Where to start personal growth
Where to start personal growth? Everyone wants to achieve it, but few know how to do it.
In recent years, this concept has become so obsolete and overgrown with all sorts of clichés that it can be difficult to find a grain of truth in all the variety of approaches to self-development. Let's try to unravel this tangled tangle of psychological contradictions.
So you've decided to grow. Congratulations, this is the correct decision. But while you still do not know where to move and where to start. Let's figure it out.
Dry and strict Wikipedia reports that the idea of personal growth is based on a positive vision of the original nature of man and the development of internal potential.
It's probably even more confusing now.
Let's define positive personal growth for ourselves as the process of developing abilities that will lead to an improvement in the quality of life and inner harmony.
So it's much clearer. So where do you start personal growth?
Where to start personal growth – talk to yourself
Pour yourself a glass of wine or a cup of warm tea and start a frank conversation. Who you are? What do you want? What is success for you?
Personal growth begins with the desire to know yourself. Psychological tests and books, as well as the opinion of friends (only honest ones) will help you with this.
The better you get to know yourself, the better you will understand what you need. Without this understanding, there will be no growth.
Where will we grow
See how the plants grow. Bamboo moves straight up, purposefully and straight. And ivy wraps itself around everything, expanding horizontally. Likewise, you can grow in your chosen area.
If you focus on one thing, you will become like bamboo – your movement will be vertically upwards, but in a clearly defined area. For example, you want to earn a lot. Then study everything related to earnings. Watch videos, participate in trainings, study the chosen area thoroughly.
And if you want to be an ivy, then expand your horizons. Learn a little about everything.
Leave yourself alone
This is contrary to what many personal growth gurus say. But until you accept yourself, you cannot grow. This does not mean that you should indulge your shortcomings. Also, self-acceptance is not synonymous with stopping development.
Stop thinking that something is wrong with you. If you want to grow, that's great. But do it not because you are imperfect, but because you are cool, but want to become even better.
What does it mean to be better
All spiritual theories and books on self-development tell you that you must definitely become better. But better for whom? And who will benefit from it?
Kindness doesn't always make people happy. And spirituality is not the only way to develop positive personal qualities. Work on your value system. Determine what is important to you, what is acceptable, and what is definitely not.
But do not forget that permissiveness is not a sign of freedom. We live in a society. And they must adhere to the established norms of behavior.
Be generous
Forgive others and yourself, do not take revenge. Sounds easy. But in practice? Realize that people do bad things to you because they don't feel happy and secure. This thought will not allow you to forgive everyone in the world, but it may stop you from kicking back in the habit.
Learning to understand people's motives is growth. And no one said it would be easy. Yes, sometimes holding back and not responding to rudeness is a real challenge. So test yourself.
Build the core, not the shell
Being open is a dangerous path. People can hurt you. Yes it is. But you can't climb into your shell forever.
If you have worked on the previous point, you have already learned to understand others a little. Now try to open up to them. Yes, someone will not understand and appreciate it, but what's the difference if you are ready for it.
Work on your inner feeling. Start respecting yourself for what you are good at and forgiving yourself for what you are bad at. Gradually, you will feel how something turns to stone and grows stronger inside you. This is your core, your personality. Water this budding sprout and soon you will grow a powerful tree of personality within you.
Be your own guru
Nowadays, everyone strives to sell you something. Do you know what product sells like hot cakes? Love and acceptance.
The polynomial gurus will gladly give you some self-love. Just pay.
But isn't it easier to become your own guru? If you have done the preliminary work mentioned above, you already know a lot about yourself. Do you really need someone to tell you who you are? Look for your path. And do not create idols for yourself.
Get out of your comfort zone
The comfort zone is very cozy and warm, but absolutely futile. Touch the cold water of self-discovery with your fingertips, and then take a full dip.
This is an unpleasant part of personal growth, but until you take action, your reasoning will remain reasoning.
Fight laziness. Personal growth is also a discipline. It doesn't matter what. If you want to be leaner, go in for sports. Without excuses and absenteeism. If you want to study psychology, set aside 1 hour a day to read books and watch videos.
Sometimes be hard on yourself. Without discipline, there can be no question of any personal growth.
Take responsibility
Personal development is inextricably linked with personal responsibility. Actions are the result of decisions. If you don't like the results, admit that you made the wrong decisions. It's not bad. All people make mistakes. So don't beat yourself up.
Here it is important not to go to the other extreme – the “God syndrome", when a person believes that he is responsible for everything in his life. Unfortunately, illnesses and troubles sometimes happen to everyone. Take responsibility for only those things that you are truly capable of influencing.
You can start personal growth today
We talked about what can help develop and strengthen personality. Read, use, but do not forget to find your own way. Who knows, maybe you yourself will write a similar article in a couple of years.