Good morning, dear Trybers.
Today marks the beginning of a new series where we invite Guest Writers to publish on our Newsletter. As such, you are warmly invited to send your articles, centered on personal development and productivity, to thedigitalweekendtrybe@gmail.com with the subject GUEST POST. Necessary communication shall be done after that.
This article was written by Olamide Omotayo, a Mass Communication student of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti. Enjoy!
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So sail away from the safe harbor. Explore, Dream, Discover” —Mark Twain
Over the years, I have seen many people tremble whenever they hear about personal growth/development and productivity because they have a misconception about it. I feel that growth gets a bad reputation because most people are afraid of it. Yes! People are fearful to embrace growth, probably because of fear of the unknown, and rather stay comfortable in their comfort zone and avoid knowledge which is the driving force of productivity.
Growth, however, is such a natural part of our soul’s evolution that we are supposed to be doing daily because “it is not just an act, but a habit”.
Growth is quite neutral and “everything is neutral until we put our thoughts and beliefs into it; until we give it its meaning. Then that subject becomes good, bad, scary, (whatever meaning you gave it)”. Currently, what is your belief about growth?
I will be explaining “personal growth/development” and “productivity” with a short story.
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Before I became versed in writing, I had tried to seriously pursue writing every time, but I gave up. The surrender does not occur in an explicit moment of defeat but through a subtle retreat. A subtle slide that you'd realize months/years later that you'd wasted a lot of time.
My dream has always been to write beautiful articles that inspire people's souls and motivate them to take action, but I have always found solace in my humble nature. I fear failing to write something good, so I kept abandoning writing to escape the torment it brings.
It has always been that way for me-I believed it was procrastination, but I now realize that low self-esteem, along with my fear of criticism, had eaten deeply into my creativity and productivity.
I lost confidence in my abilities as I became more and more terrified of my fate if I wasn't able to create beautiful pieces. Likewise, I envied my friends with whom I started this before I abandoned writing for a few months convincing myself that I had no flair for writing, despite having this quote chiming in my head daily like an alarm clock "Rome wasn't built in a day". But as an alternative, I compared myself to people who have excelled at the said skills.
The fear of being dull made me beat myself so hard, even though I never took the first step toward confronting it. Every time I wrote rubbish, I beat myself to it. Likewise, I was like that without understanding the secret behind productivity and creativity.
Several months later, I attended a seminar on "Building your space with your pen, being a vigorous writer." The anchor was passionate about making a space in the world of writing. Thank goodness I got the number of the anchor who welcomed me warmly and wanted to dive with me on the writing journey, explaining how he struggled as a beginner. This was when I realized I had wasted my time.
As a result, I decided to devote myself entirely to writing for the first time; I wrote a few e-books, penned tons of articles, and tried somewhat diligently to make writing my top priority. In a short period of time, I embraced personal development and growth.
Have you, however, heard the adage that "sometimes things have to become worse before they get better"? Well, I would prefer not to scare you, but that's how it feels when you walk through the door of growth.
I spent the entire day studying, reading furiously, and writing as if it were the only thing worth living for. My objectives were to dominate the writing industry, to write frequently, and to inspire others by showing them how their personal development may help them discover hidden talents.
I eventually succeeded in my goal through growth. Therefore, there is a need for personal development. It comes with perseverance, knowing who you are and what you desire.
Because it requires your complete dedication, focus, and diligence, being productive can be just as difficult as making a decision when you are faced with a choice.
However, productivity extends beyond the workplace. It is personal growth. This can be challenging at times. You must persevere through difficulty to grow, and this is true. Without first exploring growth, you can never leap into productivity. Productivity is growth's final result.
We now understand that productivity begins with growth. Because it is a battle, it is not as simple as we may think. However, some advice can help your growth and prevent time-stealing distractions. Growth also reflects how you are as a person.
Self-Awareness: You must become conscious of your current position in both yourself and your life. An unidentified problem cannot be solved. Recognize who you are and what you require. Determine your current emotions so that you can recognize your direction.
Asking yourself how you are feeling will help you to identify the ideas and behaviors that are supporting that feeling.
Declare that you are also prepared to let go of these thoughts and beliefs because they are no longer helpful to you.
You also choose how you want to feel going forward after assessing how you are feeling right now. Choose the ideas or thoughts you need to change to support the new feelings and keep this in mind. Once you’ve done these steps, you’re ready for growth.
You must continue to learn from events that occur around you if you want to keep progressing in life. Many individuals believe that learning ends when you finish your degree. But this is false! Real learning fosters personal growth, which fuels productivity.
Let me know what you think of this article and the guest writing series in general. Thanks!
I felt that this was addressed to me. Thanks for finding the courage to write again. You're inspiring.
This guest writing series is excellent. We will get to read about different people perspectives on productivity and personal development. I hope to see more amazing articles. 👏🏼
GUEST POST is up to a good start. This is an impressive one. I look forward to reading more relatable guest posts.
Dear guest, you must feel fulfilled now, yeah. I'm happy your personal development journey brought you here.
Keep doing well, guest.