No Donut Hole » Growth

Barriers to Personal Growth and Development

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:23:59 +0000

Personal growth and development are the building blocks for improving your life – irrespective
of which aspects of your life you are intent on improving. Most of us have a deep seated desire
to improve (who doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions?), yet far too many of us fail to reach
our goals.

There can be numerous reasons for this, although those that have achieved their goals might
view these as excuses rather than valid reasons.Whatever your viewpoint, I think you’ll
agree that it is both frustrating and demoralising when you realise that having
set some goals and been all fired up,you find that once again your best intentions have
come to nothing.

What makes this so common?

1) Time constraints.

We are so busy being busy these days that more often than not we just don’t get round to doing
the important stuff. A strange human condition, but very common.

2) Focus.

This goes hand in hand with time constraints. We rarely spend enough time focusing on
the things that will be of benefit to us. Your personal growth and development will never happen
without you focusing on what needs to be achieved.

3)Effort.

As nice as it would be, deep down we all know that to get something, you have to put in
some effort. Unfortunately, in today’s world, this is not a very popular theme.

4) Distractions.

The flip side of focus. There are just too many other things out there that will demand
our attention if we are not careful. When this happens I always find it useful to remind myself
that they want my attention for THEIR benefit, not mine!

5)Personal programming.

From a very young age, and mostly without
realising it, we accumulate knowledge of what is “normal” – a sort of default setting
that we become comfortable with. This programming is very strong and is there to protect us
from getting hurt.

Unfortunately the negative side of this is that if we are to change and improve, we need to
lift ourselves out of this comfort zone. We thus find ourselves in a tug of war between what
our subconcious knows is “safe” and what we conciously know we need to do to make our lives
better.

No prizes for guessing which side usually wins!

The good news for anyone wanting to overcome barriers to personal growth and development
is that you don’t need to have a brain transplant or emigrate to another world.

All you need do is find someone who has already done the hard work and found ways
to conquer the barriers and then follow their advice and guidance.It really is that easy!

Barriers to Personal Growth and Development is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Personal Growth – Break Down Those Barriers

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:30:25 +0000

Let’s face it; life can be incredibly hard sometimes. Finding that point in your life where you are truly happy with what you have done and where you are going is a very hard thing to find. People defined personal growth as several different things, but the bottom line is that personal growth is when you feel like you are on the right track, but sometimes the track can be filled with forks and bumps in the road.

Why bother with personal growth? So many people think of this as an optional part of life and either don’t want to spend the amount of time it takes, or just don’t know what to do to improve their lives. The thing is, personal growth is one of the most important things you can do with your time, and wasting your potential is exactly that, a waste.

Personal growth isn’t measured in success, and I think this is where people can get lost. Too many times we hear about successful or wealthy people not happy with their lives, getting into trouble and being involved with other various negative activities. Being successful is great, but you have to evaluate what it takes or took you to be successful and ask your, are you happy with where you are at and how you got there?

Life doesn’t stop, and if you do stop you could be missing on so many things that make life great. Life hands us many opportunities to learn and grow. Don’t look at a problem as something negative, look at it as a chance to learn and grow from it. Problems are basically a blessing in disguise because solving them and contribute to some of the best learning experiences in life.

The key to personal growth is improving your quality of life. Once again I am not talking just about income. However there are many things that can get you off track that it can stunt the growth you are trying to achieve. Procrastinating important things, and even the little things can get you off track and cause a domino effect and disrupt other things in your life.

Not acting on every opportunity that comes to you is another barrier. This causes the biggest feeling of regret, so speak up and take charge and don’t let things slip by. Falling into a safety zone is another barrier you need to break. You don’t learn anything If you are always playing it safe. Personal growth is a choice, a choice to break down these barriers and be all that you can be.

Personal Growth – Break Down Those Barriers is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Personal Growth Tools and Gratitude

admin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:33:26 +0000

When we use our tools, are we do not appreciate them, what happens? They start falling apart, due to lack of care. We can learn a valuable lesson in this when applying it to our personal growth development endeavors when we start using personal growth tools.

Why should we be in a state of gratitude? State of gratitude. As you start the day in gratitude, you will find that you will get, in your life, more and more to be grateful for. As you appreciate what you have been blessed with and are thankful and grateful for that, you will get more.

Those who used their talents instead of hiding them up, are given more. Be grateful for what you have. Notice abundance in everything around you. There are many biblical examples pertaining to increasing our talents. These hold true and are valuable lessons.

