In the pursuit of being and doing more or better, we often push ourselves too much and totally miss getting the best out of ourselves. With so many of us suffering from higher than optimal levels of stress, our thinking is not always as clear or as resourceful as it could be. We are busy in activity but not necessarily in being productive or doing what is important.

A certain amount of stress is part of life. It comes with doing new things, developing yourself and taking on new responsibilities.   Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is part of growth, self-discovery and satisfaction. It also keeps you humble as when we challenge ourselves daily it gives us empathy and compassion for the challenges and difficulties others face too. When the stress levels we experience pass an optimal level it ceases to benefit and even has the opposite effect.

It is easy to lose time to all the weapons of mass distraction and dramas going on around us. It is very healthy to sit and reflect on how and what you are doing regularly. Am I spending most of my time on what is important to me and where I can make a difference? The answer to these questions can give you a lot of insight and illuminate your path forward.

To get the best out of yourself you have to give the best to yourself. We can all learn from the training schedules of high performance athletes. They push themselves to the limit and break world records but they do not exhaust themselves every day.  This is the mistake many very driven people make compromising their results and even their happiness and wellbeing.

When we focus on getting the most out of ourselves, we can easily end up being busy fools. It is not always about working harder but working smarter.

Here are ten different things you can do to help you get the very best out of yourself and your life.

  1. Have goals and assess your progress towards them regularly.
  2. Prioritise selfcare. You have to give the best to yourself if you want to get the best out of yourself. Prioritise sleep, the right food, sunlight, drinking water and enough exercise and relaxation to make you feel alive, well and ready to engage with life.
  3. Watch your thoughts. Face your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and prepare for your future without fear.
  4. Understand your strengths and what you bring to situations and develop them. If you don’t know what they are ask the opinion of someone you respect – your partner, friends, family members, your boss or even a work colleague. Reflect on own and others your perceptions and plan how you can take your talents to an even higher level.
  5. Develop an understanding of when you work best? Recreate that as much as your lifestyle and time permits.
  6. Work smart, hard and laugh every day.
  7. Do what you love.
  8. Find a way of getting away from the stresses of life through meditation or mindfulness practices. Explore, and find what works for you and do it daily for best effect.
  9.  Think of different ways of getting the result you want. The first solution that comes is not always the best solution.
  10. As Eleanor Roosevelt says: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” That way when the bigger opportunities come, you are ready to take them.

Best of luck with getting the best out of you!