Often, tough circumstances are used as excuses for not investing in personal development. It may seem impossible to grow when going through a stressful event in your professional life or a romantic relationship, such as a breakup.
However, these challenges present an opportunity to build resilience and self-awareness. One powerful tool for kickstarting growth in the face of adversity is the HIGH5 strengths assessment. By identifying your unique strengths, you gain the clarity and confidence needed to develop yourself, no matter the situation.
Equipped with a deep understanding of your natural talents, you can take strategic steps to become your best self and thrive, even in tough times. Luckily, everyone has the power to invest in their personal development, and the HIGH5 assessment is an accessible starting point for transformative growth.
Personal growth lets you live a more fulfilling life as the best version of yourself by helping you develop healthy behaviors. This article specifies the many actionable steps you can use in your personal development journey.
Why do you need to grow up as a person?
There are a plethora of benefits to investing in yourself and your personal strengths. Firstly, you become more self-aware and in tune with your senses. You understand who you truly are, and you gain an understanding of your goals, desires, and emotions. Once you understand yourself, chasing after your goals becomes more natural.
Additionally, those who invest in themselves become more focused and efficient. The clarity one receives from personal development allows one to prioritize tasks more accurately and effectively. This means that throughout your daily life, you begin to focus on your true desires instead of avoiding them. Along with that, greater resilience and motivation are other important benefits of real growth.
While personal development cannot prevent all bad situations from occurring, it does help you deal with your tough situations. And when you feel unmotivated, with personal development, you will see the clear benefits of the task and decide whether or not it is worth pursuing according to your goals.
Better interpersonal skills from self-improvement allow you to build more fulfilling relationships. Growth lets you notice the skills you need to work on for success, two examples being communication and analytical skills. With employees, this can come through charismatic public speaking.
These skills help you deal with difficult people better as well, as you will realize how important strong relationships are to your success. Leaders can especially benefit from the analytical skills gained, for they are useful when making decisions or delegating tasks.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
As you consider areas for personal development, reflect on your HIGH5 strengths profile. Look for opportunities to build upon your existing strengths, rather than just shoring up weaknesses. Research shows that growth efforts focused on strengths are more energizing and effective. Identify one strength to leverage in a new way each week for accelerated growth.
What does it mean to grow as a person?
Growing as a person involves a continuous process of self-awareness, self-improvement, and self-transformation. It encompasses learning from experiences, expanding your knowledge and skills, improving your emotional intelligence, and developing healthier relationships with others and with yourself.
Personal growth allows you to become more adaptable to changes, more resilient in the face of challenges, and more effective in achieving your goals. Ultimately, it means continuously striving to be a better version of yourself, not just for your own well-being but also to positively impact those around you.
15 tested ways & steps to grow as a person
Self-growth is a lifelong process and takes continuous practice. But, dedicating some time every day makes the task far more manageable. Below are 10 science-backed strategies you can implement into your daily routine.
1. Try something new
The world has so much to offer. Experiencing new events can help you exit your comfort zone and explore new ways to apply your strengths. With so many activities available, avoiding new experiences can easily hold you back from finding all the ways to enjoy an authentic life.
Applying this strategy exposes you to new activities and hobbies as well as amazing people who can boost your confidence and assist you in times of need.
2. What Can I Do To Make Tomorrow Better?
This is an incredibly important question, as it helps you identify areas of need. If you ask yourself how to improve for the next day, do not view yourself as inadequate. Part of having a growth mindset is realizing there is always room for improvement, but still remaining confident in your strengths.
Once you determine how to improve, you can take actionable steps to reach your goal. Thinking in this way discourages bad habits and encourages far more productive habits.
3. Learn to Really Listen
Give a voice to others and help them bring out their inner strength. Even if you are uninterested in a conversation or disagree with someone, give them the respect they deserve and truly try to comprehend what they state instead of making assumptions.
Listening can become more natural if you visualize what the other individual states, and confirm their feelings after they finish speaking. This activity improves your relationship-building skills and builds upon your empathy.
4. Read more
Reading a book exposes you to many new cultures, ideas, and ways to possibly improve yourself. It is arguably the best way to start intellectual growth. Both nonfiction and fiction help boost your memory power and can also give readers a profound sense of enjoyment.
Fiction increases one’s empathy as it puts you into the shoes of a character. Nonfiction can help you reflect on past tragedies or mistakes made by others, thus increasing your awareness and giving you a powerful lesson you can easily remember. Make reading a habit instead of an unproductive activity.
5. Laugh
It is often stated that laughter is the best medicine. This thinking certainly applies to growth. Instead of fretting about your inadequacies, laugh at your mistakes. Acknowledge what you did wrong, but do so in a lighthearted way.
Disassociate negative feelings stemming from missteps to your self-worth, another key aspect of the growth mindset. This keeps your confidence high but allows you to be in tune with your strengths and weaknesses, which is highly beneficial to your development.
6. Give back
Giving back to your community boosts levels of dopamine, thus increasing positive feelings and happiness. Donating time or money, helping out an elderly person, or simply buying more ethical products are all forms of giving back. Doing so aligns your actions with your beliefs and develops a sense of meaning.
