5 Pillars of Personal Growth

Personal growth is not an easy task by any means. It requires essentially dying to old habits and old ways of thinking to become a more improved version of yourself daily. Below are five areas I like to focus on to achieve personal growth.?

Work-Life Balance

Different seasons in our life require different definitions for work-life balance. Whether your definition of work-life balance means working a hybrid schedule, taking more vacation days, spending time with those you love or simply having the flexibility to decide your schedule, use the new year as a time to reset and define what work-life balance means for you. Defining and achieving your version of work-life balance can help you reduce the chances of burnout in your professional and personal life. It is important to set boundaries, create realistic expectations, and be fully present in each of your roles to start the work-life balance process.?

Family Life

Whether we’re talking about your birth family or your chosen family, it is important to make time for the people that love you and that you love. By pouring into your community, it allows you to reset and provides a space for you to explore your desires. A supportive family or community offers the stability and reassurance needed to develop a positive approach to achieving goals.?

Spiritual Life

Engaging with your spiritual life provides somewhat of a moral compass to help root your life in a strong belief system, which in turn will oftentimes give you better clarity of your own goals and life purpose. Your spiritual life will give you a higher sense of purpose, peace and meaning in this confusing life we are trying to operate daily. To help enhance your spiritual life, you can do things like find like minded people to commune with, read scripture, journal, and pray.?

Overall Health?

?Mental and physical health are equally important in achieving personal growth. Focusing on whole person health will give you the mental and physical stamina needed to accomplish your goals. Focusing on health has its fair share of emotional, psychological, social, physical and cognitive benefits at all ages. Engaging in small actions like walking more throughout the day, dedicating 10 minutes of your 1,440 minutes available in a day to a high intensity workout, seeking out therapy, and journaling can make a difference in your personal growth.?

“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.” - Center for Disease Control and Prevention

“Physical activity helps you immediately feel better, function better, and sleep better. It also reduces anxiety. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age.” - Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Prioritize?

Unfortunately, it is impossible to prioritize everything in your life at once, so take the time to sit down and figure out what is most important to you in this season of your life. Priorities can always change, but what is most important is that you understand where and how you will divide your time. For example, if family/community is most important to you and you also have a job, figure out ways to completely disconnect when you are not on the clock or completing tasks for your business.

Throughout 2024, remember to not be hard on yourself if the goals you set in place do not come to you naturally. With persistence and dedication, the goals you once had for yourself will become a lifestyle and require little to no thought to actually achieve.??