Life is abundant. Life is filled with joy. Life is beautiful and unique, and every day is an opportunity to learn more about what it can provide.
As we progress through 2026, it’s common to become self-reflective about large goals and habits that we wish to acquire throughout the year. We assume striving for these goals and changing our daily routines with these “band-aid” hacks (temporary fixes on problems that need larger solutions) are the keys to internal fulfillment. If someone pursues big goals while still holding limiting beliefs deep inside, and only changes their actions without real intention or sustainability, nothing will truly change. Nothing will work, nothing will get better, nothing is new. It will be an endless cycle of unhealed and unprocessed thoughts, with no true idea or direction. This goes beyond resolutions and desires, and instead into achievement and self-actualization. It’s not simply about “becoming your best self” in a matter of a short amount of time; it’s about going deep and fixing what lies within you so you can achieve your truest potential. Your truest potential is the number of opportunities and possibilities you are able to attract when you are acting as the best version of yourself. How long will you be bound by your fear of achieving your optimal potential? When will you finally admit that conformity is self-abuse and that you have something unique to bring to this table and it deserves to breathe and be shown to the world? There are a few concepts that, when mastered, can help anyone progress through life and flourish by understanding their authenticity. These are commonly misunderstood or not focused enough concepts, such as people pleasing, addressing your inner child, and manifestation. Knowing yourself is the first step to working towards your goals. By eliminating people pleasing by finding its roots, learning more about yourself through your inner child, and multiplying your abundant opportunities through manifestation, you can rewire your inner thoughts to work towards your truest potential.
- People Pleasing. We are told that people pleasing is defined as the act of diluting your ideas and personality in order to be liked and approved by others, and to fit in their “box” and comfortable definition of you. It means a person would change their presence around others so that they are more liked, more approved, more loved. Without discussing how immoral the concept is, it’s important to acknowledge that it doesn’t always have to be extreme. Even behaving differently in public than in private, constantly suppressing your thoughts while conversing with someone, not allowing yourself to be normal around an authority figures, can be forms of people pleasing. However, what is people pleasing, and is its impact on others? When you act a certain way in front of others, for example, more appealing, you are actively trying to force their perception of you in a certain way. You are showing them a false version of yourself, analyzing the room to assess what others’ needs are, what they would like, only to make them like you. This selective treatment in order to make others happy subtracts the fact that people are allowed to have their own opinions. They are allowed to dislike and like as they please, and it is none of anyone’s authority to force their desires a certain way. This treatment of others, this acting, this exhausting act of assessment and catering to people’s needs is manipulation. It is a form of manipulating others’ perception of you so you seem more digestible, and others lose their ability to form their own opinions. But why do people fall into this trap? They crave sweet validation and the dopamine they get from others’ love. A life without people pleasing is freedom and innocence, and it’s about having the confidence of being disliked to preserve your own well-being.
- Utilize your Inner Child. It is the culmination of the key moments and ideas that shaped you ever since you were a child, which can carry on and impact you until your adult life. Whenever an adult faces internal problems, their reactions and emotions are influenced by the ideas and key moments embedded in them ever since they were a child. Moments and ideas enforced from childhood, such as obedience, are what obscure our perception of the world. However, there is a way to use this “persona” (the cause from your moments and ideas) to your benefit, and to help you progress to the next level in your mental and emotional journey. Whenever you find yourself triggered by minor things, take a moment to stop and reflect on why you are behaving this way. This behavior may be influenced by your inner child and your internal health is trying to communicate its needs. For example, if you seem triggered by seeing others enjoying or laughing together, it may indicate that you felt left out or excluded as a child. Of course, this is not a tool to relate every emotion you have to an imaginary childhood trauma, but it’s a way of better understanding yourself and treating yourself how your younger self would have wanted to be treated. This way, you wouldn’t feel so triggered by such things, and eventually, your focus will be so impeccable that you are unmoved by distractions.
- Manifestation. This is a popular concept that is discussed in modern society, and is often categorized by creating vision boards of expensive cars, wishing for dream partners and dream lives within a short period of time, and reciting hopeless affirmations. In reality, true manifestation starts when people begin changing their inner narrative first. In order to obtain your dream life, the first step is to understand what you really want in life. Take a break to fully be in tune with yourself, and learn about what type of person you are. Spend time with yourself. Learn about your personality, your likes, dislikes, what you look for in a friend, and what truly fulfills you. After this, write it down on a piece of paper, write down the dream aspects you aspire to have in the future based on this information, and then internalize it. Essentially, after being in tune with yourself, you have to strive to make your life always live up to these standards. Whenever you face a new challenge, experience, decision, or person, always come back to this list and ask yourself what aligns with the future version of you. Remember that every action you take is to get you closer to your goals and to reach your end destination and goals. As time progresses you will learn to dismiss menial distractions by choosing more things that prioritize you, and that prioritize your future. Unless you fully believe you are capable and you can contain the traits needed for your future position, you can never make significant progress. True manifestation is believing you can obtain everything you want to get what you want in the future, and it is the act of always acting in the best interest of your future self. It isn’t a one – time event, but a lasting commitment to yourself and your highest potential. Once you act to your fullest potential, you will instantly attract all of the desires of your wildest dreams.
True growth does not come from temporary habits or surface-level change. When you truly understand yourself, heal your past, and act in alignment with your future, you unlock the ability to design a life that is truly your own.
