The Importance and Value of Self-growth

Little in life is ever truly static. Things tend to be in flux, and when it comes to living things, they are often caught between putting their energy into maintaining the status quo, growing, or trying to slow down the inevitable decline. This holds true when it comes to people – as time progresses in our lives, we grow up and change. That growth isn’t only physical, but it is spiritual, mental, and emotional.

If you’re 30 years old and behave like you’re still in high school, that’s a sign that something isn’t quite right. And if you’re 15 years old but act like a 30-year-old, it’s either you’re one of those old souls who just acts with maturity from a young age, or circumstances have compelled you to grow up fast. Either way, growth is a natural part of life.

What is self-growth?

We can invest ourselves in the growth and development of others. A teacher can spend time developing his students, teaching them how to think and problem-solve. A parent invests themselves in their child, helping them know how to clean up after themselves, resolve conflict, build friendships, manage their finances, relate with God, and so much more.

A coach can spend time with her charges, not only helping them achieve their athletic dreams, but walking alongside them in life and through hardships. We can do the same with our friends and neighbors in various sundry ways. It’s a good thing to be able to pour into the lives of others, to help them achieve their potential and become the people God intended.

Often, the people who are skilled at caring for others and helping them grow, struggle to carve out time for themselves and their own growth. Perhaps it seems selfish to do so. However, for us to be the best people we can be, we also need to invest time in ourselves.

When it comes to self-growth, that means investing some of our energy toward ourselves and our development as a human being. It means plowing time and energy toward yourself to build up your capacities, skills, and gifts. This helps you to tackle different facets of your life with greater ability.

Why is self-growth important?

We can be a little self-obsessed in our culture. Between our mountain of selfies and the cornucopia of apps that allow us to draw attention to ourselves and our lives, it may seem a given that we either don’t need any wisdom about self-growth because we are so invested already in ourselves, or perhaps what we need is far less focus on ourselves.

Perhaps our culture isn’t especially selfish, but we simply have permission to do so whereas in other times more energy was poured into fulfilling duty and responsibilities toward others. Whatever the case may be, in any era, self-growth is still important.

For one thing, life is all about growth, becoming more of what and who God made us to be. For us to flourish and fulfill this destiny, we shouldn’t let our gifts lie fallow, but spend time and effort in cultivating and using them. That’s what good stewardship is about. This reminder is apt:

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly – Romans 12:6-8 NLT

To grow in your gifting, whatever it may be, you need to know yourself and what you’re passionate about and good at, and then you have to apply yourself to the task. If our culture is indeed a little self-obsessed, perhaps the corrective that we find in this type of self-growth that the Bible speaks about is that it is not about the individual, but about giving thanks to God for the gifts He has given us, and using those gifts for blessing others.

Life only gets more complex, and we need to grow to meet the challenge.

If the ax is dull
 and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
 but skill will bring success. – Ecclesiastes 10:10, NIV

This is a great reminder for us that if we want to live well, it will require skill. When you start life as an adult, you need to learn all sorts of things you may not have needed to know when you were young, like how to file your taxes, how to handle adult relationships, how to get and keep a job, handling money wisely, working through grief in a healthy way, and so much more.

Life mostly gets more complicated the older you get, as the needs and responsibilities upon your shoulders grow. Instead of simply hacking away at things using brute force, the wise person knows that skill can bring about success. When you grow your skillset, you’ll be better placed to tackle the things life throws your way.

Another reason why self-growth is so important has already been hinted at. The people around us benefit from our growth. If you consider our relationships, we don’t want to repeat the same mistakes and continue hurting the people around us by displaying immaturity again and again.

Hurts in a relationship will come, but some are entirely avoidable through maturing ourselves emotionally and mentally. For example, growing in your ability to handle conflict and deal with anger, and being able to handle the responsibilities that are a natural part of a relationship all benefit that relationship.

When we open ourselves up for growth by providing ourselves opportunities for fresh experiences and by learning from our experiences and doing better in other circumstances we can avoid remaining in a rut and repeating the same mistakes. Self-growth provides space for a person to overcome unhelpful or unhealthy habits not only in their relationships, but also for their own mental, physical, and emotional health.

Self-growth thus allows you to be a better partner, friend, colleague, or neighbor, and it allows you to overcome challenges and obstacles in your personal and professional life. Circumstances can shift in the blink of an eye, and to keep up with change while doing what we’re meant to do requires skill that comes through experience and deliberately investing in ourselves to improve those skills.

How to promote self-growth

To be able to promote self-growth, there is a sense in which simply going through life gives you opportunities to grow as a person. The challenge with that is that the growth that happens may not necessarily be what you would like it to be.

The set of circumstances that you find yourself in, the company you keep (and thus the role models you may be surrounding yourself with), your personality, and nurture/nature can all lead you toward growth that is detrimental to yourself or others. In other words, the tides and seasons of life can mold you into a worse version of yourself.

However, if you want to lean into what God intends for you must give time and resources to it. Our instincts left unchecked typically don’t lead us to do what God wants and what’s best for ourselves and others. Just as a grapevine needs a trellis and pruning so that its growth is healthy for the plant and produces the best fruit, self-growth that is a blessing to you and the people around you, must have energy and thought put into it.

You can set your trajectory toward meaningful self-growth by deliberately planning for growth, setting goals, and getting help from professionals such as a life coach or counselor who will walk alongside you to accomplish those goals and overcome your challenges. Contact our offices today to be matched with a counselor who will guide you toward your own self-growth.