Surely you have heard Oprah talk and write about "being your best self," "living your best life," and "living in the moment."  Once I had my kids, I found that these messages meant so much more because I found myself constantly being swallowed by the chaos of balancing work and family, and I was not appreciating each moment as it was occurring.  Like many working parents, I continue to struggle with my balance and worrying about where I am falling short rather than focusing on what I am excelling at and what I did to the "best" of my ability that day.  Now how do these messages of being our "best self" in our "best life" while being fully present in the moment apply to how you do business and work each day?  I firmly believe that how you show up at work directly reflects who you are and how you live, so Oprah's lessons are extremely important for your professional life and in your business.

To be the best at your job and to make sure your company is operating at its best, you need to know, understand, and respect who you are and what your company stands for.  You cannot waste time giving less than your best by selling yourself, and your company, short by not performing to the highest of standards.  You will never achieve satisfaction in your job or with your company if you close each day not feeling good about what you accomplished or without enjoying what you were doing.  Some tips to help you and your company to be at its best (and to help you to be happier!):

• Find yourself and how best to represent your company.  Know what you like and don't like to do, what values you have, what your comfort zone and boundaries are, and how you need to manage yourself and tasks throughout each day so you can feel successful.  Once you know all of these (and more), you will know how you can best serve your company, which will greatly benefit the company since they can capitalize on your talents and values to best serve the business.
• Avoid dwelling on the past.  Past moments, mistakes, and hard times can totally consume you and prevent you from forgiving yourself and moving on.  Things of the past typically result in the best lessons and help you to grow as a person.  Similarly, with the company, the past gives the opportunity to improve and get better at serving your customers and finding product/service solutions for them.
• Be honest and open to feedback.  It's a heavy weight to carry if you aren't taking the time to be honest and if you resent constructive feedback.  No person or business is perfect, and when you own up to your flaws, you are giving yourself and the company the ability to be free of burdens so you can instead focus on how to improve and be better.
• Always give your all.  No matter what you are doing, wholly focus on the task and give your best in regards to time and quality so that whatever the outcome is, you can look back and say, "I did my best in that moment."  Make conscious choices throughout your day about how hard you need to work and how the end result should be, since this is a direct reflection of you.  Make sure that anything you attach your name to (or your company's name to) is something that you can be proud of.
• Relax.  Allow yourself the flexibility to move and shift throughout the day, to not get consumed by the emotion of when your entirely planned out day gets completely derailed, and to tackle the chaos in an organized, strategic fashion.  If you find yourself getting stressed, determine what the stressors are, what steps should be taken to alleviate this feeling, and start working on eliminating the stress.  You cannot do good work when you are being hindered by the impact of how stress feels.  And remember, as Oprah said, "...you can't have everything and do everything at the same time." 

We are at our proudest and happiest when we feel good about the work we do (personally and professionally), and when we understand that shortfalls happen, so our ownership and growth is an important step in being at our best.  Focus on and embrace being your best self each and every day, and when you do so, everything else falls into place, which ultimately results in optimal personal and professional outcomes.

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