Personal Growth is Lifelong Growth
Click image above for an overview by High Performance Coach Caitlyn Rose Clark
Out of the 26 organizational fundamentals at Momentum, “Be Dedicated to Personal Growth” is the one I have been practicing the longest. Well ... other than “keep things fun” (I came into this world with that one nailed down). In my opinion, personal growth is the foundation of all the rest.
Most people think that transformation and personal growth are all sunshine and rainbows. But one of the most important lessons I’ve learned about personal growth is that you get the most out of it when you use your adversity to grow, transform, and expand.
Your willingness to move through the pain and adversity will set you free into your ultimate expansion.
Before growing into a butterfly, a caterpillar turns into complete mush while in the cocoon. Most of the time, that is what personal development feels like. And when we can own that and acknowledge that it will be painful, we move through the mush and into our butterfly state more efficiently and gracefully.
Truly dedicating ourselves to personal growth is dedicating ourselves to stepping into the unknown. It is dedicating ourselves to have the courage to move forward in faith even when we are afraid.
One of the most interesting things about this fundamental is that its personal meaning is always evolving and changing, depending on where we are in our life journey. I mean... that’s kind of the whole point of the fundamental itself. All effective leadership, especially executive leadership, depends on this.
Self love is included in self accountability.
The most important part: Acknowledging the discomfort of transformation is only truly effective when we are willing to love ourselves through the process of our discomfort.
There is nobody I know who embodies this fundamental better than my dear friend Faith Malton (instagram.com/theonearmwarrior). She was born without a right arm.
Faith faces adversity everyday that will never leave her, and she has taken advantage of it as an opportunity to develop personally, and to upgrade her psyche day in and day out. Watching her growth and dedication is a constant inspiration for me to rededicate to my own personal growth.
After years of using her own adversity to grow, she has cast a vision to effect change in society for those with a limb difference. In her own words her mission is to “revolutionize the world’s perspective on limb difference through changing its narrative and bringing to light the power of adaptability”.
We could all use a little more faith in our lives and definitely in our process of being dedicated to personal growth.
So while yes, using adversity for personal growth can be about challenge and pain and discipline through discomfort, the most vital thing I’ve gained is that a lot of the time our adversity and discomfort is a doorway into childlike play, surrender and freedom. So from our adversity and our willingness to be with it, we are set free into the ultimate expansion of radical joy.
Fundamental of the Week #17: BE DEDICATED TO PERSONAL GROWTH Be a lifetime learner. Challenge yourself to take risks and operate outside of your comfort zone. Solicit feedback and learn from mistakes. Understand the nature of causing breakthroughs and live it as a discipline. Believe in Magic.
