You’re exhausted and you know that you’re not operating as your best self. But at the same time, you’re not sure what to do.

When you’re so busy running around on autopilot you don’t take the time to step back and reflect on what’s actually going on with yourself. You’re very much operating at head level and don’t even realise that despite your body sending you some kind of sign to slow down only for you to ignore it and continue pushing on.

Rather than continuing to push on, you need to take time out to come back into connection with yourself – to understand who you really are, how you feel, what it is that you desire and if you are giving yourself everything you need on all levels, mind, body and soul or if you’ve flat lined on every level.

It also gives you the space to check in and see whether you are actually living the life you know you are capable of or if there is a gap between that life and the one that you meet every day.

Here are 5 Ways that you can start implementing to ensure that you’re operating as your best self:

1. Start Your Day By Being Aware And Intentional Rather Than Being On Autopilot And Reactive

If you’re a driven, ambitious high achiever it’s likely that you have a tendency to push yourself so hard that you burn out or at least on the brink of it.

You spend all of your day on autopilot and in your doing and achieving mode, trying to squeeze every last minute out of the day to get as much work done as possible so you can tick off another goal. Time and time again your body reacts to this stress and pressure in some way, yet you continue to ignore the signs and proceed to push on.

Instead of starting your day on autopilot and being reactive – jumping out of bed at the sound of your alarm, checking emails/social media, eating breakfast on the run, rushing to get to work, attending to other people’s agendas, spending the day ticking things of your to do list – try spending it by being aware and intentional instead.

Wake up a bit earlier and start your day with some self care. A mini meditation, journaling, exercise and making time to sit down and enjoy your breakfast.

By starting your day doing something that fills up your buckets you will leave home feeling calm, focussed and ready to start your day as your best self. Then throughout the day take the time to check in with yourself.

Are you being intentional with your time and energy? Have you set aside time to work on the tasks that will move you closer to achieving your goals or are you spending your day putting out fires? How are your energy levels? Do you need to set boundaries to ensure you’re only saying yes to spending time doing the things that energise you, move you closer to your goals and are fun?

2. Block Out Time For Rest And Reflection

Look at your schedule and block out some time for rest and reflection. If you want to be operating as your best self it is imperative that you incorporate times of rest and reflection into your week. So many women are driven by the fear that if they’re not hustling and striving 24/7 then they won’t be able to achieve their goals and the success they desire.

However, our bodies aren’t designed to operate like that and there will come a time where your body just gives in, in some or form or another. You need to ensure that you’re getting the rest your body needs in order to replenish itself and ensure you’re able to operate as your best self.

When you start regularly checking in with yourself, you will learn when the best time is for you to take action and when it’s time for you to surrender. Surrendering is not being lazy nor is it waste of time.

When you surrender you create the space to tap into the deepest wisdom and make sure that you’re living the life you want. That the goals you’re chasing are moving you closer to the life you want and not the life you think you should have.

It also allows you the space to check in with how you’re feeling and if there are areas in your personal life that you need to pay more attention to. To be operating at your ultimate best you need to ensure that you’re looking after your overall wellbeing on all levels, body, mind and soul.

How are you feeling today? Have you made time today to move your body and fuel it with nutritious foods and beverages? Did you get enough sleep? Have you organised time to catch up with friends and family this week?

We can get so caught up in achieving our goals that we neglect our overall wellbeing. But if you want to be operating as your best self your overall wellbeing needs to be your number one priority!

3. Remind Yourself You Are Enough

For women and especially those who are perfectionist, the biggest hurdle in being able to be your best self is not believing that you are enough. Not smart enough, healthy enough, pretty enough, confident enough and a general feeling of not being good enough to achieve the things that you desire.

Perfectionism is fuelled by imposter syndrome and an inner critic sense of not being good enough as well as an intense fear of failure. When you place so much focus on getting everything just right you tend to have an all or nothing mentality when it comes to everything – work, life, home, exercise, you name it.

The drive to be perceived as perfect rules your life and can prohibit you from really experiencing life to the fullest because of the opportunities you let pass you by in fear that you won’t be perfect at them.

Rather than only looking within for self valuation, you’re always looking for outward self valuation and as a result you try to control the outcome so as to avoid any criticism, judgement and failure.

You wait until something is perfect until you want to try it or share something with the world but all that ends up happening is that you stay permanently stuck in perfection paralysis.

Just know that everything you need to be your best self is already within you and that the only approval you need is your own. When you surrender to the fact that life isn’t perfect, that life is a practice and when you practice you make mistakes you realise that there is no shame in mistakes, that it’s just an opportunity to learn and grow.

