Learning from Life’s Lessons and Becoming the Best Person You Can Be
It takes an effort to be a person.
Whether you are starting out in life as a high school graduate or running a company as a CEO, or have put your time in and getting life in order to enjoy a busy retirement, making efforts to become the best person you can be is going to pay off. This quick reminder is meant to give you extra motivation and leadership skills necessary to be triumphant along any stages of life’s journey.
Most modern philosophy and age-old wisdom point to the importance of having a well-rounded lifestyle as one of the best ways to be the best you, you can be. It’s important to remember the process of being your best person, is a journey. That means you have to come to grips with the fact that you will have plenty of starts, stops, breaks and even a few “oh that might not have been the best road to take” moments. In fact, those can lead you to some of the best moment of self-enlightenment. So if you think this is a linear process like your old school days, think again! This is all about creating the “VIP Ticket ride” to being an engaged person.
Below are my favorite ways to start your journey to becoming a more well-rounded you and becoming more self-aware.
- Read: Subscribe to a newspaper or online news site. Keep informed of current events in your community. Also, there’s nothing wrong with taking time to dive into books, both fiction and nonfiction. Reading is proven to help improve your vocabulary and ability to concentrate. You can stay old school and use books or adapt to the new e-readers. In either case, keep at it. I tend to do both and with readers being less expensive now, keep my Kindle Oasis from Amazon for my backpack and poolside because of the extended battery built into the cover, an older Kindle Paperwhite reader by the bed, a Samsung Galaxy tablet for lunch breaks at work and one
- Listen: The more that you can focus on what other people are saying, the more interesting their stories will become to you and my “go everywhere” 9.7′ iPad Pro for the rest of the time. Yes I know that is a lot, but then I have them always synced and charged no matter where I am and when the moment strikes. Take pride in being a good listener, and people will want to talk to you and confide in you.
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Culture: Go outside of your comfort zone of who you are to understand the world around you. Take steps to learn about history, culture, and art. Doing this will help keep you feeling connected to the world. Gaining this type of insight is crucial if you want to be equipped to deal with your problems and the 
problems of other people. A good way to start this is getting creative. Try cooking or art. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to get you to try. For me, I launched my personal blog BiteTheRoad.com and often post about my new projects such as reusing old jewelry as Bookmarks and Planner Keepers. - Come Up For Air: You can’t live your life online or in a book. Get your nose out of your smart device, book or other “prop” when at the coffee shop, or in public transit. Allows yourself to be part of the moment. Look around you. See whats around you. Say hello to people! Several easy reads are available including “The Science of Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone: How to Live Fearlessly, Seize Opportunity, and Make Each Day Memorable” and “#DoTheThing: Because comfort zones are boring“. Then once you read them – TALK about what you read, and think. Use #’s 1, 2, and 3 and 5 to make the reading real.
- Question: The true art of change is the ability to discover. But to discover, you have to learn to “question” what you see, hear and read. Being inquisitive isn’t about being nosey. Rather it’s about discovering the art of inquiry for the true sense of wonder and information. Take a read through “The Art of Finding Yourself” and see how to enrich your inquiry of yourself and the world around you.
Working Hard to Achieve Goals
Before you can work hard to achieve a specific goal you need to have a goal in mind. Having a goal is an essential part of being satisfied in life. For some people, merely having an intention to focus on can enliven creativity and hone in energy to focus more on the task at hand.
Sometimes, during this adventure, you may stumble, or a roadblock may appear. Remember, this is part of the plan. It is part of the hard work you have to put in to be successful. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are goals achieved in a day. Keep pushing forward and use those difficult times as growth opportunities to find new ways to accomplish your goals.
According to a study done by Krueger, actively pursuing goals in life can lead to a more satisfying lifestyle overall. This study claims that identifying a starting goal increases life satisfaction by 19 percent. So try to keep a goal in mind to live a healthier life.
As someone who has had the privilege to often work on projects that align with my passions even, I still need to take time to imagine and discover what goals and new achievements I see on the horizons. One book I am currently reading towards that is “Board and Brilliant” written by Manoush Zomorodi. A new read that a friend had posted about his reading last month and his having had a chance to hear the author speak about the ways to “unlock your, most productive and creative self“
Benefits
As you move forward in life’s journey, taking an active role in becoming the best person you can be while working hard to achieve goals in life will provide multiple benefits. One of the secrets to living a happy life is finding contentment. Understanding that the art of the successful journey, is “1 part staying in the moment, 1 part taking a risk, 1 part forgiving who you are and were and 1 part appreciating the experience of the end, is only the start of a new journey!
About Frank Strona
As a nationally known writer, educator, advisor, technology, coach, strategic engagement and content specialist, I have been active in the pursuit to improve, educate and promote opportunities that support the engaged learner and business while also preparing the workforce with the tools and skills necessary to stay competitive in a rapidly expanding technology-based world.