This week we discussed investment in personal growth, and more specifically, growth of the mind. Growth is a choice; it doesn’t happen by chance. Our age may continue to progress from year-to-year, but without the necessary commitment to learning, our perspectives, knowledge, and emotional acumen will gladly flatline. When we allow personal development to cease, we bring to a halt all possibility of rising to the occasion of the progressively challenging circumstances that our lives provide us with.
We develop through intentional action and consistency; and without focused thought, we can easily be led astray from our mission. In order to develop the capacity needed for meaningful work to be done, we must be willing to devote time to the key cog of the machine, our mind.
All growth begins within. In this space we process information, consider perspectives, reflect on experiences, and project possibilities of the future. When we shortchange our investment in mindset, we hinder our ability to perform these important tasks. We begin to see our lives through a dense layer of fog, and clarity can’t be reached until we consistently and intentionally take the necessary steps to fight through the haze that blocks our visions from reality.
Reflect on your current life, and the investments that you make each day. Consider these questions as an opportunity to reframe your perspective of what matters most, and to commit to greater consistency and intentionality towards your mindset and mental well-being.
1. Identify what matters most in your life. What areas do you most want to develop? Consider professional, personal, and interpersonal goals.
2. What practices can you implement with consistency and intentionality, in order to grow within these areas? Think small, achievable, daily tasks that will produce compounding results over time.
3. Be honest about what you don’t currently know within your area of desired development. What gaps in knowledge are most important in your ability to progress? What steps can you take to learn and apply new information, filling these gaps with knowledge and experience?