all my love, Birgit
You got questions? Click this link and send me a message.