Personal Growth-Change

Building Our Influence

2011-01-06T20:32:00.000-06:00

Everybody's happy!

Okay, let's get it straight.We all have flaws so we work with the flaws to Build Our Influence. No one is perfect and we will never be so now it is time that we start accepting the flaws, change what we can, let the rest go, and Building our Influence. With that said; we are done with trying to hide our flaws or make excuses for which we can improve, if we choose.

What is a flaw? It is something that makes a piece of material less smooth, less perfect, less something; whatever the flaw is. It can be a torn place, a hole, a pulled thread, seems that are not lined up together, hemming which has come unraveled, a spot of something and the list goes on.

We humans have these kinds of flaws as well and some flaws can hurt our influence on others. It may be that we are lacking a smoothness in the way we handle our responses to others. This is one that can be worked on and changed when we realize that we need to guard our conversations to make them flow with concern for the hearer and realize that this reflects on how we are perceived and then in turn; how we Influence Others.

Then of course sometimes we get torn places in our demeanor that causes us to react in ways which seem hostile. Our reactions to things that occur can damage our efforts at what we are doing to achieve our goals, dreams and desires. For example: if you can't stand for someone else to be right; you are in for a lot of surprises. If you can't handle a project gone wrong (whether it was your fault or not) without wringing your hands and going berserk; listen up. Instead you should take the opportunity to emphasis your strengths and start your mind popping for solutions and apply your knowledge to change the end results.

If you can't play with the big dogs, you need to get off the porch. I am sure you have heard that saying. If you have to be handled with knit gloves; you are too fragile to handle stress and lead others to do the same, then you need to toughen up. How do we get tough enough and wise enough to stand with the crowd and make our voice known and Build our Influence? Here is a list of some ways:

make sure you know what your are talking about before you speak and then there will be less reason to react poorly when you have criticism
a person who is emotionally intelligent can take criticism and work it to their gain and not be upset with it because they first know; they are not perfect, but they do not let the same thing happen again
another important issue with criticism is being able to recognize other people's insecurities and know when they are being critical; is it all about them. If you recognize this; so will others...usually
speak with authority; those who know what they are talking about, speak with authority
one does not have to be the big mouth of the crowd just because they have the ability to say; "this is how it looks from here, this is my opinion"
anyone who is comfortable with who they are usually smart enough to know when they need to shut up
never criticize another; you respond with how it might work better in another way but never allow yourself to seem arrogant
arrogance is never acceptable for anyone, anywhere but especially when you want to lead a crowd or if you are leading a crowd
most emotional intelligent people know do not have to prove anything to anybody, they simply know their stuff, inside and out, they know how to get people involved and they are sensitive to other people's feelings
they aren't there to hog the show, they know who is boss but they act as though they are one of the crowd
to influence others; one must have the characteristics of the person who gets alone with everybody, they do not have best friends at work; everybody is their best friend. They treat everyone with respect and a fresh hello everyday. They control their mood swings and they appreciate what each person has to contribute. They do not gang up and hold gossip sessions about members of the crowd; they are far too emotionally intelligent to even consider gossip. They know it is a waste of time and energy and that while they might be talking about another; someone else is talking about them.

Winning influence over others is an art. It takes a person who is well grounded in promoting growth within themselves and others. Jealousy is not a part of their makeup, period. It is also a waste of time. These people who are most "Influential" decided a long time ago, their goals did not involve who they could tear down or how many people they would have to step on to get where they wanted to go. They set their goals by knowing that knowledge rules. Knowledge rules but it is also how you distribute that knowledge to others without making someone else feel inferior. They are masters at knowing how and when to say something. In fact they love to share and teach others what they have learned and while sharing; they learn even more. They know that everybody has insecurities and flaws they do not talk about and that try to play upon another strength as well as their own. These are the people who have learned how to Build Influence, work on what their flaws are and have a character that absolutely shines.

Challenge Yourself

2011-01-03T17:39:00.009-06:00

We know that Challenge can bring new dimensions into our life. Challenge yourself and become more.....more influential, more capable, more understanding of other people's needs, and more in tune with who you are and know exactly where you are headed. You already know where you are headed, but are you getting there the right way? Hopefully you are and chances are that you know the importance of challenging yourself. It is possible that some of us need a boost..so..here goes some ideas to get your life full of more greatness and to revive what may be sitting dormant for awhile.

Challenge: Thesaurus states that it actually means: question, dispute, arouse, confront, assert, inquire, investigate etc....

Are your motives where they need to be; are you actually getting where you need to go in a way that makes one stand out in the crowd?

The List:

When is the last time you took a break and Challenged your motives and who you really are?
Are you truly going about your life in the right way and feel good about what you have accomplished?
Are you already influential?
What exactly does being influential mean?
Do you really want to be influential anyway?

We know that the first step to being influential for anyone is being in touch with ourselves. We must understand who we are and know what priorities will lead us in the right direction. We can't look back or to the side. If we look back, we get bogged down with our past mistakes. We can't look to the side because we will deviate from the path we have already chosen. We can't deviate from our goals or plans but at the same time we must make sure we are going to play by the rules.

Being intelligent does not resolve all things. Intelligence is wonderful, and it will get a job done but if that intelligence is not mixed with emotional intelligence; something will be missing. Technical skills alone do not make your efforts better; if you care nothing about who you step on to get where you are going. Who me? You might say...I have a PHD in .....! I am out for me and I have to get what I want in this rat race; at all cost. It is believed that it is always possible to learn something new and we learn from others believe it or not. If we are intelligent we will have the knowledge to keep learning as rules change and information can become outdated and one must keep working diligently to be uptodate. It doesn't work the other way around; meaning you only need your technical experience in the world we live in today. If a person believes they can do all things without any help from anyone else; they have on blindfolds. You need other people as well as other people need you. Some where, at some point you will need someone, and the very person you think you would never, ever need; just might be the one to come to the rescue. Me? You might say. Yes, even you.

There can be better ways to get the job done, than just your way. Actually the benefits will be more rewarding if we would just allow ourselves to be a more humble, even with our PHD. We just might learn a thing or two from the new kid on the block, if we challenge ourselves to let another person shine, we are only influencing others and that will make us more approachable.

Being influential doesn't just mean that everybody knows who the boss is. It means they know who he/she is, but they also respect who they are. Okay, suck it up and listen up a minute. The best way to be influential and to stand out in a crowd even without know it is to:

stop being the person who has to have all of the attention.
care about your colleagues.
see emotional needs of others.
never be too proud to say "thank you".
never look down on anyone.
remember you worked you way up from the bottom.
know that no one knows it all....not even you...not even with your PHD.
never berate another soul to anyone.
challenge others to be the best they can be without criticism.
take your head out of the clouds and come down to earth, someone may need your expertise.
be modest.
stop trying to hog the show.
remember that no one knows it all.
humility generates to others that you are not only intelligent, but you are real with compassion and people will love you for it.

