Becoming The Best Version of YOU

As we wind down the month of January, I wanted to take a moment to pause - to reflect on something that has been on my mind.

All throughout the month of January, I am sure that you have been bombarded with messages from all directions about making and keeping New Year’s Resolutions; about out with the old you and in with the “new and improved” you; about changing who you are to meet some new standard or ideal or image.  TV and radio ads, magazine articles and advertisements, blog posts and podcasts, even casual conversations, both with friends and overheard out and about - there is a focus, this time of year in particular, in becoming a new you.

Now think back to the theme that we chose for January for our Vibe Tribe. “New Year New Vibe.” I want you to notice something. We didn’t say “New You” - and that was very deliberate. Because in pushing the idea of a “new you,” there is a hidden and subtle (or sometimes completely overt and blatant!) message that there is something wrong with the you that you are right now. And that, Vibe Tribe, is just not true.

Now please don’t misinterpret what I am trying to say today - change is a very necessary and valuable, not to mention inevitable, part of life. Learning, growing, developing, adapting and becoming are crucial to reaching our true potential and realizing our true selves. But the point is to change in meaningful and sustainable ways, not arbitrary or abrupt ways dictated by a date on a calendar.

Truly meaningful change, true becoming, cannot be borne from a place of dismissal of either the past or the present.  Your past is a part of you and has laid the foundation for who you are right now, which is all a part of who you are capable of becoming in the future. The past is full of experiences and lessons. Your present is full of choices and opportunities. And all of those contribute to who you are and who you will be.

The difference here is that we want you to be the BEST you, regardless of if that is a new you. The you that you are right here, right now, in this very moment, is exactly the you that you need to be. Exactly the you that the universe needs. Exactly the you that is necessary to accomplish all of the amazing things that they future holds for you.

The best you that you can be today might be a completely different human being than the best you that you could have been yesterday, and might be wholly unrecognizable from the best you that you can be tomorrow.  But each of those “best yous” is valuable, valid and so very right. None of the versions of you that do now, have ever, or will ever exist are less than. No version of you is wrong.

The world is constantly telling us all of the things that we should be, do and think in order to be “the best.”  At the beginning of the year, all we hear is about how we need to change - about how who we are and who we have been is not good enough. Society holds up some unattainable standard, a ruler with unreadable markings, and makes us believe that if we are not *that* then there is something wrong with us.

I am here today to remind you that you are not a problem that needs to be fixed. There is nothing wrong with you. You are here on purpose, and you are very necessary.

This new year, you don’t need a new you. The you that you are is amazing. We are so grateful for the you that we know and for the you that you are becoming. We celebrate the you that you are. We want to enhance every aspect of you that makes you the most authentic version of you. And if that brings about a change, an improvement, an effort at something new - we can’t wait to celebrate that, too.

At Vibe Vault Fit, our mission isn’t to change you - our goal is to help you see who you truly have the capacity to be. We want to help you be the strongest, most confident version of yourself. Through movement, through strength work, through wellness initiatives - we encourage you to find the pieces of yourself that you might not have previously known existed. Our community is our strength - we learn from you just as you learn from each other. We make each other better and challenge each other to grow in so many ways.

The most effective and meaningful changes that we achieve in life are those that are carefully considered and that truly connect us with our values. Change is slow and iterative, intentional and value driven. Change also connects our past self with our future self, our inner self with the outside influences that guide and teach us along the way.

In order to become the best version of you, consider carefully what it is you want for yourself and why. Connect with your purpose and with your core values. Take each step, no matter how small it might feel in the moment, as it comes, as each step forward is a learning opportunity and a building block. As those blocks add up, they create a true foundation for improvement.

So our wish for you as we continue through this still-new year, is for you to be YOU. Whatever version of you the day calls for. Whatever version of you feels most authentic in the moment in which you are living. It does not need to be a new you. As you progress along the journey, it is certain to be an enhanced you. Maybe a happier you. Maybe a wiser you. Maybe a more content you. But still YOU. Not new, not old - you.

As for that new vibe we wished for you in the new year?

I hope that it is a vibe of acceptance. A vibe of celebration and exploration. A vibe of seeking and discovery of who truly are and who you truly are capable of being under all of the “coulds” and “shoulds” that were heaped on you by society. We wish for a vibe of true authenticity. Every moment. Every day.