Use These Five Truths for Personal Growth To Erase Doubt and Produce Results!

In this hyper-information age you'll find both sides of the discussion about personal growth. You can read about staying the course and keeping your nose to the grindstone. Conversely, there are pages about life being hard, and it isn't as easy as the "self-help gurus make it seem." We won't pick a side, but instead, we'll offer five truths for personal growth.

Truth is something that cuts through the debate and the confusion. It doesn't always solve everything, because as you've read in other pages on our website, intent must be paired with action to solve things. In this page we'll give you a handful of ideas to consider. We'll offer some of our own experiences, both good and bad and you can decide how best to use what you read in your own life.

Five Truths For Personal Growth

We're drawing the framework for this page listing five truths for personal growth from a great little book by Steve Maraboli. We highly recommend it. The first truth is one that haunted me for years. There was a time when I was deeply wounded by an organization that touts itself as something above such things. My days were consumed with reliving that past, to the point where I was almost non-functional except for very mundane, effortless activities.

So many "ghosts of lost opportunities" surrounded me. It took grasping the wisdom of this first of five truths for personal growth to begin to get me out of that funk.

Maraboli book

"Truth #1: Today is the only day in which we have any power."

Yeah, life is hard and sometimes lonely. Begin with understanding this first truth and then add in the direction of the second truth and you will move forward. That isn't speculation. It's fact because I lived it. If I can overcome living in the past and fearing the future, all of you certainly can do so and do it better.

Steve Maraboli writes, "There are two days in every week that we need not worry about. While they remain the most popular days to stress over and the most anxiety and fear inducing days, the also remain the days in which you have absolutely no power.

One of those days is yesterday, with all its mistakes and worries, it's highs and lows, its aches and pains... We cannot undo a single thing that happened. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible problems, its burdens, its dreams and nightmares. Tomorrow is a day we have yet to touch, it's beyond our control... I'm not saying it's wrong to plan for the future. I'm warning not to make today a victim of those plans...

Do not allow your spirit to be softened or your happiness to be limited by a day you cannot have back and a day that does not yet exist."

It's interesting that he writes "your spirit." A simple thing that helped me get out of my death spiral was saying this when my mind wandered back to a dark spot. "Don't let the demons in." Hopefully something like that will help you if you're in a similar spot. And then recognize the importance of number two on our list of five truths for personal growth.

Truth #2: Your Agreement with Reality Defines Your Life.

Bad stuff does happen. Some worse than others, and I'm not suggesting just adding positive thoughts can erase bad things. But I am stating from personal experience, allowing bad stuff to create a victim mentality will lead you to a misguided reality. I was in that spot.

Steve Maraboli writes, "Some people see a stumbling block and some see a stepping stone. Which is true? BOTH. It depends on that person's agreement with reality. If they define it as a stumbling block, then that's what it will be and they will struggle with it. If they define it as a stepping stone, then that is what it will be and they'll succeed...

If an individual has a victim mentality, their agreement with reality is one that will see a stumbling block and when it keeps them from succeeding they will say, 'You see, I knew I couldn't do it.' Or 'I knew something would go wrong.' They will validate their agreement with reality and it will define their life."

That was me in a nutshell. My days were filled with agonizing thoughts of the past and my agreement with reality keep me in self-imposed bondage to that past. But there is hope. We can get over it. Expectations and intent are the beginning, but they need action to get things moving. And soon you'll be following number three of the five steps for personal growth.

Truth #3: There is a Difference Between Believing and Knowing.

Steve Maraboli writes, "If you believe you can, you might. If you know you can, you will. The word belief implies question. By definition there is a degree of uncertainty. Think about it, if you believe with certainty, then you wouldn't say, 'I believe', you would say, 'I know'...

When you come to understand this truth and apply it to your agreement with reality, the improvement in your ability and likelihood to succeed is immeasurable...

I'm reminded of a story I once read about a community...

Several years ago, a small farming community was experiencing a terrible drought. The leaders of the community called a prayer meeting in hope of everyone attending and holding a group prayer for rain. One man was in attendance with his small son. As everyone was praying, the small boy reached up and tugged his father's shirt to ask, 'Daddy, what is everyone doing?' The man explained that everyone was praying for rain and they believed it would help. The father went back to his prayer.

The boy looked around for a few more minutes and was puzzled. He tugged again on his dad's shirt and asked, 'Daddy, if everyone is here to pray for rain, and they believe it will happen, why didn't anyone bring an umbrella?"

Believing you can change is a start, but when you embrace each day with thanks for that day, when you change your reality about what you can achieve, and when you go from believing to knowing, you'll be ready to make big, powerful changes.

Truth #4: Change is the Parent of Progress.

We're either green and growing or ripe and rotting. I can attest that victim mentality locks us in the latter description and those ghosts of missed opportunities will be coming.

I won't deceive you by writing here that negative thoughts and painful reminders don't creep back into my mind from time to time. They do. That's why I have to tell myself to not let the demons back in.

My reality has changed to the point that I am not a victim any longer. They won't control my thoughts any more, so they have no power over my future and won't ruin the day I can use to do good things.

Steve Maraboli writes, " If you think about it, it is ridiculous to do the same thing over and over again and expect something to change. But how many of us have done this? How many of us continue to do this?...It's time for a change! Today you have an opportunity to align your actions with your goals...The formula is simple, do something different and you'll get something different."

All of these five truths for personal growth are important, but for me, number four was the most "life-changing." That's because I wanted something different so I had to change what I was thinking and doing.

green and growing

Truth #5: Your Actions Must Reflect Your Goals.

If you are struggling with goals, we can help with that as you'll read in the next section. The key here is all about putting together the first four truths for personal growth. Responsible adults take action. Accountable citizens accept the results of those actions and change the bad actions.

Steve Maraboli writes, " When it comes to success, change, achievement, and living your purpose, Intent is vital. Because of this, intent is often given 100% of the credit for success, change, and the 'manifestation' of the ideal life. In this thought process, an unfortunate casualty is an equally vital but less popular component of life achievement, Action...

Only when your intent and actions are in alignment can you create the reality you deserve. While intent is the seed of manifestation, action is the water that nourishes the seed. Your actions must reflect your goals in order to achieve true success."

Closing Thoughts

Embrace these five truths for personal growth. All of the editors on this website can attest to their validity. We have different backgrounds but we all know these five steps will work. We can only control today. What will we do with those 24 hours?

Bad stuff only controls us when we give it the power to do so. Change our agreement with reality and our future will improve. Keep the demons of the past out of your mind.

Move forward from believing you can do great things to knowing it is true. The pages on our website are here to help you move past believing to knowing you are worthy of success.

Change what we do. If we want something different, we need to do something different. Maybe that means better agreements with reality. Maybe it means finding our purpose?

Take action! Good thoughts are nice. Noble intentions are laudable. So what are you doing to make them reality? 

You are worthy of every success you envision. Our world is in need of your immense talents. Follow these five truths for personal growth and lift up the people around you!

Return to Leadership and Self Development 

Return to Home Page

Privacy Policy