It is during these times that you deepen the connection to your true self and your self worth.  So rather than aim for perfectionism aim for a level of excellence instead – where you lovingly push yourself to act, think, relate and create from your highest good and that every thing you do is an opportunity to grow and learn. Take the pressure of yourself and rather than demanding perfectionism of yourself aim for a level of excellence in everything you do where good enough is good enough.

4. Review Your Vision And Goals

Take the time to sit down and evaluate your goals. Are your goals in line with your vision and core values? You might know how to achieve goals, but that doesn’t mean that your goals are right for you in the first place.

If this is the case it’s likely that despite how many goals you achieve you still feel unsatisfied. It’s like something is missing but you’re not sure what it is so you set new goals and achieve those only to find that you’re still unsatisfied. It’s because too often we strive toward goals that don’t fulfil us, goals that aren’t defined by us or even in sync with our own inner worlds.

When you’re chasing goals that are in line with what society defines as success and happiness as opposed to what success and happiness really mean to you there is a disconnection between your internal and external worlds.

Most of us are taught how to succeed but almost never how to define success in personal terms. Which in the end only results in you inevitably feeling disappointed when you achieve your goals but are still left feeling unsatisfied.

So take the time to sit down and review your goals and ask yourself what is truly valuable to you. Make sure you’re on the right journey where your goals are in line with your vision, core values and how you want to feel once you achieve them.

It’s not about trying to force ourselves into roles and positions that aren’t meant for us or slaving towards purchasing another material object that doesn’t actually bring any meaning to our life. It’s about the meaning and value derived from intentionality, from being in control of your life’s own direction.

When you start feeling in control of your life’s own direction you naturally feel empowered and have the confidence within to be your best self each and every day.

5. Strengthen Your Sense Of Self

Strengthening your sense of self and confidence is going to be key to operating as your best self and getting you through both your business and life. If you want to reap the rewards in your business, you’re going to be required to embrace uncertainty and take decisive action despite the unknown.

As a result it’s imperative that you believe in yourself and your abilities when challenges arise so that despite the outcome you have what it takes to do deal with the situation at hand. Believing in yourself is the number one necessity to maintain confidence and an unwavering sense of self.

Being able to trust yourself regardless of what others say, believe or expect of you and from you is an absolute must. When you start to question yourself and your abilities you allow the doubts and insecurities to creep in which can have detrimental consequences on any decisions you make.

Deep down you know what is best for you and your business and by regularly checking in with yourself and taking time to rest and reflect, you’re also strengthening you connection to your intuition and that is where you find all your answers.

Being able to live and speak your truth is also important to strengthen your sense of self. Staying connected with what you believe, how you feel, your values, morals and integrity will give you the confidence to speak up and do what is right for you. To be operating as your best self you also need to see yourself in a positive light and let go of any negative thoughts you may have.

Grab your journal and do some writing around any limiting beliefs that keep coming up for you. Look for the stories and patterns that come up and identify what is really true and what isn’t. Once you become aware of how your mind is operating you then have the power to take action and do the work to release these destructive patterns and limiting beliefs that you have.

To operate as your best self you must consciously choose to change any thoughts or feelings that don’t benefit you. Most importantly be compassionate with yourself. If things don’t turn out the way you planned then review the situation, take away any learnings and then get on with it.

Don’t get down on yourself. Feel whatever emotions come up, accept what is, let go of your attachment to a certain outcome, make any necessary adjustments to your plans and keep moving forward and getting on with what you need to do to reach your goals.

3 Actions To Help You Be Your Best Self

1. Start your day with Self Care – what can you do to make time in the morning for your self care ritual? Check out my self care tips in my free guide: 3 Steps To Be More Intentional and Productive With Your Time so you can start your day feeling calm, focused and ready to take on the day.
2. Book in time to Rest and Replenish – if you want to operate as your best self you need to rest and replenish your body, mind and soul. Make sure that you book in some time during your days and even longer periods on the weekend to give yourself the space to check in with yourself.
3. Review your Goals – are your goals in line with your vision, with the way you want to live your life and what is important to you? Take time to think about what is truly valuable to you and make sure you’re on the right journey where your goals are in line with your vision, core values and how you want to feel once you achieve them.

Head over to the comments and let me know:

Which of the above areas do you need to reframe your approach to life and start practising a better way of living and working?

Leave a comment below and let me know how you go!

You can start practising a better way of living and working today. Make sure you sign up to my blog below where you can get my tips and inspiration about how you can be creating a business you love without it being at the expense of your wellbeing sent straight to your inbox.

Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change – Jim Rohn

Here’s to being your best self!