Being my best self means everything to me.
Being my best self means achieving my goals and dreams. It means achieving my fullest potential, loving and being kind to myself, and being happy in my skin. It's about growing, developing and blossoming into the person I am and have the capacity to become.
I’m committed to being my best self and to achieving all my goals, but this doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn't happen by accident. Nope, this takes grit and hard work. It takes loads and loads of effort.
So... My goals?
I've always wanted to be an author. I want to help other people and a book is a really good way to get my points across. We are all capable of achieving so much and being supported and guided is very important.
In our book Be Your Best Self we talk about using a Stepladder To Success to help you reach your goals. I’ve achieved many of the goals on my stepladder and I've climbed every rung with precision. Some rungs were not planned and there have been many setbacks on the way, but there are always a few bumps in the road!
I've had many setbacks, and I'm not afraid to admit that some of them have made me think about quitting. There have been times where I've felt tired and frustrated, but I knew how important my goal was and how good it would make me feel when I reached it so I carried on. Getting to my fantastic dream goal was more important and I didn't want to end up wasting my effort.
And yes, I've experienced setbacks whilst writing our book. There were days when I was tired and had other responsibilities like my piano practice, swimming and jiu-jitsu. I knew I had to knuckle down if I wanted to finish the book by my eighth birthday, but sometimes I wanted a break and I kept putting it off. I knew this wasn't going to get me to my goal so I did put in the hard work and we finished it in time! The lesson I learned from this is that breaks should only be taken when you need them and goals are far more important than instant gratification.
Motivation is a key ingredient in success. This is what helps you push through the setbacks you face and inspires you to do the right things. If you're motivated I guarantee you will never fail, because it drives you to think up new solutions and different ways around challenges. I'm motivated to be my best self because I know how important it is to reach my full potential and all of the wonderful things that will happen to me when I do. Some days it's easier to feel more motivated than others, but understanding what my goals are and my drive to become my best self allows me to stay in control and push through the difficult days.
And being my best self is about being happy with myself. I know that if I do not get this right then I will never achieve my dreams. It will leave me full of uncertainty and questions. I hear many people my own age question whether they are doing the right thing or even if everybody hates them. This is not a good place to be. When we are happy in ourselves and develop a really good relationship with ourselves then it is easier to achieve success.
We are brought up with messages that tell us once we achieve success or 'get something' then we will be happy, but I want other children to know that it doesn't work this way. Working on being happy builds a solid foundation for success because you will never reach your fullest potential if you are not happy first.
There are millions of children who want to be their best self, just like me. It's not always easy to be the best version of you and there are no quick fixes. It means you have to be patient, resilient, motivated and set on what your goal is. You have to work hard and be confident that you will achieve it. This is a life-long learning process and it is well worth spending time on because to allows us to be happier and more successful.
So this is what being my best self means to me, but what does it mean to you?
Be Your Best Self is being released in September 2019.
Written by Danielle Brown MBE and Nathan Kai, this exciting new book for children is a recipe for success, happiness and esteem. It’s a comprehensive framework that encourages children to raise their aspirations and turn exciting dreams into a reality. It’s a thought provoking career tool, a vital people skills asset, a modern day confidence builder, an engaging life-hack, and it empowers children to make the most of – and create– opportunities to lead bright and successful futures. Opportunities that EVERY parent would want for their child.
Positive and practical, Be Your Best Self empowers children to be happy, be confident and become the best versions of themselves.