What Is Personal Growth?
I’ve read many self-improvement books because I’ve been focused on becoming a better person for a long time. It’s a question I constantly think about: How can I improve myself every day? So, it’s only natural that I’ve read quite a few books to learn about personal growth.
Through my diligent reading – I have found out that the following three authors are helpful for me to understand the importance of personal growth in one’s daily life: Napoleon Hill, Robin Sharma, and Jhon C. Maxwell; even so, Paulo Coelho is my favorite one. His writing style is so simple, and his books have touched my heart deeply. I have devoured his every single word to improve myself and learn the most important thing in one’s life: Personal legend. Here is what I think about personal growth:
- Understand who you truly are.
- Figure out your purpose in this life.
- You ought to do only one thing daily: Focus on your dreams.
- Read many books to improve yourself daily.
- Practice your skills assiduously for your mission in this life.
Why Is Personal Growth So Important?
Personal growth is extremely important to all of us. If we do not improve ourselves daily, it is tantamount to wasting our time on our brief sojourns to this planet. Without this dedication, life remains stagnant and perpetually boring. It is your duty to enjoy your life every single day since life is an extremely short journey, and daily personal growth is the key to enjoying your life maximum on this delightful earth.
When you begin improving yourself daily for your dreams, you’ll discover happiness and come to realize that each day brings its own set of miracles and opportunities. And on top of it all, you will wake up with too much excitement, for you have an important mission in your life: Improving yourself to achieve your goals.
Henry Miller said enlighteningly, “In growth, there is pain and struggle; in accomplishment, there is joy and exuberance; in fulfillment, there is peace and serenity. Between the planes and spheres of existence, terrestrial and superterrestrial, there are ladders and lattices. The one who mounts sings. He is made drunk and exalted by unfolding vistas. He ascends sure-footedly, thinking not of what lies below, should he slip and lose his grasp, but of what lies ahead. Everything lies ahead. The way is endless, and the farther one reaches, the more the road opens up. The bogs and quagmires, the marshes and sinkholes, the pits and snares are all in the mind. They lurk in waiting, ready to swallow one up the moment one ceases to advance. The phantasmal world is the world that has not been fully conquered. It is the world of the past, never of the future. To move forward clinging to the past is like dragging a ball and chain. The prisoner is not the one who has committed a crime but the one who clings to his crime and lives it over and over. We are all guilty of crime, the great crime of not living life to the full. But we are all potentially free. We can stop dwelling on our past failures and instead focus on what lies within our grasp. The extent of our capabilities remains largely unexplored, and it is only when we acknowledge the paramount role of imagination that we will come to understand their infinite nature. Imagination is the voice of daring. If there is anything God-like about God, it is that. He dared to imagine everything.”
FROM NOW ON, YOU MUST DO THE FOLLOWING THINGS:
STOP THINKING OF WHAT YOU HAVE FAILED TO DO AND START IMPROVING YOURSELF EVERY SINGLE DAY TO FULFILL YOUR PRIVATE DESTINY.
Importance of Admitting One’s Ignorance
Every single day has opportunities to improve yourself, so don’t miss them. If you feel embarrassed to admit your ignorance in public, stop feeling embarrassed forthwith. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on opportunities for self-improvement and the chance to broaden your horizons in everyday life. Teachers are all around us if we closely observe daily life. I am willing to admit my ignorance so that I can learn new things and improve myself in daily life. I just hate to miss opportunities to improve myself that daily life can offer us because of silly pride.
Here is an excerpt about this topic from Mexican Rhapsody: Having a Second Chance:
Mr. Virgin always pretended to know everything under the sun despite the fact that he did not know anything. He did not know who Strindberg was or any great writers but knew of only a few Japanese writers. Unfortunately, he could not admit his ignorance due to a small guy’s pride. I have met a number of Japanese arrogant jackasses who behave exactly like him all my life. Japanese people are extremely narrow-minded creatures and live in their small world without rhyme or reason. And on top of it all, they are unforgivably vainglorious creatures. They always want to show off themselves as better than they actually are; they never admit their ignorance. The biggest problem for them is that they are very insecure. As a result, they cannot admit their ignorance openly; they are ashamed of asking questions to learn something new. The most embarrassing thing for the Japanese is to admit their ignorance in public. For me, I do not understand such ludicrous pride. I am willing to admit my ignorance so that I am able to learn new things and improve myself in daily life. In fact, my friends, my friends’ parents, and even total strangers have become my teachers along the way. Because of silly pride, the majority of Japanese have lost opportunities to improve themselves and expand their horizon. Every time I see vainglorious Japanese cockroaches that pretend to be aloof, I am blushed by shame. As a matter of fact, Mr. Virgin had never read any books except weekly video game magazines at the office. He was a thirty-year-old virgin – he played video games all day on his day-offs. Dostoevsky once said, “He thinks that he knows everything; in truth, he does not know anything.” Mr. Virgin was the epitome of a Japanese vainglorious muttonhead, and I was very sorry for that.
Never Stop Improving Yourself
Please never stop improving yourself. Personal growth is very important for you to enjoy your life to the fullest. It’s a good thing to improve yourself to feel alive each day. And I really don’t understand why people stop improving themselves while they have time to do so. Unfortunately, I’ve seen so many people who stop improving themselves after graduating from university; I don’t comprehend why they voluntarily stop improving themselves.
Lifelong learning is the key to realizing your dreams, so why not willingly continue enhancing yourself? It’s advisable to persistently work on self-improvement each day for your own benefit. I would like to finish this song with a conversation that I had with a stranger once upon a time in Mexico (From Mexican Rhapsody: Having a Second Chance).
