Do you want to be more of who you can be…? To be your best self?
There are plenty of popular memes around the concept that says, “You are enough just as you are.”
This is true. You are enough. And, it’s also true that there’s so much more within you. You have enough within you to achieve your dreams.
All that you need to become all that you can become is within reach. It’s within you. You have the intelligence, the will, the abilities, including the resources to be your best self through training and effort, learning and growth, discipline and passion.
If you wish to.
So don’t buy into that popular meme that would hold you back and keep you from becoming all that you can become. That is what we’re here to do. That is the destiny of all life on this planet. It is in fact, one of the definitions of life.
To grow.
Be your best self today… you deserve it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- When will you decide to become more of who you can be… to be your best self?
- Be Your Best Self
- You Are More Than You Know
- Creating Yourself
- You’ve Got What it Takes
AUDIO ARTICLE – BE YOUR BEST:
Perfection Redefined as Growth
Consider the rose bush before it blooms. The rose bush just as it is, is full, green and beautiful. It is enough, just as it is. But… it’s not all that it can be.
The rosebush is beautiful, the leaves and buds are beautiful. Even the thorns are beautiful for the role they play in the scheme of things toward protecting the rose. However, the rose bush hasn’t yet fulfilled it’s ultimate destiny until it is flourishing in roses.
Well, it’s the same for us. Perfection isn’t the state we seek, for like the horizon that is an ever evolving destination. For the rose bush, even the blossoms aren’t it’s ultimate destination, but rather, perpetuation of its lineage by continuing to grow and produce.
In the process of reaching for its version of perfection, the rose serves to delight and pollinate, to heal and feed, all the while doing what it’s here to do. Grow into all that it can be.
And if you’ve ever worked with plants you’ll know that they continue to grow no matter what afflicts them. In that way, plants are an example of perfection.
Perfection then is growth… it is about growing daily into our potential. And guess what? As we grow our potential does as well. Like that horizon, as we grow our horizon of potential and opportunity expands.
“No rosebush would ever say, ‘I wish I hadn’t bloomed… it was easier just putting out leaves.'”
~LeAura Alderson, cofounder-iCreateDaily®
Be Your Best Self
What could be more important than doing whatever it takes to be your best self?
Perhaps you’re in a situation where you’re a caregiver for others and as such, cannot pursue your own interests as intensely as you’d like. However, no matter the circumstances we’re in, we have the opportunity to pursue our best.
No matter the environment the plant is placed, it will do all that it can to grow. That’s all it knows to do.
Our destiny is to become more fully all of whom we can be. Those who are doing this regularly are most often living fulfilled, balanced, happy and rewarding lives. So why is it that the majority settle for less?
Because it’s hard.
The journey of becoming is a journey of struggle and pushing ourselves and doing the hard work. We have a saying we’ve used for years with our fitness brand:
“Never easy… Always worth it!”
~MyTrainerFitness.com
Because No One Ever Says…
“I wish I didn’t do that workout.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®
“Shouldn’t have had that healthy green juice.”
“I regret getting healthier and fitter.”
No one. Ever. You won’t either.
Do the hard thing. Be your best.
You will never, ever regret it.
You Are More Than You Know
You will never fully know yourself until you embark on the journey to you.
To be your best is to journey to yourSELF. All life is a journey of increasing abilities, awareness and consciousness.
Life is about growth. Life is growth. Your life… your growth. It’s about being more of who you will become through the sweat of your efforts and the struggle of the climb.
Like the rose, you are enough, wherever you are in your journey of becoming. Yet…
Our destiny is ever to be more, do more, have more, see more, feel more, give more, create more and… to love more.
Life is a delicate balance of being content with what is and yet eager for what’s next.
We are designed to pursue more, because more is growth, and all life is compelled to grow. We just need to align with the right “more”.
~LeAura Alderson, cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®
Creating Yourself
The more you create, the more you’re spinning your essence into the world. The more you spin your essence into the world, the more will you—and the world—be able to see all the magnificence you can be and the work you can do.
