Personal growth

To be passionate about personal growth means to desire to make positive changes in your
lifestyle. Individuals often envision personal growth in different ways. For example, if you want
to accomplish your career aspirations, then you might consider an increased self-confidence and
enhanced skill set as signs of growth. This passion focuses on you as a person, whether in your
approach to your personal life or the workplace. Here are specific examples an individual might
practice to achieve personal growth:

 Identifying long-term and short-term goals

 Reading and repeating positive affirmations

 Prioritizing healthy eating and exercise habits

 Reading self-help books

 Learning a new skill

 Practicing forgiveness of self and others

 Accepting helpful advice from others

 Tracking and celebrating progress

 Establishing budgets for healthy spending habits

 Taking part in activities outside of your comfort zone

Why is personal growth important?

Whether it be intellectually, morally, physically or all of the above, personal growth is the direct
result of efforts made to improve yourself. Sometimes referred to as self-improvement or self-
actualization, the purpose of personal growth is to improve one's habits, behavior, actions and
reactions. Some examples of personal development include:

Learning to control your anger

Learning to overcome the urge to procrastinate

Taking time to be there for your body through exercise and a healthy diet.
Learning to break the habit of laziness

Learning to be more considerate

Learning to become more responsible

Developing new skills and learning new things

Changing your mindset

Adopting a more positive attitude

Setting Long-Term Goals: 45 Examples and Helpful Tips

Setting long-term goals for yourself can help you advance professionally and personally. If you
develop goals effectively, it can help you monitor your progress and maintain your motivation
toward reaching them. Learning to create achievable goals can help you continue to improve and
be more successful.

What are long-term goals?

A long-term goal represents something you want to achieve in the future. These types of goals
typically take more time, planning or steps than short-term goals. A short-term goal typically
takes less than a year to achieve, while a long-term goal represents an achievement that could
take a year or more. Long-term goals can often include multiple short-term goals that can lead
you to your desired result.

Wanting to take a leadership course serves as an example of a short-term goal, and obtaining a
master's degree in business administration can represent a long-term goal. Depending on the
leadership course, it could take less than a day to sign up and weeks to complete it. However,
obtaining a master's degree involves months-long application processes and potentially years to
complete your degree. When setting long-term goals, you can define them by several categories.
These categories can align with your personal or professional lives and may include:

 Career goals: Career goals represent professional achievements you hope to reach.
These goals typically demonstrate your desire to advance your career or professional
 standing, and they may include making a career transition, gaining a management role at
work or starting a business.

 Financial goals: Financial goals represent monetary targets you want to reach, and they
may help you achieve a broader goal. For example, if you want to buy a car, you may aim
to save a specific amount of money first.

 Personal goals: Personal goals focus on achievements you want to reach in your
personal life, and they may align with your health, hobbies or interests. These goals may
overlap with financial goals, such as buying a home.

15 examples of long-term career goals

Here are 15 examples of career-related long-term goals you can set to help you succeed
professionally:

1. Expand your professional network.

2. Improve hard skills related to your industry.

3. Develop a relationship with a mentor.

4. Earn a new professional certification.

5. Expand your business into a new market.

6. Market your products through a new channel.

7. Develop a specialization in your field.

8. Implement a new technology program.

9. Become a mentor in your industry.

10. Become a thought leader in your field.

11. Get involved in more professional organizations.

12. Develop a career plan.

13. Pursue a career in a new industry.

 14. Gain leadership experience.

15. Read more books about your profession

How to Set Short-Term Goals in 5 Simple Steps

Setting goals can be an important part of your career development journey. Short-term goals are
useful for increasing proficiencies and fostering abilities in a realistic time frame. Having goals
that complement your day-to-day priorities can significantly benefit your long-term professional
objectives. In this article, we define short-term goal setting, list steps for how to set short-term
goals, describe their benefits and explain the differences between short-term and long-term goals.

What is short-term goal setting?

