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There is one question we need to be asking ourselves every day. Actually, it should be more like every hour…or maybe even every minute…It’s just that important!
But I bet it’s a question you have never asked yourself before…
And I realized during a time when I needed it the most that I hadn’t ever asked myself this question either. And just like that, I knew it was time to start…
It all started a few weeks ago. This particular week seemed like all of the others before it. But as the days moved on, I kept feeling like something was off. I just wasn’t my normal self, and I wasn’t following my normal routine that I typically enjoy. I was struggling to get up to workout (which is usually one of my favorite parts of the day). I was making the choice to eat as much junk food as I could find around the house (usually I enjoy making healthier choices which makes me feel better all around). And most importantly, I just didn’t feel as happy, energized, or as upbeat as I normally do (which are usually the characteristics I am known for).
And so, as Wednesday night drew to an end, I suddenly realized what I needed to do. And it was Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s voice that kept echoing in my head.
I attended one of his virtual conferences recently where he was discussing his new book called, “The Earned Life”. During that conversation, he made a statement that really stuck with me. He reminded all of us that as humans we can change whenever we want to. Often, we get stuck in a rut where we just assume that we are the way we have always been. And that these traits of ours are like some incurable disease that can’t ever be ‘fixed’. But he reminded us that this is simply not true, and so it’s important to ask ourselves this following question…every chance we get…
This question of… “Are you being the person you want to be right now?”
And I knew in that moment that I was not. I was being a person I didn’t know and a person I just didn’t like. It was not the real me, and while it had only been a couple of days, I knew I needed to figure it out. I knew I needed to understand why I was acting this way in order to do the one thing that needed to be done…to change it.
When is the last time you caught yourself being a person you didn’t like? How long were you acting this way? A couple of hours, a few days, an entire year? And could you admit it out loud that you weren’t being your best self? Did you choose to change it? Or did you make excuses and continue down that unpleasant path? What caused you to see this in yourself? Was it maybe a quarrel with a friend? Or perhaps it was negative energy you shared with everyone who crossed your path? Or possibly it was a crappy attitude you were carrying around with you for far too long?
Whatever your story is, I am here to tell you what Dr. Goldsmith told me…. We CAN change…if we want to. And while we won’t ever have the power to change others in our life, we will always have the power to change ourselves in order to get better and in order to be better.
So, it was my turn to change. And it started with me figuring out where these feelings were coming from. That is when I realized that it was stemming from an underlying worry I had for some of my best friends. You see, I knew this particular week was going to be tough on them. They were dealing with health issues, and they were going to see doctors out of town to figure out how treatment was working. It was a crucial week and a critical time on this journey they unfortunately had to travel. So while I thought I had put it out of my mind temporarily until they had news to share, it was pretty clear that subconsciously I hadn’t…
And I wasn’t being the person I wanted to be right in that moment. So when Thursday morning’s sun shined in through the window, I knew that my excuses were no longer allowed. I begrudgingly climbed out of bed and went to start my workout routine. Because that is what I needed to do, that is what I deep down wanted to do, and that is what my best friends would insist that I do. (They wouldn’t ever want my life to be less happy because of their struggles…they are just that great of friends.)
So now it’s your turn. Pause right now in whatever you are doing and take a good hard look at your own life. And then every minute, of every hour, of every day, don’t forget to ask yourself if you are being the person YOU want to be right now. You don’t always have to be the way you have always been. So ask yourself this question as often as possible because it is just that important when it comes to working hard at getting better and at being better…for not only yourself but most importantly, for this world.
Xoxo
Marsha
*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com. Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!
Photo Credit: Photo by Monstera: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cutout-paper-composition-of-yellow-signboard-with-exclamation-mark-5849597/