No one else can. No one else can do it for you. Personal growth is one thing we can never outsource. Even billionaires have to do their own pushups and cardio to keep fit.
We cannot outsource physical growth. Same thing with emotional growth. We can hire coaches to help us and therapists if we need to, but ultimately…
The only way out of where we are to where we want to go is to take daily action, consistently over time.
The alternative…?
“To aim for average is a crowded place and you can lose yourself there.”
~LeAura Alderson, cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®
This is your time, your gift, your legacy, and your opportunity to become more fully the self you’re destined to become.
If you’re not yet where you want to be, then a part of that has to do with not yet connecting with who you are when you’re your best. So imagine who you want to be in the world. Consider your daydreams from childhood to now. Who are you in that dream realm? And what do you need to do to begin to spin those dreams into existence… into being your best self?
Be your best self, because… well, why wouldn’t you?
~LeAura Alderson, cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®
You’ve Got What it Takes
If you choose to.
A Partner can Make All the Difference
More than a fun and inspiring partner, Devani and I help each other push to be more and do more. I tend to nudge Devani in productivity, organization and learning and application in the business arena.
Devani’s quirky humor and humorous way of seeing things reminds me to laugh and to lighten up at times. She also reminds me to exercise, even when I don’t feel like it, and I do the same for her. Even when I’m legitimately tired and could so easily NOT bike our hills, the loud excuses in my head sound empty and whiney when said out loud.
Having an accountability partner, helps you be your best and makes it harder not to. Eventually the power of positive habit takes over and your conscience fills that role. You do the right thing for you, no matter who’s there to witness it, because it becomes about how you feel about yourself when you’re alone… and what you do when no one’s looking.
“Struggles are the training grounds of greatness.”
~Devani Alderson, cofounder-iCreateDaily®
I Must Because I Can’t Not
It was time to walk the dogs and then bike our hills. Exercise is all the more essential for us desk jockeys. But I hadn’t slept well at all for the past few nights, and it was catching up with me.
I was definitely, understandably tired. Yet every valid reason that popped into my head as to why I shouldn’t bike today, sounded trite, and more like an excuse than a valid reason.
I knew that pushing through tired would make all the difference. And, that if I made excuses when I was tired, then the excuses and tiredness would reign. Worse than that, it would create and feed a hungry habit of excusing the hard things.
“The punchline of life is not wealth, it’s not fame, it’s not admiration, it’s how you feel about yourself when you’re by yourself.“
~Tom Bilyeu, cofounder Quest Nutrition & Impact Theory
Never Easy… Always Worth it!
As indicated earlier, choosing the high road and the harder thing is never easy, but it’s always worth it. And on that day, when I biked anyway, I did not regret it. I never have.
The more we practice pushing through the hard things, the easier it gets. We become stronger and more capable until hard isn’t hard any more… it’s just another good habit.
By pushing through tired, I felt better and more energized than if I had given into tired. If I make excuses, they will define and limit me to believe in them more than I believe in my ability to push through hard.
When we shrink away from hard things we diminish our capacity. When we diminish our capacity, we diminish our life.
Excuses are the death of dreams. Doing is the death of excuses.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®
A TRUISM: When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
When we give into our lower, baser self, we do so at the expense of our best self. Yes, there are times when we must rest instead of push… must relax instead of work. Of course.
It’s just that more often than not, we can all do more than we think we can. The only way to grow muscle is to push it.
Excuses fuel our weakness and deplete our power. Be your best and you will feel your best, and your life will reflect that.
If I make excuses, they will define and limit me to believe in them more than I believe in my ability to push through what’s hard.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®
Grit in 5 Minutes
Below is an inspiring and motivating video on what you’ve got and how to apply it in less than 5 minutes. This is about students and humans, and it’s about us. It’s about you and the choices you wrestle with each day.
But you only wrestle at first. Once you decide, it gets easier.
We LOVE this quote by speaker, author, teacher-turned-psychologist, Angela Lee Duckworth, author of the book, Grit.
