By Jordan Yung Khang Lee

Photo by Simon Migaj from Pexels

If you want to improve your life, start thinking about what you can do today. As a young adult, I am thrilled with developing my personal development. I see it as an art in itself, which depicts the endless struggles of growing up. That challenge has also pushed me to stay driven throughout the journey - which sometimes can be a rigorous trial. Like racing towards the finishing line, it is gruelling, yet many are willing to persevere to achieve their goals. Throughout our life, we will encounter situations, good and bad, where we need to undertake self-reflection to understand where we are. Most of us, consciously or not, want the best for ourselves. But most of us are also afraid to fail. Becoming successful in anything we do is much more than understanding ourselves: it involves going back to square one and diving down into how we think. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, was never satisfied with his own personal growth and worked all the time to be the best version of himself while being relentlessly focused on building his business kingdom. Without his grit and resolution, his multi-billion dollar firm would not have gone this far. Managing and maintaining our mindset is essential if we are to achieve our objectives. Successful leaders take many different approaches, but one fundamental trait that unites them is their tenacity in improving their personal growth. They will do anything it takes to develop themselves and reach their goals. Here are five ways to stimulate your personal growth.

1. Transform the extra time into self-growth time.

Listen to audiobooks or watch motivational videos from Goalcast on Youtube. Learning is always a continuous process. Without a doubt, gaining new insights and learning valuable lessons will impart lifelong lessons for all. In contrast to reading a book, watching motivational videos or listening to audiobooks are more convenient as we do not need to carry anything physically. The first step, which is often the most difficult, is to identify a trait that we want to learn before looking it up online. That time spent is put to excellent use when we begin to acquire new skills and lessons. Although the technique might sound peculiar to some, it is always not too late to explore our interests. After all, increasing our skillsets help us to broaden our horizons - the time used for self-growth will be impactful.

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2. Always look up to someone.

Bill Gates once grappled with confidence and even dreaded initially that his business would be a flop. He has always paid tribute to Warren Buffett, his mentor, who inspired him to learn and laugh more. It is this formula that Bill had adopted throughout his gratifying life journey, which contributes to his success today. Looking up to your hero or role model will help accelerate your growth and motivate you to acquire those necessary skills. Search for someone who has the skills that you wish to learn. Whether it is leadership skills or entrepreneurship, there is always someone out there whom you could look up to. The hardest part is to find that “someone”. Use every resource available - the Internet, social media or motivational texts. Nothing should stop you from achieving! We can gain incredible insights from these role models, understanding their journey – absorbing the setbacks they encountered and the grit needed to succeed in difficult conditions. That is what pushes us. And when you break through the fear of not being able to accomplish something important, it makes you more resilient for the challenges ahead.

3. Help transform someone’s day better, and it could be anyone. 

Whether it is for a stranger, a friend, or your family - do something to improve someone’s day. Even when -as now- you can’t meet in person, you can do it virtually. Giving a heartfelt compliment or unexpected words of kindness -they will feel better, and so will you! A generous act not only increases your happiness, but it also releases nearly 50% more of oxytocin (the feel-good chemical in the brain) promoting creativity, resilience and problem-solving skills. This might sound intimidating, but you could always start with your close friends and family. Being aware of the vulnerability in yourself will allow you to hear your inner voice. And when that happens, you will soon wish that you had discovered it earlier.

4. Be curious.

Curiosity will motivate you to explore all the opportunities your future holds. It is imperative to have an unquenchable thirst for your future experience and progress. Your eagerness to know or learn something is what spurs you to push through some of the most painful experiments and errors in your journey. This type of resiliency is learned through self-discipline, which teaches you to cast your anxieties aside, bringing you to the fullest experience of the success any adventure can bring. A curious person will always have facile learning abilities. Research has indicated that curiosity is associated with higher levels of positive feelings, reduced anxiety, more happiness with life, and higher psychological welfare. Curious people will never have the word “boring” as part of their dictionary. They are always open to learn, unlearn, relearn, or repeat the entire cycle again. And they ask as many questions as they possibly can.

5. Be persistent when you have the desire to achieve.

Persistence is the ability to maintain your direction regardless of your feelings. Press on and never quit till you reach the victory line! Facing obstacles and hurdles in life is inevitable. Most people give up too soon because they set unrealistic expectations for themselves. The people who deliver the most are usually the ones that never raise the white flag. You might be embarking on your career or even have worked at a company long enough to know every single person in the building. Staying persistent is most important in keeping your objectives aligned – and patience is necessary! Winston Churchill once said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm”. By continually striving to achieve what you want, you will realise how much you have accomplished. When it happens, take one step back and reflect what you can learn from it. Growth is an everlasting process of failure and success. Developing your personal growth is not an overnight process, but requires one to be tenacious and committed. When you are prepared to reach the end line, pushing yourself to deliver the outcomes will happen instinctively. That drive comes through your personal growth. The entire journey has some apparent benefits, but it is up to you to decide your path. Nothing comes without you buckling down, but all this will be meritorious.

Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash