1) Own it. 

Who are you? Who are you becoming? When becoming our best, we first have to believe that becoming better is in our full control. Own who you are. Own what you’ve been doing up to this point. Be real with yourself. Know that it’s you that got you here and it’s you who will take you wherever you want to go. We are in the driver’s seat of our life, even when it doesn’t feel like it we are. And today, we’re moving in a different direction.

2) Learn. 

What is 1 thing you could learn how to do, that would have a dramatic positive effect on your life? Is it, becoming a better communicator, or writer, or better study habits, stronger time management skills, video editing…who knows, no one does, but you. Identify one thing that you can learn that would impact your life, work or school. And, move towards learning it.

3) Create. 

When was the last time you creating something? For example, a blog post, a thank you note, a recent chapter in your book, or a new workout routine. Imagine if you got into the habit of creating every day. Of convincing yourself, that you can actually create anything you want. You can create the life you want. Start small. Start today. What is one small meaningful thing you can create today?

4) Move and Push. 

What will other people think? What if I fail? How difficult will it really be? OK, enough…it’s time to move. Reflecting and analyzing is great and can help you make better decisions, but overthinking is deadly. Overthinking kills your courage, creativity and consistency. Move forward. Pay attention. Adjust. Move again. Make sure you spend every day moving just a tiny bit closer to your best.

5) Surround yourself with great people. 

Do the people around you bring out your best? This is a simple question, that just can’t be avoided. This is one of the most important things you can do for self-improvement. If I were to ask you, “During the hard times, who contributed to the pain, failure and lack of progress? You could probably give me a list, right? The same is true about our great times. Great times come from being with great people. Commit to only surround yourself with amazing people only! If you can’t find any, look in new places. They’re out there, and they’re waiting to meet you, and believe in you. Say it with me now, “Only great people!”

6) Stay excited. 

Are you happy? No, no, no, more importantly…are you excited about your life? I wish I could tell you that working on yourself and your dreams is easy. Most of the time…it’s not. To be blunt, most of the time you will feel like quitting. And for a short while, you just might. The idea here is to get excited about what you’re doing and remind yourself all the time of all the great things you already have within you and all the great things that are coming into your life. Stay excited about your work. Know that your best days are ahead of you, no matter what your age is.

7) Explore. 

Where have you been lately? It doesn’t matter if it’s abroad or within your own self. It’s time to travel. Routines and habits are incredibly powerful overtime, but so is the need to explore new places, new people, new ways of looking at the world, new perspective on problems and exploring new interests that we didn’t even know we had yet. It’s very difficult for us to know what we want in life, if we haven’t explored our life enough to see what’s really inside of us. And, what’s really inside of us only gets mixed up and brought to the surface when we explore, get out of our comfort zone and force ourselves to figure things out. So the next time you have an opportunity to explore, just simply go for it. You will never be the same again.

8) Have fun. 

Becoming a better person, a leader, a success story – all takes time. Trust me there will be days where it feels like you are making no progress at all. There will be times when you are convinced that all this effort is not worth it. That’s when you know you’re taking everything a little to serious and you need to have fun again.

Be excited about the problems you have. See them as blessing. Most problems people have, are really, really good problems. For example, if you’re having a hard time starting your business, think about the amazing and rare opportunity you have to even start one, own one, and get it going. People would kill for that kind of problem.

Or even if you have lost a loved one, thing about the amazing relationship that you were so blessed to have, knowing that not everyone has that same opportunity. Take a step back, have fun and know that it’s all part of your beautiful journey. Understand that everything we are going through at this moment is there to teach us something that will help us go to the next level.

9) Disconnect. 

There will be times when you need to completely turn off and shut down. Literally, just like your computer. It’s amazing how that thing works 10X better when you restart it! Ha! You’re the same way. Whether you’re working on yourself, a new work routine, rebuilding a broken relationship, changing careers…find time to pause, rest and chill.

10) Love yourself. 

Another huge one right here! Loving yourself is huge! It’s everything. Just take a second now and say, “I love myself.” Breath. Say it again. See how that feels. None of us are perfect and we will never be. We can’t become better people if we are constantly putting ourselves down and injecting shame into our life. Shame is one of the most powerful negative emotions we can feel and will stop us dead in our tracks to growth. Love yourself. All of yourself! “No one deserves your love more, than you” – Rumi

11) Love others. 

Think about some people in your life who support you. Have you told them recently how great you think they are. Think about someone who has wronged you, criticized you or talked behind your back. Are you still angry with them? Will you love everyone, of course not. But, it’s fair to say that everyone deserves forgiveness and, that loving others makes you feel better, in control and stronger. We have all made mistakes. And, we have all appreciated when someone forgave us. Pay it forward. When you love someone who has wronged you, you are taking full control of how YOU feel and are no longer allowing them to run the emotional show in your mind.

12) Take Risks and Have Faith. 

When was the last time you did something that scared you? And, it doesn’t have to be skydiving, or shark cage diving. Even though, I can’t wait to do those things! Ha! Maybe, it’s making a phone call. Maybe, it’s looking for a new job, taking a class or learning a new skill. Maybe, it’s finally putting down the concern of other people’s opinions of what you should be doing with your life. Take the risk. Take the plunge. Take the leap. You’re worth it and you will figure it out. Have faith.

Andries van Tonder is a full-time Entrepreneur since 2013.