Articles

Have you ever had the experience where someone presents a smooth façade, yet their actions speak so loudly that you cannot hear a word they say? The experience felt odd because you sensed a discrepancy between the person’s words and actions.

Personal growth brings to light such discrepancies in ourselves so that we can take appropriate action to become fully integrated beings.

Of all the things you can do to impact your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest. With personal growth, I refer to the process of improving one’s awareness and identity, developing one’s potential, and maturing emotionally, mentally and spiritually to fulfill one’s destiny. It is the primary catalyst to who you’ll become over the course of your life.

Personal growth paves the way to lasting effectiveness and fulfillment. It cultivates an environment where decision-making becomes easier, because you eliminate discrepancies in your value system as soon as you become aware of them. It’s your key to a truly meaningful life.

This key to a meaningful life rests in your hands, because the key is you. It does not rest on finding someone to love or support you; or on getting a tax break, electing a different president, winning the lottery, or even moving to another country. It rests with you – and that is great news!

All personal growth starts with the willingness to accept responsibility for where we are at, for the actions and choices that brought us to the present. Instead of beating yourself up over past decisions you made, you can initiate meaningful change by accepting that you are the key factor to a meaningful life.

If that statement feels a little awkward to you, it means you need to own it more fully. Post it where you can see it every day: in the bathroom, the kitchen, your car, or your computer – anywhere you can see it. You are the key to a meaningful life!

You are the key to a meaningful life; ponder it until you know it in your bones! Your potential and your future are in your hands, because you are the key to creating the change you desire.

How does one create meaningful change? First, you may want to nurture change with a strong, dynamic support system; an active pursuit of personal growth; clear goals and boundaries; and the knowledge of what your value system requires from you to maintain inner peace.

 

Second, you may also want to minimize the impact of obstacles such as health setbacks, financial exposure, and negative influences. However, none of these things can replace the most important aspect: your conscious presence as the core catalyst to creating the change you desire.

You are the key to creating a meaningful life! Imprint that concept on your mind, because it is super important. You don’t have to be perfect, you simply have to make progress.

One of my former colleagues was a very successful entrepreneur who really understood this concept. Whenever people asked him how he became so successful, he would answer, “Simple. Just go beyond the average. Focus on becoming your best.”

How wise he was! In a world of mediocrity where the lowest common denominator usually is enough, you can surpass the norm simply by becoming more than average. You don’t have to strive for perfection or even excellence; you just have to rise above the average.

Work on yourself and develop more than average enthusiasm. Develop more than average clarity. Develop more than average vision. Develop an above-average commitment to live your best life. In short, to have more, focus on becoming more. When you invest in and work on yourself, the results will follow!

One day shortly before final exams, my high school English teacher read us The Victor, a poem by C. W. Longenecker that I’ve never forgotten. It was written well before the age of gender-sensitive language, yet its message is still as powerful today as when it was penned:

“If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.

“If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.

“If you think you are out-classed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of your-self before
You can ever win the prize.

“Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.”

If you were to look at the people who attended school or college with you, you may notice that each person has reached a different place in life. Given the fact that they attended the same educational system, speak the same language, and share the same culture, what accounts for the difference?

The difference is on the inside, not outside. It lies in how well each person understands the key to creating a meaningful life.

Every day, you make choices that determine whether something is meaningful for you or not. You are the only person qualified to measure an external experience by your internal value system and give it the thumbs up or down. The better acquainted you are with your inner value system, personal goals, boundaries and dreams, the more accurate will be the choices you make.

You see, the real difference is inside you. In fact, the difference IS you. The power that makes things better is inside you, and personal growth is the catalyst that activates that power in your life.

Within you is the power to believe, to dare, to do, to persevere. Within you is the strength to love, to forgive, to grow, to heal. You are the key to creating a meaningful life and a better future!

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.