Short-term goal setting is a self-improvement activity for setting realistic objectives you can
achieve over a small time period. A supervisor may ask you to write short-term goals as part of a
performance review or a career coach might have you fill out a worksheet that helps you define
these goals. You can apply short-term goals in both a personal or professional capacity, and
they're likely to intersect in terms of your plans to reach them.

Benefits of setting short-term goals

There are several benefits to setting short-term goals including:

 Comprehensive guidance: Short-term goals can help you visualize your career path as
comprehensive checkpoints that lead to a more abstract goal.

 Productive behavior patterns: They often comprise repetitive tasks that encourage
productive behavioral changes.

 Positive reinforcement: Small but consistent achievements can help bolster confidence
with positive reinforcement.

 T**angible objectives:** Short-term goals use tangible objectives in order to work

toward results that are meaningful.

 Realistic expectations: By using a designated time frame and an explicit agenda, short-
term goals provide you with realistic expectations to set for yourself.
Differences between short-term and long-term goal setting

It's important to understand the difference between short-term and long-term goals, as they both
serve useful but contrasting purposes. For example, if you're looking for a new job, you may
have multiple related goals you want to achieve. Changing your career trajectory would likely
involve objectives that vary from the ones you might set if your goal is to send your resume and
cover letter to 15 different companies. Here are some of the principal differences between short-
term and long-term goal setting:

 Time frame and flexibility: You're aiming to finish a short-term goal in under a year,
while long-term goals can take five to 10 years or more to achieve. Short-term goals are
also more flexible in terms of application since you can set them as often as weekly or
even daily intervals.

 Substantive objectives: Goals that aren't well-defined and don't have precise steps
usually work better as long-term goals, while short-term goals comprise substantive
objectives with distinguishable methods. In fact, you can use short-term goal setting to
plan out a long-term goal.

 Expectations of achievement: When setting short-term goals, you want to assume that
you're setting reasonable expectations for yourself. Long-term term goals are often more
aspirational and your expectations for achievement may fluctuate.

Here are five steps to setting short-term goals:

1. Think of areas where you want to achieve success

The first step to setting short-term goals is to think of areas in your life where you want to
achieve greater success. Consider categories you feel would be conducive to goal setting and
have quantifiable methods for measuring gains. These categories should be areas where you
know you can be more successful. You could pick something universally relevant, such as time
management or particular to your job, like using a particular brand of software.

Try to acknowledge all aspects of your life where you want to do better so that you can have a
broad spectrum of categories from which to derive your short-term goals. By taking into
consideration both professional and personal areas, you may find that there are ways to achieve
success in multiple places at once. For example, while becoming more organized can help you
become a more efficient employee, you might also improve your punctuality by using the same
skills to shorten your morning routine.

2. Identify skills or traits you want to develop or improve

For each category, identify the skills or traits you could develop or improve to achieve success in
the short term. You want to choose specific concepts with which you're familiar enough to
recognize how they affect your daily life. Make sure you're thinking about practical applications
for what you're looking to cultivate in yourself. Try asking yourself questions like:

 Where do I want to be in my career?

 How much do I feel I should earn?

 What knowledge do I want to learn?

 Is there a part of my mindset that I could change?

 Are there skills I need to perform my job better?

Think about as many scenarios as possible where you feel developing new qualities could be
helpful. You could even have goals that involve setting more goals, so long as you understand
how that activity benefits your daily life. It's also possible to calibrate your short-term goals in a
range of time intervals, such as individual achievements in a set time frame or milestones that
rise at a regular pace.

Related: 10 Key Areas of Development for Employees (With Examples and Tips)

3. Prioritize subjects by the time you need to progress

Prioritize your subjects by how much time you think you need to benefit substantially, relative to
the potential impact of your achievements. It's best to have short-term goals in which your gains
are clear right away, but you also want to consider the amount of progress you'd probably have
to make before those gains are tangible. Your major priorities often coincide with your current
job situation, so try to think of what a positive change for you might look like in that
environment.
For example, spending three months using a graphic design program for five hours a week at
home could help you develop some basic skills that have practical applications in most
industries. If you were to use the same time to teach yourself a specialized 3D animation
software that's easier to learn with guided instruction, the tangible results may not be as obvious.
Objectives that are more abstract or you feel are less attainable are probably better suited as a
basis for a long-term goal with simpler parameters.

