Wondering why personal growth is the key to happiness?

On some level, we know material possessions and limitless supplies of money won’t bring us sustainable happiness, though it sure looks a whole lot more appealing to buy our way into happiness, rather than work ourselves there through personal growth.

Personal growth can be a struggle. It isn’t as instant as buying a new outfit or a new car. Looking inward for answers instead of blaming or playing victim or seeking instant gratification isn’t always easy. Accepting your strengths, admitting your weaknesses and determining patterns in thinking and behavior takes courage. Accessing your desires and learning the skills to get out of your own way takes time and commitment. Being patient, not looking for quick fixes, yields happiness.

But challenge yields rewards. The struggle that leads to self-discovery is what life’s all about. It’s how we become who we were meant to become. It leads to confidence, deepened relationships, better decision making, and joy. It makes us happier.

Think about the lottery winner whose life is ruined by their riches. They thought money would solve their problems. Money only exaggerated their shortcomings, their problems. Or what about the person who believes any relationship is better than being alone? They ignore their gut and end up in devastating relationships much worse than being alone. How many people do you know who bide their time, wishing and waiting for a better job, a better spouse or better break? Why live life in a holding pattern waiting for happiness to appear? You can create lasting happiness at any age, at any stage.

Personal growth is what happens when we look inward for answers.

When we deepen our self-knowledge. When we learn to listen to our gut, determine how we want to live and build new patterns to get us there, we find happiness.

The key to happiness is an internal job. Waiting and reacting to life with no control over our future doesn’t make us happy. It makes us fearful, uncertain and bitter. Without control, we are left at the mercy of life, its trials, its tribulations. We are forced to be reactive, cleaning up the messes day after day without gaining traction, without security.

Personal growth means we are willing to do what it takes to be happy, even when things don’t go our way.

Don’t hand over your power to overwhelm, drama and meaningless pursuits. Don’t chase breaks. Don’t mindlessly seek quick fixes. Hold steady in a storm. Learn resiliency. You keep your eye on the end game (your conscious desires). Don’t let yourself become distracted by excuses, alibis or fears. Happiness is just around the corner.

Here are six reasons why personal growth is the key to happiness:

1. Personal growth will make you more resilient and better able to handle the blows that come with living. No one gets through life without disappointment, pain, and heartache. There is simply no way around it. But if you learn why certain things trigger you, if you learn to trust yourself, if you learn to see past the drama and the anger and the blame, you’ll see you can stand tall despite setbacks. You don’t have to play victim. You don’t have to give into rage or fear. You don’t have to wait around wondering when your world will implode. You will be too busy gaining strength, planning for the future and learning how to weather the storm. You will accept imperfections in yourself, in others and in life. You won’t need to be rigid. That will make you happy.
2. Personal growth allows you to better understand what you want in life, set goals and achieve them. When asked what they want in life, most people don’t know. If pressed, they may say riches or fame or security. Maybe freedom. Digging deep, examining what you truly want in life helps you clarify what exactly what you want in life. This gives you the opportunity to make conscious decisions to help you achieve those goals. If you don’t know very specifically what you want, you’ll be swept away by every whim and every sparkly dream or every excuse. Personal growth defines your true desires and helps you take the steps to achieve what you want in life. That will make you happy.
3. Personal growth gives you greater control in your life. No one likes feeling out of control, but so many of us see our relationships, our careers, our family lives as something out of our control. The truth is, while no one can control the outside forces of our lives, we can control every thought and every action. Knowing this leads to greater levels of happiness because we are no longer left to the mercy of the storms that sometimes engulf us. Think of someone who is wealthy, beautiful and fit, but is miserable. Now think of the poor soul who seemingly has nothing, but who radiates happiness. Thoughts and actions are choices. We can control those. That will make you happy.
4. Want to have happier relationships? Less strife? More love? Less bickering? Deeper trust? Don’t look to others to come and save the day. Look inward. Personal growth allows you to discover how and why you do what you do in relationships, whether personal, romantic or even relationships at work. Figure out your own stuff, your own pain points, what you can (and cannot tolerate) and why. You’ll be better equipped to listen, respond and communicate with others and control your actions. Look inward and you’ll see a sea of clues as to what makes you tick. You’ll bring your best self to your relationships at home, at work or in life. Less anger, less doubt, less mistrust, less pleasing, less self-sabotage means more empowerment. That will make you happy.
5. Personal growth is key to learning to handle stress better. Instead of living in overwhelm, look inward. When you spend time focusing on yourself, your desires, your past patterns and your future goals, you can more easily determine what is deserving of your energy and your attention. Feeling swept away by every current is stressful. Living consciously, making deliberate decisions that bring you closer to your goals (not further away from them) reduces stress. Learning to give yourself permission to not attend every drama and learning to trust yourself with time management and lifestyle choices reduces stress. Less stress will make you happier.
6. Personal growth makes you healthier. Less stress, deeper peace, more meaningful relationships and clarity lend themselves to a healthier you. Less stress, for instance, can improve heart health or digestive issues. Looking inward, clearing your self-sabotaging patterns and excuses make way for the persistence it takes to make healthier lifestyle choices Discovering what you’re made of, committing to changes in diet or exercise is easier when you are focused on an end goal when you trust yourself and you have a plan. When you commit to growing into your best self, when you see the progress in other areas of your life, healthier choices seem less daunting and more achievable. That will make you happier.

Personal growth isn’t woo-woo or self-centered. Understanding why personal growth is the key to happiness is the first step to achieving lasting happiness.

I’m T-Ann Pierce, a transformational life, and mindset coach, who helps her clients learn the skills to live happier lives. If you still have questions about how to use personal growth to be happier at home and at work, contact me at 847.730.7531 or drop me a note at https://t-annpierce.com/contact-me/.