Episode 1: What the Heck is Personal Growth?
Welcome to the very first episode of Let’s Make a Plan podcast. In this episode, we’re going to chat about what personal growth is, especially for busy moms.
In the next episode, I am going to share with you how I went from an overwhelmed, grumpy teacher mom to a confident, thriving happy mom. I want to show you that it IS possible for you to follow your dreams (yes, even after becoming a mom). After all, I was sitting right where you are just three years ago.
I know you’re busy, so trust that this content will be fluff-free. We are going to hit the ground running to make the most of your time. My goal for this podcast episode is for you to leave feeling EXCITED about your own personal growth journey and ready to learn more about how you can redesign your life.
What the heck is personal growth?
Let’s get into this: what the heck IS personal growth?
As with everything, there are a million different definitions. MY definition is a learning journey that you purposefully embark on to bring you closer to the best version of yourself
I read this quote once that really sums up the idea of personal growth for me: “When you die, you will get to meet another version of yourself and what your life could have been. My goal is to meet that person and see my twin.” That quote has always stuck with me and has driven my own growth journey. Who is that ideal version of me? What else could my life look like? I challenge myself every day to move closer to those ideals. To me, that is personal growth.
I recently posed a question to my Facebook group: “What is personal growth?”. Here are a few definitions that some busy moms shared with me in our community:
- Kari defined it as being all “about discovery . . . About yourself, your children, a relationship, or a skill you didn’t know you had in you.”
- Nicole said: “It’s about expanding your self awareness and embracing your evolution.”
- Julia summed it up by saying: I think it’s just about feeling good about yourself and being your best self.”
No matter what your definition is of personal growth, I think we can all agree that it is about trying new things and being inspired. It’s about finding your passions, and leaning into them. Most importantly, it’s about modeling for your kids how someone can strategically create positive change that can propel them towards their dream life.
I would also argue that personal growth is about creating a life that you are EXCITED to wake up for every morning… yes, even at 4am (but more on that in a future episode)!
What does personal growth look like for busy moms?
Now, here’s where things get really interesting: what does personal growth look like for busy moms?
- A personal development activity could be taking out a book from the library on a topic that excites you or a topic that you know literally nothing about.
- Another activity could be identifying something you want to change about yourself, a habit or a routine, and coming up with a plan to tackle it.
- And finally, personal growth can also be about trying something new, starting a conversation you’ve been putting off or saying HECK YES when the part of you that wants to stay home in your yoga pants watching Netflix whispers no.,
I spent ten years teaching 5th grade. Whenever we dug deep into a definition, I always took the time to explore the opposite of the word.
What is it not?
So now that we have an idea of what personal growth IS, what is it NOT? Here are a few things that I can promise you personal growth isn’t.
- Being on this journey does NOT mean you are broken. It doesn’t mean you’re miserable at your job or that you’re not present with your kids or that you’re in an unhappy relationship. It just means that you want to lean into all of these areas, in order to show up as the best version of yourself.
- Second, personal growth is not a diet plan or a workout regiment. Actually, personal growth rarely has anything to do with your personal appearance at all.
- Next, if I could shout this from the rooftops I would: personal growth is NOT time management. I’m going to say it again for the people in the back: personal growth is NOT time management. You are BUSY mama, you don’t need more time to squeeze in more things. You do enough, you are enough. Are we going to talk about time management? We are, but only in the context of time maximization and prioritization – putting the first things first.
- And finally, personal growth is not a one-size-fits all path. This journey is customized for each person and it looks different for everyone. Often, personal growth looks REALLY different for moms and that’s why we’re here together today.
What I’m trying to say mama, is all of our personal growth activities look different. The idea is not to follow a script or a prescribed timeline. Instead, it’s all about figuring out what works for you and where you want to grow as an individual.
Your personal growth plan
Now that we are on the same page about what personal growth is, let’s do my favorite thing and start to think about your plan for your own growth.
Before I read John Maxwell’s book, 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, it actually didn’t even occur to me to have a plan for my personal growth. And that’s really saying something because I have a plan for EVERYTHING!
In the book, Maxwell asked: “What is your plan for personal growth?” Guys, that HIT me hard. It literally took my breath away. Because for all the plans that I had as a mom – a maternity leave plan, a dinner plan, a when we’re going to get a new roof on the house plan – it didn’t ever occur to me that I needed a plan for myself and my growth. How could I not have a plan for that?!
From that moment on, I promised myself that my personal development wouldn’t be an accident. I would take the wheel of my personal growth journey and make things happen. DIdn’t like my job? Changed it. Frustrated with the lack of communication in my marriage? Fixed it. No time to learn photography? Made it.
A personal growth plan is your very own, customized course of action that leads you to be the mom, wife, and person you want to be. This plan can look different depending on the season, or heck, even the day. But knowing that plan is there is going to keep you on the path of growth, confident you are modeling for your kids what true growth looks like.
As we wrap up today, I just have to say this: personal growth IS possible. It can change your life if you let it. We need to use our kids as motivators, not as excuses and start creating a plan for ourselves today. That’s where this podcast comes in. Follow along as we begin to customize a plan for you and your growth.
A tiny action step
My goal is to wrap up each episode with some concrete action steps that you can start implementing in your life, right away. Are you ready? OK, mama, let’s make a plan!
- Your first action step is to hop on over to my Facebook group or my Instagram page.
- Want even more than that? Your second action step is to sign up for my mailing list. This is my newsletter that goes out every two weeks that contains a quick dose of personal growth for busy moms. My promise to you is that this will take two minutes or less to read and implement – I promise!
Thank you so much for being here, mama! Get back to doing your thing, rocking your world and remember – keep growing! Little eyes are watching.
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Did You Love This Episode?
If so, be sure to share it with a friend – this helps busy moms like you to find me!
And finally, you can also check out these related episodes that I think you’ll be obsessed with:
How to Find Time for Personal Growth as a Busy Mom
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