Life is all about growth. The more you develop and improve yourself, the better your life becomes as a direct result. For this reason, it’s essential to do things that create the conditions for true development to take place. And luckily, many activities can help with this process. But you may wonder which ones, specifically, will have the most significant impact on your self-improvement. Keep reading to find out.

1. Travel

Few things will open your eyes more broadly than travel. Visiting other countries, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures, traditions, and ways of life opens you up to the world. As a result, travel is an excellent activity to skyrocket your personal growth. Moreover, travelling can help reignite your creativity; it’s easy for life to become dull when you get stuck in a boring routine. This can nullify your inspiration, making you feel stiff and spiritless. 

However, travelling to an exotic location (even if it’s only for a short time) can reawaken that sense of wonder, inspiring you to new heights of creativity. After spending time traveling, don’t be surprised if you feel encouraged to take on new projects or make drastic changes to your life, such as switching careers, adopting a new hobby, moving to a different city, etc. 

Additional benefits to traveling include:

• Gives you time to recharge and disconnect
• Helps you develop independence and self-reliance
• Provides you with a sense of freedom
• Teaches you how to manage challenging situations
• Enables you to become more self-aware
• Allows you to develop new connections and friendships

Traveling offers you fresh experiences, new challenges, and an opportunity to grow with each destination you visit! For these reasons, it is among the best activities you can engage in to develop as a person.

“Often, it’s not about becoming a new person, but becoming the person you were meant to be, and already are, but don’t know how to be.” – Heath L. Buckmaster

2. Martial Arts

Many people hold inaccurate views when it comes to martial arts, believing it to be strictly used for fighting purposes. However, martial arts training (regardless of the chosen discipline) offers many advantages and serves numerous purposes far beyond the surface-level application of fighting. Yes, self-defense is a major benefit, but it doesn’t stop there.

Training martial arts can skyrocket your self-improvement by helping you:

• Become more focused and disciplined
• Gain control over your mind and master your emotions
• Develop assertiveness and self-confidence
• Get in shape and strengthen your body
• Learn to manage negative feelings
• Relieve stress and anxiety through physical activity
• And much more

As a vehicle for self-improvement, martial arts training is among the most effective activities. Why? It touches on so many facets of human development. For this reason, it’s one of the best things you can do to learn, grow, and become a better and more confident version of yourself. But you may wonder which martial arts discipline is best for you…

There is no one size fits all regarding this topic; everyone has their own tastes and preferences. However, here is a small list that can help you make that choice:

• Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ): BJJ is a grappling martial art. Based on the ground, it uses submissions, chokeholds, 
• Boxing: As one of the most common martial arts disciplines, boxing is a perfect entry into combat sports. It consists of two opponents—wearing protective equipment such as mouthguards, boxing gloves, and headgear—stepping into a ring and exchanging punches, otherwise known as strikes.
• MMA (Mixed Martial Arts): MMA incorporates various fighting styles into a single self-defense discipline. Using grappling and striking techniques from other combat sports, MMA has enjoyed a meteoric rise to become the most prominent and popular martial art in the world. 
• Taekwondo: This martial art is a Korean discipline mainly based on kicks. Taekwondo offers a very systematic approach to combat sports and is one of the more traditional martial arts you can choose from.

3. Public Speaking

Most people have an innate fear of public speaking. And it makes sense; being watched and judged by a group of strangers can be an intimidating experience. However, the fear naturally begins to subside once you get on stage a few times. And this is where the magic really happens because when you get passed the terror of stage fright, the world will start opening up to you in unprecedented ways. From a professional standpoint, public speaking is among the most lucrative, in-demand skill sets you can develop. 

And what’s more, it can easily be one of the most rewarding and growth-inducing activities in your personal life as well. Here are some additional ways becoming a strong public speaker can help skyrocket your personal growth:

• Gives you the ability to influence and persuade others
• Develops and strengthens your communication skills
• Helps cultivate qualities of leadership such as integrity, courage, respect, authenticity, enthusiasm, critical thinking, and more
• Allows you to develop meaningful relationships and connections 
• It can attract employment opportunities

If you’re interested in learning this essential life skill, visit a Toastmasters Club in your area. This organization will guide you through the process of developing your speaking skills. And you can then watch your personal and professional life improve as a direct result.