101 Inspirational Quotes To Help Get A Handle On Who You Really Are

Here are 101 inspirational quotes that will help you to get a handle on who you really are. When you determine your authentic self, aim to share, little by little, who you really are. That is, if you dare and if you are brave enough.

Because we don’t feel it is safe to reveal who we really are, we end up living a lie.

It might be because we are frightened by disapproval from friends and family. Or maybe we were bullied as a child. Other times, avoiding an authentic life is used to hide self-loathing.

There is no greater comfort than settling into who you really are. Like Kurt Cobain once said, “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”

Unique to any other personal development blogs, here are 101 of my favourite timeless thoughts from the past 2500 years about how to not only determine your authentic self but also how to become the best version of yourself.

101 Inspirational Quotes

#1-10 | Inspirational Quotes to get you thinking

#1  – Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. – Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee Quote

#2 – You can’t get there by bus, only hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself. – Alan Alda

Alan Alda Quote

#3 – I learned to out 100 percent into what you’re doing. I learned about setting goals for yourself, knowing where you want to be and taking small steps toward these goals. I learned  about adversity and how to get past it. – Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi Quote

#4 – At the end of the day, you can only fight from yourself. It is only you out there on that mat- but it sure helps knowing you have a great team of supporters cheering for you!- Kelita Zupanic

Kelita Zupancic Quote

#5 – Fear is the most debilitating emotion in the world, and it can keep you from ever truly knowing yourself and others – its adverse effects can no longer be overlooked or underestimated. Fear breeds hatred, and hatred has the power to distroy everything in its path- Kevyn Aucoin

Kevyn Aucoin Quote

#6 – Love yourself, It is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out- Jenn Proske

Jenn Proske Quote

#7 – Very litle is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. – Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote

#8 – Believe in yourself, take on your challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You’ve got to keep going. – Chantal Sutherland

Chantal Sutherland Quote

#9 – We’re all trying to figure out what’s next, what’s best for our families, what’s best for ourselves, and there’s a certain sort of comfort in knowing that you’re not in it by yourself. – Sterling K. Brown

Sterling K. Brown Quote

#10 – Yeah, I think it motivates you as people start to count you out. It doesn’t make you play any harder, because every time you go out on the field you give 110 percent, but it does give you more of an edge mentally, knowing that you were in the same situation, because in sports you always find yourself behind.  – Joe Montana

Joe Montana Quote

#11-20 | Inspirational Quotes about you

#11 – Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself. – Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne Quote

#12 – They’re trying to tell us that we’re not right, so we have to buy their products. The number one cause of mental illness is not knowing who you are and you can’t know who you are if you don;t spend time honoring yourself, and living in the present. – Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd Quote

#13  – When you play, you do not ask yourself how it feels to be on the bench. You have to live it to understand how difficult it is to be there without being there. To enter a match knowing you do not have the confidence of the coach. To play when you simply don’t have the habit of playing. – Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres Quote

#14 – Challenge is the pathway to engagement and progress in our lives. But not all challenges are created equal. Some challenges make us feel alive, engaged, connected, and fulfilled. Others simply overwhelm us. Knowing the difference as you set bigger and bolder challenges for yourself is critical to your sanity, success, and satisfaction. – Brendon Burchard

Brendon Burchard Quote

#15 – Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be freateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. – John Wooden

John Wooden Quote

#16 – The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. – Socrates

Socrates Quote

#17 – Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. – Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn Quote

#18 – Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice. – Anton Cheknov

Anton Cheknov Quote

#19 – Don’t gain the world and lose your soul; Wisdom is better than silver and gold. – Bob Marley

Bob Marley Quote

#20 – The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique. – Walt Disney

Walt Disney Quote

#21-30 | Inspirational quotes on life

#21 – the beauty of knowing yourself is nobody else has to. – John McAfee

John McAfee Quote

#22 – It’s better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life. – Elizabeth Kenny

Elizabeth Kenny Quote

#23 – It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.  – Epictetus

Epictetus Quote

#24 – Set your source by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship. – Omar N. Bradley

Omar N. Bradley Quote

#25 – A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. – Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela Quote

#26 – When it’s obvious that the goals cannot be reached. Don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. – Confucius

Confucius Quote

#27 – Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. – George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw Quote

#28 – Science is organised knowledge. Wisdom is organised life. – Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant Quote