Another lesson is in allowing that which we want to come into our lives. Sounds silly? I want it, but I don’t allow it in my life? What? Sometimes we have either too much in our liver already, so there is not room for any more; or we simply are not used to having it and are not in practice of allowing that in which we want into our lives. Allowing.

Don’t resist and allow the Law of Attraction to work for you. The Law of Attraction is a law and is governed by a set of principles. For example, if you do this then it, in return, does this.

If you fulfill your part then it, in return, fulfills what it has been predicated to do. In this sense, it has no choice. But, when you fulfill your part then it happens, but you must be willing and allowing.

Another example, if it is wealth you desire, you must be willing to accept large sums of money from people over and over again. Allow it. As crazy as it sounds, many believe money is the root of all evil. If this is true for you; would you allow money into your life? Fact: Money can be the root of all evil, but this depends on what it accomplishes. Does it accomplish something good and blessed? Money is simply a tool, and tools can be used for good or evil, or both. We are the masters of the tool. Use it wisely.

Think on this. Do away with the poverty mindset and concentrate on wealth. Money comes to you naturally. You are a money magnet. Allow it and it will come. You will be surprised on how you view the tools in which you use, if you start using them wisely. Build something great with the tools you acquire, and keep acquiring more tools. Learning is always the source to personal growth and development. And, using the tools you acquire is even more important in your personal growth.

Personal Growth Tools and Gratitude is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Common Barriers to Personal Growth and Development

admin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:24:58 +0000

Do you find yourself striving to move forward, but getting nowhere? You likely have barriers to personal growth and development that you may not even be aware of. Many people have barriers to personal growth and development that hold them back from achieving their personal or career goals in life. However, regardless of the nature of your barriers to personal growth and development, you can overcome the obstacles and achieve your goals with a few lifestyle and mindset adjustments.

The most common barrier to personal growth and development is your own imagination. How much a person can accomplish is only limited by the vision and determination of the person. If you think that you cannot accomplish something, then you will fail. If you think that you can accomplish something, and you put in the effort, you will succeed. Often, personal growth and development is often that simple.

Another common barrier to personal growth and development is past failures or events. Often our past failures or bad events in our lives get in the way of personal growth and development. It is natural for our minds to dwell on such events, but only by moving past them can we truly grow as people and in our careers. These incidents must be put aside so that we can accomplish our goals.

Another common barrier to personal growth and development is our support systems, or lack of support. Negative messages from family, friends, and co-workers will only serve to bring us down, not lift us up. Surrounding yourself with people who are like minded and striving for success in their careers and their life will help you to do the same. Whether you get support from an organized group, your friends, or your family makes no difference. The support that you get, the motivational pep talks and the shoulder to cry on when things go wrong, will help you to realize all of your goals and overcome your barriers to personal growth and development.

One of the less common barriers to personal growth and development is the basic lack of planning. Many people go through life taking what is handed to them, without ever setting down goals and striving to exceed expectations. Setting goals, figuring out how to reach those goals, and making a timeline for success is a vitally important and often ignored barrier to personal growth and development.

Remember, whatever your personal barriers to personal growth and development, you can overcome your obstacles. Any person who sets goals, creates a timeline for success, has adequate support, and strives for excellence can overcome these barriers to personal growth and development and achieve the success that all people deserve.

If you need further assistance in personal growth and development, you can find a lot of information on the internet or in books through your local library or your favorite online book store. Personal development coaches, career development profiles, and other personal growth and development tools can also help you to overcome obstacles and achieve what seemed like the impossible.

Common Barriers to Personal Growth and Development is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Personal Growth Teen Camp – Finding Answers Amid The Confusion

admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:26:58 +0000

The teenage years are ones of tremendous growth and development, but, along with that growth comes tremendous pressures. Having a strong sense of self is often the rudder which can steer a teen toward a successful adulthood. If you know a teenager who is struggling with seemingly insurmountable issues such as low self-esteem or self-destructive behaviors, a personal growth teen camp may be the answer.

A personal growth teen camp can provide young people the opportunity to grow and learn in a safe yet stimulating environment. Teenagers are at an age where they are capable of making independent decisions but often these decisions are the wrong ones. At best, they may be sullen, uncooperative and uncommunicative. At worst, they may succumb to peer pressure which often leads to underage drinking and drug use.

A personal growth teen camp can offer a teenager the opportunity to prove they are capable of functioning on their own while gaining greater insight into their own abilities, skills and talents.

