10 Steps to Achieving Your Best Self (Or How I Pretend to Have My Sh*t Together While Running Wayfinder)

Hey there! I’m Athena, the slightly chaotic visionary behind Wayfinder. Welcome to my utterly non-expert guide on personal growth and finding your way in this messy world. Buckle up, because this journey is about to get real.

1. Self-Awareness (AKA Admitting You’re a Beautiful Disaster)

First things first, you gotta know yourself. And I mean really know yourself. The good, the bad, and the “oh god, why did I do that?” Here’s how I fumble through it:

• Journaling: I write down my thoughts. Sometimes it’s profound, mostly it’s just me complaining about my day or plotting world domination through personal growth strategies.
• Mindfulness: I try to meditate. Usually, I just end up making mental lists of all the chocolate chip mint ice cream I want to eat later.
• Personality Tests: I’ve taken so many, I’m pretty sure I’m a Hufflepuff-INTJ-Enneagram 4 hybrid with a dash of “loves long walks and hates small talk.”

As the great Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” So embrace your quirks, folks. They’re what make you uniquely qualified to mess up in ways no one else can.

2. Setting Goals (Or Making To-Do Lists You’ll Probably Ignore)

At Wayfinder, we’re all about charting a course to your dreams. But let’s be real, sometimes those dreams look more like “remember to buy milk” than “become a billionaire.” Here’s my super-scientific approach:

1. Write down your goals
2. Lose the paper you wrote them on
3. Find it six months later and realize you’ve accidentally accomplished half of them

Seriously though, setting achievable goals is crucial. Whether it’s financial stability or learning to make the perfect margarita, break it down into small, manageable steps. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll surprise yourself.

3. Embracing Change (While Screaming Internally)

Change is inevitable, like taxes and bad hair days. At Wayfinder, we believe in rolling with the punches and maybe throwing a few of our own. Here’s how I deal with change:

• Deep breaths
• More deep breaths
• Realizing I forgot how to breathe
• Remembering that time is an illusion and we’re all just cosmic dust anyway

As Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change.” So we might as well get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

4. Financial Wellness (Or How to Adult Without Crying)

Money makes the world go round, but it also makes most of us want to hide under the covers. At Wayfinder, we’re all about demystifying finances. Here’s a sneak peek into my financial wisdom:

Remember, financial wellness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about making informed choices and occasionally treating yourself to that overpriced latte. You deserve it, champ.

5. Innovative Thinking (Or Making Stuff Up and Hoping It Works)

Innovation isn’t just for tech geniuses in Silicon Valley. It’s for all of us regular folks trying to figure out how to fold a fitted sheet. At Wayfinder, we encourage thinking outside the box, even if that box is where you currently live.

Some of my most innovative ideas have come from:

• Shower thoughts
• 3 AM existential crises
• Misreading billboards while driving

As Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” So go ahead, have some fun with your problems. The worst that can happen is you’ll end up with a hilarious story for later.

6. Personal Development (Or Pretending to Be a Grown-Up)

Personal growth isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about becoming slightly less of a disaster than you were yesterday. Here’s my foolproof plan:

1. Read self-help books
2. Implement advice for approximately 3 days
3. Revert to old habits
4. Feel guilty
5. Repeat

But seriously, personal development is a journey. At Wayfinder, we believe in progress, not perfection. Celebrate the small wins, like remembering to water your plants or going a whole day without spilling coffee on yourself.

7. Work-Life Balance (Or Juggling Chainsaws While Riding a Unicycle)

Achieving work-life balance is like trying to nail jelly to a wall – messy and probably impossible. But at Wayfinder, we’re all about the attempt. Here’s my totally balanced day:

• 6 AM: Wake up, immediately regret it
• 7 AM - 6 PM: Work, pretend to be a functional adult
• 7 PM: Collapse on couch, scroll through phone for 3 hours
• 10 PM: Panic about all the things I didn’t do
• 11 PM: Sleep (maybe)

Remember, it’s okay if your work-life balance looks more like a work-life wobble. We’re all just doing our best.

8. Health and Wellness (Or Trying Not to Die)

Health is wealth, they say. But let’s be honest, sometimes wealth looks a lot like a giant bowl of superman ice cream. At Wayfinder, we believe in balance. Here’s my approach to wellness:

• Yoga (or at least buying yoga pants)
• Meditation (aka napping)
• Healthy eating (with occasional “cheat centuries”)
• Exercise (does scrolling count as a thumb workout?)

