How to Show Up as Your Best Self
(Even When You’re Tired)
One way I’ve learned to show up more fully—in life, in work, in relationships—is by setting an intention for how I want to be before I enter a space.
Before a big day.
Before an event.
Before I step into a room with other people.
It’s simple, but it changes everything.
Instead of letting my default energy run the show—whether that’s fatigue, distraction, or irritation—I pause. I ask myself:
👉 What’s the energy I want to bring here?
👉 How do I want to serve the people around me?
👉 What would it look like to operate at my best?
A Lesson From Spain
I just got back from southern Spain where I was part of a women’s photo shoot with Armstrong Foils. The days were long—morning meetings to late dinners, back-to-back sessions on the water, rolling out of bed into another full schedule.
I was sick for the first few days. I was exhausted. My one-year-old was with me.
And if I had let that dictate how I showed up, I would have been withdrawn, maybe complaining, maybe just dragging through the motions. Instead, I paused and chose.
Some days my intention was: bring the joy. (That’s Brendan Burchard’s motto, and I love it.)
Other days it was: listen.
Or: be encouraging.
And on the days when I was wiped, I literally put on music, shook my butt, danced around, and said: Alright, let’s go. Today I’m bringing the joy.
That tiny pause recalibrated everything.
Why This Works
We all have our default ways of showing up: our normal reactions, our go-to complaints, our triggers. But intention interrupts autopilot.
When you consciously choose the energy you want to bring, you:
Take full advantage of the opportunity in front of you.
Serve the people around you.
Stay motivated and connected to your best self.
You are in control of your energy. That doesn’t mean pretending to be happy when you’re not—it means pausing, acknowledging how you feel, and then choosing how you want to show up next.
How to Practice
Here’s the invitation: before your next meeting, family dinner, workout, or big event, stop for a moment. Take a breath.
Decide:
✨ Today I want to show up as confident.
✨ Today I want to bring peace.
✨ Today I want to be supportive.
✨ Today I want to lead with love.
Then anchor that intention with action:
If confidence is your word → stand tall, say a power mantra in the mirror.
If peace is your word → take five minutes of deep breathing before you walk in.
If joy is your word → put on a song and dance it out.
Reverse-engineer how you want to feel, and do the thing that helps you embody it.
Your Turn
Don’t let your circumstances dictate your energy. Decide how you want to show up. Practice it. Play with it. See how it changes the way you move through the world.
So—how do you want to show up today?
P.S. If you loved this reflection, I dive deeper into tools like this inside my Shine On Mastermind—a three-month program designed to help you build unshakable confidence and step into your next level of leadership. Apply now.