Some personal growth teen camps may function as wilderness camps. These camps may be a week or more and offer a camping-type program which fosters personal skill development, positive decision making, effective communication and cooperation within a group.

For the most challenged teens, some personal growth teen camps are held over a period of weeks or months and offer a live-in situation. These may offer “boot-camp” experiences designed to foster self-reliance and responsibility. By taking the teen out of a familiar yet destructive environment and thrusting him or her into one in which basic needs are met and not much more, comfortable assumptions the teen has about the world are shattered thus leading to personal development of a more positive nature.

The teen years are an especially turbulent time and a personal growth teen camp may facilitate an individual in transitioning from a combative and uncooperative teenager into a successful and happy adult.

Personal Growth Teen Camp – Finding Answers Amid The Confusion is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Personal Growth – Realizing Your Dreams

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:41:31 +0000

In a world that’s moving at breakneck speed, very often, people find themselves anxious, confused, irritable and lost. Feeling like you are not functioning to your full capabilities and potential can be an exceedingly frustrating experience. Luckily, for those who find themselves in an ongoing rut or at a crossroad, personal growth and self improvement, teaches techniques to bring about greater self awareness and realize your dreams.

Why is Personal Growth Necessary?

Personal growth is just as important as a person’s physical growth. Unfortunately, while we encourage children to eat well so they can grow “as tall as Daddy”, we never teach them the importance of enhancing their inner mental, emotional and spiritual skills. This is unfortunate because improper skills can lead to stunted personal growth life later. This affects your life at every level, whether it’s relating to the people you work with, the attention you bestow on your loved ones at home, or how easy or difficult you find to begin and maintain friendships.

Unlike a person’s physical growth, which stops at a certain time period in his life, maybe 18 years of age, personal growth is an unending quest. You never stop moving ahead on the road to self actualization. Not even the most confident, accomplished person can say that his quest for personal growth is complete or that he has nothing more to learn. Just like optimum physical growth depends on a specialized diet that a person consumes, similarly, personal growth can be enhanced by following simple habit altering methods. These methods are taught by people who have walked the walk and know what it takes to truly maximize self awareness and growth. With the breakdown of the family structure and the increased confusion and anxiety that afflicts our world today; individuals are baffled by their inability to cope. This has led to more dysfunctional behavior than ever before as people struggle in vain, to find ways to deal with these stresses.

Will Using Personal Growth Techniques Help Me?

If you are unhappy with the way your life is going, then personal growth tools and training can help immensely. Many times, the only thing standing between a person and the fulfillment of all his dreams is his own negativity. While this negativity may be apparent to others, it is often not apparent to the person himself. Personal growth skills can help in dispelling this pall of negativity, allowing the person to be enthused with new self belief and confidence.

Enhanced self esteem is the biggest step towards personal growth. Constant griping and blaming others for one’s own failures are undesirable behaviors that afflict many of us, costing us the love of family and friends. Affirmation and self acceptance are two other areas in which many people, particularly in the West, are found lacking. An increasingly appearance obsessed society that dictates how men and women should look and discards those who do not fit into current physical stereotypes, has contributed a great deal to the spread of self-loathing and self-hatred. Personal growth skills can set people on the path to self acceptance by opening their minds to their innate potential.

Personal Growth – Realizing Your Dreams is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Set Personal Growth Goals For Your Personal Development

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:42:30 +0000

Set Goals. Setting goals is necessary to maintain your focus and urgency. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Goals are directly tied to your desires. Whether your goals are materialistic, lifestyle, relationship oriented, they must have a time set in which they will be obtained.

Now I know that the Law of Attraction has no time restraints on when it will manifest itself, but as your focus towards your goal or desire increases, so will your output of energy towards that given goal. Set goals and then set a time by which you will achieve that goal. As you approach the end of your time limit, your focus and energy towards your goal gets more intense. There must be accountability.

Set yourself up for deliberate attraction. This is essential to keeping your focus and frame of mind in a positive state. For example, if you look in your wallet, and your desire is to create wealth, and you don’t have any money inside, what feelings or thoughts do you get?

The Law of Attraction responds to the energy you put out. Now, thoughts are energy and feelings are a reaction from the thoughts you have. If you look into your wallet and see no money, what feeling does that give you? It makes you feel broke. What then are you going to get from the Law of Attraction? More of that feeling. The goal to deliberate attraction is to stay in control of the way you feel and to keep those feelings parallel or correspondent to the what your desire is.

