Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.
-Chinese Proverb

I’ll be the first to admit that all growth is painful! I talk and talk about the importance of continual growth and I even pray that God will stretch me so I will grow, but the truth is that I really wish growth were free of discomfort. However, with every passing day I realize that without trials, setbacks and even perceived failures, life would be very boring and like the Chinese Proverb quote, we’d be standing still and that would be bad!

Below are 5 ingredients and tips that will send you on your way to continual growth and a spirit-filled life.

Here’s to the continual journey of growing into our best selves!  ~Neissa

Five Ingredients of Personal Growth

Did You Know…
…that the growth of a crop only happens when the right ingredients are present. To harvest plentiful fields, the farmer has to begin by planting the right seed in rich topsoil where sunlight and water can help the seed to sprout, mature, and bear fruit. If any of the ingredients (seeds, topsoil, sunlight, or water) are missing, the crop won’t grow. Personal Growth also requires the proper ingredients. Unless the right attitudes and actions are cultivated, we will sputter and fail rather than growing in influence.

How can I apply this to my life?

• Be Teachable- Ego crowds out room for improvement. That’s why humility is the starting point for personal growth. Adopting a beginner’s mindset helps you to be teachable. Beginners are aware that they don’t know it all, and they proceed accordingly. As a general rule, they’re open and humble, noticeably lacking in the rigidity that often accompanies experience and achievement. It’s easy enough to have a beginner’s mind when you’re actually a beginner, but maintaining teachability gets trickier in the long term when you’ve already achieved some degree of success. As Erwin G. Hall said…

An open mind is the beginning of self-discovery and growth. We can’t learn anything new until we can admit that we don’t already know everything.

• Practice Sacrifice – Growth involves temporary loss. It may mean giving up familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, or relationships that have lost their meaning. Whatever the case, everything we gain in life comes as a result of sacrificing something else. We must give up to go up.

• Release Security- To keep learning throughout life, you have to be willing to say “I don’t know,” no matter what your position is. It can be hard for anyone to admit lacking knowledge because they feel as if everyone is looking to them for direction, and no one likes letting others down. However, we must remember that followers are not searching for perfection in their leaders. Instead they’re looking for an honest, authentic, and courageous leader, who, regardless of the obstacles facing the organization, refuses to rest until the problem is solved.

• Begin Listening – Listen, learn, and ask questions from somebody successful who has gone on before you. Borrow from their experiences so that you can avoid their mistakes and emulate their triumphs. Solicit feedback and take to heart what you’re told. The criticism of friends may seem bitter in the short-term, but when heeded, it can save you from falling victim to your blind spots.

• Apply your Lessons Learned -Knowledge has a limited shelf life. Unless it is used immediately or carefully preserved, knowledge spoils and becomes worthless. We must remember to put the lessons we learn into practice so that our insights mature into understanding.

Improve your Spiritual Life

Did You Know…
…that spiritual growth is of great importance for everyone, not only for “religious people” but for everyone! Spiritual growth is the basis for a better life for everyone, a life free of tension, fear and anxiety.

How can I apply this to my life?

• Read spiritual and uplifting books. Here’s a list of some of our favorites
• Pray or meditate everyday. Click here for iGnite’s yoga class schedule! 
• Thank God daily for your blessings.
• Keep a gratitude journal
• Serve and pray for others

Determine 3 different things (be specific!) you would like to do and/or accomplish by the end of 2013 and write them down on the iGnite-provided goals card provided above.  Join us on our journey of setting goals!

“Goals are like magnets. They’ll attract the things that make them come true.” -Tony Robbins

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