Friday, March 31, 2017

Stay Positive

Staying positive is of huge importance, because having the right mindset and attitude can go a long ways.  There will be days where everything goes wrong, like the Murphy's Law states.  Patience is key and keeping the belief and confidence to continue on with whatever tasks, goals one is trying to achieve. Do not let all of one's hard work and dedication go to waste at the first sight of adversity and to give up.  In one of my previous post, Do This When Stuck In A Rut, this gives out options on what to do and help to stay positive.  This will keep the mind active, and that is when ideas start to jog in the brain and alternative solutions to one's problems begin to arise.  Keep being persistent and holding one's head up high, because when the opportunity present itself or that moment comes to fruition, staying positive will come into play.  As I mentioned earlier, staying positive with the right mindset and attitude comes and travel a long ways, even up to the very end.  Be positive and stay focus.

High Tolerance Is Low Standards

When it comes to setting goals or anything anyone is trying to do for that matter, settling or developing a tolerance for an outcome that is compromised than the one one originally had in mind is low standards.  One should not settle for results, because that is like taking the easy way out.  That person is not doing him or herself any favors by choosing to settle.  When someone continues to settle for things in life, then he or she will build up a tolerance that is detrimental to one's growth.  One will not learn anything from whatever he or she is wanting to accomplish, because that person avoids the challenges that is ahead and decide to settle.  When choosing to settle, one is content with having low standards, because that person is compromising his or her outcomes in which he or she cannot become a better version of him or herself.  So all and all, avoid settling and set deadlines for each milestone one is striving to achieve in order to establish standards.  If one does not have any standards, then he or she will accept just about anything, which prevents someone from reaching happiness and end up regretting the choices he or she makes for settling.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Seize The Moment

Opportunities: Something we as people take for granted and hope they come at our convenience when we are down on our lucks.  In life, there will be highs and lows, and that is normal.  When we as people are at our highs in life, we should take as much advantage as possible as people and to do a little bit more extra than normal, because there will days when we will have lows, and feel like we are falling behind in time.  In this way, we will reach an average or be consistent; feel like we are still on track of reaching wherever we need to go in life.  I mentioned about how consistency matter in a previous post, Consistency Matters But Look To Improve, and that we as people need to build from consistency when the opportunities present themselves.  Seize the moment, because that is when we as people will shine the most and maybe have that eureka moment as well.  There will be many moments when reaching for goals in general, but that eureka can come early, in the middle, or towards the end of goals.  Whenever that moment comes, be ready and do not shy away from it, and seize it.

You Have To Want It

When seeking and reaching out for goals, one has to really want it for him or herself.  One must look from within him or herself and ask, "Is this what I really want for me?"  There are people out in the world that will tell others that you need this and that in order to be successful and those people may or may not be successful themselves.  Quite ironic, right?   One should have the belief and confidence and to stand behind in whatever he or she wants in life.  That person should not look for something easy and try to take a shortcut and to say he or she is succeeding in life.  Challenges and struggles are of the essence when taking on tasks and aiming for goals.  One must learn from those challenges and to grow from them as a result.   Do not let fear hold one back from pursuing those goals because of the level of difficult.  One should embrace those challenges.  That is why it makes sense to go for something that one really wants, because he or she will try to go through those barriers in order to reach those goals.  If someone does something and he or she does not really want it, then it is easy for that person to give up and quit and be like, "Oh well."  Do not be that person.  As I mentioned in my last post, Success Is Contagious, so can failure.  So, go for what matters to you.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Success Is Contagious

When one has settled in and is on his or her way of accomplish a goal, success becomes contagious.  The ball will keep on rolling.  Because one knows what it takes and the possible dilemmas he or she will face and understanding on how to combat those problems.  It feels good to achieve something, but do not get caught up in a little bit of success.  One should always look to achieve more after each task, goal has been completed.  Always look to take on challenge, especially if it is difficult; do not run away from anything.  The bigger the challenge, the better the person becomes as a result of accomplishing such feat.  Just as success can be contagious, regression and failing to complete goals can as well.  Do not put oneself in position to fall into a state of relapse.  In order to avoid such state, pursue, achieve, and continue to chase goals in life.

