There exist many different ideas of who we are inside. Identity seems to change as people move from one social situation to another. But the person we should be looking for inside us is our higher or best self. To achieve our best is the version of you that resonates inside yourself with joy and love. There is no fear in this inner upbeat version of you. This best version has the potential to exist in all of us and can be accessed following some simple steps. A quick change of focus and consciousness will point you in the right direction.

Know Where You Are

The first thing we have to do is acknowledge where we are right now on our journey. Honestly and completely. Are you working a job that fulfills you? Is there room for growth? Are you doing what brings you joy? Are there things in your life you have to change? Or need to change for your health’s sake? Acknowledge it all and bring it into the front of your thoughts and awareness. Too often, let things slide and ignore the habits and situations we put ourselves in daily, which do not resonate with us. See what you want to change, and then be still and envision what the perfect job will look like for you. Knowing where you are will make your destination a lot easier to find.

Be Kind to You

How we treat ourselves and speak to ourselves will determine how easy it is to connect to our best selves. It is easy to say that loving yourself is the first step. You are sending compassion and love to yourself rather than focusing on blame or shame in any situation. Things done in the past are in the past, and you can’t change them. Rather than beat yourself up for it, tell yourself that you did the best you could. Know that you will react more positively when faced with the same circumstance. Love yourself at this moment and let your best self rise to the surface.

Notice Your Thoughts

Not only the thoughts about yourself but your thoughts about everything. See your thought patterns and honestly evaluate the negativity and positivity of each thread of thought that exists. Your thoughts will control your emotions and, ultimately, your behavior, so it is vital to be conscious of the pattern of thinking. Beliefs that have been ingrained in you since you were young influence specific patterns of thought and can be harmful without conscious recognition. See your ideas for what they are when it comes to your perspectives and beliefs, and that will provide an opportunity to transform them into something that will represent the best parts of you.

How to Speak to Yourself

When you talk to yourself in your mind, speak as if you were talking to a best friend or a valued, loved one. The way you talk to and feel about yourself sets the tone for how you view yourself in the world. There were times when I was not so lovely to my reflection in the mirror—cutting down my physical appearance—avoiding the right parts, and focusing on the things about my body that I didn’t like. Now I hope to be a little more compassionate to myself. We should all speak to ourselves with compassion. Your best self will rise from this and become apparent.

Do things that connect with you and make you feel good about your life and who you are. It could be exercise, art, or writing. When you are your best, accept who you are, what you are doing, and where you are going. Your best self will rise and enter your life.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be sure of improving, and that’s your self.– Aldous Huxley

Work on yourself more than you do on your job.– Jim Rohn

The goal is not to be better than the other man but your previous self.  – The Dalai Lama