#29 – Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you. – John Wooden

John Wooden Quote

#30 – A charming women… doesn’t follow the crowd. She is herself. – Loretta Young

Loretta Young Quote

#31-40 | Inspirational Quotes of wisdom

#31 – I think the beauty of growing up is not really knowing and figuring it out for yourself. – Khloe Kardashain

Khloe Kardashain Quote

#32 – There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt Quote

#33 – Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. – Henry Ford

Henry Ford Quote

#34 – The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quote

#35 – One way to feel good about yourself is to love yourself… to take care of yourself. – Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn Quote

#36 – A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. – Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn – Quote

#37 – Be stupid, be dumb, be funny, it that’s who you are. Don’t try to be someone that society wants you to be: that’s stupid. So be yourself. – Christina Grimmie

Christina Grimmie Quote

#38 – Well, if you’re true to yourself you’re going to be true to everyone else. – John Wooden

John Wooden Quote

#39 – Give up as much as you’re willing to receive back and give yourself, if that makes any sense. Whatever that is, don’t expect more from a person than what you’re willing to give, but give it knowing that you’re giving it – it’s been given, so don’t expect anything else. – Emayatzy Corineaidi

Emayatzy Corineaidi Quote

#40 – I’ve always thrown myself into different kinds of experiences, sometimes into really bad things. But you grow up. You become more if a woman and you know yourself. I think knowing yourself is a wonderful thing especially when you’re in your 40s and you’re kind of in your own skin.Life is not so confusing anymore. – Lisa Edelstein

Lisa Edelstein Quote

#41-50 | Inspirational Quotes to live by

#41 – For true success ask yourself these four question: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now? – James Allen

James Allen Quote

#42 – There’s nothing worse than finding yourself in a situation, a very demanding piece of work, and knowing that you;re not a true ally to the person who’s in charge of all that. – Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis Quote

#43 – Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don’t give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people. – Tena Desae

Tena Desae Quote

#44 – Knowing yourself is the most profound kind of love, giving someone the gift of knowledge about yourself. – Marsha Norman

Marsha Norman Quote

#45 – Writing is a really good first step toward that goal of knowing yourself. – Jewel

Jewel Quote

#46 – Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment. – Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu Quote

#47 – It’s all about believing in yourself and knowing your worth and being optimistic and really just loving yourself for who you are. – Normani Kordei

Normani Kordei Quote

#48 – It’s all about knowing yourself and what you’re good at. Females, males- anyone can be anything they want to be. – Payal Kodakio

Payal Kodakio Quote

#49 – Knowing yourself, and learning to love yourself as you are, is the beginning of beauty, I think the most important thing is to show off what’s most beautiful about you and to hide what’s less beautiful. – Sonia Rykiel

Sonia Rykiel Quote

#50 – Don’t ever give up. Believe in yourself or no one else will. My personal saying is: ! I’s rather die knowing that i tried to do what I love. – Adrienne Bailon

Adrienne Bailon Quote

#51-60 | Inspirational Quotes to share with close friends

#51 – One of the things I realized early in my career is that you do what you believe, in knowing that if you don’t, you will never like yourself. When you compromise out of fear or ambition, it eats inside you. – Samuel Dash

Samuel Dash Quote

#52 – Big ideas developed in a vacuum are doomed from the start. Feedback is the essential tool for building and growing a successful company. – Jay Samit

Jay Samit Quote

#53 – Life is a journey and it’s about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are, and loving who and what you are. – Kelly McGillis

Kelly McGillis Quote

#54 – Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent. – Billy Graham

Billy Graham Quote

#55 – I make mistakes growing up. I’m not perfect; I’m not a robot. – Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber Quote

#56 – Life is about growing and improving and getting better. – Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor Quote

#57 – When you’re green, your growing. When you’re ripe you rot. – Ray Kroc

Ray Kroc Quote

#58 – Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. – Chili Davis

Chili Davis Quote

#59 – You have to do your own growing n matter how tall your grandfather was. – Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln Quote

#60 – The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt. – Max Lerner

Max Lerner Quote

#61-70 | Powerful Inspirational Quotes 

#61 – I recognize that i have the ability to be selfish, but also recognize that you can’t be happy if you only care about yourself at the expense of other people. – Russell Brand