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Having Priorities Is Key To Reaching Success

One needs to prioritize in order for to reach success.  Things do come up out of the blue sometimes, but one must make sure he or she does not get off track and lose focus on his or her priorities.  We as humans can have short attention span as well as be distracted very easily, but need to keep our priorities in the forefront.  Setting goals along with deadlines can help with having priorities in line and not to place them on the back burner.  If one starts to do too many things without prioritization, then he or she is going to be in a mess and lost on how to get things accomplish.  One needs to learn about management, especially with time, which can help things go seamless and be more efficient and effective in whatever one's priorities are.  When one knows how to organize and manage his or her priorities, he or she is heading in the right direction and taking a big step into reaching success.  It is easy for us humans to pick up tasks with forgetting what he or she had already to start.  But all of those tasks can be done in a timely manner if one knows how to manage time and set priorities, because us humans are capable of doing so many things.

Risks Are Good

When out setting goals, working on projects, or just about anything someone is doing, one is most likely than not are going to run across challenges and sometimes taking risks are good.  If one has a plan and can foresee the obstacles down the road, he or she should practice risk management. One should weigh the pros and cons in his or her plan.  Knowing how to combat the risks and to minimize them from getting out of control and ruining one's goals, projects; causing someone to start over after exhausting a lot of time and resource and stunting one's growth.  That is how one growth, through challenges and setting goals.  Risks are good when knowing when to take them.  If one knows the impact of a risk, for example, if a risk has a low risk, high reward one, and someone can have a good rationale from having a clear understanding of the risk.  That is when it is a good time to take a risk.  One has the confidence and proper judgement to take risks when the opportunity or situation present itself.  Do not be afraid to take risks, because one is limiting him or herself and will be unable to grow and learn from them.  Take risks because life is about learning from experiences.

Sacrifice Is Necessary

Setting goals and working on bettering oneself are a lot to do.  It can be easy to put those on the back burner, especially if one has other things to attend to in his or her life.  One needs to make setting goals and working on improving oneself priorities, which mean that sacrifice is going to have to take place.   Time is one of the most precious and essence resource someone can have.  It is best to manage time.  If one has a schedule to meet up with friends, doing some sort of hobby, exercising, etc., he or she may need to reduce the time if necessary of those activities in order to place time for oneself's goals.  Sacrificing is not an easy thing.  It may take time to adjust to the new changes, but it will be worth it.  Time waits for no one.  It is good to be altruistic, but one's happiness and trying to better him or herself should take top priority.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Consistency Matters But Look To Improve

Consistency is a good thing since throughout our lives there are highs and lows and that is normal, but it can be viewed as a bad thing if they are not building upon it and trying to improve their lives.  Nothing ever really stays the same and one needs to do the same with him or herself.  Our surroundings are constantly changing and we need to adapt ourselves in order not to fall behind.  It is easy for someone to be content and complacent even with consistency, but one is not doing him or her any favor.  Time moves in one direction and that is forward.  If one stays consistent and content, it is a high chance that he or she can regress.  Since time is always moving forward and one digs him or herself in a hole by regressing, then someone may start to doubt him or herself to better oneself and trying to make something out of life.  Consistency can be as bad as regression because one is not improving and time and surroundings are going constantly changing.  In order for someone to improve, he or she needs to keep setting goals and looking for ways to improve him or herself. Consistency matters only if one is trying to build from it.

Inspire To Be Desired

When someone is happy to be doing or working towards something such as a goal, he or she is able to exude the confidence, belief and that others can feel it as well.   When a person is speaking about his or her passion, others will feel the same love that one has obtained or still in progress in achieving.  Going through the journey and believing in one's ability that he or she naturally possess, backed up by hard work and dedication, that it is possible to achieve whatever he or she trying to obtain no matter what background he or she has. Already knowing what he or she is going against by planning and setting goals to accomplish the feat.  Not only is one inspiring him or herself but others well, even if he or she is unaware about it.  When one loves doing or striving towards something he or she loves, there is a new sense of self that is a better version of oneself and others around can see and feel it.  So all and all, inspire to be desired, and always try to be better you by achieving and setting new goals for oneself.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Light(You), Camera(Plan), Action(Implement)

Lights, camera, action mean it is showtime.  This is where people want to put their best foot forward and showcase their abilities. Where you are the light and have fixed yourself just right to where your best is being displayed.  The camera is the plan where everything is recorded and being played out to how you want it to be.  Action is implementing or carrying out the plan with what you have envision it to be since the very beginning.  Setting goals and working hard by dedication and determination causes you to improve on the old you and instilling confidence and self-worth by going through challenges and adversities and persevering from it all.  With the right mind set and attitude, it is not impossible to reach a goal or plan.  As the saying goes, "Believing is half the battle."  Having the vision in accomplishing the goal, plan backed by the drive, determination, and commitment will gets someone to where he or she is headed.  Lights, camera, action, make it happen.

