Keith JonesApril 29, 2016

The people I admire most are those who work on growth and mastering themselves while at the same time serving others. They’ve defined their life purpose as making a contribution to others in meaningful ways. These heroes of mine aren’t perfect. They’ve made mistakes in their personal life and failed many times in the pursuit of their goals. But this hasn’t stopped them. They’ve stayed committed to their purpose as they’ve worked on themselves.

How can a person help other people and work on their own personal growth when life can be so demanding? There are family obligations and full time jobs. There’s breaking news in the world to keep up with and the latest trends. What is a person to do with all this going on? The answer is to prioritize your life. In doing so, you will create an order and structure that leads you to what’s important to you.

Here are three things you can do today that ensure you grow personally and make a contribution to humanity along the way.

1. Prioritize your life by making your personal growth the most important thing. Begin your day with physical, mental and emotional acts of self love. Make morning exercise one of the first things you do each day. Read and listen to content that makes you smarter and healthier. And consciously choose to be forgiving and loving to everyone; including yourself.

2. Practice discipline. Eat healthy, think healthy and be healthy. When I see people who operate at a high level with their career, health,  and mindset, I know it’s because they’re disciplined in these areas. They bring their best to work and treat coworkers with respect and kindness. They consume nutritious foods and exercise daily. They cultivate positive thoughts. And they let go of negative emotions like jealousy, judgment and blame. They choose love instead. For most people, being healthy – mind, body and soul is not natural. It takes discipline. And the best way to get better at something is to practice.

3. Choose to grow over being entertained. I like sports like a lot of people. And for a long time, playing and watching it consumed a lot of my time. When I got serious about personal growth, I cut back on sports significantly. I still enjoy it, but with the understanding that it provides little value to my life compared to personal development. Sports was my thing. What’s yours? Is social media, the Internet, television or going out a lot your thing? There’s no judgment here. Would you be better served if you allocated a little more time to growth and a little less toward entertainment? This is a personal question. For me, I am happier and more fulfilled now.

If you want to grow and achieve big things, it requires commitment and discipline. Both of which have everything to do with mastering yourself. Make your growth a priority and you will win bigger while serving others better.

Stronger Mindset,

Keith