Russell Brand Quote

#62 – The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical. – Julus Erving

Julus Erving Quote

#63 – I have moments of insecurity and figuring out what’s going on and what i’m supposed to do, but if you don’t push yourself, you’re not growing, so where do you go? – Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez Quote

#64 – As you get older, you grow and mature, and that should never stop. As soon as you stop growing, you’re done living. I’ll always be growing, forever learning, forevevr taking in advice from people I deeply respect. – Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. Quote

#65 – The trick is growing up without growing old. – Casey Stengel

Casey Stengel Quote

#66 – I’ve always had to prove myself to people growing up. I had to show them that i could do this and i could do that and paying no mind to what the critics said. – Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook Quote

#67 – I’m continually trying to make choices that put me against my own comfort zone. As long as you’re uncomfortable, it means you’re growing. – Ashton Kutcher

Ashton Kutcher Quote

#68 – The clock never stops, never waits. We’re growing old. It’s getting late. – Ben Folds

Ben Folds Quote

#69 – I take all of my life lessons, which some people might call “mistakes”, and apply them to my future so that I keep growing. – Kimberly Caldwell

Kimberly Caldwell Quotes

#70 – I am not scared of growing old, I’m just scared of not achieving everything that I want to do. – Melanie Laurent

Melanie Laurent Quote

#71-80 | Inspirational Quotes about what you love

#71 – Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don’t pray when it wains if you don’t pray when the sun shines. – Richard M. Nixon

Richard M. Nixon Quote

#72 – The biggest thing for me is the passion that I’ve always had for hockey. I remember growing up, no matter what i did in life, my parents always told me to try to do my best at it and be my best. I can say going through different things that passion is the most important part. It’s not skills or talent or any of that stuff. – Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby Quote

#73 – Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead. – Morihei Ueshiba

Morihei Ueshiba Quote

#74 – One of the things I teach my children is that I have always invested in myself, and I have never stopped learning, never stopped growing. – Chesley Sullenberger

Chesley Sullenberger Quote

#75 – In difficult times, we’re not supposed to quit believing, we’re not supposed to quit growing. – Joel Osteen

Joel Osteen Quote

#76 – The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. – William Arthur Ward

William Arthur Ward Quote

#77 – Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’re never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching. – Satchel Paige

Satchel Paige Quote

#78  – It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. – Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau Quote

#79 – We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us. – Marcel Proust

Marcel Proust Quote

#80 – Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise. – Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud Quote

#81-90 | Inspirational Quotes to encourage and motivate you

#81 – To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. – Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell Quote

#82 – True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. – Socrates

Socrates Quote#

#83 – Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. – Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso Quote

#84 – Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero Quote

#85 – The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge. – Daniel J. Boorstin

Daniel J. Boorstin Quote

#86 – Always be a first-rate version of yourself. instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. – Judy Garland

Judy Garland Quote

#87 – The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it. – Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand Quote

#88 – I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.           Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand Quote#

#89 – If you have the guts to keep making mistakes, your wisdom and intelligence leap forward with huge momentum. – Holly Near

Holly Near Quote

#90 – Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men. – Confucius

Confucius Quote

#91-101 | Inspirational Quotes to inspire success in your life and business

#91 – You’re constantly trying to prove yourself, even after you’re made it. – Chester Bennington

Chester Bennington Quote

#92 – There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself. – Anthony Rapp

Anthony Rapp Quote

#93 – First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what yo have to do. – Epictetus

Epictetus Quote

#94 – You try to be yourself, do only what you’re always done and like to do, and right away, you’re tagged as an oddball. – James Dean

James Dean Quote

#95 – At the end of the day, you’re responsible for yourself and your actions and that’s all you can control. So rather than be frustrated with what you can’t control, try to fix the things you can. – Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett Quote

#96 – Of curse life is bizarre, the more bizarre it gets, the more interesting it is. The only way to approach it is to make yourself some popcorn and enjoy the show.        David Gerrold

David Gerrold Quote

#97 – You can make bad choices and find yourself in a downward spiral or you can find something that gets you out of it. – Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne Quote

#98 – Whatever you want in life, other people are going to want it too. Believe in yourself enough to accept the idea that you have an equal right to it.                          Diane Sawyer

Diane Sawyer Quote

#99 – The most daring thing is to be yourself and to do exactly what you want to do at that point in time and not to be worried with what other people are doing or what’s popular. – Wiz Khalifa

Wiz Khalifa Quote

#100 – It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.       John Wooden

John Wooden Quote

#101  – Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison Quote

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How To Lose Toxic People From Your Life

Whether your boss is an aggressive egotist, your buddy is a pessimistic drag, or your mother is a persistent nagger dealing with toxic people is unavoidable.