Failure Is Not An Option

Failure is not an option when one has the belief, determination, and psyche to go after what he or she desires.  He or she can already see or envisions him or herself there before he or she reaches that goal.   That person already knows what challenges and adversities lie ahead and is not afraid to still go after what he or she is passionate about.  Anything someone wants out of life is not going to come easy or handed to him or her.  But with hard work, commitment, and a positive that person has the belief and determination to achieve that goal.  Even when someone is in the process of reaching his or her goal and there are unsuccessful attempts, he or she still strives towards that goals, because one knows he or she possess the abilities, which is also his or her utilities to obtain that goal or goals that he or she is seeking.   Remember, it is not how you start, because more than likely there are going to be some rough patches along the way, but how one finishes.  Failure is not an option when one knows to expect and confidence to go after what he or she wants.  Do not be afraid, because fear limits someone's growth and will be unable to be a better you.

Believe It, Achieve It

One of the first things an individual must do in order to be successful is to envision him or herself achieving the goal he or she has in mind.   Believing is achieving.  One of my favorite sport players of all time is Kobe Bryant.  Yes, he was good basketball player by putting in a lot of hard work, but one thing I remembered him saying was, "I see or imagine the ball go in the hoop before I shoot it."  That is very powerful statement.  If one has the belief and willpower to do something, it can be achieved.  Belief is one thing, but it has be backed up work or action.  As in some religions, people have heard of the phrase, "What is faith without works." No need to believe in something if he or she is not willing to put the time and work in whatever he or she believes in.  Nothing is really given to us, which is why it feels so rewarding when accomplish a goal. Because one's work had paid off and it was all done by him or her. My mom used to tell me, "You can speak things into existence."  With enough self-talk and belief a long with hard work and dedication, one can achieve it.  Everyone has the ability to do so.  Believe it and you will achieve it.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

What Is Your Passion?

Everyone has hopes and dream when he or she is little.  These passions are discovered through exposure from television, the environment he or she is from, the internet, just about anywhere.  One usually envisions him or herself doing whatever passion he or she desires.  That is what passion is, a burning desire that saturates in a person's psyche for a long time.  As the old saying goes, one usually eats, sleeps, breaths whatever passion he or she envisions doing one day. Nothing in the world usually makes a person more happier than to imagine him or herself doing his or her passion.  Unfortunately, as some people get older and realize they feel as so they cannot reach those passions for whatever reasons.  Planting a bad seed into one's mind can cause someone not to strive for those passions as one used to have as a little child. When one places doubt into his or her mind that is when excuses are born. I feel like everyone has the necessary abilities to accomplish anything he or she wants to achieve in life. In one of my previous posts, Your Abilities=Your Utilities , I wrote more about that.  Everyone has unique abilities, and one's strengths are different from another's strengths.  It is up to the person to utilize them.  Even if one has unsuccessful attempts from one passion, but learn from those unsuccessful attempts, another passion may derive from it.  It is okay for someone to have more than one passion.  Do not limit oneself.  Try to maximize the potential that lies within oneself.  Searching and discovering anything in life are going be through trials and errors, that is how experience is acquired.  Do not fear going after a passion, strive at it.  Do not live in fear, it will only hinder you.

Be Great Not Good

My dad once told me, "Good is the evil of great."  He had gotten that from a book.  I had forgotten name of it.  It is easy for someone to settle for being okay or good than to be great.  Everyone has heard of the expression, "Take what you can get or settle."  There is nothing negative about that phrase, because time does move fast and it is better than having nothing at all. No one wants to look back and say, "I have could have done a little better than what I had settle for."  It may be more work and harder to achieve greatness, but one gets to say, "I gave it my all,"  and have no regrets.  Being good limits oneself and holds on to untapped potential.  Even when someone is unsuccessful the first, second, or how many times, keep trying.  Being unsuccessful at something multiple times does not equate to failure.  Life is about experiencing.  Being unsuccessful at something in life is inevitable.  Overcoming barriers in life after multiple unsuccessful attempts is what is going to make someone to  be successful in life.  People learn more from mistakes than not.    From adversities, challenges bourn out stronger character and success.  Don't fear away from being great, take it by the horns.

