The Art of Self-Growth

We all hope that we will be the best versions of ourselves one day. But most of us do not realize that personal growth does not happen by just living. Self-growth is a conscious effort and does not happen overnight or in a fortnight.

Consistency, patience, and persistence are the key qualities one needs to be aware of while making efforts for self-growth. I started 2024 with a road map to self-growth, and I have found a few important steps that are helping me keep up the pace. I guarantee results through these steps.

Read below and take notes if you’d like to improve the quality of yourself, thus improving the quality of your own life:

1. Have a weekly to-do on yourself – I started by being conscious of the traits and areas within me that need improvement or merely being aware of them. Addressing everything at once is going to be not just confusing but demotivating, too. So, having a weekly note (to self) on what you’d like to improve and address for that week and ticking it off by the end of the week (I know this timeline sounds absurd, but you would at least know you have started working on that particular trait) will make it seem more straightforward to deal with.

2. Surprise yourself by not doing the obvious – The biggest thing that stops us from improving ourselves are comfort zones. Many a time, especially in difficult situations, we always react to the problem in a way we have always done. Or, even when faced with a convulsive decision-making scenario, we take the path to the decision we always have made. But there is no growth or learning from this, so instead, being aware of these situations and choosing to act differently and not doing the obvious course of action that is always expected out of you will only give you a light of realization to your capability.

3. Watch your mind language – What we are on the inside somehow reflects our personality on the outside. The kind of tone and vibe we set to our inner voice is of much importance, which is not widely spoken about. Undeniably, we all have a voice inside our heads that keeps talking to our minds. Being aware of this voice and the conversations it is going to make will ensure a healthy mind; without saying, we all know that a healthy mind can go a long way.

4. Beware of your trigger points – Part of self-growth is temper management. Managing emotions never comes easily to anyone, even to masterminded people. However, understanding one’s emotions can be the easier path to take with regard to emotions. Anger oftentimes happens when we get triggered by someone’s act, words or intentions. And more often than not anger is the result of how we perceive these things versus how the other person is behaving. That is why it is a great idea to note down your trigger points. Once you become aware of them, it gets easier to understand why you feel turmoil, hence helping in the regulation of emotions. Again, this is not an easy task, so know that it does come to you slowly but surely.

5. Open to criticism, opinions and changes – “The three faces of volatility in life,” as I call it. Criticism, opinions and changes in our life are the most resisted by many people. I first wondered why most people resisted or fought these things. I later understood that as humans, we require a base/foundation for everything, and it can be criticism or opinions and even change; when viewed from our perception are baseless because we think they are not what we relate ourselves to. But it is good to remember that not one person on here is perfect, and though it is good to be confident about oneself, it should not turn into arrogance where one cannot seem to fathom the abundance of improvements criticism and opinions can do to us if taken in the right sense.

These are just a few key things I go back to every time I need to self-assess my overall growth as an individual. It has been a challenging and overwhelming journey, but I am so happy in the space that I’m in right now. I’m pretty sure anyone who wants a winning personality that can impress anyone has to work hard and dare to be different!

As John C Maxwell once said, “Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it’s almost always due to personal growth.”