You are the only person in the entire history and future of mankind that can live your life. So, you’ve got to know your ideal self and be that person. You need to know who you are deep down, and why you need to get up in the morning.
Unfortunately, many people in your life do not want you to be your ideal self. Even people you call friends and family may root against you. The worst person booing you, though, is your own subconscious.
The mind grows whatever it is focused on, which is miraculous if you’re focusing on your ideal self. Although, it’s horrifying if you’re focused on the worst version of you.
Maybe you don’t want to figure yourself out right now, but you have to deal with the existential crisis. You need to face the fact that you are entirely capable of being a nobody, wasting your life and messing up everybody else’s. But you also need to recognize that you have the power to do amazing things that you haven’t even dreamed up yet.
You have to know your ideal self, deeply. You have to spend a lot of time and energy asking yourself, “How would my ideal self react to this situation?” “What would my ideal self do on a typical workday?” “What does my ideal self focus on?” “Who does my ideal self spend time with?”
You will probably feel shame creeping up on you at some points, but just ignore it and focus harder on your ideal. The sub-conscious gets more energized and reactive when you’re getting closer to who you really are. This is a wonderful sign that you’re actually getting somewhere!
An easy way to find your ideal self is to make a list of your heroes when you were a teenager. And yes, they can be fictional characters. You should have 10-20 within about 5 minutes. Then, circle around three to eight of your heroes—the ones you loved the most.
Now, write those top names out on a separate sheet of paper, and list ALL the reasons why you looked up to each of them. Next, you’re going to look at all these traits and circle the ones that are the same amount two or more of your heroes. You should find about two to five words or groups of words that mean the same thing.
These things you’ve pinpointed are YOUR IDEAL SELF! These are the overarching traits of your ideal self! These words are your MANTRA. Write them down. Memorize them. Tell your significant other about them, tell your friends (only the ones you totally trust), and think these words every time you get up in the morning. It’ll be hard at first, but this is key to your success.
When you put your clothes on every morning, ask yourself if that outfit fits your words. This is your power center. You have virtually unlimited confidence, resolve, influence, and success when you are showing up as your ideal self.
And the more you focus on who your ideal self is, how that person acts and reacts, who they spend their time with, how they look, what they care about, what a typical day is like for them, how they think about business and money and family and their country and the world, all of it, the more you will become that person—the person whose life is not only worth living, but crucial to the world to live.
