People often tell you to “do your best” or “be your best”, but how do you really do that? In today’s world, the standards are rising and everything has become more complex and competitive. So how do you do your best and live out the best version of yourself?

Here are 10 effective tips you should consider:

1. Be purposeful

First and foremost, if you want to live out your best life ever, you must define it. How does success look to you? What has to happen so that you will feel like you are living the best version of yourself? Understanding what kind of life you want to live is like identifying the bull’s eye. When you know where the target is, you can then fly straight to hit it. Stop being vague and don’t let others influence your life. This is your life and you are the one who gets to choose the kind of life you want to live.

2. Always on the move

Once you have identified your purpose in life, the next thing you need to do is to always move forward towards your targets and goals. Don’t just dream about what you want. Thinking about what you want but doing nothing at all is as good as having no purpose in life. Your purpose shows you the direction, but in order to get to your destination, you must walk the path. There is no way you can live your best life without taking action. So do it. Take massive and consistent action to live your best life now.

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” – Thomas Jefferson

3. Set your priorities right

Next, set your priorities right. You need to understand there are many things you can do in life, but not all of them are created equal. Life is like filling a jar, if you put in small stones and sand into the jar, you will have no more space for the big rocks. Hence, fill your day (jar) with high-impact (big rocks) tasks first. Once you have done that, only then you fill in the smaller stones and sands to fill the cracks between the rocks.

4. Learn and improve whenever possible

You can’t live the best version of yourself if you don’t commit to learning and improving. You are where you are right now because of what you know. Hence, if you don’t strive to learn more and improve, you will be stuck where you are and never be able to move forward. Successful people who have accomplished extraordinary results in life are constantly learning and improving themselves. They understand that the more they learn and improve, the better they can be and they more places they can go.

5. Challenge yourself

Do something to challenge yourself regularly. For instance, if you have always wanted a slim and fit body, challenge yourself to do it. Sign up for a gym class and commit to a trainer. The same goes for every other area of your life. If you want better health, challenge yourself to eat healthy foods for the next 30 days. If you want to get more sales in your business, challenge yourself or your team to do some creative marketing to attract more clients. Whatever you do, you must force yourself to venture out of your comfort zone from time to time.

6. Surround yourself with extraordinary people

This may be something you have often heard about, but are you doing it? Do you surround yourself with extraordinary people already? If not, go and get to know the titans in your industry. You can join a networking group or attend seminars to get to know others who share the same vision. Whatever you do, expand your network because you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

7. Take care of yourself

Besides pursuing success in monetary terms, you must also take care of yourself. You can’t be your best version if you are always sick, weak or depressed. Thus, take good care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. Exercise regularly and maintain a positive mental attitude. You can’t live your best life if you are always negative. Always look at the bright side of life. And if you want to learn to live a positive life, read books such as Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Power of Positive Thinking.

8. Live with passion

Have you ever seen someone who lives life without zest? They don’t have a dream, a purpose or motivation for anything in their lives. They become a ‘walking dead’. Never let this be you.Feel the excitement and all the great things that are coming to you. You have to always look forward to something great in life and feel the enthusiasm each day. This is why having a dream and a purpose in life is so important. Remember, every day is a brand new beginning, so live with passion.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey

9. Help and inspire others

In order to unleash your best version, you must help and inspire others. Now, don’t get me wrong by thinking that you need to donate a million dollars to help others, you just need to make someone’s life better. When you meet someone in the neighborhood, just smile and greet them. Let your smile brighten up their day. Or when you are in the lift, perhaps, you can help by holding the door for someone. When you help someone and inspire them, you indirectly make yourself feel good too. And this is the kind of positive energy you need to feel and to make your life better.

10. Reflect and review

How can you tell if you are moving forward or if you are living the life you want? Simple, just take time to reflect and review your life. Every month or every quarter, take some time to reflect on your life and review the results you have achieved. Are you doing good and are you going in the right direction? Do you love your life so far and you love what you are doing? If yes, continue to improve and deliver even a better job. If not, it tells you that something is not right and you need to change it.

Life is a journey and not a destination. And to live out the best version of yourself, you must do more than just “be your best”. Use these 10 tips above as a guideline to living your best life.