I am often asked about my personal growth journey. How did it begin? What has been the easiest lesson? What has been the most difficult experience? How were you able to keep going with all that you’d been through? There are no simple answers however once I made the decision to take that first step, I recognized there would be no looking back. I just had to focus on one step at a time, one foot in front of the other and to trust there was something better. I felt hollow, fragile and numb. I couldn’t feel any worse. I had reached the bottom of the bottom. The only thing I could do was decide to take the first step and then act on that decision.
These are the 5 concepts that have improved my personal growth journey and anticipate they will help improve yours as well.
1.Practice Patience
I was once told that I am too patient. I believe patience is one of my strongest qualities. When I heard this, it was hard for me to understand. I have always believed patience is the one thing that keeps me balanced and centered. Patience allows other people to have their experience of life from their frame of reference. We are not all on the same path. People are in completely different places in their lives. Being patient helps us lead with love, no matter what situation presents itself: an elderly person trying to get around in the grocery store, a mother who is struggling to get her toddler under control in a restaurant, a line at the bank when we are in a hurry, someone asking a lot of questions when we are waiting for our turn. The practice of patience will improve your personal growth journey.
2.Learn to Let Go
During my divorce. I had to make some incredibly hard decisions about what I was willing to let go of in order to live (more about this in my book Better for Being Broken: How to Put Yourself Back Together When Your World Has Shattered). I would ask myself, “What is the worst thing that could happen if I don’t let this go? What is the worst thing that could happen if I do let this go?” These are incredibly powerful questions to ask yourself, taking yourself to the place of fear. Fear is one of the reasons why we won’t let go of things and people. There are many people who live in a “what if” world and the fact is the “what if” hardly ever happens. The practice of letting go will improve your personal growth journey.
3.Belief in a Higher Power
Having a belief system that includes a Higher Power creates a sense that we are never alone in our struggles and celebrations. A Higher Power provides hope, reassurance and messages when we are open to believing and receiving them. It helps us recognize that nothing is permanent, everything is temporary, and life goes on. Surrendering to a Higher Power means that you trust you are exactly where you are meant to be, at any given moment in time. It helps you stay in the moment and be in the flow of life; leaning in to experiences vs. resisting them. I believe there are no mistakes, only lessons to be learned from our experiences. The practice of believing in a Higher Power will improve your personal growth journey.
4.Release Control, Ego and Attachment
Control, ego and attachment are, in my opinion, the hardest things to overcome and the most destructive to relationships. Do you recognize that there are very, very few things that are within our control? The only things we truly have control over are ourselves, our choices and how we react and respond. Attachment is driven by ego and once we learn that nothing is ours, attachment becomes a non-issue. It is better to focus on the moment instead of being attached to an outcome. It is better to invest in someone instead of being attached to them. It is better to lead with love instead of leading with our ego. The practice of giving up control, ego and attachment will improve your personal growth journey.
5.Be GRATEFUL!
This is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT CONCEPT on your journey. Start with the small things: waking up in the morning, breathing fresh air, seeing the leaves on the trees, hearing music, feeling a warm shower. Learning to be grateful for everything helps you stay in the moment, keeps you grounded and helps you avoid taking things for granted. We have so many things, people and experiences to be grateful for and about. This is also the concept that will help you the most. Without gratitude, the other concepts are diluted. Be grateful for who, what and where you are! YOU ARE IMPORTANT, and I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOU! The practice of gratitude will improve your personal growth journey.
© 2019 by Amy Jones - All Rights Reserved
Amy Jones is a personal growth visionary, international speaker and author who lives and breathes one simple philosophy: live in the moment. For over two decades, she has inspired thousands of people; intent on helping facilitate their personal growth and self-healing process by creating opportunities for significant and lasting life changes. She is a self-taught space-planning and organizing expert who, from personal and professional experience, provides a 360-degree perspective to produce clarity, structure and achievable results.
Amy is a highly sought-after speaker and her series Getting Rid of Possessions: It’s Harder Than You Think has the highest attendance in the history of the Generations program at Methodist Health Systems. She is the author of Better for Being Broken and co-author of Break Through with Johnny Wimbrey, Nik Halik and Les Brown.
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Amy Jones
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amy@balancechangeflow.com
www.TheAmyJones.com
www.BalanceChangeFlow.com
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