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Sunday, March 21, 2010

What To Consider In Life To Achieve Personal Growth

In order to achieve personal growth, what is needed most is quality living. Many people seek for quality life but they have confused it with quantity living. Do not get me wrong, we all need material things in life but they should not define who we really are. For you to live a good life and hence self development there are things you need to consider seriously.

The first thing you need to posses is love. The bible says "God is love." It goes ahead to describe love as being stronger than death. It is on that love that the Ten Commandments were founded. Love is not an illusion but it is a virtue that it meant to bind the human race together and thus appreciation and satisfaction. Love breaks all the laws that seek to divide people.

In life it is important to plan. Some people do not budget what they earn and thus end up spending their money on things that are inconsequential. But to live a quality and improved life you need to have a financial plan. Budgeting helps you avoid running into debts and financial constrains that contribute to stress hence you hinder self improvement.

Your health is paramount if you are to experience personal growth. Therefore, watch carefully what you eat. When you take in junk food and substances like illegal drugs that do not benefit, improve or sustain your health, you will not live a quality life. You need to be strong physically and mentally to achieve self development thus eat healthy foods.

Quality life springs up from simple principles of life such as love, honesty, proper management of what you want in life and doing what is correct at the correct time, place and with the right people.


About the Author

Stephen shares his wisdom and experience in Personal Growth that will definitely add value to your life. Visit his Inspirational and Motivational Website at: Self Improvement Tips and start living a purposeful life.

How to Become More Adaptive

In this article I want to talk about the concept of change. And how important it is in your personal growth goals.

It's in the nature of human beings to be ever-changing people. Even if you sat down today and drew a list of all the things you are and know it'll be wrong by tomorrow. This is because each day you change a little, age very slightly and gather new experiences.

Why then are so many people frightened by the idea of change? Why are so many of us nostalgic for the past? Perhaps one of the reasons for this is due to a fear of the unknown?

In order to get over any fears you might have about change, you need to consider yourself to be a work in progress. Every skill you acquire or interest you develop produces a change within you. The best way to react in this situation is to hold a flexible attitude to life. Even if you are experiencing something negative, something challenging, or something mundane, you will develop and grow accordingly.

However, there are always going to be somethings you can't change about yourself. Sometimes you can improve a little, but sometimes you can't change at all. If you are a fully grown adult and five feet tall, you are unlikely to make yourself 6 foot through determination to change alone.

Keep your goals realistic by recognising in which areas you can become more adaptive and reflexive. Living happily is about accepting your limitations without putting yourself down for them. Part of the process of change is to make mistakes. Human beings are far from being infallible, Part of the process of learning as human being is to make mistakes and learn from them.

The more we learn from our mistakes the more we learn about who we are as people. Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. It is essential that we become more forgiving of ourselves if we want to remain adaptive. Becoming hung up over the past will only serve to make us less resilient in the face of trouble.

Incorporating self-accepting beliefs into your life can really make a difference in your life. A very good reason why they are so helpful is because they encourage correction not admonishment. When you have self-accepting beliefs you become encouraged to address shortcomings without being negative about them. When problems occur or you behave poorly, you can experience appropriate and proportionate negative emotions.
In general, people are better problem solvers when they are not emotionally distressed! Do you know anyone who is entirely perfect? If you have only conditional self-belief, you believe that you stop being worthwhile if you fail to meet a very narrow set of conditions. Placing extreme restrictions on yourself will be counterproductive in the end. It is far better to be honest and openminded.

Remember, just because you prefer to behave in a certain way doesn't mean you that you must behave in a certain way. Nor, does your failure to act in that way make you somehow inferior. Instead, this 'failure' supports the idea that you're a fallible human capable of behaving in differing ways at various times. In essence, failure is sign of your uniqueness as a human being.

Learn the lesson from it and move on. You should become more than a product of success and failure, for being adaptive means loving learning.

Becoming comfortable with yourself is essential for adapting to change and countering the negative aspects of life.

