Biggest Barrier?

One of the biggest barriers people face when it comes to their personal growth, is that they are more likely to do absolutely anything and everything other than work on themselves. This is one of the great tragedies of the world as far as I am concerned. The fact that you have come to this blog – to learn about self improvement and develop your self-awareness puts you head and shoulders above the majority of the population.

Even those who come to the correct conclusion that personal growth is a good thing, find it extraordinarily hard to do any of it on themselves. They are very willing and able to go to University and learn everything there is to know about helping others. But when it comes to working on themselves in any way more meaningful than for career development – well, they are too busy learning about how to help others.

There is a myriad of things we can use to distract ourselves from taking a close look at ourselves. Everywhere we turn there is something screaming for our attention - politics, disasters & crisis, fashion, economics, inflation, housework, lifestyle, education & CPD, friends & family, internet & social networking, emails, crime & grime, local issues, regional issues, country issues, global issues, terrorism, activism (the same as terrorism according to the police), National ID cards (did you know the council will be able to fine you if you cannot produce it?), advertising boards, advertising everywhere... and the list is endless!

When I was teaching at a college not so long ago, I found myself in an impossible position with too much to do and more being asked of me. I realised I needed to prioritise my time and make sure whatever was most important got done (since there was no-one to help me) so I went to the supervisor and asked what was the PRIORITY? She said it was ALL priority!! And it can feel like this for most people, I feel, when we are asked to do so much with our limited time and take into account so many issues... and more demands upon our time, our attention and our pocket, just keeps coming at us daily.

It wasn't my intention when I started this entry, but I now feel like I need to go on a little retreat. And it is almost as if we need to be on retreat before we can have the time and energy to look at ourselves, and start the journey of awareness that is needed for deep personal growth.

Be well and have fun :-)

Self Awareness IS the Foundation

Hi

What do we stand for, what do we value, and what type of person we aspire to be?

Self awareness is a great starting point for developing self esteem and building confidence. Self awareness may also be the foundation that needs to be rebuilt if our personal development seems to take a backward step at any point.

Personal Values for Self Improvement

Self awareness can help us to know where we are now, so we can make better decisions on where we want to go next. In other words, if we have no self awareness then we are lost!

Before we decide upon what we want, we should first ask ourselves 'what do I value in life?'.

Usually, we do not realize what we value until it is gone. Sometimes familiarity with something, or someone, decreases the value we once saw there. It is prudent therefore, to decide upon what we value before we lose it forever.

Self awareness success tool:

Ask yourself - what do you value and why?

Then,

Priorities your top twelve

We can often tell what a person values by how much time they give to it; so how much time do you give to the things you value?

Now you can use this list as a guide to action in the future, and to help you prioritize your goals.

There is an old saying that goes 'If you want something, you must first give it away'. What this is saying, is that if we want to be appreciated, then it is no good taking others for granted. If we want to be popular, then we need to ask ourselves, do we recognize others?

If you value a quality - give it away!