Setting personal growth goals for your personal development is important. Personal Growth Tools are necessary to help keep you on the right path.

Set Personal Growth Goals For Your Personal Development is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Personal Growth – Be Your Best Self

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:24:24 +0000

Personal Growth Means Change

I recently mourned the death of one of my dear friends. As I listened to the wonderful comments made by so many as to the kind of person he was, I stopped for a moment to look inside myself to see who I am. There was enormous room for growth in my life. Is there room for improvement in your life? Let us take a moment to learn how we can grow to become the person we hope to be.

We all want to be the best that we can be. We sometimes see others and admire certain characteristic traits about them. We have read volumes of self-help books in hopes of fine tuning ourselves. True many of these books help but self-growth goes way beyond reading books. It means we must stop wishing for change and becomes proactive in creating the change. Self-growth is about change and the change begins with us.

In order for change to take place within you, you must first define your objectives. Know what changes you want to make. You are aware of the qualities you want to discard from your life. Write them down. Here are some ways to begin to do some introspective work to help you to define the changes you want to make in your life.

Make a list of some habits you’ve often wanted to change.
Do you know how you are perceived? Try to get a feel of how others think of you. Make a note of how you want to be perceived and how to can change your behavior to achieve that.
Make mental notes of how you treat others. Do you walk away feeling good that you have treated that person you encountered fairly. Do you feel good when you walk away?
Think back to criticisms you have received in the past. Do you think there may have been some truth to them? Are you objective enough to see the true you?
Speak to an objective friend or family member you trust to be fair and honest with you. Get some feedback on how you are perceived.
Observe the behaviors of those you admire and make a note. Do you see those same characteristics in you?
Make a note of behaviors you see in others that you dislike and look within to see if you share any of those traits. Try to be objective. Make a list of the ones you want to change.

Personal Growth Means Introspection

True we have to love and accept ourselves unconditionally but we must always strive to be the best that we can be. That is how we grow. Self-acceptance should in no way interfere with your ability to be your best. As a matter of fact it should have the reverse effect. It should allow you to know the real you and to have an awareness of where you need to make changes. This awareness will determine how serious you are in growing beyond your current limits. Keep in mind that personal growth can be measured in physical, mental, psychological, spiritual, and emotional amplitude.

Take a moment right now to evaluate your life. Look inside to examine the areas where you would like to improve on.

Define your character. Who are you when no one is looking? remove all the window dressings, frills, and accessories, who are you?
How is your health? Are you doing everything possible to take care of your body? Do you eat the right foods and participate in a regular exercise routine?
How would your friends, coworkers, people who come in contact describe you? What would people say about you if they had to write your eulogy?
How is your mind? Are you emotionally strong? Is your self-confidence and self-esteem at an all time high? If not would you like to find emotional balance?
How is your spiritual health? Do you feed your spiritual need? How is your soul’s condition?
How do you treat others? Are you kind or are you condescending to people? Do you give of your time to help others that are less fortunate or has self-centeredness consumed you?
How is your ego? Is it intact?
Are you humble or are you into flaunting it or showing off?
Are you a good parent? Do your yell at your kids? Do you put in the time with them to raise emotionally balanced children? Do you help to build strong self-esteem so they can have elevated levels of self-acceptance?

As you look inside it is important to understand that there is no single recipe that defines how each person can grow personally. It is not a single formula for each of us. It is through fervent introspection and an acceptance for change that it can begin. Even though it may be slow and difficult at first, you must have the willingness to keep at it no matter if it takes a lifetime. Remember you are not trying to achieve perfection – you are only striving to achieve your personal best.

Personal Growth means Humility

In order for one to grow, one must be humble enough to recognize and accept the areas where improvement is needed. This sense of humility will create honest introspection that can make us more aware of the characteristics and behaviors we need to improve on. This kind of humility puts ego aside, creating an open-mindedness to accept constructive criticism. When we can humble ourselves this way then tremendous personal growth can begin to take place in our lives.

With a spirit of humility you can:

Lose self-centeredness
Better understand yourself and why you do the things you do
Better understand your behavior and accept the need for change
Recognize your mistakes and accept responsibility for your actions.
Recognize the goodness in you
Become more understanding of others
Be more forgiving

Humility is the beginning of knowledge. It is the start of that mindset to gain more wisdom and improve self. The know-it-all attitude is laid to rest, enabling honest introspection, which promotes growth.