You need to be able to forgive yourself for the mistakes you make in your life as part of the process of benefiting from change. Learn to judge not from your mistakes, but from your triumphs. After all isn't a mistake just a side effect of learning? It is through this process that you become a vibrant and unique individual.

Taking change seriously does not mean you have to take yourself too seriously though. Accepting your shortcomings, and learning to laugh at yourself, will do you far more good than dwelling on the past.

However, do not fall in to the trap of thinking you are who you are and that's the end of it ; if you overstep the mark in your behaviour, then you cannot just accept that and move on. Becoming more adaptive is a process of both a willingness and acceptance of embracing change.

You can become more adaptive. Visit: http://www.faceuptosuccess.com and discover how to become a more positive individual.


About the Author

George Parr is dedicated to helping people lead more positive lives. Visit http://www.faceuptosuccess.com and discover the new positive you.

Personal Growth - Take Control of Your Future

Every day presents us with new opportunities for personal growth and development. It's just a matter of recognizing and acting upon them. For many people, this is a natural state of mind. For the rest of us, it requires some attention and focus. If you feel afloat, and you don't quite know where to start, begin by making a list of your goals. This can include improving various aspects of your life or enhancing what you already have. The point is to challenge yourself. These goals should not be so easy you don't need to try, but they should be realistic.

They should also be specific. Rather than saying, "I want to be succeed in my career", think "I want to be a manager". This is a goal that will have measurable results and to get there, there are many actionable steps that can be taken. Ongoing personal growth requires self-analysis. Consider your strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses are simply opportunities for growth. Many of the challenges we face every day can be made easier when we focus on improving these weaknesses and leverage our strengths to overcome them. Ask yourself what you want and where you want to be.

Once you have answered them, it's time to ask "how." How are you going to achieve these goals? It is very empowering to make the decision to take control of your life. To reach out and learn to make the changes that will help you become the person you have always wanted to be. Some people spend their lives answering these questions. In doing so they try new things, go places they've never been and experience life-changing events. With each step, they learn and achieve personal growth. The important thing is that they were not afraid to try. When we make excuses and stop trying, we stop learning.

If we stop learning we stop growing and become stagnant. The fear of failure becomes stronger and we stick with what is comfortable and familiar. All the while we are longing that we had the courage and strength to change. Personal growth requires that we take responsibility for our actions and not be afraid to confront the challenges placed before us. When you have the courage to venture out of your comfort zone, it becomes easier to stretch further. It's time to step back, decide what you want out of life and go after it. You will find that taking action is its own kind of freedom.


About the Author

Liam McCauley is a business coach and mentor located in Charlotte, NC, who specializes in providing serious entrepreneurs the skills in marketing their home based business to build a profitable online business with multiple income streams. To contact Liam, please call (803) 412-1449 or visit http://meetliammccauley.com

Setting Personal Development Goals - Achieve Success and Fulfillment

Many people find that they are unhappy with where they are in life. It may not be their entire life, just parts. They had thought by now they would be married, or have a thriving 401(k), or perhaps they wanted to be further along in their career. If this sounds familiar, it's time to take action. Setting personal development goals is the first step in focusing your energy and preparing to achieve your dreams. Start by taking some time to think about what you want to accomplish from now until the end of your life. Some of these may come easily.
Others may be more difficult because you haven't dared to consciously consider them until now. Write them down. Now think about what you want to accomplish in the next twelve months. This may include setting personal development goals in key areas such as family, career, social, wealth, or personal growth. Write these down as well. Remember, life is a journey that should be experienced fully. Don't forget to consider hobbies that you would like to make time for, or getting in touch with your spiritual side. A well-rounded life can be very fulfilling. Now compare the two lists.

Will achieving the goals on your short list help with those on your lifetime list? There are some goals that may not be possible to achieve in one year due to resources. If there are several items on the list that require reserve finances, decide which are the priorities and cross the others off. Leave them on your lifetime list, though. They are still worthy goals. On a third sheet, you can begin setting personal development goals that you want to achieve professionally in the next year. List what you want the outcome of each to be.