If you are just the opposite of the above and feel incapable of Challenging Yourself and being Influential...listen up...

Sorry, you got it....use it! Climb that mountain and stand up straight!

You are born with the same potential in most cases; as everyone else. Put what the Good Lord gave you to work.

Play upon your strengths, crowd out the negative.
Let go of negative thoughts and dwell on the positive. *two ways of saying the same thing and you probably need the practice
Get up each day and Challenge Yourself to do something you have never done before. (something good of course)
Tackle the thing that you are afraid to do.
Let go of fear and self doubt.
Tell yourself you are not afraid of putting your best foot forward.
Do not set your standards too high; everyone has to start somewhere.
Be yourself; you can't be another and be successful.
Starting at the bottom is okay; everyone does.
Be non-critical of yourself.
Be constructive, but know that any Challenge takes time.
Learn from others but know that your ideas are essential also.
Learn, study, grow, believe in yourself when no one else seems to.
You are unique and you have what it takes to Succeed just like any other person.

Take the Challenge...you will be glad you did.

Personal Growth- Staying Focused

2010-10-19T11:24:00.000-05:00

It has long been known that Personal Growth is not something that occurs overnight and Staying focused on our Goals is sometimes rather hard with life the way it is. But, if we really choose to have Personal Growth with Change; we must stay focused and not let anyone or anything keep us from our path.

The question might be how do we think so much about ourselves and our own needs when those around us must have our attention? Being a mother, father, parent caregiver or employee for someone else; cannot be ones whole life altogether. If a person cannot have the time to have their own Personal Growth and Stay Focused on their journey; they will find that they cannot be successful at their endeavors to supply the needs for others.

With that said; no one can be everything to everybody, all the time, and that is the first lesson. Therefore, in Personal Growth we learn that staying focused on our own needs is a necessity not an option. We learn why we can't hang the moon or do everything that it seems we might need to and we find other solutions to help us gain control. We gain strength from dwelling on our own inner knowledge and accepting that we are only human in a human world, just like everybody else. We have to draw a line and say; this is what I can do and keep my sanity. These are the steps I will take to manage what I can't do with help from someone else.

When there are sick children; one cannot think of anything else hardly, and then the day to day life things that add to that are just about more than anyone can do without a strong focus that "this too shall pass." And....it does and this mind-frame gives us the needed outlet to survive until we can get back to our moment of peace with our own Personal Growth and being Focused again.

Women especially, have their plate full, if they have children, aging parents, a full time job and a husband who needs to eat. It is hard for women to even think about Personal Growth and Staying Focused, much less practice it, but, when a person cannot let go of their daily stresses and do not have the time to focus on their own inner feelings they are asking for trouble. Trouble can show up in many ways and here are a few:

irritability
unhappiness
arguing
on edge feelings
feeling of neglect
fear that life is passing one by
less personal care
feeling of being used
tired all the time
focus begins to diminish
thoughts of pure anger
mood swings
less personal power
feelings of not being in control
withdrawn from enjoying life
feelings that life is lived only for others

It for certain that many could add to this list. Professionals will tell you that everyone needs time for their own self; whether it be to work on their personal needs with Personal Growth or just some plain old down time. It is necessary to survive all the demands that life brings to us. When we step aside, take our own time; become more stable again and know that we can master all things with the right Focus. It may mean that we hire a caregiver for our parents, get the sitter to come over to take care of the children one night a week or just getting them to bed very early on night a week. Whatever it takes to allow an individual to keep growing themselves; that is what should be done.

There is no power or reward in trying to be super human. It can't be done and it will destroy an individuals ability to perform adequately in all areas; if tried. The days pass fast; especially when you get to be over 60; so the time to live is while you are young, trying to raise your family and while you have the opportunity. If you can't enjoy and be totally at peace with how you life is unfolding; it is high time you stop what you are doing and reach up for some Personal Growth and Change. Change the things that are weighing you down and making your life uncomfortable. Live....do not just exist. Build memories in these years and then when you reach retirement; the regrets will not be there. Personal Growth - Staying Focused is not all about changing the person you are necessarily; it is about changing habits and the need for perfection; that might cause you to one day, look back and wonder where the years have gone. Live for you too!

Personal Growth-Controlling Responses From Negative Situations

2010-09-20T09:54:00.002-05:00

Most of us have had our share of conversations gone wrong or a time when we did not Control Our Response From a Negative Situation. After the fact, we are unhappy, mainly with ourselves and our inability to Control Our Response. Life would not be life without some negative along the way; so we try to learn that sometimes there are certain actions, reactions, and words that should be left unacknowledged. Easier said than done for certain and sometimes we refer to these times as using our inbuilt self control.

In our Personal Growth, Controlling Responses From Negative Situations is like anything else; it takes some work and it depends upon the individual. It depends upon a person's Personal Growth level and their ability to take a moment from the situation and analyze what has been said or done and possibly why. Our first response is to defend ourselves, others and the situation, sometimes making excuses or just lashing out at the deliver of the negative. We try without meaning to, to make ourselves the victim of the situation and one word or response sometimes leads to ugly things, either being said or done. We know this is not what gives anyone Character That Shines. Of course we know that anyone who chooses to say negative things is also in the need of self control and Personal Growth. In our society, we have the rude people who sometimes are bullies who have never advanced toward adulthood or personal growth.

Gaining Emotional Intelligence (EI) is one of the first steps in Personal Growth. If we are emotionally stable and are "in charge" of knowing who we are (which is one of the steps to emotional intelligence); we know that we should not respond quickly to people who are upset. When someone is upset, rude, cruel, inconsiderate or just plain "inappropriate;" we give ourselves more power just to pass up the opportunity to response to anything being in these kinds of situations. We take a deep breath, think things over and sometimes nothing said; says more than words.

There are times that it seems appropriate to put someone in their place by saying; you are being rude. But, actually the person who delivers these kinds of messages know they are being rude to begin with and you get more satisfaction by walking away from the rudeness and continue without acknowledging their bad behavior. This is not a simple feat but most of the time best practice. This makes you much more affective; causes others to respect your intelligence not to engage in child like behaviors. You are setting an example which means that you are plowing the road to lead others to do the same.

