Using Personal Growth to Follow 
Your Dreams

Just how empowering can a little self-development and personal growth be in your life? Once you conquer the dreaded “victim mentality” you begin to realize there is a truth - that you can do anything you set your mind to.  This article is all about how you can use a general understanding of Psychology to make stuff happen in your life and be more in control of your destiny; as opposed to just sitting on the sidelines waiting to get called to partake in this game called life.

Personal growth means knowing who you are and what you want

One sure sign of personal growth in your life is that your goals become clear. Even if you never had any before, then you will as you develop personally. Everyone has big goals when they first start out in life. It is when reality hits them full in the face that they become overwhelmed and settle for mediocrity and the mundane.  It is human nature to choose the path of least resistance.

The mistake of settling is also not healthy because it makes our work more stressful if our heart is not in it. A verse in the bible says to “guard our heart for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs).  Also stress is the leading cause of most illnesses. Work by itself is naturally demanding so if our heart is not there, then neither are we. This makes our jobs become more of a burden than they have to be.

As we pursue self-development, our goals become clearer. This leads to a more simple life as we become more focused on what we really want and prioritize these goals over everything else. It is ironic how the more we experience personal growth, the simpler our lives get but the bigger our vision gets. This is because we realize that all things really are possible.

Some examples of “rags to riches” in showbiz:

Ever heard of Matt Groening? He is the creator of The Simpsons. This show has been on Fox Network ever since its inception back in 1990. And if you never heard of him directly, then do not feel too bad. For sure no one heard of him before the animated sitcom which centered on Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa hit the airwaves.  Before Matt Groening became an Executive Producer, he worked crappy labor jobs like most other people. Not that jobs are crappy in and of themselves, but in comparison to being a TV executive? Today his net worth is a half a billion dollars (that is not a typo).

Another example of someone who hit the big time was Steven Spielberg. He may not have been rags to riches (or at least the former) but he was definitely not very money motivated. Spielberg once said that never cared about money, it was merely just a by-product of doing what he loved. A sure sign of personal growth in your life is when you prioritize everything so you pursue what you love, and then get so caught up in doing something you love that you fall into a fortune. Steven Spielberg is now worth approximately $350 million.

How you can use your commitment to personal growth to benefit society:

The best part about personal growth is that it is personal. As you grow and develop, you get to choose how you want to use your newfound empowerment. You can choose to live a simple life where you focus on the little things, knowing that compared to other countries (if you live in the United States anyway) you are still wealthy by definition. Or you can invest your talents in the service of others. The result of the latter is you end up building a reputation and a career without really trying. Before you know it, you have a high income and/or a high net worth.

You too can start that new business or write that next hit TV drama or sitcom. Or in this day and age, another reality TV show. All it takes is one person with connections in Hollywood (or anywhere) that will invest in your idea.  The funny thing about self-development and personal growth, and Psychology in general, is that the more you realize you do not need anything external to make you happy, the more you see all of the opportunities around you. This is because you are empowered to control them rather than let them control you to the point of going into debt to acquire them.

E Bishop Wooten

The Liberal Conservative Blog
http://ebishopwooten.com