However, the way you respond to toxic people is your choice.

People who suck the life out of you with complaints, constant negativity, gossip, or selfishness are damaging.

You Need To Be On Your Guard

Many of us go our entire lives accepting and taking the damage and negativity that others dish out.

Time to stop that foolishness.

You and everyone else deserve better from the people around them. Don’t allow others to steal your sense of self and cause chaos in your life.

“Toxic people defy logic. Some are blissfully unaware of the negative impact that they have on those around them, and others seem to derive satisfaction from creating chaos and pushing other people’s buttons.” – Travis Bradberry

Their ability to introduce unnecessary stress into your life is frightening, and in the ensuing chaos, it becomes all too easy to get dragged down.

What Do You Mean By Toxic?

We often hear the phrase of ‘toxic people’ but what does it really mean? A toxic person is someone who is predominantly out for their own gain and never thinks about you.

They are someone who is rarely happy for your accomplishments, and they try to bring you down. Frequently labelling it as ‘helping you’.

A toxic person is someone who uses you, whether for money or other reasons. If you find your ‘friend’ is only around when your wallet comes out, time to reconsider that friendship.

A toxic person is someone who is selfish and has little regard for your feelings. They will treat you badly, and an apology will never come. You may even feel that your friendship is incredibly one-sided. And that is because it is.

A common characteristic across toxic people is their complete self-absorption. Their emotions, needs, and wants are the only ones that matter.

Any effort to change their focus is futile. Because they have an ability to make it about them, their anger, their misery, their problems.

Using this as an example, you say, “My day at work was so rough…” and it gets answered with, “Think your day was rough? You should do my job! First, we get told…”

Then ensues a twelve-minute rant about the miseries and woes of co-workers, customers and management.

If your original statement does get addressed, it is likely to be dismissed or downplayed. “I hear you. We all get bad days, but at least your job is better than mine. And that is something you should be glad about.”

The toxic people and relationships you allow into your life consume your energy, your time, your resources, and your sense of well-being. Until you have nothing left.

Better Mental Health

We have all been there, for the sake of your dignity, your other friendships, or your wallet, you still don’t want to lose that toxic person from your life. Then what about doing it for your mental health?

When you start cutting these people out of your life, you’ll feel a massive sense of relief, not just physically, but mentally too.

An essential part of protecting your mental health is singling out the people who don’t bring positivity to your life.

When you only keep those who make you feel worthy in your life, it will make you feel happier, and most importantly, it will give you a sense of control over your life.

Effects Of Toxicity

How do you know when toxic people are getting the best of you? There are several ways you know a toxic person is having too great an effect on you. From my personal experience here are the five most common ways.

Your Self-Esteem Suffers

Toxic people tend to be insulting, rude, and sometimes even degrading. When this happens it is easy it is easy to wallow in thoughts like, “My brother makes me feel bad about myself.”

However, your self-worth is up to you and you alone.

Yes, others can influence your sense of self-worth. But you should never let your self-esteem be entirely dependent on someone else.

You Talk About Them Often

All that grumbling to your spouse about your manipulative sibling or your complaining to co-workers about your insensitive and rude boss takes time and energy. A lot of time and energy and don’t forget emotion.

“My encouragement: delete the energy vampires from your life, clean out all complexity, build a team around you that frees you to fly, remove anything toxic, and cherish simplicity. Because that’s where genius lives.” – Robin S. Sharma

Talking about toxic people means you are also thinking about them. Thinking of these toxic people when they are not even around gives them a tremendous amount of power over you and your life.

They Are The Excuse For Your Behaviour

When you fall victim to a toxic person’s manipulation, it is all too easy to blame them for your behaviour and the choices you make. A clear sign that a toxic person has power over you is when you place blame for what’s going on in your life on them.

Accept personal responsibility for whom you spend your time with and how you spend it. And then accept that you are in charge of your life. You choose your behaviour, no one else does. They are not the reason for your behaviour.

