In all that we do, we have to interface with people both personally and professionally. This is why I believe that making your personal growth a priority can be beneficial for work. Being more self-aware can lead to a lot more pleasant collaborations and increase inner peace.
And once I made my personal development a top priority, I began to see all of the other aspects in my life begin to make the same upward trajectory of improvements too, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone reading this, right?
In a matter of one year (2021-2022), I grew my business by 300% while also balancing an active role in motherhood. This wasn’t an easy path either, but it was a necessary step to living a more fulfilling and purposeful life for me.
Here’s the thing with me – I’m not exactly pushing to be the largest marketing agency out there. I like the flexibility of being present as a mom. I know I can always make more money, but I can’t get back the time I have with my kids at the ages that they are now.
Balance and integration, right?
All that said, in this blog post, I’ll share my personal growth journey and how it led to more business success too.
The importance of personal development
Cultivating a more positive mindset that fuels your creativity and the way you approach living life is essential for your well-being. I can’t stress that enough because it doesn’t matter what you are doing, if you don’t feel excited about it or you’re dreading it in general, that’s a red flag you should keenly be aware of.
I have to admit, I used to think that successful businesses with happy employees were centered by a hard ass leadership team that overworked their people and had very little compassion.
Obviously, I was wrong.
That thought was implanted in my head early on in my career. But it is clear that that path only leads to a plethora of social media content and blogs around the toxicity of ‘hustle culture.’
For any entrepreneur out there, you know the importance of working longer hours to support the growth and existence of your business. It’s a given. That’s why entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.
Success in life and in business comes down to:
- Being self-aware because you’ll be more honest with yourself and that’ll spread to the relationships you build too.
- Being resilient. No rainbows and unicorns. Things will go wrong, and you’ll feel defeated, but if you have a ‘why’ larger than just making money, you’ll keep pushing.
- Consistency. You won’t always feel your best, and when you don’t, you’ll be more inclined to make space. There’s no way you can be consistent if you don’t put your mental health first.
My personal growth journey started like…
I know everyone has their own unique experience with motherhood. I have to be just real honest here… I’ve had to slow down the growth of my company, and I feel that motherhood held me back from that aspect.
Because in my heart of hearts, I deeply feel that I’m more than just a mom, and I really have a strong desire to tap into my potential to see what I can do with my life.
That said, balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship was and still is challenging. To be the best at both, I put my personal development as a top priority. Here’s a quick timeline:
- 2016: My first pregnancy, I didn’t watch everything I ate and it was a tough experience because I had morning sickness until my third trimester. 😖
- Early 2018, I made it a goal to start off my personal development by getting back to a healthier lifestyle. I started off by running 5-6 days a week and also eating healthier in general.
- 2019: I was pregnant with my second kiddo, but maintained a healthy lifestyle my entire pregnancy. I was also dealing with morning sickness until the third trimester too. Phew! 😖
- 2019 – present: After having my second kiddo, I lost nearly 20 lbs making my physical health a priority.
- 2020 – present: I experienced grief for the first time in my life with the two people I was the closest to in my life besides my mom and my husband. I lost my grandparents. I got into grief counseling which morphed into working on my childhood trauma and betting myself.
Accountability and responsibility are instrumental for healing
We all have trauma, negative memories, and losses that have all affected us. These experiences shape you, your perspective, and overall sentiment on life.
However, know that you’re not responsible for what happened to you, but you are responsible for putting in the effort that’s needed to heal and be better.
I’ve learned that healing doesn’t mean you forget, forgive, or just completely let go. Healing is more about acknowledging what’s happened, understanding how it has affected you, and then figuring out a better path forward. This means you’re not allowing the past to hold you back anymore or at all.
This path will help ensure that you do not repeat negative patterns, that you become more self-aware, that you are more in tune with your intuition as well as emotions.
Taking note of the fact that your emotions are not facts, but that doesn’t mean you need to stop feeling. It’s more about the acknowledgement and awareness and then putting in the work to grow out of the trauma.
Truth is, where you focus goes, your energy grows. You can control that. You can’t control past experiences, but allow yourself to take back the control so you can elevate your life.
Handle your stress and anxiety like a boss
As an entrepreneur, there are many ups and downs, and I have needed to rebuild my mindset – reframing the thoughts that my emotions developed were as equally important as being brave enough to handle the lows of entrepreneurship effectively.
There is only so much that exercise can do. So, I started practicing mindfulness and meditation, which helped me manage stress and cultivate a more positive mindset.
I also started setting intentions and following through with clear actions. For instance, if a negative thought entered my mind, I’d change my perspective from “why is this happening?” to “what can I learn from this?”
Stress and anxiety come from feelings and thoughts that you let grow and fester without proactively controlling them. Believe me, you can tame that beast. You just have to be aware of when it’s happening and drop kick it before it eats you up inside.
You’re human. Be vulnerable. Recognize that as a good thing. In order to keep pushing ahead, you have to be vulnerable because with that comes honesty.
Your feelings and thoughts are situational and temporary. Know that.
The impact my personal growth had on my business
As I became more self-aware, I also started seeing how my direct nature could be interpreted and infused more of my soft skills (e.g. compassion, kindness, empathy) into every business setting.
Another change I made was to focus on building strong relationships with my clients and team members. I learned to listen actively, provide value, and communicate effectively, which led to better relationships and increased retention.
As a result of these changes, my business grew by 300% in a matter of one year. I was able to take on more clients, increase my revenue + profits, and build a stronger brand. Working on myself spread like wildfire and contagiously, most positively impacted my business growth.
Tips for personal growth and business success
Because sharing is caring, here are some tips for entrepreneurs who want to cultivate personal growth and achieve professional success too:
- Practice self-awareness: Understanding yourself is the foundation of personal growth. Take time to reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and values. This will help you make better decisions and prioritize your initiatives based on your goals + outcomes.
- Set goals: Setting goals is essential for personal growth and professional success. Identify your short-term and long-term goals and create a plan to achieve them. This will help you stay focused.
- Lean into your curiosity and keep learning: Learning is crucial for personal growth and professional success. Read books, attend workshops, or work with a coach or mentor.
- Prioritize self-care: As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to neglect self-care. Take time to exercise, practice mindfulness, and spend time with loved ones.
- Build strong relationships: The quality of your relationships make up the quality of your life. Make relationships a priority in your life – no matter how busy you are – you want to surround yourself with people who lift you.
- Embrace failure: Instead of fearing failure, embrace it as an opportunity for growth. Learn from your failures and use them to improve where needed.
- Practice gratitude: Take time to practice gratitude daily. For every negative thought you have, see the upside, see the lesson, and be grateful.
Wrapping it up
Embrace personal growth as a lifelong journey and continuously strive to improve yourself to achieve your goals and dreams. You’ll never regret making an investment in yourself. It’ll transform your life into something bigger and better.
Don’t stop evolving and learning. The more you build your knowledge base, the more you can figure out ways to make improvements that will serve your overall growth, inner peace, and happiness.
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