Googling “personal growth” will provide you with a plethora of quick fixes and easy steps to help you grow. Truthfully, there is no quick fix or 3 easy steps to personal growth. It is inherently personal in nature, and often requires a great deal of self-reflection and time to process.
However, there are definitely ways to encourage or foster personal growth. A few key elements of personal growth are perspective, connection, and acceptance. With these three key features, personal growth can begin to make more sense, and therefore becomes more attainable in your own life.
Perspective
Changes in perspective have long been helpful in our lives as humans. Think back to being a toddler, and only thinking “me, me, me” about everything. Many toddlers feel that the world revolves around them, their parent(s) only exist to feed and take care of them, toys only exist for them to play with, the bed only exists for them to sleep in. As we get older, our perspective changes. We realize that our parents are their own people, with their own faults and flaws, and that food exists to nourish everyone. We learn that a bed can be used for more than napping. This change in perspective is often linked to early personal growth and development. Piaget outlines this very change in the second and third stages of his theory of cognitive development (McLeod, 2018). Between the Pre-Operational Stage and the Operational stage, children begin to see the world from less of an egocentric mentality.
Connection
Human connection is an essential part of our survival as humans, as we are inherently social beings. As much as we try, the opinions and respect from those around us is important to us. Feeling as if we are respected and appreciated is integral in our ability to find motivation for personal growth.
Acceptance
This one particularly pertains to self-acceptance. If we cannot accept who we are as people, then we are not going to be able to grow. Finding a sense of self is part of the personal growth process as well. And ultimately growing from a place of secure sense of self will create a stronger, more secure future self.
If you can’t figure it out on your own, there are professionals (like us) to help guide you. You are still strong and valuable if you ask for help. Also, make sure to check out our other blog posts on empowerment, self-worth, and finding your passions.
References:
Becker-Phelps, L. (2015, June 30). Personal Growth 101: Letting Go of Self-Improvement. Retrieved from
Mcleod, S. (2018, June 6). Jean Piaget’s Theory and Stages of Cognitive Development. Retrieved from