Have you ever felt like you weren’t good enough? Or that everyone else was better, smarter, prettier, cooler, stronger than you? Do you sometimes struggle with finding out what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about, what your strengths are?
Everyone of us is unique and awesome in his/her own way, but it happens that we forget this. It is easy to get sucked into a certain idea of what it means to be perfect and have a perfect life. Instead of finding value in who we are, we compare ourselves to others and thereby only see what we are missing.
Personal growth is the solution to this issue. This is not just about growing yourself, but just as much about growing your appreciation for yourself and growing your self-esteem. Putting in time and effort in your personal growth is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken – Oscar Wilde
How to Grow Yourself
Personal growth can take many shapes and forms. There are workshops on the topic, books, coaches and mentors. If you are unsure where to start, here are a few awesome activities you can engage in:
- Exercise: The body and the mind are connected, so the better the body feels, the better your mind will feel. Anything from a walk or 20 minutes yoga to a marathon or a 100 km bikeride works. Just move, and do it regularly.
- Explore: Go new places, try new things, learn new skills, meet new people. The further you move beyond your comfort zone, the stronger and more relaxed you will feel with life. You will come to realize that you can handle a lot more than you thought.
- Journal: Write down your thoughts and feelings every day. It will help you notice thought patterns that are holding you back and help you reflect upon your experiences. Add a little gratitude in your writing, and you’ll feel happier and have clearer thoughts in no time.
- Set Goals: Identify goals you want to achieve (big or small) and make a plan for how to reach them. Every time we reach a goal, our confidence grows. The bigger the goal, the greater the confidence boost.
- Contribute: Doing something for others will make you see how much you actually have to offer the world. Hardly anything will make you feel as good as helping other people out – be it big or small things.
If you do these activities every day (or at least on a regular basis, you are well on your way to reach greater confidence, courage and happiness. But you need to stay committed. Growth doesn’t happen over night. It requires time and effort – so why not join forces with a few others and help each other stay motivated?
Growing Yourself through Mentorship
Staying committed to those your personal growth may be challenging. Progress might be slow, motivation might get low and sooner or later, you might fall out of the habit of prioritizing your growth.
To avoid this, we strongly recommend finding a mentor and a mentorship group who can journey along with you, help keep you on track, and give you encouragement when times get tough. If you share your goals with others, you will feel a lot more inclined to stick to it and work harder, especially if those people are also working toward a personal goal. Together you create a culture of personal growth and mutual support that will help you climb taller mountains than you’d thought possible.
That is exactly what our Global Peer Mentorship Program is designed for. Together with three other pirates and one mentor, you’ll learn to find your strength, challenge yourself, contribute to your community and grow as a person – and all of this in community with people like yourself. It is an experience that is fueled by fun, and driven by purpose. You can read more about the program and about how to apply here.
Invest in Yourself & Your Personal Growth
Circumstances change, friends come and go, and the future is unpredictable. You never know what happens tomorrow, but what you do know is that you’ll always have yourself – in good times as in bad times. So the best thing you can do in life is to invest in yourself. Strengthen what makes you unique, find what brings you joy, explore all your interests and challenge all your fears. That will give you the most fulfilling life you can possible have.
#doepicshit & make time for your personal growth!