You Fail To Set Healthy Boundaries

A toxic individual’s aggressive and manipulative tactics make it difficult to set healthy boundaries. We can all get caught off-guard by our friend’s harsh words, and it is all too easy for a co-worker’s brash rudeness to leave us speechless.

When you set healthy boundaries, you buffer yourself from their toxic effect. It is then possible to emotionally protect yourself from their grasp.

You Rely On Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

Indulging in a few extra helpings of comfort food or lingering in the pub for another a drink may make you feel better in the moment. However, over the long term, these are unhealthy coping mechanisms.

And they can cause more problems. If you are resorting to a speedy cure or a quick fix to help cope with the stress, then that toxic individual may still have power over your life for many more years to come.

Why You Need To Be Free

If toxic people are getting the better of you, it is crucial to limit their influence.
That may mean to no longer waste your time thinking about that person. However, in more serious cases, it may mean losing toxic people from your life.

There are two reasons why most toxic relationships end. The non-toxic person comes to the realisation that nothing will change and makes a choice to walk away.

Or the toxic person gets bent out of shape by a perceived slight or minor misunderstanding. Then they cut the non-toxic person out of their life like a piece that no longer fits.

“The more you stay with and/or complain about a toxic person, the more you’re merely delaying doing the important inner work you need to do – to heal your wounds, expand your limiting beliefs, and show yourself far more love and respect.” – Karen Salmansohn

That might strike you as odd. That for all their issues, toxic people are amongst the most unforgiving and judgmental personalities.

If you make a mistake, toxic people won’t forget it. They may say that they forgive you but the repeated references to that transgression you did eight years ago tells a different story.

How To Free Yourself

Losing the toxic people in your life is not easy, but there are 3 steps that will help:

Establish Clear Boundaries

Clear boundaries are integral in maintaining your health and your sanity. Make the decision that if people are not respecting your boundaries, then they aren’t respecting you.

What are your own personal boundaries? Take a moment to reflect on them. Ensure they are clearly established in your thinking.

And don’t be afraid to inform others when they cross them. Afterwards, you do not apologise for establishing boundaries or enforcing them.

Know Toxins Linger

Toxic people do not just go away. In biology, to eradicate toxins, they must encounter more powerful forces.

Toxic people may push back and become irrational, angry, or act like victims. Don’t procrastinate or waste time justifying yourself. Simply tell them the truth and be firm and consistent in your decision.

Recognise Toxicity

The seeds of toxicity develop stubborn roots, so it is beneficial to recognise the signs that a person is toxic quickly. Avoidance is one way to protect yourself from toxic people.

Consider how you protect yourself from catching a cold. Several times through the day you will wash your hands and you avoid contact with infected people. You can do the same with toxic people as long as you can recognise the toxicity.

Things to watch out for are people who invade your space, negatively affect your other relationships and consume large amounts of your time. Trust your intuition, if a person makes you feel uncomfortable or unproductive, chances are they are probably toxic.

Negativity Is Contagious

We should make it our aim to surround ourselves with people who encourage our dreams, support our goals, and make us feel happier simply by being around them.

“What you believe is very powerful. If you have toxic emotions of fear, guilt and depression, it is because you have wrong thinking, and you have wrong thinking because of wrong believing.” – Joseph Prince

Don’t wait any longer, every moment is valuable. The longer you persist in allowing yourself to be subjected to unhealthy relationships, the greater likelihood that fear, guilt, and self-doubt will take up permanent residence in your life.

Saying Goodbye

Toxic people are naturally drawn to those who are giving, trusting and empathetic. And it can be difficult for people with those qualities to do what it takes to free themselves.

Some of us even feel that we are being mean or harsh. But accept that you need to defend yourself and your mental health.

READ: Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life

Hold firm and don’t waver. Remember, you are doing this for your own good. And be prepared when the backlash of negativity manifests itself. It will impact both you and may impact those around you.

You have to value your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health over the value of that toxic relationship to do whatever it takes to get rid of that toxic relationship.

When you remove a toxic person from your life, you go through an adjustment period. During this, you might second-guess your decision or even rationalise the behaviour of the toxic person.

The simple fact is that we need relationships, but we don’t need every relationship.
Surrounding yourself with the right kind of people is essential. Positive people who will bring you up, rather than pull you down.