To my great amazement, a total stranger is standing right before my eyes as large as life when I come back to the world from the excursion of my childhood. No sooner than he recognizes that I begin noticing his presence, he starts the ball rolling by catechizing, “Excuse me, I hope I’m not disturbing you. Are you Japanese by chance?”
His face is shining benevolence with a traditional Mexican mustache. I am startled by his sudden appearance and helplessly captivated by his honorable mustache. I cannot keep my eyes off his sovereign mustache and respond by looking at it dizzyingly, “Yes, I am.”
“It’s rare to meet Japanese in Mexico City. May I ask what you’re doing in a strange land?”
“I’m writing a book,” I replied laconically.
He is tickling his mustache and says delightedly, “Hm… It’s fascinating. It’s rare to meet a writer in Mexico City, to boot. What a heavenly coincidence! I am, too, a humble servant of God – I am a poet. May I have a seat next to you?”
“Go ahead. Please have a seat,” I say, smiling.
He sits down on the bench, takes his cap off, caresses his hair backwardly, puts it back on his head, and inquires, “Where do you live?”
“I’m living in La Condesa with a Mexican friend, who has been offering me to stay at his apartment for gratis so that I can focus on writing. Other Mexican friends are helping me as well.”
“You don’t say!” he exclaims, his mustache seems upward.
Pause.
“It’s a miracle because it’s difficult for us to find good friends nowadays. We can’t trust anybody these days, unfortunately. What is wrong with people? Anyway, I’m astonished to know that you have such great friends who are willing to succor you. You’re a fortunate man.”
I am nodding gladly.
“By the way, you’ve told me that you’re writing a book, so have you ever published any books so far?” he queries curiously.
“No, I haven’t published any books yet. This is my first earnest attempt to write a book. And I’m proud to announce that I’ve already completed writing my first book.”
“Wonder to hear that!” he offers me a handshake. “May I ask you how long you’ve been writing?”
“I’ve been writing for a good nine years. To tell the truth, I could not write anything for over eight years despite my earnest striving. However, I believed someday I could write in spite of the fact that everybody thought I was incurably lost.”
He looks at me with wondering eyes and remarks, “What a staunch heart you have!” His mustache is vibrating from too much excitement.
He falls to thinking for a while and carries on, “You have incredible faith in yourself. Such a powerful faith like yours can change the world, I guess. By the way, it’s hard for me to believe that you didn’t give up. Only a few people have the guts to go through such hellish, long, abortive periods. I admire your courage to the heavens. You know, I’m an engineer and fifty-seven years old now. I began studying philosophy and psychology three years ago. I’ve been reading Kant, Aristotle, Plato, Nietzsche, Spengler, Schopenhauer, Spinoza, Bergson, Freud, Jung, etc. Why? Because I want to understand human beings and the meaning of life. Besides, I want to improve myself. It’s a good thing to improve oneself, you know. I don’t understand why people stop improving themselves when they have time to do so. Like you, I’m a dreamer in my heart. I’ve been writing poems for years. My family always encourages me to publish them; nevertheless, Mexico has fewer serious readers than other countries. It’s our culture, I admit. Mexican people prefer to read entertainment books than serious books, such as literature, poetry, philosophy, etc. As a result, it’s difficult for me to find a publisher here. But I’ll try to publish my poems even if nobody reads them. I love depicting human emotions and feelings. I really love writing poems. I’m not writing them for money but for my sheer pleasure!”
Here, I cannot refrain myself anymore and divulge, “Yes, I thoroughly understand you. Likewise, I’ve been obsessed with improving myself for years. I’ve seen so many Japanese who stop improving themselves after graduating from university; I don’t comprehend why they voluntarily stop improving themselves. Unfortunately, they’ve busied making money and forgot essential things, such as improving themselves, having new experiences, trying to understand their purpose for life on earth, and so on.”
“You’ve knocked me over. You definitely have your unique thoughts and diligently walk on your own private destiny. You’re still young and yet possess a solid determination. I’m decidedly inspired. By the way, would you like to read one of my poems?”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
“I don’t have them on me right now. But I can bring them tomorrow. Why don’t we meet again tomorrow?” he suggests, stroking his almighty mustache with his right thumb.
“I wish I could; I’m going to Playa Del Carmen tomorrow. I have another friend there to invite me to stay at his apartment.”
“You’re truly a confounded man. I’m quite overwhelmed. You have another great friend in Playa Del Carmen waiting for you to boot. You have to thank God, you know, for being born under such a lucky star. Not everybody is fortunate enough to have such great friends.”
Pause.
“Anyway, I should go because my wife is waiting for me at home. I truly hope I can see you again. I always saunter around the park after 6:00 p.m. Please come here again when you return from Playa Del Carmen. I’ll check some information about Mexican publishers for you. I hope I can give you some good news next time I see you. And also, I’d like to discuss my poems with you. It’s been sensational to meet you. Thanks for the peachy chat,” he stands up and offers me a cordial handshake.
“Pleasure is all mine. Thanks for a great time. I hope you’ll find a home for your poems shortly.”
“Thanks for the inspiration. I’ll compose a poem tonight. So long!” he walks away, fondling the left edge of his splendid mustache.
I have never seen anything like that in my life. What a majestic mustache he possesses! It seems to me that his mustache corresponds to his emotion as though it were alive. Anyway, I have to go back to the apartment to be packing for tomorrow. By Jove, he has the monumental mustache!
