Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to
improve yourself and become better?
If you do, then we
have something in common.
I’m very
passionate about personal growth. It was just 2 years ago when I discovered my
passion for growing and helping others grow. At that time, I was 27 and having corporate
experience of 7 yrs. As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized there
was nothing more meaningful than to pursue a life of development and
betterment. It is through improving ourselves that we get the most out of life.
After a year and a
half of actively pursuing growth and helping others to grow through personal
interaction and my surrounding, I realize there is never an end to the journey
of self-improvement.
The more I grow, the more I realize there is so
much out there I don’t know, so much that I have to learn.
For sure, there is
always something about ourselves we can improve on. The human potential is
limitless, so it’s impossible to reach a point of no growth.
Whenever we think we are good, we can be even better.
As a passionate
advocate of growth, I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. I’ve
compiled some of my best tips which might be helpful in your personal growth
journey. Some of them are simple steps which you can engage in immediately.
Some are bigger steps which takes conscious effort to act on. Here they
are:
1. Read a book every day.
Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The
more books you read, the more wisdom you expose yourself to.
2. Learn a new language.
As an Indian, my main languages are English and Hindi. Out of
interest, I took up language course in the past few years such as German.
I realized
learning a language is a whole new skill altogether and the process
of acquainting with a new language and culture is a totally a mind-opening
experience.
3. Pick up a new hobby.
Beyond just your
usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can pick up? Any new sport
you can learn?
Your new hobby can also be a
recreational hobby. Learning something new requires you to stretch
yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.
4. Take up a new course.
I’ve been to a few workshops
and they have helped me gain new insights which I had not considered before.
5. Create an inspirational room.
Your environment
sets the mood and tone for you. If you are living in an inspirational
environment, you are going to be inspired every day.
6. Overcome your fears.
All of us have
fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears keep us in the same
position and prevent us from growing.
Recognize that your fears reflect
areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass for growth.
If I have a fear about something, it represents something I’ve
yet to address, and addressing it helps me to grow.
7. Level up your skills.
If you have played
video games before, especially RPGs, you’ll know the concept of leveling up –
gaining experience so you can be better and stronger.
8. Have a weekly exercise routine.
A better you start
with being in better physical shape.
9. Start your life handbook.
A life handbook is
an idea I started 2 years ago.
Basically, it’s a
book which contains the essentials on how you can live your life to the
fullest, such as your purpose, your values and goals. Sort of like your manual
for your life.
10. Write a letter to your future self.
What do you see
yourself as 5 years from now? Will you be the same? Different? What kind of
person will you be?
Write a letter to
your future self – 1 year from now will be a good start – and seal it.
Make a date in
your calendar to open it 1 year from now. Then start working to become the
person you want to open that letter.
11. Get out of your comfort zone.
Real growth comes
with hard work and sweat. Being too comfortable doesn’t help us grow, it makes
us stagnate.
What is your
comfort zone? Do you stay in most of the time? Do you keep to your own space
when out with other people?
Shake your routine
up. Do something different.
By exposing
yourself to a new context, you’re literally growing as you learn to act in new
circumstances.
12. Identify your blind spots.
Scientifically,
blind spots refer to areas our eyes are not capable of seeing. In personal
development terms, blind spots are things about ourselves we are unaware of. Discovering our blind spots help
us discover our areas of improvement.
One exercise I use
to discover my blind spots is to identify all the things/events/people that
trigger me in a day — trigger meaning making me feel annoyed/weird/affected.
These represent my blind spots.
After that, I work on steps to address them.
13. Ask for feedback.
As much as we try
to improve, we will always have blind spots. Asking for feedback gives us an
additional perspective.
Some people to
approach will be friends, family, colleagues, boss, or even acquaintances,
since they will have no preset bias and can give their feedback objectively.
14. Stay focused with to-do lists.
I start my day
with a list of tasks I want to complete and this helps make me stay focused. In
comparison, the days when I don’t do this end up being extremely unproductive.
15. Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs).
I’m a big fan of
setting BHAGs. BHAGs stretch you beyond your normal capacity since they are big
and audacious – you wouldn’t think of attempting them normally.
16. Acknowledge your flaws.
Everyone has
flaws. What’s most important is to understand them, acknowledge them, and
address them.
17. Get into action.
The best way to
learn and improve is to take action.
18. Learn from people who inspire you.
Think about people
you admire. People who inspire you. These people reflect certain qualities you
want to have for yourself too.
19. Quit a bad habit.
Are there any bad
habits you can lose? Oversleeping? Not exercising? Being late? Slouching? Nail
biting? Smoking?
20. Cultivate a new habit.
Some good new
habits to cultivate include reading books (#1), waking up early (#8),
exercising (#9), reading a new personal development article a day (#40) and
meditating.
Is there any other
new habit you can cultivate to improve yourself?
21. Avoid negative people.
Wherever
we go, there are bound to be negative people. Don’t spend too much of your time
around them if you feel they drag you down.
“You are the average of the 5
people you spend the most time with”.
22. Learn to deal with difficult people.
There are times
when there are difficult people you can’t avoid, such as at your workplace, or
when the person is part of your inner circle of contacts.
Learn how to deal
with them. These people management skills will go a long way in working with
people in the future.
23. Learn from your friends.
Everyone has
amazing qualities in them. It’s up to how we want to tap into them.
With all the
friends who surround you, they are going to have things you can learn from.
24. Start a journal.
Journaling is a
great way to gain better self-awareness. It’s a self-reflection process.
As you write,
clarify your thought process and read what you wrote from a third person’s
perspective, you gain more insights about yourself.
25. Get a mentor or coach.
There’s no faster
way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals.
26. Meditate.
Meditation helps
to calm you and be more conscious.
27. Let go of the past.
Is there any
grievance or unhappiness from the past which you have been holding on? If so,
it’s time to let it go.
Holding on to them
prevents you from moving on and becoming a better person. Break away from
the past, forgive yourself, and move on.
28. Start a business venture.
Is there anything
you have an interest in? Why not turn it into a venture and make money while
learning at the same time?
Starting a new
venture requires you to be learn business management skills, develop
business acumen and have a competitive edge.
29. Show kindness to people around you.
You can never be
too kind to someone. In fact, most of us don’t show enough kindness to people
around us.
Being kind helps
us to cultivate other qualities such as compassion, patience, and love.
30. Reach out to the people who hate you.
If you ever stand
for something, you are going to get haters.
It’s easy to hate
the people who hate us. It’s much more challenging to love them back.
Being able to
forgive, let go and show love to these people requires magnanimity and an open
heart.
Is there anyone
who dislikes or hates you in your life? If so, reach out to them. Show them
love.
Seek a resolution
and get closure on past grievances. Even if they refuse to reciprocate, love
them all the same. It’s much more liberating than to hate them back.
...your friend,
Lokesh Maheshwari
