10 Ways to Grow as a Person This Year

Want to grow as a person and better yourself this year? Think you don’t have time to learn a new skill or break a bad habit? Take a look at these 10 small ways to grow and learn. They are painless, but practical!

1. Learn something new. If you want to learn a new skill, make a list of five new things you’d like to be better at, and spend ten minutes a day researching your topics of interest. Watch YouTube tutorials, take an online class, or read, read, read. Your insight will accumulate faster than you realize in ten minutes a day. Be a life-long learner!
2. Journal your thoughts to replace negative thought patterns.  If you find yourself day dreaming, journal your thoughts for a day. Jot down your thoughts as you become aware of them, good or bad. Then evaluate. If your thoughts tend to settle in the “negative” more than the “positive” take note of that. Thought patterns are feeding you and changing you and they can be changed.  If you find you’re obsessing over problems, someone you don’t like, worrying about things you have no control over,  or second guessing others motives, work to replace your unhealthy/unloving/negative thoughts with constructive ones. Bad habits can change over time. Remember Philippians 4:8 is not optional.
3. To break a bad habit, pin a safety pin to your sleeve, or use a hair elastic on your wrist and switch it to the other side each time you “slip up.” It will make you more aware and you’ll stop more quickly. (especially if you you accidentally poke yourself with the safety pin! Ask me how I know. LOL)
4. Mimic a high quality friend. Seek out a friend who has a quality you’d like to grow in, and ask them to tell you what they know. Need to learn to speak wisely? Patiently? Graciously? Look for that person and ask to pick their brain. Most people are happy to share and are usually flattered that you noticed something positive about them. Walk with the wise!
5. Stay away from people who you DON’T want to be like. There are times when you can’t completely write off miserable people (like, you work with them or go to school with them) but you don’t have to spend your discretionary time with them. Since you tend to become like the people you spend time with, spend your time wisely.
6. Talk to a variety of people from different circles, cultures, and age groups.  You’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn from the experiences of others. You’ll increase in empathy. You’ll gain appreciation for them as people and you may even form a new friendship.
7. Do one good deed a day.  Ask yourself, “Who could use my kindness today?” and then pray that God would bring someone to mind. It could be a note, a call, a meal, a visit, an iced coffee dropped off as you run by. If you feel lonely at all, this is a remedy. It doesn’t have to take all day. It can just be a thoughtful five minutes. You’ll be amazed how after prayer, people will say, “Thank you so much. The Lord knew this was exactly what I needed!”
8. Own your life. Look around at your surroundings. What do you like? What don’t you like. Change what you can!  Is the clutter driving you crazy? Corral it? Is your kitchen blah? Simple pops of color can beautify a space: a bowl of colorful lemons, a few flowers, a bright breakfast cloth. What can you change to make it more pleasant? How can you add beauty? Manipulate your environment and take charge of the way you live.
9. Spend more time face-to-face with loved ones than you do online. Be present. You don’t want your kids to remember you as the mom looking down at her phone and too distracted to make eye contact with them.
10. Live with the end in mind. Make a list of the things you’ll care about at the end of your life. Work backwards from there to make those things priorities.