Most quality leaders are emotionally stable people who know that their behavior controls the mood of the setting and when inappropriate statements or actions are made; it can cause the flow of the situation to worsen by responding to the negative. It is not profitable to the companies bottom line nor to the rest of the group much less personally; to let someone who has a personal growth need, to take control of the situation.

Quotes:

"He who angers you conquers you." - Elizabeth Kenny

"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still."
- Tao Te Ching

"You have no control over what the other guy does, you only have control over what you do."
-A. J. Kitt

"Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control-these three alone lead life to sovereign power."
- Alfred Tennyson

"Prudent, cautious self-control, is wisdom's root." - Robert Burns

Personal Growth - Accepting Challenges

2010-05-21T14:15:00.004-05:00

Personal Growth- Nothing important in life comes easy...One must accept Challenges, find balance and thereby grow personally!

A person who want to progress in life and with their Personal Growth must Accept the Challenges that go with it and know there is a certain balance that must be obtained. The balance is what sometimes makes the challenge. The bottom line is....there is absolutely nothing in life worth having; without some struggle. If we think about life and its blessing; yes, we have those everyday. We wake in the morning with a brand new day to live the way we see fit. It is up to us how we live it. We have health, a roof over our heads and food on the table. Does this seem trivial to you? It should not because there are millions of people who do not have their basic needs. What am I getting at? Simply, the basics we have already and we know how we work to have these basics. If we desire more than the basic provision needed; it is going to take a little more effort and there will be some struggle, at some point. It will give us Personal Growth and we must Accept the Challenges that go with it. If we never had struggles; how would we grow personally?

Life continues each day and it is a journey and there will be an end. We are all aware of how life flows. However, it is how we choose to live our life that causes us to go beyond just the necessities. The necessities are not the same for everyone; meaning some people can do with less than others and some people desire more. If we want more than the necessities; we must work harder, become more educated, more knowledgeable and more disciplined. Discipline and Balance are the keys to Personal Growth at any stage. If we see today, as a chance to grow and enlarge our territory; we are among those who see life as a place to learn and become as great a person as we can be.

We are born in a world with great opportunity but we cannot reach for our goals by standing still; doing nothing. We look for balance and ways to achieve the needed results. We sometimes struggle with how some people seem to have it all and others do not. Yet, we do not see their struggle. We only see the outcome of their labor. We do not see the efforts of trying to accomplish balance in their life just as you must find. I do not believe that anyone accomplishes great things out of life without a goal, a plan, and finding balance with some work along the way and without Personal Growth and some measure of difficulty. We cannot look at others and measure ourselves. You can really get into trouble trying to put yourself in someone else shoes. We are all very different but we all have potential to do what we want to do; if we apply ourselves to the task. If we have more than the basics; we must develop the necessary mental capacity to obtain our goals. If we get our mental thoughts in line; the rest will come. We can't wait for some magic; it is not magic, it is work.

Every endeavor that we undertake can get interruptions, confusing and it can get lost in our day to day activities and especially the things we want the most, but it is up to us to make time in our life for expansion. Every difficulty that we go through changes us in some way. It will either makes us stronger or we become weaker. We have a choice in the matter. No one likes difficulty or sorrow; it not something we covet but it is a fact of life. We are going to see challenges and we will develop personally, even if it is not in our goals. The results is up to how we preceive our challenges and making them a lesson we needed to learn, an adventure we needed to explore and a Personal Growth Challenge we will overcome.

Personal Growth - A Mind Change

2010-05-20T15:23:00.000-05:00

A lot of people have a hard time with Personal Growth and certainly A Mind Change. Actually, a mind change is one of the necessary equations of growing personally. We forget that we behave, act or live a certain way due to what we think about on a daily basis. We do certain things for so long; it actually seems the only way to live. If we think we are intelligent, successful and happy; we probably are, at least to our standards. Dwelling on the opposite by thinking we are useless, dual, not successful, and not as intelligent as we should be, will be a negative result. Our work, our family and all of our walk in life is going to indicate this way of thinking also.

It has been quoted that we can train our mind to be different than it is; if we so desire. If we feel that our life is lacking something we need; it starts in our mind. What we think takes on what we are and to have Personal Growth; we must have a Mind Change. We want an ice cream, but we know that we just had one yesterday, so we change our mind and do what is healthy for us. We had a change of mind which resulted in what was better for our life. The same way with how we feel about our intelligence; our success and our happiness. All of these start in our mind. Let's think about this a little further...

In reviewing some important Mind Development information; it is said that our mental ability is at its peak at about 22 years of age, and by 27 it starts to decline; thereby we are starting the aging process. If we neglect to keep processing new things in our life; reaching for more information and applying our mental ability; we might grow old before our time. I have often heard it said that our mind is only as old as we think it is. If we keep using our mind; we keep it younger that it would be if we neglect it. It is a little shocking that we begin to lose our highest mental ability, memory, speed of thought and visualization at almost 30. If you don't use it; you lose it. (The study said at any age). I'll bet you have heard that one. This indicates to us that if we are to grow and keep living and learning with our full capacity, even at 30 years of age; we need to keep our mind busy with positive learning and progress. Becoming stale and negative is something that should not happen in our life and our life will be more positive when we seek out positive things. Learning and growth are like success; it is a journey, not a destination. We learn new ways to do things; we should stop believing that just because we have our college education; we're done. We cannot stop learning more things about life in general. We must practice giving our mind power positive thoughts, positive study and awareness. If we feel we are weak in certain areas; it can be learned, worked for and brought to fruition if we desire it enough. We do not have to live in our current state of mind; we can have Personal Growth; of the mind, heart and soul.

So, having decided that to keep our mental capacity at its best; it is evident that a mind change is necessary when we have gotten to the stage in our life (at whatever age) that we feel we are lacking something. Having written several articles about the fact that we do things out of habit; I have to say this again. We get up at a certain time; we get to class or work at a certain time. We go the same route to work, know every turn without even realizing it; we are at work. Habit...not thinking. You are sitting in a class room, the teacher is giving a lesson and your mind it out the window thinking about the coffee pot you failed to turn off. How can you learn without living in the moment and thinking about what the teacher is saying. You are at your desk at work and you are day dreaming about what is going to happen that night, instead of how you should be improving your status at work. Hey, we have all done it...But....

It appears from my study, we should be doing something about our mind set or our mental functioning, before now. Simply because we can get into a rut of thinking and think negatively instead of doing something to improve what we feel we may be lacking in. By the age of 27, most of us are out of school, working. How do we improve our ability to skillfully deal with others in the work place? How do we improve our ability to become a strong leader so that we can climb the ladder of success a little further. Personal Growth takes a Mind Change in many areas of our life. We cannot grow without some change and the change must begin in our mind.