Related: Key Differences Between Short-Term and Long-Term Planning

4. Think of tasks that could comprise a short-term goal

Once you have your prioritized list of subjects, think of a few associated tasks that could
comprise your short-term goals. You want to pick activities that precipitate forward momentum
or a positive behavioral change. Make sure these are tasks you could imagine yourself
performing regularly and won't require a drastic change to your normal routine. It's typically
easier to employ small, incremental modifications for more holistic goals like increasing your
ability to focus or improving your productive output.

Many short-term goals involve exercises that take place outside of an office environment, often
at home. For example, if your short-term goal is to reduce your job-related stress, you probably
want to use a more comfortable location to achieve that. This could include tasks such as
attending a class on meditation or going to bed earlier. Remember to consider the physical
location when determining your goal-related tasks.

5. Use the tasks you've come up with to create SMART goals

You can use these tasks you've thought of to create SMART goals. Here's how the acronym
correlates to previous steps:

 Specific: You've chosen particular traits or skills as focal points for your goals.

 Measurable: You've established a relationship between the time you need to achieve
success and its relative impact.

 Attainable: You've picked tasks you know you can perform regularly.
  Relevant: You've prioritized improvements or changes that tangibly affect your current
employment situation.

 Time-based: Your objectives are conducive to a defined time frame.

When completing your short-term goals, be sure that you're adhering to these principles. For
example, earning a new degree is a goal that's specific, measurable and time-based, but it might
not be attainable or relevant, depending on your situation. If you're working at a job you enjoy,
earning a new degree could be attainable if it's a two-year associate degree program and relevant
if your employer offers to subsidize the tuition.

Positive Affirmations in the Workplace: Impact, Tips and Example

Positive affirmations are powerful statements that can help improve your confidence and
outlook. Understanding how positive mantras work may assist you in reducing negativity in your
professional life. In this article, we discuss positive affirmations, their benefits and how to use
them. We also provide examples to help you increase your contributions at the office.

What are positive affirmations?

Positive affirmations, also known as mantras, are statements used to provide encouragement and
motivation for yourself and others to become better at a certain activity or skill. If you’ve ever
reassured yourself of your ability to do something before doing that activity, that is a positive
self-affirmation. Encouraging a friend or sibling that they can do something is also the use of an
affirmation.

You can use affirmations in situations and the workplace where you would like to improve, such
as: Boosting self-esteem at job interviews and work

Controlling negative thoughts and emotions, such as fear, frustration and impatience

Overcoming a habit negatively impacting your career progression, including procrastination or

passive-aggressive behavior

Improving your confidence and public speaking skills before and during an interview, meetings
and presentations
Enhancing your proficiency at skills and boosting your productivity

Motivating yourself to finish ongoing projects according to schedule

Setting new career goals

Benefits of using positive affirmations

Repeating positive affirmations can provide multiple benefits for your work life. They include:

Improved skills

Daily positive mantras can help you become more proficient at skills vital to your professional
success. For example, repeating and believing in the statement, “I am confident” before
presenting a plan can help improve your presentation skills. You can also use this affirmation to
increase your confidence levels as you prepare for interviews.

Sharpened focus

Affirmations can help you reduce distractions at work and concentrate on activities that increase
your contribution to organizational goals. For instance, repeating the affirmations, “I set clear
goals and work to complete them every day” and “I am hardworking” can motivate you to create
achievable and measurable milestones for completing your projects.

Improved interpersonal relationships

Invoking a mantra can improve your interpersonal skills by helping you to promote positive
reactions and feelings about others. For example, writing the assertion, “My time will come, but
my coworker’s success is also my success” can help promote collaboration and teamwork.

