ARE YOU DOING THE BEST YOU CAN OR THE BEST YOU FEEL LIKE DOING?

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You have $100 leftover each month. This money is not earmarked for anything. You have paid your bills and set aside the money allotted for weekend and extracurricular activities.

If I told you I would match the amount of money you put in your savings account, what amount would you choose to invest in savings? Would it be $25, $50, $100, or $125?

If you did not say at least $100, why? Why would you choose not to invest as much as you could if someone was willing to match your investment dollar for dollar?

Now, apply this same principle to yourself. Are you doing the best you can to take care of and meet your physical, mental, and spiritual needs, or are you doing the best you feel like doing? This is important because the Universe* will match the investment you are willing to put into yourself.

If you're not getting what you want out of life, it could be because you aren't investing enough into yourself.

Do your best every day, even when you don't feel like it.

What’s the difference between doing the best you can and the best you feel like doing?

Doing the best you can sometimes means pushing yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing. This could be getting up an hour early to exercise, walking an extra mile, choosing carrots over fries, taking five minutes to meditate, taking a 30-minute nap, showing gratitude, connecting with nature, not putting things off until tomorrow, walking away from toxic people/situations, choosing not to react to negativity, or soaking in an Epsom salt bath. None of these things sound horrible, and they are mostly free.

If you have a habit of not sticking with things, put measures in place to hold yourself accountable.

Doing the best you feel like doing means you are not valuing yourself enough to put forth the effort to fully meet your physical, mental, and spiritual needs. You are basically half-assing it.

This could be choosing not to exercise because you don’t feel like it, leaving the dishes in the sink until tomorrow because you don’t feel like loading the dishwasher, constantly eating unhealthy foods because you don’t feel like cooking, or wasting time doing mind-numbing things to avoid dealing with unpleasant feelings.

Doing the best you can shows the Universe you know your worth and your value, and you are willing to love yourself. Knowing your value and celebrating it increases your vibration, and the Universe will match that vibration.

The Universe will match your vibration, which means you will attact things vibrating at that same frequency.

If you are consistently avoiding things that are good for you tells the Universe, you don’t care enough about yourself to put forth the effort. So, if you are only investing fifty percent into yourself, that is all the Universe is willing to invest.

Doing the best you can does not mean going so far to the extreme that you hurt yourself. If you’ve ever had back trouble, you know how painful it is just to lie there sometimes. This is not the time to say, “I have to do the best I can today. Even though it causes me great pain to walk, I can still walk if someone helps me up. Therefore, I have to go for a walk.” Sometimes, the best you can do is lie there praying you don't sneeze, and that is ok.

If you have been working out hard seven days a week, and your body is tired and sore, allowing yourself a few days to relax and recover is self-care. Yes, you could go work out, but that is not what your body needs.

Always doing the best you can does not mean pushing yourself to the breaking point. It does not mean every day will look the same. It does not mean shaming yourself for enjoying a slice of birthday cake. And it definitely does not mean comparing your best to anyone else’s best.

Quiet your mind, close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and listen to the pauses between each breath. In those pauses, your body will tell you exactly what it needs. Meeting the needs of your body, mind, and soul is the definition of self-love.

The next time you don’t feel like doing something, ask yourself why. Is it because you physically can’t? Is it because it is bad for you? Is it because there will be a negative effect? Or is it because you don’t feel like putting forth the effort after a stressful day? Don’t let your mind talk your body out of its full potential.

Starting today, you are going to raise your vibration. I want you to shout to the Universe, “I am valuable. I am worthy. I am capable. I am strong. I am supported. I am loved.” Let the Universe hear you!

*I use the word “Universe” as a universal term for God, Devine Source, Buddha, Creator, or whatever deity you connect with.