All Things Inspired

Life is not about achievement, it's about growth!

During this year long series we've examined the fundamental steps to transformational growth. What we don't often realize is that we tend to confuse life with being about achievement, when it is about learning and growing. Personal growth is the evolutionary process of developing our attitudes and skills in such a manner as to have a positive impact on our personality, beliefs, and outlook on life. Consider this, we are not the same person we were just 5 years ago, would you agree? Hopefully we've learned more. Most certainly our physical growth has changed over the years, but what about our emotional growth? Have we improved our capabilities and developed strengths we've never had before? Have we become better people, or have we remained stagnant?

Personal growth offers you a world of opportunities you might not have if you choose to remain unchanged. What is the benefit of personal growth? Personal growth might allow you to...

Develop compassion - understanding that we are all in this life struggle together.
Become perseverant - developing strengths that you previously did not have. Building a toughness to endure the difficulties along the journey.
Become more productive - learning to improve the process of our productive output, regardless of our roles in life.
Become better at goal setting - growth has allowed you to have better vision of what you really want and what's important to you.
Become more confident - the more you grow and develop your abilities, the more confident you are to continue the process of growth.
Develop patience - as you continue growth, you understand that not all growth is expeditious.
Boost your motivation - remembering that motivation gets you going. Combine that with the vision of where growth can take you and you develop the passion or inspiration you need for personal growth and success of goals.
Improve your skillset - you may not have all the tools you need today, but when opportunity presents itself, don't wait, jump in with the tools you have and learn the rest as you develop.
Improve your ability to lead - as we've said before, leading isn't dependent on your role in life. It is dependent on your ability to show others the way, based on your experiences, the education of your failures, and your willingness to help others.
Live a happier life - choose to be happy! It's entirely up to you regardless of your situation in life.

Personal growth empowers you to break free of a mediocre existence. It offers unlimited opportunities for you to experience life. However, personal growth is a path strewn full of roadblocks and is not for the frail minded who give up easily. Beware as there are enemies to personal growth you must be aware of and prepared to avoid or take on and defeat to experience personal growth. Beware of these 6 things...

Doubt - we noted confidence as a benefit of personal growth. And on the contrary, doubting your ability is an enemy of growth. Be confident in your ability.
Comfort zone - author Roy T. Bennett said, "It's only after you've stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow and transform."
Fear - it can incapacitate one's personal growth. What if you don't live up to other's expectations? What if you fail to make a change? First identify the fear, then understand why you fear it. Once you understand, then flip it into a source of guidance that will help you focus on navigating around your fear and toward your personal growth.
Complacency - are you too comfortable with your status in life? Transformational growth doesn't happen by a flip of a switch. Take baby steps toward growth by trying new things that are not typical for you. Remember, whatever makes you uncomfortable is your biggest opportunity for growth. Aim to try something new every day and you will break free from complacency.
Distractions - it's the "oh look, a squirrel" moments that detract us from our focus on personal growth. Creating an environment for growth will help eliminate this roadblock. Setting focus time in your schedule for self-development is a good way to start. Eliminating the noise includes limiting or removing access to your phone, social media, and other sources of information that might interfere with your focus.
Delay - tomorrow is a mystical land where 99% of all productivity, motivation, and achievement is stored. To eliminate delay, you must have self-awareness to acknowledge the problem. Discipline and refocusing on growth will help you overcome delays.

In addition to the enemies above, is it possible that we may set our expectations too high in terms of personal growth? Take caution that the biggest challenge to personal growth may not be that our expectations are too high, and we fail to achieve them, but rather, it may be that we set our expectations too low and we reach them. Think about that! We all like to achieve expectations, but if they are too low, too easy to attain, what's the gain in that?

We reluctantly know that change is inevitable, and growth is optional. In fact, human nature tends to pattern us toward always doing things the way we've always done things, which makes personal growth impossible. I encourage you to develop the mindset that personal growth and self-development are two of the most important things you can devote your time toward. The payoff is immense in fulfilment and your overall happiness in life.

Think about this question: How do we set a fast track to personal growth? In the article next week, we'll look at developing a PDP. That is a personal development plan. Continue to grow, continue to...

Be inspired! Inspire others!