Stay Strong And Persistent

One of the keys to reaching success in anything is to stay strong and persistent.  Any time a person is doing something whether it is a project, work, goal, etc. there are going period or periods of crunch time.  This can be time, resource, or anything that is a constraint to wherever one is trying to reach.  In one's mind, this can make someone's his or her lowest point in life at that moment.  What one should not do is to panic or call it quits.  One should remain calm, be optimistic and say he or she is going to get through this difficult moment.  For the most part, people do not like any sort of pressure, because it can mentally and physically wear someone out.  Believe or not, a little pressure is a good thing.  I am not saying dealing with pressure on a daily is good, but pressure here or there is. This is where a true person's character comes to fruition.  Some may fold under pressure, and may brush it off and say, "It was only one time," but that can enter and stay into someone's psyche.  Then when another encounter comes, that person is most likely going to do the same thing he or she did the first time.  If that person had gone through with the pressure and stay strong and persistent, he or she would had taken what he or she learnt from that incident, and would most likely succeeded through subsequent incidents.  Our bodies have muscle memory which has similar mechanisms as memory T and B cells in immunology.  Meaning if someone is going through a stressful situation and an event happens again in the future, the body is prepared for it and know how to handle it since it dealt with it before.  Even if you were unable to succeed the first time in a pressure situation, but fought through it, did not mean you fail.  Failing is when someone gives up entirely.  That person will continue to fail, if he or she sticks with a giving up mentality.  So all and all, stay strong and persistent in everything you do.  You will be thankful and become a stronger individual for it.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Your Abilities=Your Utilities

Martin Luther King Jr once said in one of his speeches, "The mind is a terrible thing to waste."  One of the greatest tools that us humans have been given is a mind of our owns.  And with this mind, gives us abilities.  Everyday, we use our abilities such as our senses to gather up information as well as being instinctive.  These are our utilities that we use to survive and create for our needs and others. Throughout world history, we humans have faced a lot of changes and adversities, and had been able to adapt to them.  Not most people like a lot of changes unless it is to make our lives more convenient and better.  But when face with adversities our senses or abilities will kick in and be used to where we can conquer those battles and hopefully to create something to avoid those particular adversities to occur again or reduce the chances.  Even though no one really likes to face adversities, it does help us humans to become stronger individuals.  Our abilities give us ways to create things that are beneficial to our survival.  This is why challenges are good for us, it helps us to become better people.  So do not ever say, "I cannot do this or that, or do not have this or that. "  We possess the abilities or utilities from within.  We as humans have gone through a ton of adversities in history and had found ways to survive and create a better world for us to live.  I do not see us being incapable now, because challenges have been with us since the beginning of time.  Do not let challenges or adversities stop you from greatness.  We have always had the abilities to do whatever we want, so use them.  Your natural abilities are your best utilities.  

Psyche Over Matter

"Pain is only 90 % mental."  It only exists if one thinks in that manner.  Nothing can harm the psyche such as the soul and spirit unless one allows it.  If one's mind is infiltrated with negative thoughts and doubt, then it can have a trickle effect to the spirit and soul.  My mom used to tell me, "You can speaks things into existence."  One should have positive self-talk and the belief to accomplish whatever he or she is trying to achieve. Even when there are obstacles or rough patches down the road or foreseen in the future, positive self-talk and thoughts should still be there and having the belief that one will overcome those hurdles.  There might be days when someone wants to quit at work, on a project, or a goal, but that person needs to have grit to fight through and prevail at the end.  Never let negative thoughts seep into one's psyche, because the mind can overcome any physical or emotional distress one is experiencing at the moment.  I am not saying to work to death, but know when to rest and have some sort of schedule or plan and strive to finish the task at hand.  So all and all, psyche over matter.  The only one who can stop him or her from achieving greatness is oneself.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Who Is Your Biggest Influencer(s)?

Is there someone who has contributed and greatly impacted the way your life has shaped out to be?  I know I do.  The one(s) who has instilled the belief and confidence in you to become whoever you like to become.  Saying and believing to you that with hard work and dedication, you can succeed in whatever path in life you choose.  For me, it has been my parents.  Both who are really hard workers and had the odds stacked against them growing up.  My dad lived in an area where it was rough and jobs were scarce.  Some nights he would come home and there would be no food to eat.  He once told me that he and his friends used to go dumpster driving just to fight off hunger.  As my dad grew older he moved from the area where he lived as a child to one that had better job opportunities and a place to raise a family.  In the new area, my dad did not have much of an education, so it was going to be hard for him to find a job anyways, he dropped out of high school.  My dad somehow found a job where he made a career out of it.  He now works in upper management and still get lots of lucrative job offers from different companies.  My dad has written his own ticket despite coming from a poor area.  My mom had come from a poor area, but not nearly as bad as my dad.  She has a high school education, but found a job and turned into a career.  The job she works at has a lot of turnovers and layoffs, but she still stands.  My mom came to work on days where the weather was too bad and worked a lot of overtime.  Little things like that can go a long and can determine if an employer wants to give someone the pink slip or not.  I owe having a better life to my parents.  Without them doing what they did, I do not know how I would have turned out.  Despite what upbringings somebody has, one can turn his or her life around into something positive through hard work and determination.