We do not have to live our life by the circumstances in which we are born. I am reminded of an article I read about a little boy who was abused by his mother. He decided early on; that he would survive and he did. He is now a professional speaker, speaking out to help those who might be in the same situation he was. He did not let his adversity stall his ability to learn, grow and become a person of stability. He could have cried "poor me" all of his life; but he chose differently. It is up to each individual to do as this young boy did. Personal Growth - A Mind Change is necessary for every part of our life and to keep healthy, wealthy and wise; we must continue to find a way to progress in our state of mind.

Sources:

Capabilities and Potential, Potential, Unlocking and Awakening Mind Development

Personal Growth-Starting Over

2010-03-19T15:27:00.000-05:00

Personal Growth- Starting Over...

We as humans want the familiar most of the time, yet we know we need to forget what we have been practicing for so long and it is in Personal Growth-Starting Over that we begin our journey. How do we let go of the past and move on to our new growth and life?

My thoughts go to the Bible when God said that He would forgive our sins and put them as far as the east is from the west. I know it is not as easy as it sounds. But, you have to forgive yourself for your mistakes (if you made any) as well as forgiving the person who has caused you pain. Not any one can move on to a better life if they cannot forgive and let it go.....on the same note...you MUST stop blaming yourself for what you did not do..and most of the time; you may not have done anything other than be naive.

Starting over takes guts; to put it simply. Starting over means you are leaving something behind, something you need to forget and something you do not need any longer in your present world. Be it an ex, a prior job, a family problem, a friend, or a foe. The best policy I know and I can tell you from experience that you will eventually know is that what happened in your life was for the best probably. You will look back and see your blessing.

Personal growth is inevitable in times like these because you are forced to change and it takes inner strength to accept those changes with dignity and hope for tomorrow. It takes a strong desire to face up to loss (if that is the case) and continue on as if nothing has transpired.

Starting over - exactly what does it entail? To me it simply means that we are NOT going to be doing things in the usual mannger. It means we might not be seeing the same family or friends and our life pattern is changing. It means we are going to do something fresh, something new, something positive and that should include something good for ourselves. It can mean we are evoking new methods and principles of life. THIS cannot be all bad, it is probably something you have needed anyway, because sometimes bad things happen to wake us up and help us live in reality.

My wish is that every individual who might read this post, realize that if you put your trust in your spiritual self and seek spirituality over the approval of other humans, your life will get easier. We cannot appease humans totally, it is impossible. So we have to live our life in the pursuit of doing what is right, what is good, what is noteworthy for us and who we are and in so doing we will find the strength to Personal Growth and Start Over.....it will come...

Personal Growth-The Familiar

2010-02-26T12:41:00.000-06:00

We can't be like Maxine?? Or can we?

I have always been one of those that was not afraid to change The Familiar with the unfamiliar. It does not mean necessarily that I am reckless or do not enjoy the constant things in life but if something needs to happen in my life; I have always been able to take the necessary action to make it happen. I will give you an example. Many years ago, I had quit a job, one of the better jobs in town, to go to school and in a small town, that is not the best route to take, unless you have adequate reserves. I was actually old enough to know better but that is besides the point as it was done. At any rate funds became tight and there were no jobs within a 50 mile radius that were available. My husband does not want or like change of any kind and only makes them when forced. He does not mind me saying this; but this procrastination has held him back in so many ways of his life. That is another story.

Since we needed a second job, I felt it necessary to pack up and leave the small town to make it happen. I will never forget it. I left on Saturday after Thanksgiving in 1985. Yes that was long ago and it was one of the best moves I have ever made. Within one week; I had a job which almost within a few hundred dollars doubled my salary. I had never felt so good. I was fortunate that it was the booming city of Atlanta and I had a sister that lived in the suburban area, but if I had not taken the chance and acted; what were my choices? They were not many at the time and I needed a job. I was hired not because of who I was but because of my seven years experience in processing and http://hubpages.com/hub/resistance-and-personal-growthdealing with rural home loans. That was when I worked with the big mortgage investor "Freddie Mac" as we have all read about since the mortgage loan meltdown. Sometime personal growth and success is a journey of the physical.

I never regreted the move. In fact as I stated, it was one of the best moves I have ever made and when I transferred back to Memphis (another job), I increased my salary even more. How did my husband react to these moves? As I have said; that is another story. He does not like change but while in Atlanta is was very profitable for him as well and he was in Insurance at the time. The latter move was really a challenge with resistance for him.

What is it about The Familiar that causes some of us not to grow personally? The familiar is something that we are customary to us, habitual and something we know so therefore the human side is reluctant to change; be it physically, mentally or spirtually. We get used to how we are living and it feels natural. We don't really have to make an effort with the present and we might have to make an effort if we change the commonplace things.

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the advenurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." ---Alan Cohen

I say this is true because change does bring power and you will not know if something works if you do not make the effort to.

In Personal Growth and The Familiary, is not all about the physical move we might need to take to make our life more prosperous. Sometimes it is only within us that we must change the way we think, the way we deal with others and walk our talk, so to speak. Sometimes I have seen individuals who say one thing and act differently. They profess to be heros but they never show signs of being a champion. They go around moaning and groaning all the time about poor me. Heros don't do that. It takes guts to change anything in our life; no let me say it takes guts to even make the decision to make changes in ones life and then it takes courage, perserverance and work to change anything we have always done or been for a long time. Personal Growth is not for the cowardice. It is for the brave and those who want to be more than just mediocre.

Personal Growth - Change

2010-01-01T15:04:00.004-06:00

My concern is not about how many may read this blog about Personal Growth-Change, but if one person can find at least one answer to what they are searching for, within these pages and yes, within themselves; that would be sufficient.

Personal growth means many different things to different people. Why? We are all unique individuals and it depends upon how we see ourselves and who we believe we are. Personal growth is about us and our expectations of ourselves. What matters most is how you feel about yourself. It is how you see yourself relating to others, be it family, friends, co-workers etc. Personal Growth is about how “you” need to or want to change or behave differently. Some may see the need for improvement is only minor and they are only seeking, well they don’t know what….it is just something missing.

Let me ask a few everyday questions, we sometimes ask ourselves. First let me say, we have to realize is that Personal Growth is about change. If we are not satisfied with ourselves, then it is up to us to change, in order to become more who we want to be. Now, to the questions: Where do you see yourself as you review where you are? Are you as successful as you want to be? Are you where you want to be physically, financially and spiritually? Have you always been the way you are? Do you think you really need improvement? Are you worried about how others see you? Does it matter anyway? Are you satisfied with yourself and how you live your life? Exactly what is important to you and the way you see yourself. What is your purpose and why are you here?

