Becoming Your True Self
The Secret to Achieving Your Greatest Goals
What if I told you that every single day of your life, beginning today, can be a triumphant manifestation of you at your best?
Of you performing at a glorious level of energy, enthusiasm, competence, commitment, passion? That you could finish today flush with the appreciation of how much effort you put in, that you had given all you could and accomplished as much as you possibly could, and with a cheerful, can-do attitude? Would it matter, if you had a day like that, even if every response to you was a no, if you made no visible progress toward your goals? Or would you take pride in your commitment, your caring, your attention to the important things no matter how small, recognizing that in every ‘no’ you learned something you can apply tomorrow, and knowing that in the long run you will not fail? That in some meaningful way you brought joy today to one person? Or three? Or a thousand?
And I am not talking only about your work, your job, your career. I am talking about everything you do: your relationships; your physical health; your personal development; your fun; your relaxation; everything.
What would it mean to you if at the end of each and every day you could say ‘I am proud of what I accomplished today. I had a day filled with memorable moments. Even if I didn’t do every item on my list I did a lot of important work today, and I did it all my way. I am proud of how I handled that touchy situation, how I responded to that emergency, how I helped someone in need, and of the work I did toward steadily improving my situation. I am so happy that I spent quality time with people I care about, doing activities I love and that help me to know myself better.’
What would it mean to you if that reflection of success was a daily occurrence? And how would it feel to string a week, a month of days like that together? Imagine 30 days from now, reviewing the past month and recognizing that you were fully engaged each day, cheerfully putting focused effort into developing yourself and into reaching your primary goal as well as other goals. Seeing that each time you felt you were falling back into easiness, laziness, depression, you caught yourself, reminded yourself of the person you truly are, and picked up whatever task you needed to do next. That each time something arose which threatened your ability to complete your plans you adapted in whatever necessary way to deal with the situation. And even when at times you lost focus for quite a while, once you recognized that your thoughts were straying you rejoiced at catching yourself and picked up where you left off, without wasting time on guilt but just getting back into the flow.
The truth is that every day, whether you think about it or not, you are manifesting the person you really are. Whether you had a fulfilling and productive day, whether you enjoyed a day of relaxation and relationships, whether you had a frustrating day or one filled with boredom, whether you spent the bulk of the day playing games on your phone, or stoned on drugs or booze. Whether you had a day of accomplishment or one of emptiness, or a mix of positive and bad, you manifested who you are.
Well here is the Great News.
If you’re not satisfied with the you that you have been, you can change.
You can change, right now, today.
In fact, there is absolutely zero reason to wait.
You don’t have to wait until the new year; until the semester is over; until you have worked yourself out of debt; until you are ‘healthy’ (a moving target to be sure). There is nothing special about ‘milestones’ like those, and all that waiting for them does is delay your life, and delay your success. Those supposed milestones are really more like millstones, trapping you into inaction in the belief that they hold some particular value.
You don’t have to wait until you have the right look; the right clothes; the right education; the right status; the right car; the right job; the right spouse.
You aren’t doomed to failure because you aren’t smart enough, educated enough, attractive enough, social enough, wealthy enough.
Because today, this very moment, you can become the type of person who is capable of fulfilling your goals. Because once you become that type of person, and when you have discovered what your true goals are, then you will fulfill them.
Here is why
Your whole life you have been taught that the measure of who you are is what you accomplish, what is tangible, visible to others. That your goals should be of measurable achievement, whether they be financial, romantic, social.
Wrong.
Your purpose in life is to figure out who you are: what defines you; what is important to you; how you respond to all kinds of things; who and what you care deeply about. And then your purpose is to manifest fully who you are.
Winning isn’t everything. But wanting to win is.
Vince Lombardi
Those goals of achievement, those outward manifestations of your success, show others something of who you are and of what you are capable. And they are some of the targets you aim for. But do you really need to impress others or do you need to impress yourself? If you know, deep down, what a hard-working, focused, caring person you are, why would you need for someone else to bless you with recognition? Particularly when many will reject you only because of their own feelings of inadequacy?
And each day, every single day, is a new opportunity to manifest who you are, to act in ways that you want to act, and to appreciate the kind of person you are.
Don’t worry if you feel that you don’t fully know who you are, what your values are, what you prioritize. That is part of your journey, to figure that out. And although your core values won’t change much over time, other aspects and certainly your priorities will. Like all of life it is a journey.
And it doesn’t matter a bit where you are right now. Whether you are a full-time student, borrowing money to secure your future. Whether your career is behind you and you are wondering what is next. Whether you don’t know whether you will have a roof over your head tonight. Whether you feel helplessly addicted, to anything. Even if you are right in the middle of a huge crisis, right now, you can at least change how you cope with it.
‘Happily ever after’ isn’t the goal. That is a myth, and a millstone.
A lifetime of becoming, of doing, of challenging yourself and proving who you are, of enjoying the fruits of your efforts and appreciating who you are before moving on to the next challenge, that is the goal.
The house of your dreams isn’t the goal
But building it is
And snuggling with the ones you love on the rug in front of the fireplace is
A convertible sports car isn’t the goal
But earning it is
And enjoying the wind in your hair as you travel a serpentine road is
A dream vacation in the company of friends or family isn’t the goal
But planning it and finding the resources to take it is
And viewing masterpieces of art or nature, doing exciting activities, and spending quality time with those you care about is
A ‘trophy spouse’ isn’t the goal
But finding someone who challenges you to be the best you can be, someone who loves you for who you are, someone with whom you can build a deep, loving relationship that makes others envious is
And traveling the road of life and meeting every challenge head-on, side by side, is.
Are you ready to become the person you have always dreamed of becoming, the hero of your own story?
In five days you can transform your life:
- Understand what true personal success really entails, and how obstacles can be not just overcome but can be a valuable part of your path to growth and success
- Define who you truly are, and what matters most to you
- Set goals that help you create the life you want while becoming the person you want to be
- Create a plan of action to reach your goals, to catch yourself when you stray, and to correct your course when necessary
- Experience success: reflect on and celebrate your accomplishments; learn from your struggles; and plan your next challenges