Life

3 Simple Activities Proven to Skyrocket Your Personal Growth

The more you develop and improve yourself, the better your life becomes as a direct

Published

2 years ago

May 11, 2023

Alex Brown

Image Credit: Midjourney

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.

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Alex Brown

Alex Brown is a self-improvement writer who specializes in health & fitness, goal setting, self-discipline, and high-quality living. His work draws from his personal experiences in self-improvement and goal achievement and encompasses how to become the best version of yourself.

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Life

How Learning the Skill of Hope Can Change Everything

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life

Published

2 weeks ago

Jan 6, 2025

Daniel Bell

Image Credit: Midjourney

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life.

Wishful thinking, on the other hand, is like having dreams in the sky without a ladder to climb, having a destination without a map, or trying to operate a jet-engine airplane without instructions. It sounds nice but is impossible to realize. You don’t have what you need to make it happen!

What Real Hope Is

Real hope is actionable, practical, and realistic. Better yet, it’s feasible and can be learned.

One popular approach is Hope Theory. This concept is used by colleges to study how hope impacts students’ academic performance. Researchers found that students with high levels of hope achieve better grades and are more likely to graduate compared to those with less hope.

Hope can be broken down into two components:

Pathways – The “how to” of hope. This is where people think of and establish plans for achieving their goals.
Agency – The “I can” of hope. This is the belief that the person can accomplish their goals.

Does Hope Really Work?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, hope as a noun is defined as: “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.”

As humans, we are wired to crave fulfillment. We have the ability to envision it and, through hope, make it a reality.

My Experience with Hope

For 13 years, I was a hopeless human. During my time working at a luxury hotel as a front desk agent earning $11.42 per hour, I felt the sting of hopelessness the most.

The regret of feeling my time was being stolen from me lingered every time I clocked in. Eventually, I decided to do something about it.

I gave myself permission to hope for something better. I began establishing pathways to success and regained agency by learning from self-help books and seeking mentorship.

Because I took action toward something I desired, I now feel more hope and joy than I ever felt hopelessness. Hope changed me.

Hope Actually Improves Your Life

Wishful thinking doesn’t work, and false hope is equally ineffective. Real hope, however, is directly tied to success in all areas of life.

Studies show that hopeful people tend to:

Demonstrate better problem-solving skills
Cultivate healthier relationships
Maintain stronger motivation to achieve goals
Exhibit better work ethic
Have a positive outlook on life

These benefits can impact work life, family life, habit-building, mental health, physical health, and spiritual practice. Imagine how much better your life could be by applying real hope to all these areas.

How to Develop the Skill to Hope

As acclaimed French writer Jean Giono wrote in The Man Who Planted Trees:
“There are also times in life when a person has to rush off in pursuit of hopefulness.”

If you are at one of those times, here are ways to develop the skill to hope:

1. Dream Again

To cultivate hope, you need to believe in its possibility. Start by:

Reflecting on what you’re passionate about, your values, and what you want to achieve.
Writing your dreams down, sharing them with someone encouraging, or saying them out loud.
Creating a vision board to make your dreams feel more tangible.

Dreams are the foundation of hope—they give you something meaningful to aspire toward.

2. Create an Environment of Hope

Set Goals: Write down your goals and create a plan to achieve them.
Visualize Success: Use inspirational quotes, photos, or tools like dumbbells or canvases to remind yourself of your goals.
Build a Resource Library: Collect books, eBooks, or audiobooks about hope and success to inspire you.

An environment that fosters hope will keep you motivated, resilient, and focused.

3. Face the Challenges

Don’t avoid challenges—overcoming them builds confidence. Participating in challenging activities, like strategic games, can enhance your problem-solving skills and reinforce hope.

4. Commit to Wisdom

Seek wisdom from those who have achieved what you aspire to. Whether through books, blogs, or social media platforms, learn from their journeys. Wisdom provides the foundation for real, actionable hope.

5. Take Note of Small Wins

Reflecting on past victories can fuel your hope for the future. Ask yourself:

What challenges have I already overcome?
How did I feel when I succeeded?

By remembering those feelings of happiness, relief, or satisfaction, your brain will naturally adopt a more hopeful mindset.

Conclusion

Hope is more than wishful thinking—it’s a powerful skill that can transform your life. By dreaming again, creating a hopeful environment, facing challenges, seeking wisdom, and celebrating small wins, you can develop the real hope necessary for success in all aspects of life.

Let hope guide you toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Life

The 5 Stages of a Quarter-Life Crisis & What You Can Do

A quarter-life crisis isn’t a sign you’ve lost your way; it’s a sign you’re fighting for a life that’s truly yours.

Published

4 weeks ago

Dec 27, 2024

CT Dool

Image Credit: Midjourney

The quarter-life crisis is a well-defined set of stages—Trapped, Checking Out, Separation, Exploration, Rebuilding—one goes through in breaking free from feelings of meaninglessness, lack of fulfillment, and misalignment with purpose. I detail the stages and interweave my story below. (more…)

Life

Here’s The Thing About Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

Stop hoarding and start sharing your knowledge and wealth for the benefit of humankind

Published

2 months ago

Nov 21, 2024

M.S. Rao

Image Credit: Midjourney

Few people have the habit of hoarding their wealth without spending. However, it limits their motivation as they tend to get into their comfort zones. When people start spending money, then there will be depletion in their coffers. (more…)