10 STEPS TO NOURISHING YOUR BEST-SELF

10 STEPS TO NOURISHING YOUR BEST SELF The Tale of Two Wolves, also known as The One You Feed, is a story that reminds us to cultivate the best in ourselves. We are all born with a host of attributes, both positive and negative; it’s up to each of us to decide who we want to be. Whether it’s how we treat others or how we love ourselves, we grow the things we feed.

The One You Feed is said to have its origins in Native American culture but it’s also been credited to other sources from poets to preachers. Where it came from though, is whole lot less important than what it reminds us. Here is the story:

A grandfather is talking with his grandson. He tells the boy that inside each of us there are two wolves, constantly fighting each other. One wolf is positivity. He is fueled by light, and love, and kindness. The other is negativity. He is fueled by envy, and bitterness, and fear. His grandson considers this, looks up at his grandfather, and asks, “Grandpa, which one wins?” The grandfather gently answers, “The one you feed.” And that’s how it is for each of us. That same thinking applies to health and fitness. Every day we are presented with an array of experiences and we have to choose how we will react. We can either allow the negativity inside of us to keep us still, afraid to try again, or we can embrace the best in us and move forward. We Own the Power of our Choices! To succeed in anything from work to weight loss, we have to take control of our attitudes and thoughts, and get positive. But we all know that. The problem is that negative thinking is easy and eventually it becomes a habit. We learn to stop ourselves from trying again and winning. Every time we give in to fear or envy we teach ourselves that sitting still, afraid to move and being bitter or unhappy is okay. It’s not. Ten Steps to Nourishing Your Best Self

Sometimes we need concrete ways to redirect our energy. Here are ten easy steps to improve your attitude and grow your self-love:

1. Surround yourself with wonderful people.

Jim Rohn says that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, based on the law of averages. So, if you want to be full of light and love and to care for yourself the way you deserve to be cared for, you have to surround yourself with positive people who care for themselves and care for you. Let their joy and success encourage yours!

2. Stretch yourself.

If you want something better than what you have now you’re going to have to reach for it. If you want to get healthier you’ll need to look at what you're doing now and stretch yourself to make better choices. Notice I didn't say perfect.

3. Learn from your mistakes.

There is no point in beating yourself up. We all make mistakes. When you make a disappointing choice, instead of using it as an opportunity to make yourself feel awful, call it an experiment, use it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Mistakes give us a chance to get better. That’s how you turn a negative into a positive.

4. Get up and get going.

Nothing gets better if you don’t get going. When you wake up you get a fresh start, every single day. So why not use each day as the incredible opportunity it is to choose your best self? Eat better. Move your body. And love yourself more.

5. Develop a winning attitude.

You have to be your own best cheerleader. A winning attitude is a positive mindset mixed with self motivation fueled by a powerful WHY. That’s a personal best cocktail. Drink up!

6. Lighten up.

Truth be told, 99%of the time, whatever is stressing you out or holding you back really isn’t that big of a deal. So you ate a donut. Or a dozen. It was a discouraging and frustrating

choice if you want to get into your favorite dress but it isn’t the end of the world. Uncover and understand what led to the choice, show yourself some self-compassion, like you would a dear friend. Shake it off and get back to it, and you will find your happy healthiest self is within reach, more than you think.

7. Practice gratitude.

Nothing improves attitude more than gratitude. If, in the midst of your unhappiness, you can focus on what is right in your life, the steps you have taken, you will be able to color your world in good feelings and erase a lot of the nasty, unkind negative thoughts that hold you back. Instead of thinking about what’s wrong, take not of the steps you have taken, big and small. Celebrate what’s right!

8. Forgive.

This is a hard one for a lot of us. We all have hurts and resentments that block out the goodness. You may find you need to start with forgiving small things but if you can learn to forgive yourself and others for the harm they have done you, you will make room in your life for more happy. And you deserve more happy. We all do.

9. Stop comparing yourself.

You are a unique and beautiful creation so stop comparing yourself to others. Comparison breeds envy, judgement, and bitterness. That’s the bad wolf talking. All that negativity will stop personal growth in its tracks. Let it go. Worry about your own self. You are a perfect work in progress!

10. Own your actions.

If you want to be your best self you need to take responsibility for your actions. It’s easy to to say, “Yeah I didn’t make it to the gym because my day was so busy.” The kids needed this. My boss needed that. But you know what? Taking care of YOU is YOUR responsibility. Own it.

To live our best life, we’ve got to learn to be our best self.

When you take inventory of who you are, which wolf is winning? There is a positive side and negative side in each of us. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s perfectly normal to have negative feelings and frankly it’s a bit unrealistic to expect yourself to be completely free from negativity. The trick is to channel that bad into good; use it to feed the best in you. When you learn to nourish your best self you’ll be well on your way to living the happy, healthy life you deserve.

You are amazing. Don’t dismiss that. Own it. Celebrate it!

Are you are ready to feed the wolf, the positive "yes I can!" wolf? If you are, start here with my 7 Day Self-Love Series! Your happier, healthier best self is waiting!