What Is Personal Growth? And Why Is It So Important?
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Think about yourself from 5 years ago. Were you the same person then as you are now? Have you grown or improved in any ways that you’re proud of? Have you made any changes that have benefited your health or well-being?
Personal growth and personal development have become popular buzzwords in recent years because of its power to help us reach our full potential and live our healthiest, happiest life. But the concept is hardly new. Throughout the centuries, philosophers, theologians, and psychologists have dedicated their work to figuring out how we can become the best version of ourselves. What is personal development? What are 5 important aspects of personal development? Let’s take a look at how personal growth, meaningful change, and self-development are so important.
Personal growth — or personal development — is the process of developing and improving the skills, knowledge, wisdom, attitudes, behavior, and habits that can increase our overall well-being. Otherwise referred to as self-improvement or personal development, personal growth is a wide-encompassing term that can be applied to various areas of our lives — from our overall health and well-being to our social skills and professional life.
Similarly, given that we are all unique individuals, personal growth often looks different for everyone. For instance, for some it might look like leading a healthier lifestyle by changing their diet and incorporating more exercise. For others, it might look like forging better relationships, getting wise with our finances, or becoming generally more self-aware.
According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow, our basic human needs — such as breathing, eating, and having a social network around us — need to be fulfilled in order to achieve self-actualization, or reach our fullest potential. In other words, we can’t “work” on improving ourselves if we’re struggling to find safety and security.
It’s worth noting that personal growth is not always easy. It often takes a lot of time, patience, and effort to improve ourselves in the ways we want. Similarly, it’s often a lifelong journey of bettering ourselves; we’ll never achieve perfection. But perhaps the most important key to personal growth is wanting to actually improve ourselves in the first place.
As noted above, there are many different types of personal development we can work towards. Here are some:
Personal development is important if we want to have healthy, loving relationships with ourselves and others. It can also lead to a greater sense of peace, joy, and fulfillment, as it encourages us to continually learn and grow, rather than remain stuck in unhealthy patterns or behaviors. Here are some more specific benefits to personal growth:
We can start our self-development journey at any point in our life — it’s never too late! The important thing is to actually want to embark on the journey and make changes that help us become the best possible version of ourselves.
A good place to start is by taking the time to reflect on where we are right now. Some questions we might ask ourselves are:
Answering these questions openly and honestly can help us set personal growth goals and develop an actionable plan. For instance, we might realize that we want to stop complaining so much and start to become more grateful. We can practice this by setting a goal of writing down at least 3 things we’re thankful for every day.
Keep in mind that personal growth is highly personalized. In other words, there’s no “one size fits all” approach that works for everyone. What might look like a small personal growth goal for one person might look huge to another — and that’s ok. The important thing is to start taking action.
If you’re looking to improve your health and well-being, Reframe can help. We’ve helped millions of people not only cut back on their alcohol consumption, but work on becoming the healthiest, happiest version of themselves.
Although it isn’t a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), the Reframe app can help you cut back on drinking gradually, with the science-backed knowledge to empower you 100% of the way. Our proven program has helped millions of people around the world drink less and live more. And we want to help you get there, too!
The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey. Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge.
You’ll meet millions of fellow Reframers in our 24/7 Forum chat and daily Zoom check-in meetings. Receive encouragement from people worldwide who know exactly what you’re going through! You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with our licensed Reframe coaches for more personalized guidance.
Plus, we’re always introducing new features to optimize your in-app experience. We recently launched our in-app chatbot, Melody, powered by the world’s most powerful AI technology. Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol.
And that’s not all! Every month, we launch fun challenges, like Dry/Damp January, Mental Health May, and Outdoorsy June. You won’t want to miss out on the chance to participate alongside fellow Reframers (or solo if that’s more your thing!).
The Reframe app is free for 7 days, so you don’t have anything to lose by trying it. Are you ready to feel empowered and discover life beyond alcohol? Then download our app through the App Store or Google Play today!
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