Your family and friends can either be a great resource to your own personal development or they can be detrimental to your growth. And you probably know which category your family is in.
When I speak about family, I generally consider these to be people who are related to you and with whom you have close contact. They can include your mother, father, siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. Your own children as well as your spouse or life partner are also considered family.
It is so important for you to have the support of these familial relationships on your journey of growth. However, you will find that people have very different views to self development. While some just may not seem to see the need for growth others may consider it a waste of time and become very verbal in their disapproval.
On the other hand you may find a family member who seems to want to hijack your journey. There is a fine line between being supportive and becoming over involved. The key word here is SELF development and as important as support is, you must not include people at your own detriment. Good intentions or not, development is a solo journey for you with support, coaching, or encouragement as needed.
Sabotage is another problem that you must be aware of in your family members. Oh yes, this does happen! This comes in the form of someone who sees your growth and often feeling left behind. These people may begin criticizing you unnecessarily or accusing you of being selfish or neglectful, which can be damaging to your self confidence.
As you begin on the path to self development it is important to gauge where each of your family members stand. For those family members who are untrustworthy of the process, share on a limited basis how your growth is affecting you. Rely on those who are supportive but be selective in choosing the advice they may offer. You are the best judge of what works for you and what builds you up.
Be careful not to alienate those nearest and dearest to you. Don’t over stress your achievements as some may interpret this as bragging or trying to make them feel bad. Make your journey about humility as well as growth. Remember that self development includes all areas of life and that a negative element to your growth will put everything else out of balance.
Make sure that the time you spend on your self development does not take away from your family. This is especially true when you have children who rely on you for so much. Spend time helping them learn development skills while spending time with them. Meditation helps reduce stress for both adults and children. And best of all, it is a positive activity you can share. That is if your children are old enough.
A great rule of thumb is to always be considerate of those around you and address any issues that may arise. For example, your mother or father may feel that your need for self development means that they were somehow inadequate as parents. That is far from true. Communication is key and so is setting boundaries.
Although your parents may not express these feelings or objections, be sensitive. Keep reassuring them if they do share concerns that you just want to be an even better person than they already made you.
Make one of your self development goals to be more supportive of your family. They may even surprise you by just how much love, attention, and support you receive.
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Awesome