“Grit is sticking with your future.”
~Angela Lee Duckworth, author, teacher turned psychologist
Be Your Best Self Quotes
Ask Yourself Quotes
Wouldn’t it be a great idea everyday to ask yourself:
SOURCE: Growth Events Talk
“What is the greatest expression of myself that I can be today?“
~Dr. Joe Dispenza, D.C., neuroscientist, lecturer, author
Be Yourself Quotes
Be your best self, because… who else would you rather be?
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®
Effort and Be Your Best Self Quotes
No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.
~Carol S. Dweck, author, Mindset
Exhausted But Elated
Recently, I set out to learn a new tool for growing our websites. It’s called Web Stories by Google.
The initial tutorials seemed simple, but there were a few technical issues to learn at first, such as learning:
- What it is, how it works, benefits and drawbacks
- What plugin (program) to use, then installing that
- Toggling between our ad company’s instructions and Google’s instructions
- Toggling between settings in Google Search Console, Google Analytics Dashboard and our ad company’s dashboard.
- How to connect it to our website analytics dashboard
- Learning how to create images and “stories” in the new creator dashboard
- Toggling between Canva and Web Stories and trying to figure out which was best for what
It wasn’t easy. There were many places where the instructions didn’t help because they used terms I didn’t know and which sent me to another link to learn about before I could continue. Then at that “informative link”, more unknowns were encountered which had to be clarified… definitions upon definitions until I lost track of that original page of instructions.
Like looking up a definition that defines the word with more words you need to look up.
I wanted to quit and move onto something faster and easier. Something I know and enjoy more like an article to update or create, keywords to identify, refine and track, or an email to write while thinking about what might serve you.
It was hard to slow down enough for a deep dive into a challenging (for me), technical learning process.
I figured it would take an hour or two to learn, then an hour or two to create a few “stories”.
Instead it took more than 11 hours. Or, at least it took me 11 hours.
I wanted to give up. I didn’t do my usual daily exercises: dog walking; biking and/or resistance circuits, all a part of what keeps me balanced and healthy.
My brain felt overloaded and slow, exacerbated by the fact that I should have been able to do it all so much quicker.
But I was determined. So I got it done.
At the end of it, when hitting “publish”, I was exhausted but elated.
The elation of accomplishment was exhilarating because I:
- tackled something hard
- kept going when I felt tired and overwhelmed
- didn’t give up
- Accomplished my goal
Then I turned on some 80’s dance music while beginning the mundanity of nightly bedtime rituals. I couldn’t help but boogie for a few tunes. The music — along with my victory — immediately energized me out of exhaustion.
Never underestimate the power we have to push through hard. When we do, we are strengthened.
If I make excuses, they will define and limit me to believe in them more than I believe in my ability to push through what’s hard… my ability to be my best.
To be your best self begins in this moment forward.
Get Gratitude.
The Day is the Way.
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Hello! I’m LeAura, owner and co-creator of iCreateDaily.com®. As an autodidactic philosopher, generalist, personal development advocate, entrepreneur, writer, editor, author, ideator, media publisher, and podcaster, I’m passionate about helping others achieve their best possible life! Our small family of entrepreneurs, writers, investors, educators and creators own and run websites around topics we enjoy, such as gardening, health and fitness, creativity and pets, with more to come.
While my greatest teacher is Life… my formal training includes certifications in mediation, fitness, and strategic intervention coaching, including marriage and family. Today, the synergy of creating websites, articles and podcasts, brings together all my favorite things: family, learning, growth, creating, connecting and contributing. To share these with you is a privilege, that serves my lifelong aspiration to help others.
My personal areas of creativity are in writing, masterminding, ideation, synthesis and bringing ideas to life through business and entrepreneurship, all with a pervasive spiritual foundation with a focus on elevating the lives of others.
Want to submit your photos, videos and/or article content for publication? We love to consider your contribution for publication! creators@icreatedaily.com