Managed stress

You can use affirmations to lower stress and boost performance on difficult tasks. Mantras can
break obsessive thought patterns, preventing your mind from dwelling on negativity. For
example, instead of thinking about your failure to meet a deadline, you can use the mantra “I am
a doer” to encourage yourself to find new ways to resolve the delay.

Positive perspective
Affirmations can improve how you see your role. For instance, repeating “I am lucky to have this
job” can improve how you view your position and increase your gratitude.

Increased job satisfaction

If you can use mantras to boost productivity, improve your goal-setting and interpersonal skills,
master new proficiencies and enhance decision-making, your job satisfaction can increase.
Practicing positive affirmations can help raise levels of optimism and happiness about your work
or career outlook.

How to use positive affirmations

You can use positive affirmations to improve your work life in the following ways:

1. Repeat before starting work

Repeating affirmations before starting work can help set a good tone for the day. Saying “I will
be productive today” for a few minutes before you begin the day’s activities can help increase
your motivation levels and boost productivity.

2. Use during meditation

You can incorporate mantras into your meditation. Affirmations such as “My mind is free from
stress and worry” can help you relax and improve your focus.

3. Pair with goal setting

A great way to make affirmations more effective is to combine them with goals. For example,
you can repeat or visualize the affirmation “I have confidence in my ability to present in front of
others” to enhance your presentation skills.

4. Use with positive thinking techniques

You can encourage positive thoughts by repeating affirmations. For instance, the affirmation “I
am successful at my job” can improve how you perceive your position.

5. Review affirmations frequently

Write down affirmations regularly, whether it’s daily or weekly. Whenever you see the
statement, it can drive you to achieve your goals and perfect skills to become better at your job.
6. Use them in your notifications

You can make affirmations more effective by using them as notifications on your smart devices.
You can select a daily affirmation and have it sent via a calendar application.

7. Repeat whenever you engage in negative thoughts or behavior

Repeating affirmations like “I choose hope over fear” before defending a large project or facing
an interviewer can help you conquer the emotion and deliver a spectacular performance.

Positive affirmations examples

Below are positive affirmation examples to use in different work-related situations.

Affirmations for the job search

You can use these affirmations to increase your confidence level during the job search process:

 “I am completely energized to find my perfect job.”

 “I am open to new and exciting opportunities to find my ideal work.”

 “I am calm and confident.”

 “I have limitless potential.”

 “I see myself in my dream job.”

 “I have all the skills and knowledge to deliver at my dream job.”

Affirmations for an interview

Here are interview affirmations to improve your chances of landing your dream role:

 “I excel at job interviews.”

 “I have exceptional talents and capabilities.”

 “I always speak with confidence.”

 “I am a natural communicator.”

 “I am the perfect fit for this position.”

Affirmations for the first day at work

Use these positive mantras to set yourself up for success from day one at your job:

 “I have confidence in myself. I am at ease speaking in the presence of coworkers.”

 “I will ask for help when I encounter problems on the job.”

 “I am rewarded in multiple ways when I perform my job to the best of my abilities.”

 “My coworkers and I encourage and help each other grow and succeed.”

 “My job brings me joy and happiness.”

Affirmations for everyday motivation

These affirmations are excellent for everyday motivation:

 “I am courageous enough to face and conquer my fears.”

 “I am confident in my self-worth.”

 “I have the skills and knowledge to make the best decisions for my career.”

 “I am the best at what I do. I create exceptional results for my organization.”

 “I am focused and passionate about my goals and career.”

 “I am living my life to the fullest.”

Affirmations for career progression

Here are positive affirmations to motivate you toward achieving your career goals:

 “I have the drive and ambition to achieve my goals.”

 “I am on the right career path.”

 “I allow myself to grow and learn.”

 “I am a great user of my time and talents.”

 “I am confident in my abilities to reach the pinnacle of my profession.”