7. Set SMART goals
To set meaningful goals that align with your unique potential, start by gaining clarity on your strengths. The HIGH5 strengths assessment can provide this critical self-awareness, illuminating your natural talents. Armed with this knowledge, you can craft goals that leverage your strengths, making them more achievable and fulfilling. Instead of vague aspirations, develop specific goals that allow you to harness your strengths and create a strategic roadmap to achieve them.
Ensure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. This means having deadlines, making goals achievable, and learning from any mistakes you make.
8. Set short-term and long-term goals
Goals give you a roadmap to success by breaking down your aspirations into achievable steps. Short-term goals provide immediate challenges and rewards, while long-term goals offer sustained direction and purpose.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
When setting goals, consider each of your top strengths, as identified by HIGH5, and how they can be applied. Aim to set “strengths-based goals” – objectives that specifically utilize your greatest natural talents. This strengths-focused approach makes goals more motivating, as they become an expression of your best self. It also increases your chances of success, as you’re harnessing your innate abilities.
9. Get Grateful
Since we get used to the many wonderful aspects of our everyday lives, those items and people may be taken for granted. Create a habit of listing all the individuals and items you are thankful for. Let others know if you appreciate them. Doing so makes them happy and builds a stronger bond between you.
10. Learn to stand up for yourself
Letting your desire to be liked to overtake your priorities can lead to uncomfortable situations. You must learn to prioritize your well-being and happiness as opposed to always pleasing others, even if the latter is instinctual.
Let others know when you feel unsatisfied or if they are too demanding; do not assume they understand your emotions. This turns a bad situation into an opportunity to express your thoughts and grow to reach a conclusion between both parties.
11. Forgive others, and yourself
You probably feel regret when recalling some events. Perhaps you may have even thought of what you would do differently if given the opportunity to change the past. While that is unfortunately impossible, you should find ways to correct the behavior that placed you in a bad situation.
Additionally, recognize that you are only human and that a growth mindset does not demand perfection. Learn to keep your own humanity in mind when judging yourself or others. Of course, this is not an excuse to dismiss bad behaviors, but it is simply a reminder not to be overly harsh.
12. Focus on your personal values
Identifying and living according to your personal values help you to stay grounded and make decisions that align with your true self. Values act as a compass that guides your actions and choices, ensuring they reflect who you are and who you aspire to be.
13. Practice gratitude
Regularly acknowledging the things you are thankful for can shift your focus from what’s lacking to what’s abundant. This practice not only enhances your mood and reduces stress but also fosters a deeper appreciation for life’s experiences.
14. Meditate
Meditation is a powerful tool for mental clarity and emotional calm. It helps you develop a deeper understanding of your thoughts and emotions, improving focus and self-regulation, and fostering a greater sense of peace and well-being.
15. Focus on positive thoughts
Cultivating a positive mindset can transform the way you perceive and react to challenges. By focusing on positive outcomes and maintaining a hopeful attitude, you can increase your resilience and open up more opportunities for personal growth.
How to grow as a person FAQ
What does it mean to grow in life?
Growth is manifested differently in each individual and there is more than one type of growth. Some individuals immediately think of physical growth. The human body maturing and releasing hormones brings changes to brain cells, which affect an individual’s mood. More commonly, though, growth is a mental process.
It involves getting to know oneself and finding ways to maximize one’s full potential. Building new habits and “rewiring” one’s brain to be more positive and strength-centered is one aspect of self-development. The journey helps one find their true and best self.
What does growing as a person mean?
Growing as a person means that an individual takes care of their own self-development, tries to advance their skills, and acquires knowledge in different fields to realize what it means to result in personal growth.
It’s a process when people become aware of their own “self” and realize how to identify their values, attitudes, thoughts, actions, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses. Along the way, they make mistakes and learn from them what’s right, what’s wrong, and how to become a better person for themselves and society in general.
What is the best way to grow yourself?
The best way to grow yourself is to become mindful of your actions, thoughts, and emotions. Being aware of the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of your life will allow you to identify your strengths and weaknesses and what is something that will help you grow yourself.
Keep in mind that you need to find the proper method of self-growth by yourself. Things that work for people might not help you to advance yourself because every individual is unique and, consequently, every situation is different from the others.
How do you mentally grow up?
Mental growth involves developing emotional maturity, critical thinking skills, and the ability to manage and understand your emotions and reactions.
How long does it take to grow as a person?
Personal growth is a lifelong process that continues to evolve as you gain new experiences and insights.
Conclusion
Self-growth is a beautiful yet challenging journey. It is worth taking if you wish to feel more satisfied in life in addition to building upon your strengths and addressing your weaknesses. Finding out what are your strengths, putting in the hard work by quitting bad habits, and finding new ways to use your strengths definitely pays off in the long run.
If you feel doubtful or unmotivated during your journey, just remember the many benefits that come with self-development. Your best self and limitless opportunities await you at the end of the journey!