Achieve Personal Growth

Once you have humbled yourself, done the honest self-reflection, and gained the awareness, identify the areas in which you need to improve. You must believe that you can achieve the personal growth you want and let go of self-doubt.

Make a list of the things you desire to personally achieve. Prioritize the list and select the most urgent issue.
Learn everything there is to know about it, whether it is losing weight, letting go of anger, or improving your spiritual life. The more information you have, the more motivation and determination you will develop.
As you become more educated in your subject matter, decide if you can implement these changes alone or if you need the assistance of a professional or expert in the field to help you. Getting help is positive step toward achieving personal growth so don’t feel inadequate if you need help. It is only we feel we don’t need help that growth ceases.
Develop a plan for achieving your goal. It must be clearly organized starting from a long-term goal to daily tasks that move you closer each day toward your goal. So if it’s in the area of physical health, make a plan for doing so.
When discomforts arise, don’t give up. Everyday is not going to be perfect. You are not going to wake up each morning enthusiastic about your plans for that day. When you do, don’t be too hard on yourself. It is during these times that a coach or a professional can assist you in staying on target. They can help you to refocus on your plan and exercise the discipline to stick with it.
Daily positive affirmations and self-talk are necessary to maintain the motivation to grow. This is not narcissism or egotistical. This is only you giving yourself reminders of your positive attributes.
Have faith to believe that you will succeed. In anything we set out to do in life it takes a certain level of faith to keep going everyday. Sometimes we cannot see the instant rewards but with persistence and faith to believe things will work out, you can find the strength to stay the course.

It is an admirable quality to be able to identify the areas you need to make changes in your life and even more commendable to take the steps forward to do so. Personal Growth is a catalyst for success in every aspect of your life. Many of you are making strides each day in your personal growth. For those of you who are, keep at it and savor each stage of your growth. For those of you recognizing the need for personal growth, hats off to you. Begin the journey today.

Personal Growth – Be Your Best Self is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog

Barrier Personal Growth Development

admin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:28:18 +0000

Do you have a barrier to personal growth development? Believe it or not we all have barriers that hold us back in life.

The biggest challenge is finding your barrier to personal growth development and learning how to overcome them.

How do we take an honest look at ourselves and find our flaws that we can improve on? Our ego likes us to believe that we have no faults, and everything is great. It is scared of change and will do everything in its power to keep you comfortable.

The best way to find your barriers to personal development growth is to judge yourself as if your were judging one of your friends.

We can all be honest with a friend when they ask us a specific question for example: Why do I keep attracting the same kind of person who is inconsiderate and always ends up walking away from the relationship?

We can be honest and let our friend know what they should do and what they should change.

So next time you are attempting to figure out your barrier to personal growth development, Look at your life from the outside and pretend you are looking at someone else’s life.

You will then be able to understand what your barriers are.

Once you discover your obstacles you can begin to utilize personal development to begin breaking down these barriers, and begin getting the results you would love to receive. One important thing to remember when working on breaking down your barriers, is that old habits are hard to break.

The more often you work on your personal development and begin applying the techniques to your life; you will begin to
notice changes in your life. You will begin to notice the barriers will become smaller and less noticeable. Eventually
before you realize it; you will no longer possess any barriers to personal growth development.

Things in your life will run more smoothly, you will begin to look at life more positively. You will also begin to attract
more positive people and events, who will help you reach your goals.

What exactly does this mean? “People will be attracted to me and help me reach my goals?

Well as you begin using the personal development principles in your life. You will begin utilizing the law of attraction.
You will also begin to attract other people who act and think like you do. They are attracted to your vibrations that you
are sending out.

As you begin utilizing affirmations, visualization, and meditation; these techniques will quickly break down your barrier
to personal growth development. Yes they are free to apply to your life and anyone can learn how to do it easily.

Do you find all of this crazy and hard to believe?

Well if you desire to be successful in some area of your life: then start your personal development journey. Begin
implementing these techniques one by one. Be honest with yourself to find out what your limiting beliefs are. (Yes you
probably do have some.)

Then set a 30 day goal of what you would like to be do have; and begin using the principles we talked about. As you
begin breaking down your barriers to personal development growth you will find yourself achieving your goal that you
set for yourself.

Give it a try; explore the principles of personal development by investing in a program that will help you learn more about personal development. See for yourself how your life will dramatically change and how you can be do have anything you desire.

Barrier Personal Growth Development is a post from: No Donut Hole, a social and personal development blog