Personal Development…this is always a “personal” subject that some people don’t want to discuss with others. Bare with me while I tackle why personal development is important. If we don’t grow, we’re stagnant, if we don’t take inventory, we don’t know what we have and what is of value, etc. Do you know who you are, who you want to be, and how you want to influence others? Self awareness will bring you to a place of success.

I remember Ralph in the 6th grade, and I admit when I heard he had straight A’s, I wondered why I didn’t. When the teacher left the room, my friends and I were rummaging through the report cards and my friend yelled out, “Hey, Ralph got straight A’s,“ and that was the first time I thought about getting straight A’s, and it became a goal of mine.

Later on in life, I set goals for myself like marathon running and golf, which are both independent sports. I knew I had to push myself, make goals for myself, and track my progress. I discovered I had a growth mindset, and decided I wanted to be better than I was yesterday. I always reminded myself that it’s not about perfection, it’s about progress.

Don’t be hung up on getting the medal as your end goal, it’s more about who you become in the process. I overcame physical pain, torrent weather, and what I thought was endless training, but in the end, it was the discipline of it all that helped me grow. That process made me more valuable to others. I can’t continue to be an asset to others unless I continue to grow, stay informed, and bring knowledge and wisdom to the table.

Personal experiences, whether good or bad, will mold us and shape us into those who have a story to share with others. A story that could be of value to someone who crosses your path. There are pieces of life we can control, parts we can’t control, along with people and ideas we might be able to influence. One of the things you can control, is what you think, which has a direct influence over what you do.

What can you do to challenge yourself to grow? In part two of my personal development blog, you’ll read a story about Tony. Tony was growing by leaps and bounds in his career, but refused to look at other areas of his life until they created problems for him. Once he did a personal assessment of his goals, he realized that his addiction to social media had to change. Enjoy reading about how Tony did that.

Growth feels good, doesn’t it?

Plan, Invest, Live™

Adam