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Author: kevin03 | Total views: 1 Comments: 0
Word Count: 990 Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 6:56 AM

Discipline And Sacrifice: Keys To Personal Growth

When we sacrifice self to self, our on personal growth can soar. By moving out of our comfort zone and releasing the old self (along with all the baggage that comes with it) and exchanging it for a self that is newer and better, we can grow and reach beyond what we currently are. It may be difficult at first to move out of the familiar of whom and what we are. The old self is familiar, safe and fairly easy to maintain.

Change can be exhilarating. It carries us beyond our boundaries and challenges us to explore the unfamiliar. It forces us to put aside well worn habits and put forth the effort and sacrifice that old security blanket - whatever it may be. It may be a comfort to stick with the familiar, the status quo, but these things can put you in a rut and bar you from achieving the most that you can.

Our primal instincts lead us to satisfy the desires of body and mind. It is very seldom that we extend ourselves beyond the most basic of desires and satisfactions. Yet, when we are stuck in this hedonistic, limited perception, selfishly refusing to sacrifice, our growth is stunted.

To wallow in that rut is to experience a figurative death. Likewise, death of self can mean a new beginning. The changes may demand things that you are not yet ready to give, or you may feel as if you are treading water, going nowhere and you embrace the change, ready to grow.

To affect a change in your life, you must die daily. In other words, sacrifice your immediate wants and you will affect a future result or metamorphosis. Like the caterpillar that sacrifices time in the sun to slip into a cocoon so that it can later emerge as a beautiful butterfly, when you sacrifice your self to your self, you too will reemerge into the sunlight transformed. This can also be of benefit to others as well. When you surrender yourself completely you will find your true self.

Personal growth is about a process of giving and receiving. Giving is a virtue. You know that it is better to give than to receive, but for many people receiving is just so much more fun. Receiving is good and necessary. In order for exchange to take place, both actions must be present. One can not take place without the other.

This is the law of compensation; if you give, you get. We do not live in a vacuum. Our actions will always bring results of one kind or another, regardless of whether we realize it or not. It is up to us to guide the result to benefit ourselves and others.

Try not to feel frustrated when you are trying to make changes to improve yourself. Any efforts that you make, regardless of the outcome, are not wasted. Even your failures can be great learning experiences. You are building a store of experience that will serve you well as you continue to grow.

Once you set your goal, know that the little things that you do on your way to achieving that goal are as important as the big things that you do. Each step, even when you feel that you take a few step back, will aid you in achieving what you want. Fulfillment will happen through persistence. If you give up or fall back, just gather your wits and begin again.

Perhaps there is something that you want to do or obtain. Set you goal and go for it. You have likely thought about it, thought how to obtain it and the steps you will need to make it happen. Take the next step and write your goal on paper to aid your focus and bring it to life. Post it in an area where you will see it each day.

Write your goal at the top of a sheet of paper and draw a large red arrow pointing up to the goal. Along the arrow, write things you can do to work toward achieving your goal and what actions you can take to move things along.

This paper, your action plan, should be under constant review and revision. It has one direction and one intention which is your goal, but the details may change. Add information as it comes to you and revise your path as you go along. Each step in your path will change you and as you change, your steps will change as well.

Your new self is the one who has attained the goal. Your old self may try to lay barriers in your way as you try to break away from old habits, but it is imperative that you sacrifice your old self by being disciplined. Sacrifices require discipline. Personal growth requires sacrifices.

Sometimes discipline may mean crawling before you walk. With most goals, the process is as important as the end. In order to fully appreciate the achievement of the goal, you must go through the processes to get there. You must be patient. If you are anxious and impatient, you are not exhibiting discipline. Put forth the effort a little at a time and keep your focus on your goal.

You should also refrain about getting angry over the bumps and obstacles that you experience on the path to your goal. Anger is unproductive for the most part, it takes energy that should be channeled in more productive ways and wastes it. Turn that energy into something productive and channel it toward your goal.

Discipline and sacrifice are the keys to personal growth. When you have this powerful combination, you can achieve the things that you want; the sky is the limit.

About the Author

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of My-Personal-Growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development.