As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” But I’m pretty sure he never tried chocolate chip mint ice cream, so take that with a grain of salt.

9. Building Relationships (Or Awkwardly Interacting with Other Humans)

Humans are social creatures, even us “social-verts” who need frequent recharging in dark, quiet spaces. At Wayfinder, we believe in the power of connection. Here’s how I navigate the social jungle:

• Small talk (aka internal screaming)
• Active listening (while fighting the urge to interrupt with a related story)
• Empathy (or at least nodding at appropriate intervals)
• Setting boundaries (saying “no” without faking your own death)

Remember, quality over quantity. It’s better to have a few close friends than a thousand acquaintances who can’t remember your name.

10. Finding Joy in the Journey (Or Laughing at the Absurdity of It All)

Life is a wild ride, full of ups, downs, and unexpected loop-de-loops. At Wayfinder, we believe in finding joy in the journey, even when that journey involves face-planting in public. Here’s how I cultivate joy:

• Appreciating small pleasures (like finding a parking spot on the first try)
• Practicing gratitude (even for the lessons learned from spectacular failures)
• Embracing humor (because if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry)
• Pursuing hobbies (like playing chess, even though the pieces keep mysteriously moving when I’m not looking)

As the great Dr. Seuss said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” So smile, dear reader, because you’ve made it to the end of this post without falling asleep.

A Peek Into My World

Now that we’ve covered the “professional” stuff, let me give you a glimpse into the real me. I’m a complex tapestry of contradictions and questionable life choices:

• I’m a health food enthusiast who also believes that chocolate chip mint and superman ice cream are essential food groups.
• My idea of paradise is a bicycle trail paved over old railroad tracks, paralleling a river under a canopy of trees. It’s like nature’s version of a spa day, minus the cucumber water and judgmental looks.
• I’m a beach bum at heart. Give me white sand, blue waters, and a good book, and I’ll show you the meaning of true happiness (and sunburn).
• I’m a cruise convert. There’s something magical about floating on the ocean, eating your weight in buffet food, and pretending the real world doesn’t exist.
• Board games are my jam. Chess, checkers, Sorry, Connect 4 – you name it, I’ll play it (and probably lose, but that’s beside the point).
• I’m a wannabe foodie with a love for Mediterranean bowls, kimchee fried rice with shrimp, sushi, and anything Mexican. And don’t even get me started on fish – I love it all, especially when it’s unbreaded. Seabass and orange roughy are my aquatic soulmates.
• My drink of choice oscillates between margaritas (for fun) and Diet Mt. Dew (for function). But mostly, I’m powered by filtered water and protein bars.
• I’m a salad enthusiast with a weakness for blue cheese or ranch dressing. But let’s be real, the dressing is just a vehicle for more veggies.
• My favorite colors are a rainbow of joy: orange, blue, teal, purple, and that enigmatic mix between purple/pink/gray that no one can quite name.
• I’m a pool lounger extraordinaire. Swimming laps? Who has the energy for that? I prefer to perfect the art of staying perfectly still while somehow not drowning.
• I’m what you might call a “social-vert” – I enjoy being social in small doses, but my happy place is a dark, quiet room where I can recharge my introvert batteries.
• My veggie loves are cucumbers and okra. Yes, okra. I’m prepared to die on this slimy, delicious hill.
• I believe that French restaurants are the pinnacle of date night cuisine. The food, the bread, the ambiance – it’s like being transported to Paris, minus the jet lag and language barrier.
• I’m in a constant battle with carbs. They’re the enemy, but oh, what a delicious, worthy adversary they are.

In Conclusion

Personal growth isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about embracing your quirks, learning from your face-plants, and finding joy in the chaos. At Wayfinder, we’re not experts. We’re just fellow travelers on this wacky journey called life, armed with a sense of humor and a willingness to try (and probably fail at) new things.

Remember, if you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough. Or you’re lying. Either way, embrace the chaos and keep going. And if all else fails, there’s always ice cream.

🔆 Takeaway: Life is messy, growth is messy, and that’s okay. We’re all just doing our best to find our way. So let’s be disasters together, shall we?

References:

1. The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership
2. Setting SMART Goals
3. Embracing Change and Conquering Fear

Remember, I’m not an expert. I’m just someone who’s trying to figure life out, one awkward step at a time. If you want actual expert advice, go talk to a real coach or something. But if you’re cool with learning from someone who’s just as confused as you are, stick around. We can be beautiful disasters together.