One can only seek within themselves to find their purpose in Personal Growth - Change. It is inter- weaved with our personal growth-personal development. Some indicate that we are here to serve others and in serving others we help ourself. That does not mean of course, that we are slaves to others, denying ourselves basic rest for our bodies, soul and being.  Most writings indicate something to the affect that what we give away, will return many times over. Serving others can be simple; why not help the little old lady get her groceries in the car at the market? I can only think what some busy moms are saying having read the above, how can I serve any more graciously than I already am? It is not necessarily the “big” things that matter the most. I have found that a smile to someone who isn't smiling seems to help my soul. We help ourselves when we are helping others, one way or the other. Personal Growth is something that we all have to become aware of or we suffocate in our own narrow ways. I am reminded of the last flight I was on and we were getting ready to land, the nice men on board were in flight mode (and always are) even before the plane landed. Getting in line in front of one of these people ….well, let’s just say, it would be an accomplishment. Hey, what can I say, I am working on me too!!! We stay in such a hurry that we forget to be nice and polite to others. Sometimes it is all about us and then sometimes it is all about everybody else so we have to find balance and take care of us but find the time also to befriend someone who might be in need.

We look at other people and measure ourselves sometimes, which is being unfair and unwise. As we have already decided; this thing called Personal Growth-Change is an individual process. Success is different things to different people because we each value things differently and life itself. Financial success may mean to you one thing and something else to another; some are happy they can pay the bills at the first of the month and have enough left to buy food. Others may feel that because they do not have a savings for a 3 figures, they are in poverty. This day in time, that is just about true, but nevertheless, it is how we think. Success on any subject is still measured about who we are, what we have managed to have and what we are happy with. If you watch the news you can see the average salary in these United States is really not that much,  so we know that everyone does not have a six figure or three figure in some cases, balance for reserves. What we need to strive toward instead is set a goal for ourselves based upon and consistent with our income and watch our expenses if we are not where we want or need to be. What they say is; for some people the more they make the more they spend....That is not personal growth or change, that is same old, same old....

In debating our personal development and life strategies, let’s ask ourselves if we are happy with whom we are? Are you kind, considerate and passionate about life and do you stop to think of others? (Oh, I thought this was about us, individually)??? Yes it is, but the way we treat others is part of our personal development. I would consider someone who is self centered and could care less about other people (those that we are suppose to care about) or their feelings, as needing to review their priorities. We all have a life plan whether we are aware of it or not, we have to know, the best we can what that plan is. If we think that we can step on other people to get to where we want to be, not necessarily where we need to be, then we have room for change in our life. If we are lacking in our ability to care about others, their feelings, their hopes and dreams, then we are failing in our Personal Growth. For some, it is okay to be selfish, inconsiderate and sub-merged in our own well being, but for me it takes sympathy for others to grow into the person we are intended to be.

Let me talk a little about Personal Growth-"Change”.   In our endeavor to become who we would like to be as a person, sometimes this mean we need to change. Change is never easy but if we see the need to change in our walk to become the person we want be, we will have to make an effort. Even if it only means that you stop getting frustrated because your “someone” didn’t take out the garbage again or what about you forgetting to pick up the white shirts from the laundry. These types of frustrations do nothing to help us and are really less important than we make them.

To see the need for personal growth means we are seeking something from within. Maybe it is only that you need to change the way you perceive yourself. Could it be that you are putting too much pressure on yourself. You could be doing everything right and everybody is happy, including yourself; I am only guessing, but life tells me it isn't so, not all of the time anyway. I am afraid that not many of us are happy all the time and life would be pretty dull if everything was perky, perky all the time. Personal Growth and Change is something we should be seeking all the time not in spirts or on a whim. Why? I do not think that we ever get to the perfection stage in life. That just is not life to begin with! There is not much that is perfect all the time, about us, about our loved ones or friends. Haven't you heard it said that the perfect have already died and gone to Heaven!!!  Happiness is a frame of mine and begins within us….how many time have I said all of this begins within us? Most of the time, most of us are doing the best we can with what we have and are just seeking to be become better than we are in our search for Personal Growth. It begins when we take action and go to work on ourselves first.

We come into the universe with nothing and we leave with nothing. I don’t think we can get an argument on that, whether you believe in the here after or not. What we gain here in the material sense will not help us when we die. It doesn’t matter how rich we are, or, are not. What matters most is how we view what we are leaving behind. You may not be a scripture person, but one comes to mind; “A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold”. Proverbs 22:01 It will matter how we acquired what we have, how we played our life here and if we hearkened to our inner voice to become who we were intended to be. We are not really living if we cannot see that the present is the time to explore our need for Personal Growth - Change and try to live each day as much as we can in harmony within ourselves and others.
Thanks for being here!

Feeling Lonely

2009-12-07T17:37:00.000-06:00

Feeling Lonely

Peace In the Midst of The Storm

2009-12-06T21:06:00.000-06:00

Peace In the Midst of The Storm

Personal Growth-Seeking Tolerance

2009-11-18T19:28:00.012-06:00

You and I will probably agree on one thing in this post and that will be that in our Personal Growth-Seeking Tolerance may be one of the hardest accomplishments of all. Let's discuss why. There are so many issues that we seem to have to tolerate in our professional life and outside of home that when we get home it very hard to tolerate the lest bit of opposition. I think that we can all relate to this and talk about some areas that we must take control over to overcome "the hardest one".

It is never easy in our busy life to step back for a moment and take a look at something that we feel just is not tolerable to us. In our need for Personal Growth-Seeking Tolerance can only be achieved if we are able to pin point what it would take for us to accept something in someone else that we just cannot stand (tolerate). I could name some of these instances but I know that as I have grown older, I have been getting better with this issue and have become more acceptable of others and their precarious ways . We must remember that no one is perfect, I'm not, your not and maybe we need to re-read some older post. If we were we would not be discussing this anyway. Right? Personal Growth of any significance will take a long time as we are so set in our ways and we just happen to believe in ourselves more than others. Right? Probably! This is especially true for those things in our Personal Growth- that are intolerable.