Do any of the goals for your career overlap your personal life? If so, focus on these first as you will likely be highly motivated. Prioritize the items on your list, and note what activities must be completed for each. When setting personal development goals, a current "to do" list can help you remain focused and motivated. Start addressing one activity at a time. As they are completed, you will begin achieving goals that you never thought possible. Taking life one step a time with focus will help you stay on track. Rewrite your list as activities are completed, or as your priorities change. Your list will become the roadmap for your success in life.


About the Author

Liam McCauley is a business coach and mentor located in Charlotte, NC, who specializes in providing serious entrepreneurs the skills in marketing their home based business to build a profitable online business with multiple income streams. To contact Liam, please call (803) 412-1449 or visit http://meetliammccauley.com

Using Activities as Avoidance

Activities - such as sports, creative projects, reading, work, TV, meditation - can be a wonderful way to relax, express yourself, or connect to yourself. Or they can be an addiction. How can you know the difference?

* Angie would surf the channels whenever she felt stressed or alone.
* Karen would lose herself in a book when things felt overwhelming.
* Keith would retreat and meditate when his wife wanted to talk.
* Patty's work schedule left her little time at home.
* Carl spent more time in the garage fixing things than with his family.
* Patrick's love of running was interfering with his family time.
Whether or not an activity is an addiction depends upon your INTENT.
* When the intent of an activity is to avoid the pain of aloneness and loneliness, it is an addiction.
* When the intent of an activity is to avoid the pain of rejection or the fear of domination, it is an addiction.
* When the intent of an activity is to put off doing something you don't really want to do but need to do, it is an addiction.

Whenever an activity is used as a way to avoid something - painful feelings, difficult or boring tasks - it becomes an addiction. It's really no different than using substances such alcohol, drugs, or food to avoid painful feelings or challenging tasks. The problem with using addictions to avoid painful feelings is that the feelings don't actually go away. They are just numbed for the moment but are silently eroding one's sense of self. We can get away with it only for so long before it shows up in some way - illness, divorce, depression, and so on. And avoiding tasks means that the tasks pile up, eventually causing the very stress we want to avoid. Our society is filled with ways to avoid. Yet it is avoidance that leads to the very feelings we are striving to avoid!

When the intent of an activity is to take loving care of yourself by providing yourself with fun, creativity and expression, relaxation, personal growth, spiritual growth, physical health and well-being, then it is a loving action rather than an addiction. It all depends on your INTENT.

Next time you want to participate in your favorite activity, you might want to notice your intent. Do you want to relax and watch TV or are you avoiding some difficult feeling or task? Do you find yourself scheduling more work than you can really handle to avoid dealing with aloneness, loneliness, or conflict with a mate, or are you really loving your work and feeling fulfilled by it? Are you exercising to support your health or to avoid feelings?

Once you become aware of using an activity to avoid, here's what you can do about it:

1. Welcome the feeling you are trying so hard to avoid. Pay attention to the feeling - fear, loneliness, aloneness, agitation, boredom, anxiety.

2. Make a decision to learn what YOU might be doing to cause this feeling rather than continuing to avoid it.

3. Explore what you might be doing to cause this feeling. How are you not taking care of yourself that is causing your painful feeling? Are you procrastinating, judging yourself, or not standing up for yourself in conflict? How are you avoiding responsibility for your own well-being? Are you allowing yourself to be a victim, waiting for someone else to make you feel better?

4. Once you understand what you are doing to cause your distress, then you need to ask "What would be the loving action for myself?" You are asking this question of your highest self, or of your spiritual guidance if you are connected with a source of guidance. If you open to learning about what is loving, ideas will pop into your mind.

5. Now you need to take the loving action on your own behalf - complete a task, stand up for yourself and speak your truth with someone, and so on.

6. Re-evaluate how you are feeling. Are you feeling more peaceful and more powerful? You will feel more peaceful if you have taken the loving action. If you are not feeling better, don't just turn back to your addictions. Look for another loving action until you find what really makes you feel safe on a deep level, not just the temporary pacification of an addiction.

You will find your addictions fading away as you learn to take loving care of yourself.


