Personal growth: everything you need to know about it.

Issues discussed in the material:

Personal growth - what is it?
Psychology of personal growth
10 Signs of Personal Growth
Personal growth goals
Where to start your personal growth and self-development
What you need to know about personal growth trainings
Useful books on personal growth
How to find yourself and your business if you don’t know what to do
One-year program for successful personal growth
Finally, recommendations with examples on personal growth

Personal growth is an integral part of the life of a modern person. In order to be successful in such a rapidly changing world, you need to constantly challenge yourself and reach new heights. However, the very concept of self-development cannot be interpreted unambiguously, because existing schools give it completely different meanings. Let's try to figure out what personal growth is and why it is so important for business.

Personal growth - what is it?

Personal growth can be called a constant and continuous process of self-development, thanks to which a person upgrades himself, develops certain qualities, achieves his goals, and also increases the quality of life and the level of satisfaction with it. Realizing your own potential allows you to do what you love and live a bright, rich life.

By working on ourselves, we form a new world around us. But the whole path will definitely not be simple and cloudless.

Personal growth is a kind of challenge, a test of strength. You can overcome the difficulties that arise only thanks to your inner core and strength.

That is why self-development requires maximum time and diligence. And you shouldn’t think that once you reach a certain stage, you can stop. The world is changing, so in order to grow, you need to constantly upgrade yourself. It may seem like it's too complicated. But rest assured, your work will bring tangible results.

9.Sport – trains the body and develops endurance

A person must improve in all areas.

Important! Only stupid people don't play sports.

Physical exercise is the key to health, beauty and longevity. In addition, regular training provides an incentive to exercise more and achieve your goals.

Self-development is impossible without sports. In this way, a person is freed from accumulated physical energy. Sport also allows energy flows to circulate freely in the astral and physical bodies.

Psychology of personal growth

Modern psychology can give many definitions of personal development. However, no matter what it is called (growth, reaching a new level, pumping, etc.), the essence of such changes is the same. Self-development is a tangible and visible transformation of a person, increasing his potential, and unlocking internal resources.

You may not even know which path has been taken, but the metamorphoses that occur to a person are always visible to the naked eye. Personal development allows you to become a full-fledged master of your own life, it opens up new facets of personality, and literally enriches your inner world. The main characteristics of this process of change include its focus, activity and scale.

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The theme of personal growth is often explored in literary works. For example, the famous Russian psychologist V.L. Levi in the book “Where to Live. Man in the Chains of Freedom” said the following about this: “What is personal growth? If a person has more: interests - and therefore incentives to live, meaningful fulfillment of life; the ability to analyze - to distinguish one from another; the ability to synthesize—to see connections between events and phenomena; understanding people (including yourself) - and with that the ability to forgive; internal freedom and independence - responsibility taken on voluntarily; love for the world and people (including oneself), this means that a person grows personally. Synonyms: mentally, spiritually.”

To finally understand what self-development means, it is enough to analyze the personal growth courses and business trainings that are so popular today. The latter are aimed at acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for business development. That is, participants receive and implement ideas that allow them to take their own business to a new level, but their personality does not change in any way. At a business training, a person learns how to increase sales, how to properly present a product, how to optimize processes within a company, etc. But this knowledge is unlikely to make you think about your own values, the meaning of life, relationships, etc. Such events improve professional skills , but do not in any way relate to issues of personal growth.

Self-development courses differ significantly from business training. First of all, growth trainings are aimed at transforming a person’s personality. As part of these events, the problems, fears, beliefs and views of the participants are explored. Moreover, the format of such meetings can be quite diverse. But ultimately, personal growth training allows you to get rid of existing complexes, psychological trauma, resentment and mental anguish.

Personal development courses focus on challenges and opportunities rather than problems. For example, instead of worrying about a situation, think about options for resolving it. If you are afraid, stop making up excuses and justifications - take responsibility for your life and find your own motivation for new achievements. Distrustful introverts need to learn to see the good in people and stop shutting them out. Those who want to live a bright and fulfilling life do not need to try to break patterns - just take a creative approach to solving daily problems.

As you can see, personal and professional growth are significantly different. People come to self-development trainings with completely different needs. But in the process of working on oneself comes awareness or rethinking of one’s own life views, values, and meanings.

Personal growth goals

Although personal growth is aimed at working out internal aspects, it is necessarily reflected in the outside world. One of the most striking signs of development is the realization by a person of his own plans. Mobilization of internal resources allows you to achieve your goals in an environmentally friendly way, without harming other people.

However, you can look at it from the other side. The process of personal growth cannot be imagined without setting appropriate goals. In fact, the desire to become better is already an independent intention. That is, following a certain goal ensures human development, and vice versa. But sometimes the plans outlined do not require the development of personal qualities. Then self-development acts as a basis that helps to achieve success in this matter.

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For example, if a person needs to improve the skill of persuasion, he does not need to develop any moral qualities. But in many trainings, learning this ability will be presented as personal growth. Depending on what is meant by development, improving this skill will or will not constitute personal growth.

If the ability to persuade is one of the conditions for the formation of an integral and harmonious personality, development must occur in accordance with certain principles. If a person defends his own point of view, resorting to manipulation, intimidation and pressure, this has nothing to do with self-improvement.

As already mentioned, personal growth is inextricably linked with the principle of environmental friendliness. In this context, the ends do not justify the means at all, especially if the methods used may harm others.

For example, if a person plans to open his own business, then his goal is to launch this project. It should be remembered that business is impossible without customers. This means that you need to pay attention not only to ways to promote the product, but also to its quality. The goal of a business should be to sell a truly necessary and high-quality product, and not simply make a profit. Personal growth in this case will be conducting honest and decent business activities. To do this, it is enough not to deceive your customers: sell products with a good shelf life, do not pass off a fake as an original, speak openly about all the characteristics of the product, etc.

And the very idea of a future business project should be environmentally friendly. It's no secret that today there are plenty of fly-by-night companies that disappear with the money of customers or partners. Yes, this is also a business, but it has nothing to do with moral development.

It turns out that personal growth must meet certain conditions. It is not enough to simply improve a skill; you must constantly work on your character and values.

Where to start your personal growth and self-development

Self-improvement is a labor-intensive process aimed at working out the weaknesses of the individual, realizing one’s own potential and normalizing health. To reach a new level, it is enough to follow simple but effective rules.

Know Yourself Self-knowledge is a prerequisite for personal growth.
To evaluate the results of your own work, you need to understand where you are starting from at the moment. It is important to accept your strengths and weaknesses, temperamental characteristics, values and guidelines. It is also worth paying attention to how you contact the outside world and react to its manifestations. There are several ways to get closer to understanding your essence. Meditation, journaling, working with mood - each of these methods is effective. But real transformation begins when you find what lights you up, what makes you happy. If you want serious changes, turn to your own desires and dreams. Ask what kind of life your actions today will lead to. Are you happy with your current reality? How do you want to be remembered by this world? Think about it seriously to formulate a list of true goals.
Take responsibility for your own life and actions
Almost every time when all plans collapse, we complain about fate and blame others for our failures. Even if the situation seems out of control, do not rush into victim mode. Of course, not everything in this world depends on us; the environment can really have a significant impact on our lives. However, it is worth remembering that the last word is always yours. If there is no option to change the situation, you can reconsider your attitude towards it. This is the secret of transforming your own personality.
Develop a Self-Improvement Strategy

Setting goals is one of the most important stages for upcoming changes.
But in order to implement your plans, you need to understand what path you will have to go through. The most obvious and simple solution in this case is to create a plan to achieve your goals. Analyze your own aspirations, break all the work into small stages and decide what steps and actions you need to take. For example, you want to build a successful career, but at the moment you are working in a job you don’t like. You can take it to the next level with these steps:
• First of all, understand in which direction you want to realize yourself.
• Having decided on a profession, clarify what knowledge and skills are necessary for this activity.
• Receive appropriate training.
• Create a new resume that presents you as a competent specialist.
• Check out existing vacancies and respond to the most interesting offers.
• Once you find a job, quit your previous job.
• Demonstrate and prove yourself in your new position.
• Improve yourself in your chosen field and climb the career ladder.
Expand the boundaries of your own comfort zone

The concept of “comfort zone,” as well as “personal growth,” is familiar to almost everyone. This is a certain way of life in which a person avoids risk and stressful situations by performing familiar and ordinary actions. This is not to say that this level is bad. From time to time we all need a quiet environment to relax and recharge.
Almost everyone says that leaving your comfort zone is useful for self-development. You need to challenge, take on your own fears, take risks, test your strength. Sometimes the thought of making such changes can be scary, let alone taking action.
The sooner you think about personal development, the easier it is to get out of your usual routine. As you age, it is more difficult to change yourself, which means taking new actions is much more scary.
Despite all calls, you should not leave your comfort zone. Try to gradually expand its boundaries. Try something new or change the way you approach your daily routine. Take small but confident steps towards your own goals.
Be prepared for the fact that you will begin to sabotage your own changes. People often convince themselves that nothing will work out without even trying. We are afraid and doubtful, forbidding ourselves in advance to even dream of a new life. If you encounter this, change your focus. Try to understand what exactly is stopping you, why you look at the situation only from this angle. After that, turn to what inspires you to achieve, and step by step move towards your goals.