In all walks of our life we meet up with situations, circumstances and people that rub us to the bone, (the wrong way, that is) so to speak. It is not that we are so caught up in ourselves but we do think that we know the proper way to present ourselves in public, business and private. Most of us do and we must realize that some people just don't think! They just don't. I have seen (in the work place), occurances when someone was giving instructions for the next project, stayed up until midnight to get it down pat, in order and only 30 minutes to get to the next meeting. In bops Mickey (not anyone I know), who is always late and begins to give this long drawn out explanation as to why his car wouldn't start or how sick his dog was. It is all one can do to hold their composure and finish the meeting let along wanting to tell Mickey, he needs to get his act together. It is hard for a person who puts a lot of time and effort into the presentation of who they are and what they are doing to tolerate someone messing it up. Sometimes there is no choice in the matter period, but we want things to be like we want them, smooth, easy and certainly not have someone else screw it up. If it gets screwed up, we want to do that ourselves. Right? There is nothing wrong with being prepared, working hard and wanting to reap the benefits of a job well done. Nothing at all! In our Personal Growth- Seeking Tolerance if we are to succeed and grow and be "better people" ourselves, we must find in our being a way to compromise our views and be more deliberate in progressing toward more power within ourselves. Did I say power? You can find power and your strengths within yourself by seeking.

Power is exactly what it gives you when you are able to clear your throat and continue whatever it was that you were doing when you were so rudely interrupted and act as though nothing took place out the ordinary. If you just think about it, it gives you more power and it also gives you creditability for staying focused and determined to finish what you started in a smooth tone, by overlooking the inconsideration or just plain old ignorance of someone else. As I said, some people just do not think about others or think about how they are perceived by others either. Personal growth- Seeking Tolerance in others is an ongoing process.

In our relationships there are many times we would like to change some things about our partner that we just can't tolerate. Is it ever worth your marriage? I would hope not and this is when somebody need to talk. We seem to have very low tolerance of some habits and we feel it is our way or the highway. We can't stand tolerate anything that does not suite our little fancy or makes us feel uncomfortable. The old saying that if love me, you accept me doesn't cure some of these issues...too many to list. In all of our Personal Growth-Seeking Tolerance we have to remember that someone is probably seeking tolerance to deal with some of our unique ways. As I stated in the professional world if we learn how to tolerate the intolerable; we have chosen power over weakness. Power of growing within ourselves and if one thinks about it; it is not always that someone else needs to change in our Personal Growth-Seeking Tolerance....it is probably at little both ways.

Personal Growth- Perfection

2009-11-09T19:18:00.008-06:00

What I want to say is ha, ha, and ha again to the perception of being able to have in the pursuit of Personal Growth-Perfection in ones life. I think that I have already mentioned that I don’t know of anyone who has achieved the “perfect” status yet. Perfection would make us far too exquisite to live in an imperfect world, don’t you think? Life just isn’t perfect, it is full of trial and error, and doing something over and over until we are good at it but becoming perfect is just a state of mind.

To slow down a bit, let us just think about this for a moment and mull over the idea about becoming perfect. What does the word mean anyway; exactly? Webster states perfect: “flawless and complete, unmodified”. Now, shall I ask you again if you think you know someone who has worked on their Personal Growth and is in the state of Perfection?

There is nothing wrong with wanting to do things well, in an orderly manner and do it right the first time. That is normal for anyone who takes pride in what they do and if we seek Personal Growth we may not obtain perfection but we can do what we do well. I am kind of like that myself. My Mama taught me that and she was right. Always do it right the first time and it will save you time and effort, she would say. Do I always accomplish that? No, and it really gets to me because of my strong desire to succeed. That is one of my imperfect traits; I do not take criticism well. I work on it and there is a difference in corrective criticism and plain old, I can do this better than you!

I will give you an example of someone trying to be in a state of perfection while making others feel totally inadequate. I was working on a contract job and we were auditing what someone else has already audited, which sounds unusual anyway and it was, but nonetheless, that is what we were doing. We were auditing files for adherence to policies, procedures and investor guidelines. If we found something different than was presented to us, we had to write it up and explain in so many words how it really was and why but you could only be positive and say it in as few words as possible. After one group looked at these files the first time, another group audited what we looked at and then management looked at what the latter group looked at. I know, this sounds like a waste of time, money and management… it was, but let me finish the story. It made no difference how any of us explained it, the next group would change it into their words and then management (there was two levels of management and both changed it yet again) would change it into their words. Talking about “Quality Control”, I called it “control quality”. Do I think they needed to work on Personal Growth- without trying to be perfect? Yes, I was making a sizable hourly rate for my work, I don’t know about the others, but I felt it was a waste of my efforts to say the least while being a waste of the Companies money. It is easy for me to see how some institutions needed the bail out money to survive and I could see it first hand. I had never seen such a waste of time, money and other people’s knowledge ignored, while one or two people decided how to phrase a sentence or two. It was not only my opinion either, others felt the same way. Now, I am trying not to judge others, and do not think it profits any by doing so but this is an example of someone who cannot accept the ability of someone as being good enough. It amounted to the fact that it was the top management’s way or the highway!!! Do I think they were perfect? Nope! Not the least and who were they trying to convenience anyway….could it have been themselves?

In our Personal Growth efforts it is evident that we will never be flawless or in a state of Perfection, not in my mind anyway. Our work can be excellent and we may present our physical self in an attractive way but we will never be flawless or without some kind of modification or need. Personally, if my hair looks great, my eye may be swollen and my makeup smeared. If my suite is pressed just right, my blouse may have a spot on it, making me keep my jacket on all day. It goes on and on.

I believe in our search for Personal Growth- Perfection is a waste of time. What we should realize is that each of us has within us a higher quality of doing certain things, just as others may have higher qualities in another area. We should learn to build on what our qualities are. We should grow, expand and be as good as we can be, but at the same time realize that we can get more done in life by utilizing other people’s qualities to maximize our own abilities; on a job, in a classroom, in our family and in the world as a whole.

Quality is different than perfection. Quality is: essential characteristics, degree of merit or excellence per Webster. In our search for Personal Growth, there is nothing wrong with trying to achieve essential characteristics to perform better at something which needs improvement or to strive for excellence. It indicates that one has the personal ingredients within themselves to strive for and obtain something of value, something they love and want to do. One thing for sure, hard work and pursuing excellence is something that will take you one step further in your life and your pursuit of Personal Growth; Perfection should not be a priority.

Personal Growth-Our Strengths

2009-11-09T11:58:00.006-06:00

It seems that most of us know our weakness better than we know what we do well,therefore; this post is about Personal Growth-Our Strengths. Why am I going to talk about our Personal Growth-Our Strengths first? Well, for one, most of us focus on what our weaknesses are instead of abandoning those or working to improve them, while looking to our strength, to get us started in the right directions with the positive. I realize it is hard for us to feel comfortable with talking about what we feel are our personal Strengths as it may seem as though we are boastful. Stop it! We are not going to boast about anything but we are going to build on our Personal Growth- Our Strengths; not our weaknesses.

