We all want to grow, and we all occasionally feel as though we’re stuck in a rut and going nowhere.
The good news is that there’s a decent chance that you’re growing as a person even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Don’t believe me? Here’s proof.
Let’s take a look at ten signs that you’re growing as a person.
1) You’re taking responsibility for yourself
If you want to grow as a person, you need to first take responsibility for yourself and make a commitment to growing.
That can sound scary, but it doesn’t have to be.
It all starts with a single intention, that of wanting to grow and to become a better person. The simple act of having that intention and making it your own responsibility will be enough for you to start growing.
Simply put, you have to want to grow and you have to turn that desire into concrete action. If you hold yourself responsible for that growth, the rest will follow.
So take a look at your own sense of accountability. If you’ve got that going on, then you’re already growing, even if you don’t feel like you are.
2) Your hobbies and interests are changing
Speaking of things that follow, if you hold yourself responsible for personal growth, you’ll naturally start to try new things. Some of them will suck, but there’ll be plenty of others that you’ll love.
Over time, you’ll notice that your hobbies and interests are starting to change, which can only be a good thing. It’s a pretty clear indicator that you’re growing because as you grow and evolve, so do the things you’re passionate about.
3) Your routines are changing for the better
As your hobbies and interests change, so will your daily routines. And that’s a good thing!
It should go without saying that it’s important to create routines. As human beings, we’re all creatures of habit, and establishing new routines can help us to become the people that we’ve always wanted to be.
A lot of people think about changing and creating new routines as something that’s only done when we’re trying to drop a bad habit.
The truth is that establishing new routines is even more powerful when you’re trying to do something new, whether that’s finding the job of your dreams or going for a walk every day to lose some weight.
4) You keep surprising yourself
You may also find that your changing interests and routines surprise you, which is another good sign.
Look, our subconscious often knows us better than we know ourselves. So, if you take up a new hobby or find a new interest that surprises you, go with it.
You might also surprise yourself with your thoughts, your words and your actions. All of these are clear signs that you’re changing (and growing) as a person.
One way to keep surprising yourself is to start saying yes to as many opportunities as you can, whether or not they sound like something you might be interested in.
Not all of them will be a good fit, but there’s only one way to know – and that’s to keep trying them out.
5) You’re learning from your mistakes
Of course, if you say yes to every opportunity then at some point or another, you’re going to realize that you made a mistake and you should have said no. That’s where this point comes in.
We all make mistakes. It’s what makes us human. The real test of character is how we respond to them.
People who make growth a habit and who dedicate time and energy to self-improvement are usually able to learn from their mistakes. It’s like John Lennon said: “A mistake is only an error. It becomes a mistake when you fail to correct it.”
So, as long as you’re learning from your mistakes and aiming to do better, that’s a sign of growth.
6) You know when to say no
Part of learning from your mistakes comes down to getting to know yourself better. And once you have a clear idea of who you are and what you want to get out of life, you’re better placed to start saying no.
It works like this. Start by saying yes to every opportunity that comes your way so that you can start to learn what really makes you tick.
Over time, you’ll get so good at doing this that you’ll get a better feel for what’s going to suit you and accelerate your growth.
When that happens, you’ll know when to say no. Everything you say yes to will be designed to further your growth. You can say no to everything else.
That way, you’ll be living a more intentional life, a definite sign you’re growing.
7) People are starting to notice your growth
It’s at around this point in your growth journey that people will start to notice. You’ll be able to tell because they’ll look at you differently and one or two of them might even start to comment.
Bear in mind that a lot of people normally keep their thoughts to themselves, and so if two people comment on your growth, the chances are that 20 of them have actually noticed.
It’s like when you lose weight or put on muscle – everyone notices, but only a few people might congratulate you.
That means that if people start to comment on your growth, ten times as many have noticed it.
8) You care less about what other people think
Don’t make the mistake of over-focusing on what people say to you, though. One of the clearest signs of personal growth is that you no longer care as much as you used to about what people think.
Because you know that you’re heading in the right direction.
There are limits to this, of course. For example, if your personal growth leads you down the path of becoming an artist, that doesn’t mean that you should ignore your significant other when they worry about paying the bills.
Still, when we’re unsure about the path that we’re taking, we’re more likely to turn to other people and to ask them for their opinion. As we grow, we become less likely to do that because we trust ourselves.
9) Time is passing
We’re all growing all the time, whether we know it or not. Sometimes, we just need to take a step backwards and to give ourselves a metaphorical pat on the back for the work we’ve been doing.
I like to think that every day is a lesson, and there’s always something we can learn from every situation we find ourselves in.
The question is, are you ready to learn from the lessons that life will send your way? Or are you going to squander the opportunities for growth that are presented to you every single day?
Human beings are like plants, in that we keep on growing until someone cuts us back or we die. In other words, you’ll continue to grow with the passage of time whether you notice it or not.
That is, unless you’re surrounded by negativity, which brings me to the next point…
10) You’re not surrounded by negativity
We’ve all known naysayers – those who are always negative and pessimistic. And we’ve all had to decide whether or not to keep investing our time and energy into such people.
These naysayers are like weeds that choke us out and stop us from growing or like careless gardeners who cut us back so much that we wither and die.
Sometimes, the only thing we can do to ensure that we keep growing is to cut the negative people out of our lives, or at the very least to distance ourselves from them.
And if you look at the people you’re spending the most time with and can see that they’ve all got your back, it’s a good sign that you’re growing, even if it doesn’t feel like it. How could you not with a support system like that?
Author and public speaker Jim Rohn once said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
So, if you want to make sure that you’re growing, make sure those five people are just as dedicated to growth as you are. Once you have that in place, the rest will follow. Good luck.
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