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Have you ever wondered what the phrase “to grow as a person” really means? Most times we’re not talking about physical growth, but to grow spiritually and in ways that see us reaching our dreams, our goals.
Throughout our childhood and teenage years, change comes easy. After all, our bodies, minds, and environments are changing so rapidly that change is the rule, not the exception. But, something happens when we settle into home life and career. We start to think more about finding a perfectly matched bedroom set than more “big picture” things such as choosing a career or life path. And if you really think about changing your interior design, we recommend you to visit the reviews section, like 1StopBedrooms reviews profile, it might help you to make the right choice.
As we enter into adulthood, we make more attempts at changing our environments than we do in changing ourselves; we may buy a new bedroom set to modify our surroundings, but very few us randomly set (serious) personal goals for change. In truth, we can set out to change ourselves at any stage of life.
Watch What You Say to Yourself
The celebrities we just mentioned all had another thing in common that helped them to achieve success — they believed in themselves. Your mind is more powerful than you may think. In a Harvard-funded study published in Neuropsychologia (2004), one test group was asked to flex their fingers for a set time each day, while the control group was asked to only think about flexing their fingers for the same amount of time. Amazingly, both groups increased the strength of their fingers at the end of the study — the control group by mind power alone! Which brings us to this point. As humans, we like to feed ourselves negative thoughts about how we will fail at this or that. We do this as a way to psyche ourselves up by creating fight-or-flight adrenaline in the brain. But, what often happens, in reality, is that we instill a sense of self-doubt that can be difficult to overcome. What’s the alternative?
Become your best friend. Say you have a best friend and there is always this third party always spewing negativity and badmouthing them. You would stand up for your friend, right? So why not do the same for yourself? Instead, be careful what you think and try to remain positive, no matter what you may be going through in life.
Be true to yourself. The waves are always changing. You can’t always change your surroundings, but you can stay the course and seek the goal that seems right for you. When you listen too closely to other people’s opinions on what you should do with your life, it can diminish your own personal goals — or worse, cause self-doubt.
Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut said it best when he said, “Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”
Always Look to the Future
In life, it’s not so much what happens to us, but how we respond to outside forces. Think about this for a second: What do Jennifer Lopez, Steve Jobs, Shania Twain, and Jim Carrey have in common? (Other than being famous and successful, of course.) These individuals were all homeless at some point in their lives, but that fact did not stop them from seeking a better life. And, true, there are individuals with mental illnesses that make it difficult to change their situation without outside help.
In adulthood, our situations appear to be more immovable, predictable, and routine-like. But, no matter what stage of life you are in, it’s important to remember (and easy to forget) that no matter where you are, you can still look to the future and set goals to grow as a person — even if you’re in your 70s or 80s, there is still a future to be had.
Jumping Hurdles: Life Changes as Chances to Grow
When big changes happen in our lives — for better or worse — it’s not exactly the change that puts us on edge, but a fear of the unknown. A major, unexpected job promotion or the death of a loved one can make the future seem uncertain. During these times, it’s best to try and let change happen as it may. That’s not to say that you don’t have a say in your destiny, but give yourself time to see what these changes bring before attempting to drastically change your life.
Sometimes you just have to trust that things will turn out for the best and not carry too many expectations into this next phase of your life. The Reach Out website recommends that you celebrate the positives that come with a major life change. In the death of a loved one, their passing allows you to reflect on their life and look back to all the fond memories you have of them.
The most important thing you can do is to stay positive, no matter what the future may bring (because it’s always bringing something).