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Form effective habits
For this rule, the following saying is more relevant than ever: “When you sow an action, you reap a habit.” If you sow a habit, you will reap a character. If you sow character, you will reap destiny.” Indeed, our habits shape the existing reality. Useful and correct patterns allow you to grow and develop; harmful customs, on the contrary, worsen the quality of life. Changing habits is quite difficult, because they take years to form. But, if you really want to reach a new level, mobilize all your internal resources and move forward with strong will.

To put all these rules into practice, do the following:

Keep a personal diary. Try to write down the brightest moments, significant events, interesting discoveries, thoughts and insights every day.
Create a bank of ideas. Good thoughts come and leave your head completely unexpectedly. Record everything that seems interesting to you, without evaluating the practical side of the idea that has arisen. Literally write everything down. After a while, refer to your storage, analyze the direction of your notes. Perhaps it is this area of life that needs to be worked on.
Enter into dialogue with yourself. You can call this practice meditative, since here the subconscious is involved in the work. Give yourself 15–20 minutes so that no one disturbs you and nothing distracts you from the exercise. Take a comfortable position, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing, try to feel every inhalation and exhalation. When you are completely relaxed, ask yourself questions. What do I really want? What should I be like to achieve what I want? What should I do? Repeat the questions mentally, then again concentrate on your breathing and relax. As a rule, the subconscious mind joins the process after a few days. The brain begins to produce interesting ideas that are necessary in this situation. All that remains is to write down and rethink the information received.

The above practices allow you to reach a new level of personal development. By understanding and being aware of your desires, you can form true goals and think through ways to achieve them.

Summary

Online schools for studying:

Skillbox;
Netology;
Teach Line;
GeekBrains;
Foxford;
Vikium;
Tetrics;
Inglex;
ESHKO;
Puzzle English;
Skyeng;
EnglishDom.

A selection of books for self-development:

“Think and Grow Rich” - Napoleon Hill;
“How to Win Friends and Influence People” - Dale Carnegie;
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” – Stephen Covey;
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” – Mark Manson;
"Magic of the Morning" - Hal Elrod;
“Think big and don’t slow down” - Donald Trump;
"From Urgent to Important" - Steve McCletchy;
“Time drive: how to have time to live and work” - Gleb Arkhangelsky;
“Think like an engineer” - Madhavan Guru;
"Stop Being a Nice Guy" - Robert Glover;
“You don't know anything about men” - Steve Harvey;
“How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” - Dale Carnegie;
“Work, money and love” - Natalia Grace;
“What Do You Really Want” – Beverly Batchell;
“The ABC of Money” - Bodo Schäfer;
“Be the best version of yourself” - Dan Waldschmidt;
“You can do more than you think” - Thomas Armstrong;
“The Path to Financial Independence” – Bodo Schäfer;
“Rich Dad Poor Dad” - Robert Kiyosaki;
“Think like a millionaire” – Harv Eker;
"To hell with all of it. Take it and do it” - Richard Branson;
“Awaken the Giant Within” – Tony Robbins;
"Drive. What really motivates us" - Daniel Pink;
“Who Will Cry When You Die” – Robin Sharma;
"The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" - Robin Sharma;
“NO SY” – Jen Sincero;
“I eat, I run, I live” - Yulia Vysotskaya;
“The Hungry Brain” – Stephane Guilanay.

What you need to know about personal growth trainings

Personal growth training is a fairly common thing in the life of a modern person. However, some people misunderstand the meaning of self-development courses and confuse them with psychotherapy. Of course, training allows you to solve certain psychological problems, for example, develop self-confidence and improve certain personal qualities. But the classes are aimed at working with mentally healthy people, and therefore do not relate to psychotherapy.

The main objectives of self-development training are to increase a person’s potential, identify and develop the facets of personality, which allows them to achieve success in various areas of life. In the process of working on oneself, the worldview changes, thanks to which the course participant acquires new qualities and habits, and forms an attitude towards what is happening.

There are two types of such trainings. Some stimulate natural, passive transformation, others are aimed at active personal growth. Let's consider each option in more detail.

