Personal Growth 101
Personal growth can be defined as development of an individual |
Personal growth is important because it is the foundation of emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual health |
We never truly "arrive" at the end of our personal growth journey. It is a life long pursuit of growing and changing |
Defining Your Purpose
"If you don't know where you're going, you're bound to end up where you're headed." This means that you need to have your destination in mind before you start your personal growth journey. |
The biggest question to ask yourself is why. Why do you do the things you do? What is your ultimate goal in life? What is your purpose? These will help you identify your why. |
Just like in our phones, we put the destination in first before we start travelling. Now that you have your destination in mind, we can look at the steps to help you get there. |
Association
Your success will be determined by the five closest people to you |
People will either lift you up, or tear you down. Choose wisely who you allow to speak into your life. |
Surround yourself with people that challenge you and bring out the best in you. |
Limit time with people in your life that are negative, complain, or always have something bad to say about everything. |
Physical and Emotional Health
Taking care of your health, both physically, and emotionally, is paramount to not only living a successful life, but a fulfilling one as well. |
It all starts with sleep. You need to allow your brain to recharge by getting a healthy amount of sleep, which is recommended to be at least 7 hours a night. |
Exercise has been proven to improve your mood, increase energy, and reduce the risk of negative health conditions. |
Spending time with positive people is key, because you mirror the attitudes and words of the people you associate with. |
Taking time for yourself is not selfish, it is selfless. We cannot give others our best if we are not at our best. So by taking time to relax or meditate, you give yourself a chance to recharge your batteries. |
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Habits
"If you believe you can change - if you make it a habit - the change becomes real" - Charles Duhigg |
Habits are the building blocks of personal growth and the key to your success on this journey. |
According to research, it takes on average 66 days for a behavior to become a habit. |
Achieving success is just as much about eliminating bad habits as it is creating good ones. |
To build a better habit, you need to do four things: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying (James Clear). |
Goal Setting
Only 10% of people have goals, and less than 3% actually write them down. Don't be the 98%. |
A person should have short, medium, and long term goals set for themselves. They should also be looking at them on a daily basis. |
Think of the acronym "SMART" when setting goals for yourself |
S = Specific: what are of your life are you looking to improve? |
M = Measurable: define a way to know if you are making progress and/or have completed your goal |
A = Achievable: your goal needs to be something that can realistically accomplish |
R = Relevant: why is this goal important to you? How does it relate to your purpose? |
T = Time Bound: what specific date would you like to have achieved your goal? |
Character Traits
Optimism is described as having hope and confidence for the future. Optimism not only helps us learn from situations in our life, but it also helps us identify new areas and ways to grow. |
Resilience is our ability to recover from difficult situations. We all go through tough times, some more than others, but it is our resiliency that helps us build grit, determination, and mental toughness. |
Hustle or hard work are the entry fee to wherever you are trying to go. We all know the famous saying, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." |
Humbleness is the idea of placing less importance on yourself, but rather focusing that attention on others. Being humble is so important, realizing that everyday we still have things we can learn, ways we can get better, and ceilings we can shatter. |
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Time Management
You either control your calendar, or it controls you. |
Take 15 minutes before you go to bed, and 15 minutes in the morning to plan out your day for success. |
Create a routine for your life. When you do, it becomes a habit, and one less decision you have to make throughout the day. |
Make the first things you do, the most important things you do. Too often we complete easy tasks first, simply to check off a list, and procrastinate on the important ones. |
Get good at saying "no". Too often we overload our schedule by saying "yes" to everything, not thinking about if it moves us closer to our purpose and goals. Say "yes" to the important things, and say "no" to the things that can wait |
Self Talk
Would you say the things out loud to another person that you say to yourself inside your head? |
Without developing positive self talk, you will never reach your highest potential. |
When you find yourself in a negative place, practice gratitude. Saying out loud things that you are grateful for can immediately put you in a happier place. |
"Comparison is the thief of joy," so don't compare your journey to anyone else's. Have blinders on and continue to grow, learn, and change for the better every single day. |
Use positive words with other people. If you do, you are more likely to speak positively about yourself. |
Now What?
Now it is time to take what you have learned and apply it to your life. |
Knowledge isn't power, applied knowledge is. |
Begin to implement these attitudes, goals, and habits into your life. |
Start off small, with one thing, and slowly build on success habit upon another. |
Celebrate your wins and your growth. Be proud of wanting to grow and better yourself. Your future self will thank you. |
Suggested Resource List
Books:
"Start With Why" by Simon Sinek
"Atomic Habits" by James Clear
"The Magic of Thinking Big" by David Schwartz
"The One Thing" by Gary Keller
"Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown
"Own Your Day" Jordan Lee Dooley
"Girl Wash Your Face" by Rachel Hollis
Podcasts:
Live Grit Grace with Michael and Jillian Leonard
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
The Brendon Show with Brendon Buchard
RISE Podcast with Rachel Hollis
The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher
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