Now we all from time to time have heard people tell us to do our best. It is great advice to do your best, but rarely does anyone suggest that you should first prepare to do your best or explain how to do that.

The most successful athletes, business leaders, entertainers, and other professionals all have practiced or prepared to give their best, so why shouldn’t you? Why shouldn’t you want to do and be your best? So let’s talk about Preparing to be your best:

1. Separate yourself, and do whatever is necessary to get away from those people who are holding you back or who are always telling you what you can’t do. We all have enough challenges to face. We don’t need any additional negative influences in our lives.
2. Learn to say no to those people and activities that are taking your time for their needs or purposes, leaving you no time for what you need to do or want to do.
3. Work hard to develop the courage to say what’s on your mind when it needs to be said. Get into the habit of stating your intentions to bring more clarity and focus to all of your activities.
4. Launch a consistent and ongoing self-learning program. The result of this effort is to increase your knowledge and skills so that you can add value and contribute more to yourself, your family, your business, and your clients.
5. As a part of your self-improvement efforts, learn to develop more mental toughness so that you are better equipped to handle ambiguity and pressure. Develop your discipline skills to allow yourself to pursue and achieve your goals despite any obstacles you may encounter.
6. Begin a regular, daily ritual of taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally. When all of the parts of our lives are in sync, we perform at our most optimum levels. Remember, there is nothing wrong with periodically putting yourself first.
7. Start doing things without any fear of making a mistake. Mistakes can hurt or delay; however, their value as a learning experience far outweighs the short-term negative impacts that they might have.
8. Schedule a weekly one-hour appointment with yourself. Take this time to assess what has taken place and what else needs to be done. This appointment can serve as a valuable reality check that allows you to make sure you are working on the right things, to make any needed adjustments, and to ensure that you are learning the right things from your experiences.

So I am sure there are many more Activities you can undertake to prepare to be your best. The ones I have listed here, however, are an excellent starting point.

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