Let me give myself as an example in this Personal Growth-Our Strengths session if you will, so that you can see it is not always how we perceive others as having knowledge by judging their actions or should I say non-actions.

I have a lot of experience in one field, in fact many years of hard work, dedication and knowledge. I feel that I have always put in more than required for the job, working longer hours than necessary, educating myself and doing whatever needed to be done. I lost promotions because I am not a “talker”. That word may be a little simple but that is exactly what it amounted to. When in meetings, I did not speak up and dominate the conversation, expressing my strengths as I could have done. No one said I could not speak up, I just didn’t. I don’t know if I thought it would not do any good to elaborate on issues at hand, as there were others who did not mind giving their opinions, or if I was insecure. Probably a little of both and yes, those who were the loudest and talked the most were the ones who got promoted. Their Personal Strength was the ability to express themselves fully without any hesitation about what someone else thought. There were others who where very capable and knowledgeable as well and refrained from joining in just like me. We sat quietly, not saying anything unless we were asked. I think we probably were afraid we would be judged on our weakness instead of Our Strengths. This went on for years for me but I kept on working hard, applying myself and learning from every manager I had. (Good or bad and there were both). Low and behold one day that changed and I got the opportunity to become a manager. I somehow gained respect for my own ability and became a different person. Was all my troubles over? No, I had to work on speaking in front of others, I had to work on insecurity for whatever reason it existed. Did I ever mess up? Yes, that is part of life, when speaking in a crowd we sometimes get frustrated and confused about what we are trying to say. Did I get over it? Yes, life goes on. We do not have to be perfect in Personal Growth, we just try to focus on our Strength and move forward with each lesson of life. I do not like making mistake sin my work, just like you…but mistakes are a part of life. We learn, we grow and we become better if that is our desire.

I knew all along that I was half way decent at my job, not because I knew more than anyone else but because I worked hard and learned everything I could about what I was doing and I was recognized as knowing my stuff by my superiors.

As we focus on Personal Growth-Our Strengths, let me say that you may not be one that loves to talk also. Instead you may be one that just likes to go to work or whatever you are doing and do it right. You work hard, you are dedicated, you give your best and you try to keep learning…Keep it up! Hard work always wins out and if you desire something further, find a way to express yourself and forget about whether someone will offend you, say what you know are facts. When you use facts, no-one can discrete that.

If you are one that does not know your Personal Strengths and what to do about recognizing where you need to grow personally, then you probably need to consider asking yourself some questions and the first one would be the most important and is probably the hardest thing to do: Do You know yourself?…..

• What motivates you?
• What makes you feel good?
• Are you better at writing down what you know instead of talking about it?
• What is your passion?
• Are you where you want to be in your profession? If not, what are your strengths about this job? What can you change to get to where you want to be?
• Are you one of those complacent people?
• What would make you be excited about life?
• Do you have a positive attitude?
• Do you think you are where you are supposed to be?
• Can you minimize your weaknesses to look at your strengths?

The list could go on and on. We are all worthy in our search for Personal Growth-Our Strengths’, to be what ever we want to be and do whatever we want in this life. If it up to each individual to find a path, a way to the top of whatever we want to strive for. I believe today in our society, we have so much drugs use and fruitless behaviors because some of our kids have not enjoyed someone (a parent, a mentor) to promote their strengths and help them to reflect on the positive instead of the negative. Personal development and the realization that it is not something anyone can do for us is the first clue. On the other hand though, others can help us see where our beauty lies (and we all have it). We must desire to change, grow and cultivate more promising attributes to become what we feel will give us more Personal Strength.

You have Personal Strength, look for it, use it, and stop thinking about what you “might” be uncomfortable with or feel your weakness is. Stop doing what you know your weaknesses are that hinder you. Dare to start implementing what you feel good about. We are all in need of Personal Growth. Will we ever be perfect? I don’t think so…I do not know anyone that is, but I do know a lot of people who are finding their Personal Growth –Our Strengths is an ongoing process.
personal growth-personal development.

Personal Growth-Personal Development

2009-10-29T15:07:00.007-05:00

When we talk about Personal Growth; Personal Development is part of that topic i.e. Change! In my previous post we discussed the need to examine ourselves to see “if” or "where" we needed to make changes. I believe as I have stated that most “humans” need some kind of change; not in those exact words,but if you have read the latter post about Personal Growth-Change, I think it went something like; if we review ourselves as we review others….is this possible? In reading the book, titled: “Slow to Speak-Quick to Listen by Dr. Wayne Dyer, I became more aware that we learn more sometimes by listening. Reading between the lines sometimes tells us more than a thousand words. One particular line went something like this: “If I knew you and you knew me, as we each know ourselves”. Hey, that is really a mouth full, isn’t it? We all know that somewhere in us, there are probably failures, just as there is a lot of positive creations in our life. If we can stop to realize that there is some good in everyone, when life is sweeter. I know myself better than anyone, and I know that I have need for improvement.

In consideration of how we “might” need to induce our Personal Growth-Personal development, it is probably an important aspect for us to stop reviewing others to begin with. When I say this, I actually mean without indignation but with consciousness of what we can do for ourselves to improve where we are and what we do not want to be like or more like. Of course, I know that in any part of our endeavor for Personal Growth-Personal Development i.e. change; we must review our relationships. The book I mentioned above was about our relationships, not just our companion or family. It was about our association with others in general. When to keep your mouth shut, zipped….closed, if you will! I really have a hard time with this one…I am very quick to defend myself when I would do just as well (tune into my efforts for Personal Growth i.e. Personal Development) to let it go and let the situation speak for itself. Being defensive is a sense of insecurity, developed along the way for any number of reasons. I know what those reasons are but won't indulge you at this time. You know you own so they probably resemble each other....

I don’t know about you but for me in my Personal Growth and Development endeavor, I would love for others to see me as a fantastic person. yourstrengths. Oh, I am not meaning that I “think” I want to be seen as perfect. I am sure most of us want to be one of those people that “lights up the room” when we walk in. Oh, come on , let’s be honest….at least we don’t want to be the person who shuts down the party!!! We all want this in our life, whether we are searching for personal growth- personal development strategies or not. No use of denying; psychology tells us, what part I have studied, is that we are all basically more alike than we want to admit. Doesn’t do any good for you to say you’re not, it has been proven. (I did not say this, the Psychology books did). When I took some courses in nursing (psychology one of them) I stumbled upon some great content for my Personal Growth and Development; it helped me come to terms with who I was and that I was pretty normal, with the same feelings and needs as everyone else. One of the most important aspects of this short stint of study was that it taught me how to have better relationships and not be as judgmental.

