5 Limitations Affecting Your Personal Growth
May 01, 2018We are all on journeys of personal growth whether we are aware of it or not. There’s a reason why we feel more connected to ourselves and more self-assured the older we get. Have you ever met someone older than you and wondered why they seem so calm, why they seem to have their life all sorted out or even noticed how knowledgeable and wise they sound? Well, that’s probably down to the fact that they’ve been working on their journey of personal growth a lot longer than you have!
The more cycles we travel around the sun, the wiser we become – not only in our emotional intelligence but wiser in what drives us, what gives us meaning in life and what our purpose is. Embracing your journey towards personal growth is SO important and by doing so it opens you up to true fulfilment and happiness in the life you create for yourself.
We will never be exactly same as we are now at any other given moment in our lives.
– life is a constant journey and that means that while our life adapts around us, who we are as individuals will also change as we go through life. You are not the same person now as you were when you were 5. I know I’m not – I couldn’t cook for myself, I didn’t know how to clean a toilet and all I wanted to do was play in the play house with my sisters (OK so maybe I haven’t strayed too far from that last point). The point is we adapt as we go through life and what drives us one day may not the next. What excites us one day may not excite us the next – it’s all about that journey of personal growth.
The more open we are to that journey and the more aware we are of it, the more we can truly explore who we are, what we want and tailor our life experiences to suit us as individuals. Personal growth may mean different things to different people at different times in their life and there isn’t one way that suits everyone. For example:
For me, personal growth is about:
- Strengthening the relationship I have with myself
- Being more vulnerable in all my relationships to experience them fully
- Constantly learning and educating myself so that I am forever widening my knowledge on life
Now, that might not be the same for you. Maybe one of those statements resonates with you, maybe all and maybe none. That’s the beauty about being on your own path of personal growth – it’s all yours to own. So own it. Embrace it, work with it and push yourself to be the best version of yourself possible. At the end of the day that’s all you can ever do really – work on yourself so that you show up for yourself every day in the best way possible and so that you can be there for all your loved ones in a way that serves everyone.
The thing is, I know so many beautiful people who assume that working on yourself means only experiencing the positive whether it’s starting a gratitude practice, meditating or doing yoga. In truth, it can be quite a challenging process and even difficult at times. There are so many barriers and obstacles that might appear but the important things is to be able to work through those tough times so that you can come out the other side even stronger than before.
Here are 5 of those limitations that might be holding you back on your journey of personal growth:
doubt
Doubting yourself and underestimating what you’re capable of is going to hold you back from achieving those things you would love to experiment with the most.
More likely than not, if you’re experiencing doubt in any way it’s probably because you want to do something but don’t have that belief in yourself to take the next step. Without that self-belief, you’ll never push yourself outside of your comfort zone and give those things a go.
Personal growth is ALL about pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and experiencing the new (whether it’s good for you or bad – it all adds to that growth). Letting go of doubt is vital in freeing yourself from those negative self-beliefs to let you create the life you dream of. Let go of that inner mean girl and start exploring again without doubt nagging you.
Believe in yourself and trust that you know what is good for you – listen to your inner wisdom.
procrastination
At a deeper level, we all know what we desire whether we’re aware of it or not – what we want, who we want to spend time with, what we need; it’s trusting that inner wisdom that will help us make those tough choices at pivotal moments in our lives.
Procrastination is delaying – delaying what we need, delaying what we want and inevitably delaying accomplishing those things.
When you procrastinate, you’re preventing yourself from achieving your full potential and holding yourself back from unlocking those parts of you that need to be open so that you can grow as the beautiful individual you are.
Stop procrastinating.
Stop saying ‘I wish’ and instead turn those words into ‘I will’.
Stop saying ‘one day’ and instead say ‘day one’.
Stop putting things off and instead just go make life happen for you.
holding onto the past
There is nothing you can do about the past. What has been done can’t be undone.
The only thing you can do is align your actions with the future you want to create for yourself.
Holding onto the past is going to keep you stuck in that exact place – the past. Exploring personal growth is anything but that. It’s about being in the present and acknowledging what’s working for you at this exact moment in time and encouraging practices that serve you in the best way possible. If you’re living in the past then you’re shutting off the doors to personal growth and locking away the key to true fulfilment that you’re after.
Letting go of the past doesn’t mean forgetting about it. It just means acknowledging that there’s nothing you can do to change it but working on becoming the best & healthiest version of yourself so that you can create the present and future you dream of.
Excuses
We are all queens and kings of excuses – right from being a child, we all learn that when we don’t want to do something, when we haven’t achieved something or even when we have failed at something we can just make up an excuse and move on from it.
Making excuses is stunting your personal growth at every single point in your journey through life. Why? Because you’re not experiencing life with true authenticity. It’s ok to make mistakes, it’s ok to not always be on the ball, it’s ok to fall short once in a while. What isn’t ok, is coming up with excuses that drive you away from achieving your true potential and that stop you from doing what you truly desire.
For example, lack of time and age are two BIG excuses that I see crop up time and time again. If you truly want to do something then no excuse should ever be strong enough to stop you from making that happen. Firstly, you are the youngest you will ever be and the wisest you have ever been – so if now’s not the time, then when will be? Secondly if it’s truly important to you then you’ll find the time to make it happen. Let go of your excuses and start making life happen for you.
environment & relationships
This is one of the hardest limitations of personal growth to uncover. In order to be truly connected to yourself you have to be honest with yourself and that means being honest about what’s working for you and what isn’t.
Our environments affect us in so many ways and on so many levels. They have the capacity to elevate or lower our moods, they promote or hinder productivity AND they even affect our relationships and the way we view life. If your environment isn’t serving you then guess what? Your personal growth is going to be stunted.
The same goes for the relationships in your life. Some uplift you and some bring you down. Some motivate you and others make you second guess yourself. Trust your true inner wisdom and engage most in the relationships that serve you.
Personal growth is about acknowledging what you need and then taking steps to make it happen for you. Be honest with yourself and let go of the limitations that are holding you back from exploring the deepest parts of yourself. Ask yourself:
‘What’s holding me back right now?’
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