Natural personal growth trainings allow you to strengthen your inner strengths and get rid of beliefs that limit a person’s qualitative growth. Participants in the training work through various situations without focusing on the actual fact of transformation. Natural changes occur in accordance with a person’s internal attitudes. In this format, the coach’s task is to create optimal conditions for personal development. The training can be aimed at working with both the past and the present. By attending classes, a person finds answers to pressing questions, forms a model of behavior for various situations, and learns to interact correctly with the outside world.

Transformational trainings are considered the best natural growth courses. They allow you to expand the boundaries of your worldview, achieve a kind of enlightenment, get rid of limiting beliefs and the negative influence of the environment. After undergoing transformational training, a person realizes his inner potential, focusing on new opportunities and goals.

During active personal growth trainings, personality transformation occurs at the level of self-identification. The process itself involves obtaining certain knowledge and developing the necessary skills. Such events include training aimed at developing leadership qualities, increasing professional effectiveness, educational training, etc.

Classes can be held online and offline. The result of any training is the activation of thinking, rethinking of one’s own values, beliefs and plans.

Tips to avoid mistakes

Don't distance yourself from others. In self-development, the main thing is not to distance yourself too much from society, otherwise it will not be fun.
Don't be afraid of judgment. Don't give a damn about what others will say in your direction when you do something unusual for them.
Take your own development seriously from the very beginning. Then everything will work out.
Don't attack everything at once. To avoid burnout, increase the load gradually.
Make changes. If you only read books, you will quickly get bored.
Get rid of perfectionism. We are all not perfect.
The main thing in life is to be useful for the development of society, and not to live for one’s own benefit. Change your environment, and then the whole world, for the better.

Useful books on personal growth

Thematic literature will be an additional help for successful work on yourself. We recommend that you pay attention to the following publications:

“Be afraid... but act! How to Turn Fear from an Enemy to an Ally" by Susan Jeffers. The book contains effective ways to get rid of limiting beliefs. The author explains how to take responsibility for your own life and stop succumbing to the manipulations of your environment.
“Think slow, decide fast” by Daniel Kahneman. The work examines the features of slow and fast thinking. Kahneman shares decision-making mechanisms, tells how to avoid rash actions and direct energy in the right direction.
“Project Happiness. Dreams. Plan. New Life" by Gretchen Rubin. The book is a step-by-step guide for personal development. After reading, you will be able to determine your true goals and desires, and also receive recommendations that will help you become better and more productive every day.

7.Change of environment

Since childhood, we have been copying others. Without this, a person would not be able to fully develop. It is the environment that determines how a child will grow up and what chances for a good life he will receive from his parents and acquaintances.

In adulthood, a person also copies the people around him. But he does it unconsciously. Psychologists say that a person consists of 5 separate individuals who most strongly influence his life.

Surround yourself with strong and successful people. This way you can unconsciously copy their behavior, which will help you in your own development.

This doesn't mean you should give up on less successful friends and acquaintances. Just keep your communication with them to a minimum or try to infect them with the desire to develop. You can set common goals and work towards them together.

How to find yourself and your business if you don’t know what to do

Each of us experiences periods of stagnation when we want to give up everything and run away from the outside world. This state does not bring much joy, but it can become a starting point for change, a moment of rethinking. Fatigue and blues are one of the signs that something is going wrong. Instead of struggling with depression and apathy, go on an exciting journey straight into your inner world. Try to remember what you want from life, what is the meaning of your life, what goals light you up. Once you find the answers to these questions, move on to decisive action. All you have to do is start doing what you like, and there will be no trace of depression left.

On the path of personal growth, many women and men face the problem of self-identification. Not everyone understands who they are, much less what they want to do. You can find the area of personal development in several ways:

Dedicate yourself to what you love. There is no need for unnecessary explanations here. When you do what you love, and vice versa, love what you do, you become happy.
Go through all the options

This trial and error method can be divided into several directions:

Spend time on things that interest you.

Almost every person has a hobby, but only a few know how to derive profit and benefit from it. Hobbies are always pushed into the background; it’s not as serious as, for example, work. Who might like what I do?

A striking example that breaks this pattern is blogging. Yes, at first it seemed strange, then the number of bloggers began to grow at incredible speed. Having shown themselves on social networks, such personalities become media figures. They are no longer just people on a smartphone screen - many bloggers appear on the radio, host TV shows and even act in films. Who at the beginning of their journey would have thought that their life would be interesting to at least someone? Almost no one can guarantee success in this matter. But if you take your hobbies seriously, you have a chance to make yourself known to the world.

