1. Become your own best cheerleader. Learning to value yourself in spite of all the negativity you’ve internalised won’t be easy-but it is possible, and it is worthwhile.
2. A life without systems is a life where the person must start every day from scratch.
3. Painful experiences can propel growth. When we start dreaming big and raking risks, we inevitably start to dare more and fail harder. Instead of feeling like a victim, we can ask ourselves how this painful experience can help us grow. If everything keeps going well, we’ll never have that urgent motivation to grow. Painful experiences call forth our natural creativity and innovation. So while our instinct might be to run away from pain, there’s a lot to be gained by facing it head on.
4. Focus on developing inner character, and external success will follow. You are at the source of everything you do. If you don’t develop good character, through traits like honesty and integrity, then everything you build will have a foundation of quicksand. Real character is something you can consciously develop. Focusing on developing yourself from the inside out, not just from the outside in. Add up what you pay for clothing, makeup, and hair appointments. Then channel some of that money into activities that enrich your emotional health and soul. It could be going to a coaching session, listening to opera, or attending an inspirational seminar. Make it a priority to feed your inner life as much as you do your outer. To develop real character, always be open to criticism.. Instead of resisting negative feedback, see it as a gift. After all, someone else is taking the time to clue you in to your own weaknesses.

‘Borrowed beliefs have no passion, therefore no power.’

John C. Maxwell

6. To win, you have to accept loss. All growth involves loss in the form of trade-offs.

7. To really grow, you need to contribute to others. Making sure that we’re not only taking support, but also thinking about how to give it to others. Using your skills for good will not only be beneficial to the world; it will give you new insight into what you’re capable of.

8. Combine your biggest, wildest dreams with practical daily actions.

9. What will fulfil you? The answer to that is unique. It’s specific to your personality, your values, and your dreams. In order to identify it, you need to observe yourself closely. Notice when something makes you ‘light up’, moves you, or gets you especially excited.

10. An achievable dream should line up with your talents and capabilities.

11. Ask yourself: Why do you want to do it?

12. (The author’s favourite) The thing about motivation is that it comes with action, not before it. You have to start working on your personal growth in order to get the motivation to continue.

13. To be successful, you need to ask for help. This is especially important for author personally. Others have struggled along the path before you, and they can support you.

14. Surround yourself with people who are as committed to growth as you are. The people around you will have a big influence on your success. Seek out people in your network who are curious, humble, and hungry to learn. When you’ve found them, ask them to hold you accountable in setting and meeting goals that will get you closer to your dream. Having to answer to other people is a powerful motivation for getting things done. Studying the people who are doing what you want to do is one of the best ways to learn.

15. Remind yourself that it’s normal to make mistakes and that you’re courageous for taking risks.

16. Stop comparing yourself to other people. Your journey is uniquely yours, and what other people do is just a distraction. You’re the only one you need to compare yourself to. Make sure that you are living according to your own goals and values-nobody else’s!

17. Real growth is slow, incremental, and often frustrating. It involves doing small actions every day in pursuit of your ambitions. To be able to keep going when you can’t see any immediate progress requires a lot of patience and stubborn discipline.

18. Start valuing the process of learning rather than just its eventual outcomes. Learning and growing are exciting themselves! If you look at some of the brightest minds, you’ll find they’re the most curious. No matter how much knowledge they have, they ‘re always eager to know more and are humble enough to keep asking questions.

19. The bigger and more impressive the vision, the more time it will take to accomplish.

20. (Important to author) Hard work and busyness in themselves aren’t enough to propel us to where we want to go; to really be successful, we need to strategise and develop everyday systems that help us achieve our goals.

21. Set aside time to reflect on the steps you’ve been taking to grow and achieve your dreams. Keep evaluating how well your systems are working. What measurable results would you like to see after a few weeks or months?

22. Value your specific character- if being creative is what makes you feel most alive, then taking a job where you just implement other people’s plans won’t make you satisfied.

23. If you’re a leader, you can contribute to the well-being of your employees by creating the kind of work environment you always wished you’d had. Model good leadership that other people can watch and learn from.

24. Complacency is the enemy of personal growth.