Self-Improvement — #ILLUMINATION

What Is the Best Path to Personal Growth

Are you curious enough to find out?

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical And all the birds in the trees, well they’d be singing so happily Oh joyfully, playfully watching me

~Roger Hodgson, Supertramp

Remember those days? What happened to them?

If you’ve heard the song, you know the answer. They were “taught” out of you.

As a first step toward self-improvement, you can un-teach yourself.

British billionaire Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin group of companies, considers fun to be a fundamental criterion when evaluating a business venture.

Most of us are here on Medium because we like to write. Yes, we would like to make money, but I bet that is not the only reason or even the prime reason. If it is, then chances are you will soon lose the joy found in the act of writing. Ask me how I know.

As I mentioned in my introduction, I a certifiably unemployable. That is why I have been self-employed for the past dozen years or so.

Currently, I am not active due to the restrictions on public gatherings, but when I was working, I was playing with kids of all ages. I am a balloon twister who creates fun and amazing figures out of balloons. I am a big kid at heart. I like to have fun.

When I fired my last boss and decided to go the self-employment route, I had a conundrum. I had spent most of my working life in the restaurant industry, and I didn’t want to start one. What other choices do I have, I wondered.

Then I remembered that some of the restaurants I worked at employed people who would come in and twist balloons for the children on specific days. I have always been fond of little ones. I was a cub scouts leader in my teens, and I have a diploma in Montessori teachings.

I wondered, what would it take to become a balloon twister? When you allow your curiosity to lead you, you will be surprised at what you can accomplish. I learned that it was not as intimidating as I felt it was when I watched others do it. Not only that, I realized that it is fun learning a new skill and take on new challenges.

My three takeaways

“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” ~Carrie Fisher

1. When you are on a journey of personal development, it is imperative that you have fun. Growth necessitates change, and that can be stressful. Having fun is the best way to combat stress.

2. Curiosity is natural. We are all born naturally curious. If you’ve been around the Terrific Twos, then you know their favorite question. Why? Your answer explaining it will receive the same query. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but that is how we humans make progress.

3. Personal development and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. I believe that there is no better path to self-improvement than starting an enterprise of your own.

And just for fun, here is Supertramp.

Day eleven of the 30-day challenge. My theme: Self-Improvement.

As Always, thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this, you might like the earlier ones too.

I am a self-proclaimed weirdo, Jack of Many Trades and Master of Some. I live the Freedom Lifestyle — life on my terms, and help those who are interested in doing the same. (Join the Tribe)

“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”