The Secrets to Your Personal Growth Through Self Study

Written by - Reviewed by Consumer Health Digest Team

Published: Jan 11, 2019 | Last Updated: Sep 23, 2019

5 Steps to Personal Growth and Development

Personal Growth Through Self-study

Knowing yourself is the first step to change your life. Image given by author

Do you ever sit down and think about your life and where you are right now? Maybe you avoid thinking about it because it makes you feel lost? It’s so easy to settle for the lives we are living and get comfortable with our day-to-day surroundings.

Today I want to share with you the secret to personal growth through self-study[1].

No article, video or book will ever help you to find satisfaction and happiness in your life, because each of us is different. Each of us grew up differently, and our lives have been shaped differently through the environment, change, experiences, and education. Each of us has a different outlook and happiness and what makes us feel content with our lives.

Now, if we talk about self-study, I mean to study in the most literal form. And what better way to study than with pen and paper? Not all people like writing, but if you take some time out and follow this guide, I promise you it will be the most rewarding thing you’ve ever gotten yourself into. Once you’ve studied yourself over and over, only then will you be able to determine what you still need in your life to reach optimal happiness and be content with your life.

To be happy and content with your life is a lengthy process. It will take years and years of self-study and personal growth. You will make mistakes, and you will fall, but as long as you get up and try again, you will get to know yourself a little better each time. Nothing is more rewarding than looking back on how you’ve grown in certain aspects of your life.

Get ready to explore the most intimate parts of your personality, mental health, and emotional intelligence by following these simple steps.

Get a Special Book and Pen

Book and Pen

If you are beginning to write then using a special book and pen can draw positive energy. Image given by author

Now, this might sound a little stupid to you. But trust me, this is all part of the process! If you’re going to use scrap pieces of paper, you will lose them and feel unorganized. This needs to be a well-organized experience for you.

If you buy/use a book that sparks joy for you, it will draw positive energy from you while writing in it. Same with the pen. Use a pen that writes comfortably and preferably in a color you like. I would advise not to use red ink as it evokes strong, intense emotions. You need to be as peaceful as possible during this process, for you to focus intently on your inner self.

Step 1: Bad Memories and Experiences

On the first page, you need to write down all the bad things you remember up until this date. You can write anything and everything that had a negative impact on your life. It’s important to spend enough time writing this in bullet points, as this plays a key role in self-study. These are things that have helped shape you into the person you are today.

Even if what you’re writing seems trivial, you should go ahead. If you remember it, it had an impact on your life some way or another.
Writing Bad Experiences

Start writing your bad memories which affected your life negatively. Image given by author

Step 2: Positive Change Through Negative Experiences

I want you to go through the list you’ve just made and read every single thing you’ve listed. If any positive changes were brought about by those bad experiences, write them down. Try to find as many as possible for each one. Even if you can only think of one thing, that’s enough. It’s important, to be honest throughout this process as you will only truly benefit from this if you’re true to yourself.

Step 3: Current Situations and How you Got to this Point

Thoughts Create You

Your thoughts create you. Image given by author

Now, I’m sure you had certain dreams and ideas while growing up. You might have reached some of your goals, and some would have been impossible to reach by now, due to circumstances. Maybe your dreams and goals have changed, and you find yourself in a completely different direction?

Think of where you are right now, and how you got here. Maybe you’ve grown on a personal level through a tragic incident? Or perhaps you’re still stuck in the same job you’ve been doing for years. Write down where you are in your life at the moment. Physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially. Also, write down reasons for why you think this is where you’re at. What circumstances played a role in creating your current reality?

Step 4: Negative Factors and Influences

List all the things you can think of that adds negativity to your life in any way. It could be factors such as your weight, finances, your job or mental health like anxiety, shyness or overthinking.

Or, it could be people in your life. Toxic relationships are everywhere to be found. It adds so much negativity to our lives, sometimes without us even realizing it[2].

It’s important to remember that this book is your safe space and you can write openly about whatever it is that is holding you back. No matter how trivial it may seem, it’s part of the reality you need to deal with head-on.

Step 5: Things that Make You Happy

Feel Happy

Study yourself because only you know what makes you feel happy. Image given by author

On this page, you’ll be listing all the things that make you feel happy and good about yourself. It might be things such as the smell of your perfume, a hobby, a specific person. Anything and everything that makes you feel warm inside should be listed on this page. No matter how small or big, be sure to list them all.

Almost there!

Now, I want you to read through all your pages carefully and think about everything you’ve written. Write a conclusion summary of what you feel you need to work on to better yourself in any aspect of your life, as well as an action plan for how you’ll be going about it. How can you resolve the things that make you sad? What do you want to accomplish in the next month and how are you going to try and do that? Also, write about the things that make you happy and how you’ll incorporate that into your daily living.

I maintain: Do more of what you love – until it becomes impossible not to love your life.

Going Forward

It’s important to keep in mind that this is not a once-off. This is an ongoing process and something you’ll have to do on a weekly or monthly basis for you to track your progress.

You can set out a time for you to do this on a monthly basis – or weekly if you deem that necessary.

Be honest with yourself each time you come back to this book, and you’ll soon discover that you are capable of anything and everything in this world, as long as you’re willing to work for it.

Self-discovery[3] and personal growth, just like anything else in this life, takes patience and hard work. You need to WANT to get to know yourself. When you know yourself a little better, it’s important to learn to love yourself for who you are. I promise you that if you keep on doing this, looking back a few months from now, it will be the most rewarding feeling in the world!

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