Do This When Stuck In A Rut

Every now and then a person is going to find him or herself stuck in a rut in life where he or she does not know what to do and starting to lose all hope.  One thing a person does not want to do is panic or quit at whatever is troubling him or her.  If someone is struck, it is okay for him or her to take breaks when one has reached an impasse.  Do not take too many breaks, because it can lead to be complacent.  Breaks can be something like listening to music.  For me, when I feel like I am mentally and physically worn out from working on a job, project, or goal, I listen to something that are uplifting and inspirational.  Such music includes, "Going Up Yonder," by Walter Hawkins, "The Best In Me," by Marvin Sapp, and "I Won't Complain," by Reverend Paul Jones.  Another option is to walk around outside in the fresh air to clear one's mind from whatever is causing him or her havoc.  This can lead to finding something one can incorporate into his or her work or a solution or solutions to his or her problem or problems.  A third solution is reading books that makes one happy or use critical thinking skills. A professor once told me that when things are out of order or puzzles us, we humans tend to find ways to bring order back.  It is in our nature to do so.  There are many other solutions to find when stuck in a rut.  Everyone knows him or herself well enough to know what makes him or her happy.  One should find something that suits him or her the best until homeostasis is established so he or she can get back on track to obtain whatever is needed to be achieved.

Act Now

One of the things in life that we as people take for granted is time.  It is probably the most unappreciated resource that should be cherished.  No one really appreciates it until he or she gets too old.  That is why people should act now on any type of projects or goals they have in mind.  To be honest, there is no perfect or right time to do anything.  It is really about seizing the opportunity.  If someone has the time to do it now, go ahead and start.  One should plan out on his or her goals, projects, but when it comes to implementing or carrying out the plan, do it as soon as he or she can.  We as people cannot control time and emergencies and other situations can come up at any minute.  Some people may be skeptical to start anything right away due to a fear of failure or not being ready.  Most people who start anything will run into some obstacles, but that is a part of life.  Life is about experiencing, and going through trials and errors and learning from them, and hopefully sharing those  experiences with people who may be going through the same thing or similar they he or she is going through or have already gone through.  When sharing those experiences, we as people are doing a greater good.  After all, it is a small world.  We as people are going to run into similar paths and obstacles that many before us have gone.  So act now and do not be afraid, because you are not the only one.

Finish What You Start

Most people have heard the saying, "It is not how you start, but how you finish."  Starting something can be exciting at first because one is already thinking about the potential benefits and wonders it can be bring to one's life.  It is easy to forget about the time it may take to reach the final product and the obstacles one is potentially going to go through in the process.  Things like this are most likely going to occur in about everything one is trying to do or to accomplish.  In a previous entry called Be Goal-Oriented , I wrote about the importance of setting goals, because it avoided being complacent.  If one gets complacent, then it is easy for him or her not to finish what he or she started.  Setting goals or deadlines can help someone reach that finish line.  There will be days where someone does not work or get tired at some point and feel like quitting.  It is okay to take breaks in between working on whatever one is trying to accomplish, but do not ever give up.  He or she will not be doing him or her any favors.  Giving up can be contagious.  If someone starts one project, then give up, he or she will most likely do the same thing if that person starts another project.  Facing adversity and going through challenges are what makes a person stronger and in most cases instill confidence in oneself.  Finishing what one has started builds character, such as being a leader, resilience, determination, and other positive attributes.  One will want to take on more tasks and finishing them, because one has been through challenges and know that it is possible to finish no matter how improbable it may seem at first.  Not only is giving up or failing contagious, but finishing or accomplishing is as well.  So all and all, finish what you started because you will be happier at the end than you were at the start.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Be Goal-Oriented

