Are you totally happy with who, and what, you are? I'd like to say that I am, but that would be lying. There are always things that I want to change, areas in which I need to develop, skills I need to develop. Then you add to that sizeable list all the areas that others, like my family and colleagues, rightly observe opportunities for improvement, and I can end up completely overwhelmed and demotivated.
Here's a trick I have found to work quite well. Write down all the things you want to/need to/are told you should change. Now spend a bit of time thinking, or praying, or talking over with a close friend, this list. Ask yourself 2 questions:
- which of these things will bring the greatest benefit to me if I succeed in changing it?
- which of these am I most motivated to work on?
Keep thinking and talking until you get one thing that is the best combination of these two answers (it may take a little while).
Once you have done this, commit yourself to a time during which you are going to focus all your 'change energy' on this thing. You've still got to use all your 'daily living energy' to get through what you are already doing, but focus whatever energy you can muster for change on this one thing. Keep the list of all the other things handy, reassure yourself that you'll get to them in time, but give yourself the emotional and psychic freedom to focus on the task at hand. If it will help, set a date when you will start focussing on the next area of growth.
Now obviously there is a lot more that goes into personal growth, but what do you think about this as a helpful start?