And I bet you wish you knew these too.
I started my “personal growth journey” when I was 18 years old. I just discovered personal development books and pocasts for the first time, and I was addicted to becoming the best version of myself.
Flashforward six years later, I am now 24, and I admit that I am not the “best version of myself”. To be fair, one of the major lessons I learned is that becoming the best version of yourself is not what personal development is all about.
In this blog post, I’m going to share with you the 5 things I wish I knew about personal development. You will learn what personal development is really about and what it actually entails.
I promise you, your perspective on personal growth will change, just as it did for me.
Let’s dive in.
1 – It’s not a linear journey
Personal growth is not a linear journey where everything just goes upwards. Instead, it is more of a wavy line, and a bunch of moments of “one step forward and three steps back” (if you get the Olivia Rodrigo reference ,you’re amazing).
In other words, progress often occurs in bursts, which can be followed by progress that feels stagnant or even going backwards.
This is something I wish I knew because I would beat myself up for not acting like my “better self” whenever unexpected challenges come my way, and not get discouraged.
RELATED: How I Use the Headway App to Level Up My Personal Growth Journey
2 – It’s small steps, not overnight big action
Personal growth is not about the massive action you take that changes your life overnight. Instead, it’s a process of consistent small steps overnight that eventually accumulate into a big difference.
In my book Small Steps to Unlocking Growth & Becoming Your Best Self Without Feeling Overwhelmed, (which is available on Amazon btw for only $11.99 AUD as a Kindle!), I talked about how small steps aren’t Step 1 to Step 100. Instead, it’s Step 1 to Step 2, which then leads to Step 3, Step 4, and so on.
I wish I had known about this early on in my personal growth journey because it would’ve stopped me from feeling discouraged whenever I felt like I hadn’t reached my “best self” yet. In reality, personal growth is all about the continuous learning, adaptation, and overcoming challenges.
3 – It’s about the journey
Personal growth isn’t a one-time event. Instead, it’s a continuous process of learning, adapting, and growing.
That’s why personal growth isn’t really about becoming your “best self”. It’s all about the journey along the way. And guess what? It’s going to be an endless journey.
Of course, when I started getting into personal growth stuff, I walked into it believing that it was about becoming the best version of myself. But, what I didn’t think about was that if I became the “best version of myself” when I’m 25, does that mean for the rest of my life I’m never going to change?
RELATED: 24 Lessons I Learned at 24
4 – The “Best Version of Yourself” is not the endgame
Just like what I mentioned above, becoming the “best version of yourself” is not the end game.
And this is for many reasons, such as the fact that personal growth is a linear journey (one step forward, two steps back) and that it will always be continuous.
You are always going to grow and fall backwards. You are always going to discover and learn new things about yourself. You are always going to maximize your potential, reach it, and they have a new standard.
I wish that I knew that personal growth is ongoing. Even if you did reach the “best version of yourself”, there’s always potential for further growth and development. Unlike the movie, there is no final destination.
5 – Most growth comes from what you go through, NOT the content you consume
About the content, I’m talking about all the books you read, podcasts you listen to, and growth events you attend. I hate to break this to you, but you are not growing yourself through that.
Instead, you are growing through the things you go through. That time when you have a busy schedule and feel overwhelmed? That’s when you actually apply concepts from the productivity books you read. You don’t grow through books, you grow through a busy schedule.
You failed a class or a project? That’s when you apply the podcasts you listen to. You don’t grow through the podcasts by themselves, you grow through the failures.
I used to be so proud of myself for finishing a book in less than 3 days and listening to multiple podcasts a day. Don’t get me wrong, they are valuable tools in personal growth, however, they are not the sole source. The real growth I experienced came from the habits I built, the challenges I faced, and all the discomfort.
Yes, I may have had books and podcasts that gave me insight on how to get through it. However, true growth was formed from what I experienced.
Take a SMALL STEP
Here are some habits that you can start doing to implement these little things:
- Journaling – This habit can be a great way to write out your thoughts and anything you need to rant about during the non-linear personal growth journey.
- Do one new habit at a time – When it comes to building habits or new routines, take it one small step at a time. If there are 5 habits you are interested in building, start with one, then once that’s integrated, do the next.
- Apply the things you read and consume – Like what has been continuously mentioned throughout the blog post, you achieve true personal growth through the journey. That’s why podcasts and books aren’t the only source. You need to actually start applying what you learn to receive the benefits of it.
To Wrap Up
Ultimately, personal growth is all about the journey, and it is not a linear one. It is not something you take massive action and overnight your life changes. It’s also not about reaching the “best version of yourself” because this is an ongoing journey.
And in this ongoing journey, the growth is coming from the things you go through and not the things you consume.
I’ll admit, personal growth can feel overwhelming. That’s why I emphasise the importance of taking small steps. Not only does it feel less overwhelming, but the power of small steps is real. I talk about this in my book Small Steps to Unlocking Growth & Becoming Your Best Self Without Feeling Overwhelmed, which is only $11.99 AUD as a Kindle on Amazon!
In the meantime, here’s to continuous learning and discovering more about who we are! <3
-Lauren 🙂
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi, this is Lauren! I’m a lawyer from Melbourne, Australia. On laurenbarri.com, I create content on all things personal development, productivity, self-care, and habits! I am super passionate about these topics because of how they helped me in all areas of my life, and I want to share it with others!
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