You don’t have to allow your own kindness to control you. No purpose is served in sacrificing your sanity, so you don’t hurt someone else’s feelings.

Toxic People Poison Your Life

But, you do need to have the courage to tell a toxic person the truth. And the most obvious reason that we don’t is that we like to avoid conflict and don’t want to hurt another person’s feelings.

Losing the toxic people from your life means you will be dedicating more time to your own needs. This period of reflection gives you the freedom to realise exactly who and what you want from life.

As a result, your friendships grow stronger, and your sense of trust does too. You will be astonished how much a friendship can develop when you decide to make the moments count, and you put your all into it.

And you’ll have more free time to do this when you lose all of the toxic people who bring nothing but negativity into your life.

Personal Growth Is The Secret Factor In Business Success

The internet is flooded with self-help guides. Most of the ones I see are divided into 2 categories, either for personal growth or for business growth.

I have a theory that personal growth precedes business growth.

When you actively commit to growing yourself as a person, business growth will automatically follow. Logic dictates that it has to!

It’s dismal when a business person feels they have “arrived”. This arrival of sorts stops them from continuing to grow in their life and business.

The school of life teaches you many things. I learned this lesson in my first business. And surprise, it had significant issues until my mentor gave me this advice.

When I followed this approach, we recovered to generate stupendous growth. The results speak for themselves.

Personal growth will lead to growth in your business with one stipulation. You must be committed to doing the hard work it takes to achieve success.

I get that you might not be sold on the idea that personal growth equates to business growth at this point. So here is some food for thought to prove the point.

9 Personal growth tips that lead to Business Success

1. You see the bigger picture

There is a phrase, “The closer you look; the less you see”.

We keep ourselves confined in our own little bubble. Seeing things from one perspective, our own. It is difficult to see outside of our own bubble.

“Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.” – Bo Bennett

Personal growth bursts that little bubble and provides a helicopter perspective to view things from. We can get above our own perspective the same as a helicopter rises above the ground.

From this helicopter view, you can see the maze of problems being created. It enables you to break free from the confining perspective of someone trapped within that maze.

And the beautiful thing is, the higher the helicopter rises, the greater the perspective.
This more comprehensive view and the ability to see the bigger picture that your helicopter view provides gives outstanding clarity.

You refuse to remain stuck with a tiny detail and instead see the bigger picture that’s starting to form.

You can distribute your efforts in the most efficient manner instead of wasting them on a tiny and probably insignificant detail.

An integral concept in personal growth and development is that you are supposed to have clarity of the ‘why’ behind everything you do including business.

The reason you started this business and lifestyle is your greater why. Those who are only in it for the money do not tend to last very long.

When your greater why is to solve a problem, your focus on solving that problem helps you grow. When your business is built from a position of service, you grow.

Only when you have that clarity, can you channel your focus in the right direction. Instead of dividing your attention in ten different places you become a professional at doing the right thing at the right time.

2. You accept responsibility

To experience true personal growth, you need to accept responsibility and stop blaming others for the lack of progress in your own life. In personal development, you are encouraged to accept responsibility for every action you take.

I recall shortly after starting my first business, sales began to dry up and then they nose-dived. I was naïve and immature and immediately began pointing fingers at everyone and anyone.

It helped distract me from the real issue, but it failed to provide a solution. Though I was the person in charge, I failed to accept responsibility for the lack of sales growth.

Only when I did begin to accept responsibility and stop blaming others was I able to see more clearly. That was the key to me steering the company in the right direction.

3. You dream bigger

How big is too big when harnessing a personal growth mindset? There is a strong argument that there is no such thing as too big.

“You’ve got to have a dream… if you don’t have any big dreams, nothing happens.” – Ian Rush

Look at Elon Musk for example. He is involved in many companies including Google, SpaceX, and Tesla. Those are three multi-billion dollar companies, all with huge aspirations.

I think the key to his success is not that he dreamed of creating billion-dollar companies. But that he focused on his personality growth goals of solving issues that affected the world.

So Elon might be an extreme example, but he shows that there is no such thing as dreaming too big.

4. You focus on future progress

Most people spend a lot of their time dwelling on past mistakes. This becomes a massive roadblock in them achieving personal growth.

