Personal Growth

When you can keep a positive attitude regardless the distress you are in, that’s growth!

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

I enjoy writing about personal development, and I devour many such materials so that I have some inspiration to write about. The reason is simple, I want to learn, and writing is a process that forces me to put what I want to learn into structures that make sense and are easier to digest.

But personal development is a funny thing; it is like a confession at church. At first, you confess the many sins you have done and commit not to do them again, but soon as you walk out of the holy place, you completely forget your commitment.

So, after writing so many things about personal development, I want to take stock of how much I have learned and how I have applied the things that I have learned. Below are the five elements I have been tracking my progress. While I won’t rate myself as being a master, I can safely say I have successfully made myself do them regularly enough to see the benefit and positive change it has on me.

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1) Writing

“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” — Henry David Thoreau

Writing is core to my personal growth, and it is the most effective engine of growth. Since picking up writing, it has powered my growth in several areas. If you want to develop yourself, start writing, you will never regret it. The more your desire to write, the more your desire to read and learn. It is a self-reinforcing cycle.

2) Reading

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin

Reading and writing go hand-in-hand. If you don’t read enough, you won’t have the inspiration to write about. You don’t have to read books if that is not what you enjoy, but you have to make it up by devouring magazines, articles and other form of information sources. Even listening to audiobooks and watching motivational videos. The more you read and devour content, the more knowledge you can extract.

3) Solitude

“In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself.” — Laurence Sterne

I love being alone. Whenever I am alone, I will turn on my computer, laptop or iPad and let my fingers dance on the keyboard. I am writing this piece at 5 am on a Tuesday morning. I am an early riser, and it has become a habit to write in the wee hours of the morning.

I enjoy spending the first moment of my morning at my balcony, where I can breathe in the cool morning air while staring out into the distance. Even though it is only for that brief moment, it is sufficient for me to feel refreshed and peaceful. The highlight of the morning is the moment I make myself a hot cup of aromatic coffee to sit infront of the balcony. Enjoying the dark morning sky while typing away on my computer, jotting down my morning thoughts.

Solitude has become more of an indulgence to me than a sense of loneliness.

4) Exercise

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” — Thomas Jefferson

One thing that didn’t work well for me was getting myself into a regular exercise routine. For most of the week, I didn’t succeed in exercising even though I woke up before 5 am every morning. The only times of the week I could get myself to exercise are on the weekends. Except when there are thunderstorms or I am not feeling well; otherwise, you can be sure I will be out for my walk during weekends. Sundays are usually near the bay area, while on Saturdays, I venture to different parts of Singapore.

I hope to strengthen my determination to exercise on weekdays too, but I admit I have failed many times. But I won’t give up just yet. I will keep trying.

5) Attitude

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” — Brian Tracy

Sometimes circumstances outside my control will come and try to knock me off my feet, and it can be hard to stay optimistic. Living in this harsh and cruel environment, it can be easy to get cynical. It's hard to overcome the glass-half-empty mentality when life feels more dark than light. I would constantly look to the many motivational quotes I’ve gathered and shared on Twitter to maintain a positive attitude. To me, it is important to look for every little reason to be positive and make it through each day with a smile.

Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations regardless of what happens.

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Takeaway

We all struggle through life, and each has a sob story with unique challenges. In the end, we don’t have to be wealthy to be successful so long as we make an effort to become a better person than we were yesterday, that’s growth, and that’s success.

“I am still far from success and struggling to live with my many failures, but at least today, I can confidently say I am a better person than yesterday.” — Winston

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Thank you for reading to the end. I hope you have enjoyed it.

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