We all want to be well thought of, we all need praise, we need to be loved, and we all need to be recognized for something, by someone, and at some point, (sometimes-most of the time). Remember we are talking about our Personal Growth and Personal Development and we should tell the truth. If not then, why are our feelings hurt when the other guy gets their praises sang when the project is completed, and not us? Why is it that we want our named called for our opinion on a certain view point? Why is it that no one sends us flowers for a favor done? Okay! It’s okay…it makes us very human. On the other hand, in our quest for Personal Growth and Development, we have to learn that getting praised for accomplishments is not the whole glory. It is a truth that in this world of ours, that some of us never get the recognition we think we deserve or for that matter “what we deserve”. That is a truth, I know because I have been in the corporate world myself and have seen how it works. It is not always what you know how much experience you have or what your accomplishments are, it just does not always work the way it should.

There are things you have to know when you are working on your Personal Growth-Personal Development; when life is unfair and hasn’t treated you the way you think it should. It not your fault….if you have finished the task, worked the necessary hours, completed your project and know you stuff; no one can take away a job well done…and in the long run, that is what is most important. You will finally get your reward, somewhere down the line, at the right time and when you least expect it. It took me a long time to see that my hard work had finally paid off and somebody thought that I was at the top of my game. I had worked long hours, always did my work above what I thought was average (my numbers were next to number 1). Again, remember we are working on our Personal Growth and Personal Development and we need to make sure we do not get bitter during the process. Okay, I didn’t fit in the “click” either. Not that I couldn’t have, but because I just didn’t. I didn’t talk about other people, I didn’t bring gifts to the boss, and I didn’t position myself to be in all the group conversations. I didn’t speak up (I wasn’t a loud mouth) much in meetings and so on and so on. Oh, please ignore that the loud mouth thing; shall we laugh? What I did do was learn as much as possible about my job, if I didn’t know something, I looked it up and became more knowledgeable about it, worked as hard or harder than most, finished my task on time, every time and never stopped believing in myself. It was worth it all in the end but in the meantime, I learned that it is part of our Personal Growth and Development when we can see that it is not that we are recognized for a job well done but that we know within our being, we have done our best, finished the task and are at peace with ourselves.

A very important piece of information is that if we accomplish being “in charge” is that we understand that: “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could alone”… Andrew Carnegie.

I love the text to the above message and carry the card around with me all the time. If we praise someone else for a job well done, then we also praising ourselves. If we give to others, respect, honor and dignity, we are giving ourselves these things. If we are making the right choices in our Personal Growth –Personal Development; we will see changes in our life that just might surprise us….. I sure hope so!!!!

Personal Growth-Taking Action

2009-10-27T21:56:00.363-05:00

When we are searching for ways to improve ourselves in our Personal Growth, Taking Action is the next course we should take and we will not progress without it. We cannot simply say that we need to change something that we know is not pleasant for others to see. It could be a short temper, it could be that we are way too sensitive. It could be that we take life too personal when something goes wrong and try to blame others for our mistakes. We can't stand the fact that someone knows we didn't do it right or that we screwed up. Hey, if you find someone who says they never make mistakes....let's put them on Bill O'Rielly and see what he can find out.... Everybody screws up sometimes. It seems that a lot of times it is easier to blame another person for our mistakes instead of just accepting the fact that no one is perfect, we all make mistakes and that is just part of life. We should either try to find what we need within ourselves to correct the issue at hand with self-help books, in conversation with friends, or either seek professional help, if it has progressed into that stage. There is always a time when looking to a professional is the best choice. With that said; I can tell from the fact that you are here searching for Personal Growth- you are taking Action which is not a bad thing. If the words in the blog does not touch your need......please seek professional help to improve whatever is wrong.

When we pin-point an issue in our Personal Growth -Taking Action is easy to put off and you may find yourself procrastinating.. In dealing with this subject, if you are procrastinating about your Personal Growth, (I said if your are, but we have decided in the past paragraph that you are not) then this may be a problem in your life as a whole. Procrastination can be a trait that is sometimes hard to break, and can hinder you from making important decisions, if it is taken too far. It is a different thing to sit back and review a situation making sure that you have your formular or plan all worked out, then to just keep putting something off until it is either too late or the situation has worsened. Let me say that I am not a person who believes that it is ever too late but I think you understand in some situations....it would be better to buy the car while on sale than paying full price.... When looking at Personal Growth and Taking Action in my own life, I have a hard time dealing with procrastination. I know someone that I know who has a tendency put off and put off, waiting for the right time, the right place and the right circumstances and then does nothing. It can even be something that should have been done ages ago and something that is crucial to every day life. It seems that they can never put themself into motion to do what needs to be done before, it is a do it or or lose it situation. Yes, sometimes they do without it because they refused to make a decision. This can apply to any part our life. For me, I am probably just a little bit too much the other way. If it needs to be done, it must be done....nothing much else to think about...let's do it and be done with it. When I think about this side of it, I know that somethings take a little forethought and planning so I have to watch myself to make sure that I do not jump into things before I have weighed the cost, whether money, time or self.

Since we are talking today about Personal Growth-Taking Action, sometimes in part of our transformation is not all about something we are necessarily doing wrong. It could be what we feel someone else is doing wrong and we are trying to deal with it, without much success. It is hard to tell someone to mind their own business flat out, and no, it is not the proper way to handle it. I am sure we have all experienced this kind of personal behaviour at one time or the other (someone elses). Here I go with another example (my own); I know someone who tries their hardest to keep up with what is going on "all" around them...doesn't make any difference if it is their business or not....they find a way to put it all together and let you know that they know what you did last week, where you went and what time you went. No, I don't like it either and I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying, well you know what; you don't buy my gas, you don't pay any of bills and you don't sleep in my bed, so butt out!! Of course I do not say those things but instead, I try very hard to ignore what is said and live with it the best I can. Sometimes if we ignore a situation, it goes away, but then again sometimes it does not. I am sure if this aforemented situation proceeded to the extent that it was an everyday thing, I would have to find a way to help this individual see that minding other peoples business is not a step forward in anyone's Personal Growth and Taking Action about their own personal growth would be of great help to mine. Of course, I am joking!!!

Thanks for reading and let's talk again soon!