Try to regularly devote time to upgrading the areas of your life that interest you. Gather a community, team up with like-minded people and constantly improve in what you love.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes

There are situations when there is no favorite activity that lights you up.
Something interesting, but nothing more than superficial. In this case, it's time to come up with a hobby. Just write down all the ideas related to your interests. What would you like to do full-time? Drawing, aircraft modeling, yoga, programming, design - feel free to capture everything that seems attractive. After analyzing the list, imagine how you implement each of the ideas. If your imagination paints pleasant pictures and you feel an emotional uplift, try learning a new activity. And even if you don’t like it, just move on to the next item on the list.

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You should not force yourself to do something for your own development. This path will not lead to anything good. At the very least, you will waste energy and strength in the wrong direction. Even worse, doing something you don’t like often becomes the reason for the development of complexes and various diseases.

Visualize

Remember the phrase “I think, therefore I am”? It means that personal growth begins with a change in thinking. Philosophy calls this way of thinking transcendental. That is, first you work with internal attitudes, and then move on to actions that lead to the desired results. Therefore, concentrate more often on your own development, think about plans and opportunities. This way you will understand in which direction you need to move.

Start doing

Of course, it is important to tune yourself to a certain wave. But the only thing that will bring real results is action. Everyone wants to be successful, beautiful and rich, but only a small part of people move from dream to business.

Don't forget that only you are responsible for your life, actions and environment. Stop worrying about what others think. You will always be criticized no matter what you do. Personal growth is not easy, but only by working on yourself can you become better.

One-year program for successful personal growth

We have already said more than once that personal growth must occur according to a certain plan. If you break down big goals into small tasks, achieving big goals won't seem so daunting. The strategy does not have to be designed for any long period. There are both short-term and open-ended goals.

We advise you to take a closer look at the annual personal growth plan. The following program will help you improve all areas of your life in just 12 months:

January

The beginning of the year should be devoted to the issue of self-confidence. Work through existing fears, complexes, grievances, etc. It is impossible to gain heights without freeing yourself from excess.

February

During this period, it is worth taking care of finding a purpose. Think about what you want and outline a vector of personal development.

March

The beginning of spring is the time to set bold and ambitious goals. Try to eat the elephant one piece at a time: break big tasks into simple steps and make a plan for upcoming changes.

April

Schedule your time according to your schedule. Check your diary periodically to stay on track.

May

This is a wonderful time when nature literally comes to life. Start transforming along with the world around you! It's time to take the first steps towards your dream! To maintain a positive attitude and motivation, keep a success diary and record any, no matter how small, victories.

June

In the first month of summer, it is worth paying attention to mental health and relaxation. You have already done a lot of work and received the first results of your own transformation. It's time to learn to relax, to find a balance between active action and rest. For example, incorporate meditation into your daily routine.

July

At this time, it is worth taking care of your relationships with your environment. Perhaps you got too carried away with “achievement” and forgot about the people you really care about. Pay attention to your family and friends, because there will always be a lot of worries, and lost time cannot be returned.

August

Devote yourself to creativity. Creativity and ingenuity are integral companions to personal growth. Figure out how to add variety to your usual daily activities, and, conversely, find new hobbies. Yoga, artistic modeling courses, vocal master classes - express yourself and discover new facets of your personality.

September

The beginning of autumn is always a moment of assessment and rethinking. Analyze the path you have taken and outline new horizons. Perhaps you should learn a new profession or attend thematic courses. It's time to bring unrealized plans and desires to life.

October

Finding a new environment is an essential stage of personal growth. Visit unusual places, make acquaintances, develop business connections. Be prepared for a little discomfort: other people, unusual topics of conversation - it can be scary. But as you grow personally, you will improve your communication skills and take a worthy position in the new community.

November

It's time to monetize your hobbies and passions. Think about how you can benefit people in exchange for a decent monetary incentive. Develop a strategy for promoting your own products and services.

December

As you close out the year, take stock of your progress. Remember the brightest moments, all significant achievements, evaluate your own success. This will help formulate plans and objectives for the next 12 months.

8.Goals on paper are the key to achieving them

Tasks, new ideas and desired achievements are best written down on paper. This will increase the chance of their implementation by 90%. It sounds unrealistic, but this method really works.

Get yourself a beautiful notebook and buy a comfortable pen. Carry them with you everywhere. As soon as a useful thought comes to your mind, immediately record it on paper so as not to forget. Make an action plan and follow it.

Perhaps not all goals on this list will come true. But the most important ones will definitely come true thanks to your desire, perseverance and perseverance.