About the Author

Learn about endangered dolphins and dolphin life cycle at the Types Of Dolphins site.

Living A Positive Life In A Negative World To Attain Personal Development

The world is no longer the peaceful, beautiful and fruitful place God had intended it to be. The truth is that, the people living in this world have become evil and ignore effective living. Hardly does a month end without watching or listening to some negative news from the media. The media has evolved to this messenger of doom that keeps on infecting people with bad news because it has become easier to sell negative news than positive news.

Having gotten our minds poised by all these negative issues that surround us, it is hard for one to focus on positive living. We are always thinking on how we are going to solve some problem we have, and after that we are busy tackling other issues thus lacking time for personal development. Even with challenges, we need to have a positive attitude about life.

There was this day I met with a friend for a drink and I was so eager to share my problems because I was thinking I had gone through a lot since our last meeting. After we had settled down to enjoy our drinks, she went on to tell me that she had borrowed a loan from the bank to buy some stocks, but the stocks did not perform as expected and she had being unable to repay the loan and the bank had to take possession of her house.

As if that was not enough, her husband ran off with the baby sitter she had employed for her two children and now the kids are staying with her mother and she is now staying with her sister. On top of all this, she is suffering from cervical cancer and undergoing treatment.

I said to myself I do not even have problems. I have a roof over my head, am in good health, I have got food and my family is alright. That is when I realized that we have so much to be thankful about but we are blinded by our craving of having more and being ahead of others thus hindering our personal growth. Just the fact that you are alive this day is enough to be thankful about because every day is a blessing. Trade your negative attitude to positive attitude because your attitude determines your personal growth.


About the Author

Stephen shares his wisdom and experience in Personal Growth And Development that will definitely add value to your life. Visit his Inspirational and Motivational Website at: Self Improvement Tips and start living a purposeful life.

You have a Talent and a Purpose in your Life

Do you know that talents and time make up life? Without these two, life could be meaningless to us. Your life is all about spending the two. They greatly determine the kind of life you will lead. But do you know that you have a purpose? If you are saying no, then it's still lying idle in your mind.


Do you have the following affirmations in your mind?


1. I can't do this since I have no talent and I don't know what I can do best.

2. My friends and colleagues have nicknamed me a name that describe my physical appearance so I hate who I am.

3. I will not participate in that discussion since I have no personality of facing a group of people.

4. People are saying that I am unfit and I am not able to do it so I am not going to do it.

5. I fear doing it now... not today but tomorrow.


If you found that these statements are really pointing at you, then it's time that you should get serious about fixing them. These are really hampering your growth. Let me tell you two true stories about two people who are really positive about their life.


The first story is about a lady whom I came across while I was twelve years old. She came to our home town museum to do some exhibition. She was handicapped [she had no both legs and hands] but she could use her mouth to draw and paint pictures. Her pictures were beautiful and one couldn't imagine that she is the one drawing and painting them.


The second case is a documentary that I watched on the television. It was about a teenage boy who could type and browse on his computer like a normal person. He had no fingers on both hands but he could type quickly and perform other normal tasks.


So, from these two stories, they bring light to you that a positive life begins with you. Our disabilities should not be an excuse. Your negative affirmations are really hampering your personal development. You have continuously repeated negative statements that have eventually made your mind to transform them and reflect whom you are. Stop these affirmations from ruining your life by finding something better to do with that energy you are spending on them.

You and I are born with a purpose. God created us with a purpose it's only that we have not drawn it from our minds. The scriptures tells us that mans purpose is like deep water, but only men of understanding will draw it out.


A positive attitude will lead you to happiness and success in your life. It will change your whole life. Keep repeating in your mind these words "I can do it. Yes, I can do it now and not any other time or day".


I will conclude by telling you that you have a purpose in your life, it's only that you have not drawn it. And if you have already drawn it from your mind then let your hands work on it with your might because there will be no work to be done any more in the grave where humans go after their life is over.


About the Author

The author of this article J. Nyamache is interested in creating a global social community that is safe for fun and in matters pertaining to life in his forum that you can be a member and participate in discussing topics like ideas for anniversary.