My 13 Powerful Lessons On Personal Growth and Self-Improvement 🪴
Issue #68: My Favorite Tips For Personal Growth. An Emoji Shortcut for Mac. Don't be Information Junkie.
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💡 Here are 3-tips to help you learn, grow, and be inspired this week!
🎓 Learn
As part of my recent 37th birthday reflection, I’m sharing a few of the big life lessons that shaped my peaceful growth journey.
In past issues, I shared:
In this issue, I’ll share my 13 life lessons on Personal Growth and Self-Improvement:
#1: Nap is the Coffee without any Side Effects
I love coffee, but it can have side effects.
Studies show that a 15 to 20-minute nap can provide the same (and more) benefits of coffee without any negative effects.
Here are a few tips to help you get better at power napping
#2: Be a Thermostat, not a Thermometer!
A thermometer only shows the temperature, while a thermostat regulates it to the desired level.
Don't be the person who only complains about problems.
Be the one who suggests solutions and takes action to solve them.
#3: Aim for 1% Better Every Day
As high-performers, naturally, we like big and ambitious goals and plans. Some of us might succeed by following this path, but we will burn out and quit eventually.
It’s not sustainable. I tried multiple times. So, now I turned to “1% better every day” goal.
Now, I take small, simple, and consistent actions toward all the areas of my life in which I want to grow.
Example:
20 pushups every day for health
30 minutes of reading every day to learn and grow.
30 mins Meditation every day.
15 mins of Yoga every day.
That’s the key to peaceful growth.
#4: To Start: Act First and Think Later. To Scale: Think First and Act Later
When you are starting something new, learn by action.
Don’t waste too much time on planning and strategizing.
There is not much to lose in the early stage of your career or business.
Once you build a strong foundation and want to grow more, focus on the right strategies first and then execute them well.
#5: Experiences > Things
We're all going to die.
You can't bring THINGS to your grave.
Travel.
Get lost in nature.
Spend money on adventures.
Go on meditation and spiritual retreats.
#6: Journey over Destination
Consider those who embark on a hike to Mount Everest.
Months of preparation are dedicated to the journey.
They are on the trail hiking for several days.
While the time spent at the peak amounts to only a few minutes or hours.
Similarly, in work and life, the process and experiences along the way hold greater significance than the ultimate destination.
Embrace and savor the journey, for that is where personal growth and fulfillment lie.
#7: Write
Writing serves as an outlet for:
Expressing emotions.
Gaining clarity of thoughts.
Connecting with like-minded individuals (It acts as a magnet, attracting those who resonate with your words)
Writing has the power to create a lasting legacy, as people will remember and read your work even after you're gone.
#8: There is Great Competition at the Ordinary Level, but there is almost None at the Extraordinary Level
In everyday life, many people compete for ordinary achievements, making it a crowded and challenging space.
However, if you dare to reach for the extraordinary, the competition significantly reduces.
Only a few are willing to push beyond the norm and pursue greatness.
(Ordinary) Striving to be an average student in a large classroom → (Extraordinary) Becoming a leading researcher in a specialized field.
(Ordinary) Running a local neighborhood store among many others → (Extraordinary) Establishing a globally recognized brand with unique products.
(Ordinary) Pursuing a regular fitness routine without specific goals → (Extraordinary) Training to compete in a world-class athletic championship.
#9: Honesty > Smartness
We often hide our mistakes because we don't want to seem dumb.
You might think, "If I admit this, people will think I'm not smart."
But here's the deal: honesty is more valuable than appearing smart.
A year from now, people may forget your mistake, but they won't forget if you were dishonest.
Take Mahatma Gandhi, for example. He openly admitted to making several big mistakes in his life. But what do people remember about him?
His "Satyagraha," which stands for honesty and truthfulness.
So, when you're caught in a choice between appearing smart and being honest, always pick honesty.
It's a long-term win.
#10: All Change is HARD at First, MESSY in the Middle, and Gorgeous at the End
#11: Don’t punish 95% of the Good People because of 5% Bad People
We introduce and enforce several rules in work and life to discourage certain behaviors.
Most of the time, there are less than 5% of people who want to take advantage of you, but we end up punishing the other 95% of good people.
Instead, focus on your energy to find and eliminate this 5% of bad actors so you can have a more trusting relationship with the remaining 95% of good people.
I use this rule:
Drafting our company policy
Teamwork and communication
Building more trusting relationships with friends, family, and relatives.
#12: Read Something Every Day
Reading helped me:
Scaled my business to 275x in 13 years.
Improving the quality of my thoughts and actions.
Grow more intellectually and spiritually.
Increased my productivity and efficiency.
Achieved better Work-Life balance.
Read Something Every Day: Book, Blog, Newsletter!
#13: Knowledge is not a Power; it’s just a Potential Power
Don’t let your mind fool you with the consumption of information as an act of being “productive”.
High-performers also thrive in integrating these learnings into their life and work goals.
The true power of knowledge comes to reality when you take action.
Thrive to be a creator, not just a consumer of information.
🚀 Growth Tip
In this issue, I’m sharing this tip that will help you to add emojis quickly and easily anywhere in any apps that you use on Mac. (This tip is for Mac users)
Check out this Twitter thread if you want to learn my other favorite Mac keyboard shortcuts to improve productivity.
🤩 Inspire
Don’t be just an information collector.
Take Actions. Create. Share.
See you next week for more incredible tips to keep growing and succeeding!
May the Peaceful Growth be with you! 🪴