Living Your Best Life: Doing the Inner Work
Living your best life takes work—real, internal work. It’s not about money, external achievements, or having it all figured out. In fact, my personal experience has shown me that living a life I love has much more to do with what’s happening inside than anything else.
When I worked at the Harley-Davidson dealership, I made more money than I do now. But here’s the surprising part: I wasn’t as happy as I am today, living a life I love. How is it possible to make less money and feel more fulfilled? It comes down to understanding what truly matters.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs offers a helpful framework for this. At the base level, we all need our basic needs met—things like air, water, food, and shelter. From there, we move up to safety and security, followed by love and belonging. Next comes self-esteem, which includes confidence, achievement, and the respect of others. Finally, at the top of the hierarchy, is self-actualization—living in alignment with your true purpose and potential.
What I’ve learned is that while we need our basic needs met, living your best life happens when you focus on the top layers: love, belonging, confidence, and purpose. These aren’t things money can buy—they’re things you cultivate by doing the inner work.
For me, that work has included getting clear on what I value, working with a coach, and learning to be kind and compassionate to myself. We all carry things inside us—beliefs, fears, habits—that shape how we see the world and how we react to it. Those reactions then influence how the world responds to us, creating a cycle that can either lift us up or hold us back.
One of the most important shifts I’ve made is becoming my own biggest fan. I’ve learned to speak kindly to myself, celebrate my wins, and show myself the same compassion I would offer to someone I love. That shift has changed how I see myself—and, in turn, how others see and respond to me.
Living your best life starts with self-awareness. Ask yourself:
• What truly matters to me?
• Am I being kind to myself?
• Am I aligning my actions with the life I want to create?
When you focus on these questions and commit to doing the inner work, you’ll find that everything else starts to align. Living your best life isn’t about perfection or having everything you want—it’s about creating a life that feels meaningful and authentic to you.
Call to Action:
Explore Chapter 10 of Beauty from Chaos for tools and stories to help you build a life you love. Remember, your best life begins with how you treat yourself. Start there, and watch how everything else falls into place.
