We’ve all done it—promised ourselves the week before January 1st that starting this year, we are going to change our lives.
This year, we are going to find happiness, success, and confidence. This year, we will flip the invisible switch that makes everything fall into place. And this year, we will become the person we’ve always wanted to be.
Then, the new year began and we found ourselves committed to an ideal rather than a plan.
We easily slipped into bad habits, became overwhelmed by the things we couldn’t change, and found it difficult to locate just where to start.
Does that mean your life is just doomed to stay how it is?
Consider…
How Personal Development Goals Impact Your Life
No one changes their outlook on life, acquire the ability to cultivate relationships or develop healthy habits overnight. Just as a builder can’t assemble the roof of a house while the foundation is still being poured, it is important to take measurable, achievable steps when developing personal growth.
Personal development goals are the building blocks of a new life. These goals can be anything that positively impacts your emotional, mental, or physical well-being. Often, these goals contribute to your overall feelings of fulfillment, growth, and confidence in yourself. They also improve your ability to connect with others and advance in professional or creative endeavors.
For many, the challenge of personal growth is knowing where to start. You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew but rather want to feel that you are moving forward.
Personal Development Goals You Can Achieve
Some personal development goals will require the assistance of others to complete. These goals are ones that you might choose to tackle with a therapist who can provide you with additional tools and guidance.
However, there are plenty of goals that you can start today and achieve all on your own.
1. Put your health first
A great starter goal for personal growth is challenging your current health habits. This is a great goal because not only does it improve your energy, lifespan, stress levels, and confidence, but it is also easily measurable.
It is encouraging to see the weight on the scale drop or blood pressure improve. This visible, measurable proof that your efforts are paying off keeps you motivated and instills a sense of pride.
2. Get to know yourself
When you know yourself in a deeper sense—your fears, weaknesses, strengths, passions—you gift yourself with the ability to regulate your emotional responses and develop empathy towards others.
This emotional intelligence has been proven to be a more desirable trait in individuals than a high IQ when it comes to professional opportunities and cultivation of meaningful relationships. Start by practicing mindfulness to gain better insight into your emotions and the values you hold.
3. Improve your communication
Learning how to communicate your wants and needs with others is an invaluable asset to your overall happiness and success. If you show others you care about their expressed ideas and emotions, you invite them to do the same towards you.
Start practicing key communication skills such as active listening to create stronger connections with others.
4. Be more social
It is easy to want to come home after a long day and settle in on the couch with some Netflix. However, most people can greatly benefit from being social with peers.
When you venture out, you find that you are more likely to learn new things, take risks, feel connected, and gain opportunities. This is because others help you to feel supported and cared for. Get more social and watch the experiences start to tower high.
5. Embrace Failure
Many people shy away from personal growth goals because they are afraid of failing. What if the goal was to show a tenderness towards that failure?
Failure is a vital component of personal growth. When you are not afraid to fail and instead embrace it as a learning tool, you become more proactive, determined, and confident.
Personal growth is an on-going journey that helps you improve your quality of life and sense of self. Creating goals that are specific, measurable, and achievable guarantees a rewarding and successful journey towards a better self.
If you would like to know more about how you can achieve personal growth, please click HERE.
