Family Development and Personal Growth

Your friends and family can either be a wonderful resource to your own personal development or detrimental. 

Tip:  Try to stay around individuals like-minded.  It is much easier to accomplish personal development when your efforts are belittled, which drives you away from your goals and self-improvement.

Speaking of family, it is generally considered to be related individuals to whom you have a close contact with.  They can include your father, mother, brothers, sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.  Family is also considered as your spouse or children.

Tip:  Try to write yourself a speech of motivation.  Jot down all of your positive traits.

It is very important to have your family support your growth journey.  You will realize, however, people have different views and ideas of self-development.  While some may not see the need for it, others may find it to be a waste of time.

Sudden emergencies and expenses do sometimes come up, therefore be prepared with an emergency fund so you don’t need to rely on high-interest loans or credit cards.

On the other hand, you may find a family member wanted to be overly involved in your growth journey.  Keep in mind the key word is Self-development and you may not want to include anyone who will be detriment to your success.

Tip:  Ask others about their achievements instead of bragging about yours.

Family members sometimes can sabotage your growth.  This comes as someone who no longer feels their own worth after seeing your growth.  These people often are the ones who think you are damaging your self-confidence for no reason and that personal growth is not necessary.

Tip:  No matter what, always treat them with respect.

It is important as you begin your self-development path to know where each of your family members stand.  Share a limited amount of your growth to untrustworthy family members and rely on the selective supportive family members for advice they may have to offer. 

Tip:  Increasing your carb intake in your diet can help if you are struggling with the blues.  A diet with a low amount of complex carbohydrates tend to lead to low serotonin levels.

Try not to alienate those dearest and closest to you.  Don’t make this journey a humility by stressing over your achievements.  Remember, self-development includes all aspects of your life and an element of negative can throw your growth out of balance. 

Tip:  Shop for necessities, not for a form of entertainment.  Shopping for unnecessary reasons or to simply make you feel better will only result in excess possessions that will clutter your home, high bills and more stress.

Do not take time away from your family to spend on your self-development, especially if you have children who need you and rely on you for everything.  They might consider your personal development selfish and might resent the process, as well as you. 

Tip:  Practice selfless behavior.  This is a great personal development step.  Caring for other people and sacrificing for them will help you become a better person, as well as help yourself.

A rule of thumb is to always be considerate to everyone around you and always address issues as they arise.  For instance, your father and mother feel they were inadequate somehow as parents because of your need and for self-development.

Tip:  Taking care of your health properly is one of the most important personal development elements.  Anyone can feel better if they are in good health.

Be sensitive to your parents feelings even though they may have objections or unable to provide their feelings to you.  Continue to reassure them that you simply want to be a better individual than they already made you and that you would have never been able to improve yourself without them.

One of your self-development goals should be to provide more support for your family and you will be surprised how they will return the support.

ORGANIZE YOUR TIME AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD

Personal Development is a process for life and is a way for people to assess their qualities and skills, as well as consider their goals and aims in life to maximize their potential.  Before you try making changes in your life, sometimes finding the time can be a problem.  You need to still make time to spend with your family.  Continue to devote to your work and education and spend time doing things that you enjoy. 

Always remember that Personal Development is about improving yourself, but you can’t lose yourself in the process! 

- Erin