Personal Growth Isn’t Personal At All
Personal growth is not as personal as you think. Personal growth is as much about others as it is about you. In order to truly experience personal growth you must get help from others and help others.
Help from Others
Who’s advice will you listen to? You can’t listen to everyone as there are so many opinions and philosophies on developing a growth mindset. In the beginning it’s definitely okay to explore a variety of ideas from a variety of thought leaders. However, you eventually must narrow down the thought leaders you take advice from down to a shortlist and go deep (at one time I was subscribed to over 25 podcast, now I’m down to 8 and still looking to trim more).
Depth is better than breadth when it comes to mentorship and advice. As such, you will eventually need to move beyond emails, books, videos, and podcast. You will have to attend conferences, workshops and retreats. You may even need a personal coach to help you along the way. Choosing what and who is significantly easier once you have your shortlist to go deep with.
Helping Others
By helping others adopt a growth mindset, you will help yourself grow even more. Scientific research shows that you remember more of what you learn when you teach what you are learning. In addition, you will develop your interpersonal skills, listening skills, observation skills, and storytelling skills among other things.
Look outside of your immediate family and circle of friends to find an individual or group to go on a personal growth journey with you. As you grow, help them grow with you by teaching them what you are learning along the way.
Personal Growth is a Team Sport
Going on a personal growth journey alone will cause you more frustration than growth. Personal growth is truly a team sport. As with any team sport, having the right teammates is a critical component of victory. You will know you have the right teammates when you have three things:
- A shared goal
- A commitment to each other, and
- A commitment to the process.
Whether it’s your mentor or your mentee, all three of these components are necessary for you maximize your personal growth journey.