Have you ever talked with a close friend about their thoughts on how you can improve or fit in with others. If so, I’m sure you’ve heard “just be yourself.” That’s fine, but how can we use that advice to help achieve your objective? It’s a safe bet you’ve already been doing that or, at least, that’s what you thought.

Maybe what we’re being told is to be your “best” self and not “just be yourself.” But…what is the difference between being yourself and being your "best" self?

While attending a conference some time ago, I was speaking about achieving goals and success when a young man made an important observation. To paraphrase, he remarked, "When I seek advice, everyone is always telling me to just be myself. But I can be so many different 'me's.' How do I know which of the “me’s” is the best me to be?"

An interesting observation/question, but it’s very important. All of us have many possible selves (or “me’s”). Some aspects of our personalities are active and obvious, and these aspects can be called current reality or, put another way, ‘who we are right now.’ However, there are many other possibilities, or possible selves, that we can strengthen and bring into current reality; that is, if we make a conscious decision to do so.

I’m going to ask an important question which might require some serious thinking. “What is your best self like?” Can you list the qualities that make "you” when you’re at your best? This would be different from the ordinary, everyday you. This is an important question because once these qualities or characteristics are brought into your consciousness, you can deliberately set out to make your everyday self more like your “best” self.

My late friend Lou Tice would tell us to use the techniques of affirmation, visualization, and control of your self-talk to support your desire to discover your “best” self. All successful people know we move toward and become like that which we think about. Where thought goes, energy flows. It's a matter of channeling your thought waves.

So…focus on those aspects of yourself that you would like to see more of, but do it in a systematic way, and do it over and over, every day. Soon, being yourself will adjust automatically, to becoming your “best” self.

Think about it…