Losing sight of your true self is one of the most painful things you can endure. Taking the time to find and reconnect with your true self will be worth it. We all want to feel loved, valued, and accepted. But when that pursuit becomes our priority, we tend to lose focus on who we really are. This also means we begin to rely too heavily on external validation — like other people’s opinions and judgments — to determine whether or not we are living our truth. As a result, it becomes difficult to be truly happy since we’re essentially living out someone else’s expectations instead of following our own heart and it first starts with doing a self-check.

The first step to being in alignment with your best self is choosing to be you. Once you do that, you can begin to take the steps needed and break down whatever has been holding you back. Here are five things you should consider when seeking alignment for your best self:

1. When you're faced with a challenging situation, it can be hard to know what your next step is. Start by defining what your best self looks like, or what you'd like to see happen.
2. That's why it's important to ask for inner guidance.
3. Remember that you are in control and don't rush into decision making.
4. Try to notice what's going on around you and let go of any preconceived plans or ideas of how things should be.
5. And be sure to seek support from others who have been through similar situations, so that they can offer the best advice based on their own experiences, not yours.