You see this over and over again, especially from those who are new to business.
Dwelling on past mistakes puts you in a non-resourceful state. How can you progress if you aren’t in a resourceful state?

There is an alternative. Devote time to analysing your mistakes without negative judgment. And then learn from them.

We must accept that mistakes are inevitable. But the people who learn from their mistakes and move on are the successful ones.

I learned this lesson early in my business career, and it has helped shape my success. Learn from past mistakes and chose to focus on future progress.

5. You become a better leader

Business leaders from differing industries and from all over the globe are coming to the realisation that business is not just about bossing people around. It is about leading effectively.

And, a leader is someone who lifts people up; not pushes them down. They are someone who empowers; not reduces their effectiveness.

The standard approach dictates using any means possible to get the desired result. A case of the ends justifying the means.

However, as someone who is working on improving themselves, you accept that it’s not just about getting stuff done by any means possible.

Your enlightened approach is to invest time and effort in nurturing and building relationships with the people you work with.

You radiate energy and positivity. As a result, others start looking up to you.
They choose to follow you because of your positive attributes. Instead of seeing you as someone who is to be supported because they fear you.

Loyalty and respect are attributes that are earned. People might follow orders due to your position and the power you hold, but you will not have their loyalty or respect.

6. You stay hungry

When that warm and fuzzy notion that you are a success hits you, a lot of people become happy. Very Happy! But beware of the complacency trap.

A lot of people become happy with the status quo. We get complacent. And complacency quickly kills growth.

Personal growth teaches us to look to continually develop, to improve. By all means, be grateful for all that you have in life and business. However, it is a mistake to confuse gratefulness and complacency.

Regardless of the level of success you achieve, never let complacency stop you from setting bigger goals.

7. You develop greater resilience

Business is about as from playing it ‘safe’ as you can possibly get. Basking in the glory of today, you never know when the next crisis will hit you. It could even be looming just around the corner tomorrow.

The ability to acknowledge and live with this awareness without it disturbing your peace of mind requires a massive amount of resilience.

When you are in the sphere of personal growth and practice positive thinking, you begin to adapt to the changing situations naturally.

Resilience gets deeply embedded within your core. You accept hardships instead of fighting them. Also, you embrace the challenges that each day brings.

You develop enough flexibility to see things from a different perspective. Something which would typically be hard to do.

You focus on creative solutions instead of sticking with the tried and tested approach that created the problems in the first place.

8. You develop people skills

Business is always about people. The people for whom you are working and those working for you.

“Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it’s almost always due to personal growth.” – John C. Maxwell

It is crucial to know what drives your customers. Likewise, it is vital also to understand how to keep your employees motivated and what inspires them.

Personal growth helps you become a natural at assessing these things.

You develop the ability to read people. And more importantly, you can read between the lines instead of taking things at their face value.

When you start to grasp and understand the ‘unsaid’ you take cues from little things around you. Then everything becomes much clearer, and you can simplify your business.

9. You become solution-oriented

The harsh reality is that life is a collection of both happy moments and those full of hardships. It’s a bittersweet symphony.

I need to credit The Verve here:

“Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony this life
Trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to the money then you die.
I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.
No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change,
but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold.
But I’m a million different people from one day to the next
I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Well I never pray,
But tonight I’m on my knees, yeah.
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah.
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now.
But the airwaves are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now.”

Songwriters: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger / Richard Ashcroft
Bitter Sweet Symphony lyrics © Abkco Music, Inc

This bittersweet symphony takes on a brand new form when you run or manage a business.

A guarantee

The only guarantee businesspeople get is that every business is guaranteed to face unforeseen challenges.

You are sure to run into challenges and problems. But, it’s the approach with which you take that separates the successful from the average.

Whenever faced with a tough situation, most people only whine and complain. I sometimes call it having a BMW (bitch, moan, whine).

With personal growth, you see things under a different light. A more positive one. One that is solution-oriented.

READ: Easy Ways To Make A Big Change In Your Life

You start shifting from thinking about the problem and start working out ways to tackle it instead.

Whether you agree with me that personal growth precedes business growth, you would have to admit that personal growth accelerates business growth.

I make a conscious choice to see it this way, the greater I grow, the more I can give and the more I can enrich the quality of life for others. From there, it’s all a matter of discipline, dedication and execution.

Sounds like the perfect reason to grow yourself as a person.