Every living organism undergoes change and growth. To attain its full potential, a living being must progress through various stages. For human beings, personal growth entails the holistic development of physical, mental, social, spiritual, and emotional growth. If you are keen on living productively and aging gracefully, invest in personal development.
Human beings are born with great potential, but many die without exploiting their potential. Instead of exploiting and exhibiting their inborn talents and gifts, many wish they were like their idols and role models. John Mason once stated, “You were born an original, don’t die a copy.”
Here are critical considerations for personal growth.
Mental Health
Your brain / mind is the centre of your being. It is the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of your body. Your decisions, words, and actions stem from the activity in your brain. Indeed, you are your thoughts. How important, then, is it that you take care of your mental health!
In personal development, mental growth entails watching what you find in your mind with and how you reason and express your thoughts. It means being conscious of how you receive information, how you process it and how to improve these processes.
For healthy growth of your mental faculties, read books on personal growth, listen to wholesome music and watch television programs that help you become a better person. In addition, ensure you stay informed on what is happening in your career area, your society and the world in general. Further, get between six and eight hours of quality sleep daily.
Spiritual Health
Closely related to mental health is spiritual growth. We are finite human beings who often face perplexing situations we cannot fathom. The answers to our uncertainties and the source of inner peace we seek are in a Power beyond ourselves.
For wholesome growth, find peace with God or the Supreme Being as others refer to Him. Within the confines of the religious beliefs you subscribe to, find time to pray, read scripture, meditate on them and engage in singing or praise. In addition, attend meetings where you meet and share your beliefs and practices with fellow believers.
People who have an active spiritual life are likely to be more productive at work. They manage stress effectively and interact well with workmates. Moreover, spiritual persons are likely to have high levels of confidence hence helping them utilize their talents and abilities effectively.
Physical Health
Optimal growth also requires development in the physical faculty. Your body requires regular exercise to promote effective circulation of the blood, boost mental health, strengthen muscles, boost digestion and promote general body functioning.
In rural communities, physical growth is assured especially because people work in farms and perform other menial duties. People in urban areas, conversely, lead sedentary lives, which entails sitting most of the time. In such cases, there is need for deliberate effort to exercise the body regularly.
Effective physical health is possible if you exercise regularly (which could mean anything from brisk 30 minutes’ walks to gym workouts), eating a balanced diet, and getting adequate sleep. In addition, avoid smoking and alcoholism.
Social Health
Human beings are engineered to interact with others. Right from birth, we learn to interact in families before transitioning to school, communities, religious organizations, and so on. Social development impacts our communication skills, which in turn determine how far we go in life.
Many of the opportunities you will get in life will come from friends and networks you have created. It is important, therefore, that you become a keen listener and that you speak clearly. These skills are critical at individual as well as team / organizational level.
To grow socially, make sure you practice active and effective communication in the family and group setting. Where possible, take a communications skills course, including public speaking. Improving on your writing skills may also open professional and leadership doors for you more easily.
Emotional Health
There are many changes taking place in you owing to internal and external stimuli. Your emotions are the barometer of your holistic development. A positive or negative demeanour communicates a lot about your mental processes and level of maturity. Learning to control your emotions is a skill you need to develop of you are to attain wholesome development.
Because of the pressures exerted on you by people around you and your work, you are susceptible to stress and negative emotions. Similarly, when you achieve your targets or interact with people you love, your positive emotions will reveal themselves. Whichever the case, you affect the people in your environment either positively or negatively.
For maximal emotional health, learn to recognize when your emotions are getting out of hand and taking preventive action. Learn also how your emotions affect those around you and how their emotions affect you too. Know the triggers or negative emotions and conflict and avoid or minimize them.
