7 Ways to A Better You
In today’s world, we are barraged with a multitude of images of how we are supposed to be. Thinner. Stronger. Prettier. Smarter. You name it — there’s something out there to compare yourself with and … fall short.
This is not the way to live. You don’t need to compete with celebrities or professional trainers or even each other to maintain your self-esteem. All you need to do is know your core and become one with your sense of self.
I heard Stella Pope Duarte, author of If I Die in Juárez
A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt. He said, “I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.”
The grandson asked him, “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?”
The grandfather answered, “The one I feed.”
You must always be vigilant and be careful of which wolf you feed each day. Here are some things you can think about over the next week that might help you feed the wolf that’s right for you.
1. Know Your Purpose
Are you wandering through life with little direction? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.
This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there’s always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.
2. Know Your Values
What do you value most in life? Make a list of your top five values. Does your list include security, freedom, family, spiritual development or learning? When you set goals for yourself, check them against your values. Are they in alignment? If a goal doesn’t align with any of your top five values, you may want to reconsider that goal or revise it.
3. Know Your Needs
Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who have lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or depressed. List your top three needs and get them met before it’s too late!
4. Know Your Passions
This is key to living a fulfilled life. When you know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life, obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm are less likely to derail you. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.
5. Live From the Inside Out
Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Pope Duarte’s mother used to tell her, “Cada cabeza es un mundo” — Every mind is its own world. When you know and are in harmony with this world, your life will run more smoothly.
6. Honor Your Strengths
What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? And don’t tell me you don’t have any!
List three of your strengths (I would think that if you’re reading this blog, then writing is one of them, right?). If you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify some. You’d be surprised what others see in you that you don’t recognize.
Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.
7. Serve Others
When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others — your spirit — your essence.