One's happiness needs to be first and foremost and must be upheld.   In order for it not to be compromised, one must set goals for him or herself.  It is good to have both short term and long term goals.  This will help someone avoid being in a complacent state, which then leads to a stunt into someone's growth as a person.  Life is always changing and everyone should try to look and to improve his or her current state.  It is easy to be in a content state when one is already happy with his or her life.  Yes, reaching happiness is an ultimate goal for many, but that can change over time as one is getting older and experiencing through life as it progresses.  This is why it is essential for one to set goals for him or herself.  Just because one is happy today does not mean it will carry over to next year, in five years, or even ten years.  Setting goals does not have to be something extremely hard, but it does need to be something that challenges oneself.  As long as it is realistic and attainable.  It can be something simple like going to the gym and working out for 20 minutes, 3-4 times a week for a month, then one can increase the load as time moves forward.  As one starts to see results, he or she will have a boost of self-esteem, self-worth, and confidence.  This all leads to happiness.  So all and all, set goals to sustain happiness, because it can change day to day, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.

Be A Better You

One of the most important aspects for growth in an individual is to become a better you.  Even if you are currently happy with yourself and you are yourself's best friend.  It is vital to love oneself, but one needs to challenge him or herself and set goals for him or her in order to have growth.  Because if you get content and become complacent, then you won't reach any of your untapped potential.  This will cripple and disable you from any sort of personal or professional growth, which is important to reach any sort of success in whatever one is seeking.  In my personal life, I have become my own worst enemy.  I had a lot of academic success through grade school and post secondary education, but did not try to better myself.  I would go to school, do my work, and come home.  I did very little interaction with people while I was there.  I was a reserved individual.  I did not like to speak in general, but some people looked at it that I disliked them.  Like the old adage, "It is me and not you."  That was a truism that hinder me both personally and professionally.  As of now, I have two degrees, but have a hard of finding a position in my field due to a lack of effective communication skills. Communication is a big aspect in every type of professional business. I am an articulate person in the thought process, but when it comes to verbalizing it, that is a different story.  As I have learnt the hard way, thinking and speaking are two different processes.  Both require a lot of work, which involves a ton of practice.  One can read on how to do those things, but in order for it to effectively work, they must be put into practice, which involves interacting with people.  As I mentioned earlier, I am a reserved/introvert person, which meant I had a comfort zone and did not want to come out of it because of fear.  Being in a comfort zone is safe and dangerous at the same time.  It is safe due to the fact you do not have to face your fear in the short term, but dangerous since it limits your growth.  Eventually, one is going to have to come to grip with his or her fear in order to get to where he or she is trying to go in life.  Life is about experiencing and facing challenges and to become a better you as a result of those obstacles.  Embrace challenge, it is okay.  It is okay to fail as long as you continue to strive until you reach success.  You will live and learn.  Failing happens only when someone gives up and stop trying to reach his or her goal or goals.  Don't give up, don't ever give up. 

Don't Stunt Your Personal Growth

"You only have control over three things in your life--the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take--Jack Canfield."  This quote is dynamic in a way that it can be seen as frightening and exciting.  Frightening in a way because of the potential power of impact or effect that it can have on one's thinking and affecting the way one lives his or her life.  It is also exciting in a way because of the control one's have, only you can stop you.  From a personal standpoint, and looking over my life as a whole, I can see how I stunt my own personal growth.  Most of my life I have been an introvert, which is not something see as a negative, but going back and seeing how it slowed down my growth up until now.  I was reserved and settled into a comfort zone, which stunted my personal growth as far as developing interpersonal relationships with friends that I met in school, public areas, as well as family.  It also affected my professional growth since I had to work with people and I wanted to work more independently instead as a group, which reflected negatively upon me.  Being sociable is seen as the norm in society, and having an introverted persona can be looked as a personality disorder, but not necessarily is, in the views of many people.  The good think is that a person can change, but it is up to that individual to do so.  I always had this latent fear that I would not be good enough for people if I had shown my true self. As I gotten older and grown to learn throughout my life, not everyone was going to like me and that was okay.  One of my biggest fears was failure.  I had to learn that I had to come out of my comfort zone in order for me to truly grow as an individual.  Once I learnt that life is about experiencing, and the only way to do so is to live life without fear.  Everyone is going to go through challenges in his or her life, and the chances that we all going to fail at some point is high.  In life, there is going to be trials and tribulations.  A lot of people who had succeeded in life have failed tons of times before, but that did not mean they are failures.  You have to keep trying and trying and vision yourself succeeding to whatever goals you are wanting to achieve. There are plenty of resources out there and people willing to help you.  As I have experienced in life, people want to see others succeed in life.   Life is about experiencing and networking with other people, so put yourself out there and live!