Leaders are committed to continual growth. Without a consistent habit of learning, a leader cannot expect to stay in that position for very long. The simple truth is this: people unwilling to change will never reach their potential. And there is nothing more effective when it comes to reaching potential than a solid commitment to personal growth.

There are several things that you can do to help develop you into a person dedicated to personal growth. These are not hard and fast rules, but they are principles that you can use and apply to your specific life situation.

Make a choice to grow.
Leaders are committed to the continual process of self-improvement. Make the choice to grow. Studies indicate that an overwhelming majority of people never read another book once they have completed schooling, at whatever level. Continual growth doesn’t necessarily mean more school, it could come in the form of books. In order to improve yourself, you have to choose to grow.

Make the choice to grow today.
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you need to start today. Your personal growth will not happen until you decide to make it happen. Making that choice sooner, rather than later, means that you won’t look back tomorrow and regret that you missed today. Make the choice today. You will not grow automatically; it takes effort to grow. But no one will make that choice for you. You have to do it yourself. There is no better time than right now to get started.

Don’t become satisfied with where you are.
Complacency is a dangerous attitude. When you become satisfied with your current achievements, you start to think that you can take a break. There aren’t really any plateaus is the area of self-improvement. You’re either growing, or you’re sliding back . It’s perfectly ok to pause to celebrate an achievement, but then use that excitement to spur you on to the next level of growth.

Learn continuously.
One way to avoid becoming complacent is to be a continual learner. Make it a habit to learn constantly. Carry a book or journal with you when you travel. Take advantage of driving time by listening to self-improvement and personal growth CDs. Make the commitment to learn something new everyday.

Create a plan for personal growth.
The best way to accomplish something is to set your goal, and then create a specific plan of action to help you achieve it. Start by identifying the areas in which you want to grow. Follow that by looking for books, magazines, CDs, blogs and podcasts that focus on that area. For example, one of my hobbies is outdoor photography. In order for me to be continually learning and growing in this area, I subscribe to two magazines, and follow a dozen blogs and podcasts on the subject. And then I structure opportunities into my schedule where I can go practice what I’ve learned. Make a plan. And then stick to it.

Be disciplined.
Personal growth is difficult. It’s work. You will occasionally feel the desire to drift with the current instead of going against the flow. Resist the urge to relax your effort. Growth requires discipline. It requires you to sacrifice time that you’d like to spend on leisure activities. It may cost you money. It requires constant change, risks, and the possibility of failure. But personal growth is always worth the price you pay because the alternative is living short of your potential. Living short of your potential is to live a limited life; a commitment to personal improvement opens up limitless possibilities.

Apply it.
Your knowledge is just that, knowledge, until you do something with it. What you learn needs to lead to action in order for you to grow from it. Without application, you have nothing more than some head knowledge that won’t do you a bit of good. Application takes the information and initiates the transformation. Make sure you plug your learning into your life in order for it to help you grow.

This post has been inspired in part by material from Self-Improvement 101, by John C. Maxwell. His 101 series cherry-picks the essentials in subjects such as leadership, attitude, relationships, teamwork and mentoring and puts them into a short and simple format, easily readable in one sitting. The 101 series isn’t very in-depth; it’s more of an introduction to the subject, a starter. This series is a great way to beginning the process of learning leadership skills. You can purchase Self-Improvement 101 on Amazon.com.

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