Being the Best YOU in 2017

Hey beautiful people, Andrea here! 🙂

Wow I can’t believe it’s already been a whole month since the new year started! I hope you all have been making the best out of this new year and staying positive through it all. I want to share with you guys a little bit about what I’ve been up to so far this year and along the way give you my top 5 tips for being the best you this year! Are you ready?!

Well to start, I have had lots of changes already this year: a new job, a new lifestyle (ish), a new attitude and lots of new goals I have set for myself.

I was super sad to leave my old job since I was so comfortable and loved the people I worked with but I had an amazing opportunity fall into my lap and I knew I couldn’t say no. Leaving was probably one of the hardest things I’ve done, but I am so proud of myself for giving myself room to grow. Which brings me to my first tip…

1. Get out of your comfort zone

Pretty cliche, right? You’ve probably heard this all of your life, but have you actually done it? Of course it’s easier to be comfortable and stick with things that are familiar to you, but you will never really learn about yourself or grow if you never get out of your little box that you’ve created for yourself. Before accepting my new job I was nervous, scared and insecure. These are all negative emotions and the only way to move past them was to get out of my comfort zone. New things are always scary but you can’t expect to get to the top if you’re stuck on the same level.

My new job gives me so much flexibility and way less structure than I’m used to – which I’ll admit, is really hard for a Type A person like me – but I am learning how to go with the flow and make the most out of my time. In just a month I have learned so much about myself and my abilities for my new role. Don’t ever doubt what you can do. Try new things, push yourself, show the world what you’re capable of. And most importantly, show YOU what you are capable of. Which is why my second tip for you is:

2. Have faith in yourself 

How are other people going to believe in you if you don’t even believe in you? “Believe it and you can achieve it” – one of the best reminders I have received. It;s normal to doubt ourselves or be too hard on ourselves, after all we are human. But if we really want to work on bettering ourselves and our future, we have to learn how to trust ourselves. Trust your instincts. Trust your talents. Trust your strengths. TRUST THE PROCESS.

Good things take time. This is true for so many aspects of your life – your career, your education, your finances,  your relationships, your fitness goals. In fact, I am working on this now with my own fitness journey. Some days I look in the mirror and am not happy with where I’m at or how my body “looks.” And then I look back at pictures and think wow, how silly of me for thinking so negatively because look at what I’ve accomplished so far, look at where I started and look at where I am now. It takes time and you have to pat yourself on the back for everything you’ve accomplished up until now.

A huge part of trusting and believing in yourself and your abilities is loving yourself. You have to put yourself first and love yourself more.

3. Take care of yourself 

You guys know I am a huge self-love advocate and always push people to #LoveYourself. The reason I push this so much is because when you truly love yourself, you radiate positive energy, which then attracts more positivity and well, life is just SO MUCH EASIER this way. Trust me, this also takes time but once you truly find yourself and love who you are, everything else will fall into place effortlessly.

And I’m not just talking about pampering yourself once in a while (which I DO highly recommend!) but also taking time to really enjoy the little things in your life and have a more positive outlook. For example, one of my many goals this year is to spend more time outdoors and enjoy my surroundings. I promised myself I would take at least two walks per week at the beach, phone and worry free for at least 30 minutes. This seems like a silly goal, but something I realize I hardly ever do is slow down, take deep breaths, and enjoy the beauty around me.

So whether it’s taking a break from social media, learning a new skill, picking up a new hobby, or something as simple as changing your attitude, take the time to do something for YOU this year.

4. Set realistic goals for yourself

Setting “self-love” goals for yourself are much more feasible than say, trying to lose 20 pounds in a month or becoming a millionaire overnight. Make sure your goals are POSITIVE, attainable, and add to your growth as a person. Set goals that you can accomplish in a timely manner and ones that make you feel good about yourself.

A few other of my own personal goals that I have set for myself include:

• Reading one new book per month
• Focusing on my bettering my relationships with my family and friends (i.e. having a lunch/dinner date with my girl friends at least once a month; reminding my family that I love and miss them)
• Focusing more on loving and nourishing my body through proper nutrition and exercise
• Putting at least $50 into my savings account per month
• Growing my own herb garden
• Writing at least once a week on my blog

When choosing these goals I thought of all of the things in my life that I felt that I was lacking and that would better who I am as a person – learning something new, spreading more love, loving myself and my body, saving money, picking up a new hobby, and helping others.

In evaluating the areas of my life that I would like to improve, I found my NUMBER ONE tip for being a better person in 2017…

5. Be grateful 

Even though we may have a lot to work on or still aren’t where w want to be, the best thing we can do for ourselves is be thankful for all of the wonderful things that we do have. Sometimes we take life for granted and it’s easy to do so when we are moving so fast that we forget how truly blessed we are. Remember to live in the moment and enjoy life! You have been given another day so say thank you and make the best of it. Choose love. Choose happiness. And choose yourself.

If you’ve made it this far, I hope that you take these tips into consideration and make 2017 YOUR year to shine! And as always, be happy, be healthy, and be YOU!

Love and blessings to you all!

XOXO