What are Your Barriers to Personal Growth and Development
If you are not making progress in your life, it could mean that you are submitting to the barriers to personal growth and development. What are these personal barriers?
Stumbling Blocks to Personal Growth
- Have not made a firm decision
- No clear written goals
- Lack of self discipline
- Associating with the wrong group of people
- Internal resistance due to emotional blocks
Wishing for something can't push you to take action. You must want something so bad that you affirm to yourself that you would do whatever it takes to get what you want. After making a firm decision, you will develop a focused mind and you will discover ways, knowledge and skills that are necessary. You will develop the persistence and continue trying until you succeed.
One of the barriers to personal growth and development is that you don't know exactly what it is that you want. If you do know but won't write them down, you aren't imprinting them on your mind and your focus will change once you get distracted. Having clear written goals means stating down a list of things that you want to have, do, experience and become and knowing the reasons why you want them.
The lack of self discipline leads to procrastination. If you do something constructive only once in a while, how can you expect to see progress? Of course every action produces certain result but if you want to make major change and progress, you must take massive action.
The people you hang around with affect and influence your thinking, attitude, behavior and performance. If you associate with pessimistic people, you are inclined to become one. So if you want to grow and advance in your life, you must mix with people who have the right attitude and are optimistic.
And one of the major barriers to personal growth and development is internal resistance. Your fears, doubts, inability to take action or to continue and finish what you started are all due to emotional blocks. These blocks are ingrained in your mind and deep within you from childhood experiences and events and situations that affected you in a negative way. Unless you release this internal resistance, you will have conflicts. One part of you will want to transform your life, while the inner voices will tell you why you shouldn't and can't do it.
Here's a tool that can help you release your emotional blocks and overcome resistance.
What can you do to fight the barriers to personal growth and development? Here are some personal growth solutions.
Start today to determine what it is that you do want. Knowing what you don't like or don't want is good if it makes you see what it is that you do. Otherwise, it's only going to make you focus more on what you dislike and attract more of those. Then list down a list of those things that you do really want to have, do and become. State the reasons for wanting them. See and feel it in your mind by visualizing the end result or the outcome and a new self image.
If you think that you can't visualize and create mental pictures, try the Mind Master, a software that you download on your computer to send positive subliminal messages to your mind.
Write down a list of things that you can do immediately and the actions that you can do every day to move you closer to your goals. At this point of time, don't worry about not having the knowledge or skill. Focus instead on what you can do. You will acquire the know-how as you move forward.
Let go off people that are draining your energy and motivation and are the barriers to personal growth and development. At the same time get rid of your attitudes and behavior that are a hindrance to your growth. Start developing better habits like reading and learning and attitude such as positive expectancy, faith and trust.
Accept the fact that remaining where you are will continue to make you feel unhappy and unfulfilled. Acknowledge that you are worthy and deserve abundance. Identify your previous accomplishments and strengths and use them to your advantage.
Release emotional blocks to personal growth and personal development such as guilt, shame, resentment, fears and the feeling of unworthiness and undeserving. Take time each day to do a few deep breathing exercise to relax your muscles and your mind. In this relaxed mode, sit down with a journal and write down your thoughts, fears and anxieties. Note down your activities and progress or lack of it.
If you have felt afraid or doubtful or if you have procrastinated, ask yourself questions such as:
- Why did I procrastinate?
- What is the underlying reason behind it?
- What do I gain from not taking action?
- What am I afraid of?
Write down the questions and answers and notice what kind of mental pictures appear on your mind. This action will help you identify your resistance.
At the end of your day, release your negative emotions like anger and resentment. Forgive yourself for the mistakes that you have made either recently or way back but are still plaguing your mind with guilt. Forgive the people, alive or dead, who have hurt you or cause you pain.
Another one of the barriers to personal growth and development is the lack of gratitude. Write down the things that you are thankful for. There are many things that you can feel grateful about if you look for them. Asking a question like "What am I grateful for in my life right now?" would help you focus and see the answers.
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Return from Barriers to Personal Growth and Development to Personal Growth Home
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