Number 2 Catalyst for Growth

Spiritual Disciplines

The second most significant catalyst I have experienced for personal growth would be the commitment to and practice of spiritual disciplines. Over the years I have researched and then practiced various spiritual disciplines. All of them should be a part of your life anyway but a season of concentrated and deeper commitment to different disciplines will be of huge benefit to you. As well as that you discover disciplines that for you become more than just a seasonal thing, they actually become core praxis in your life.

Of particular significance to me over the years has been the practice of simplicity, study, reflection, sacrifice, generosity and confession. These things are moving from or have moved from practice to lifestyle.

There are number of great books about spiritual disciplines and plenty of information online. Why don’t you study up on a couple of disciplines and then practice in them in your life in a way that you perhaps never have before?

What spiritual disciplines could you practice or commit to?

Study
Prayer
Worship
Confession
Simplicity
Sacrifice
Humility
Service
Reflection
Community
And plenty of others.

Again, of course you have to get involved at a level that will genuinely stretch you and ask more of you than perhaps ever before, stay committed to the process though and you’ll be amazed at the fruit.

Number 3 Catalyst for Growth

Personal growth, in whatever area, comes about through all sorts of circumstances. In my next three posts I want to outline three things that have really helped me to grow as a person over the years. They are not necessarily my top three catalysts of all time but I’ll post them in order of the current significance I feel each has played in my life, with number one being the most significant.

Involvement

This is a pretty basic one but I find that simply choosing to be involved in a task, team, project, hobby, relationship, helping someone etc, results in growth. As long as you have a right attitude (positive, will to succeed, humility, tenacity, teach-ability, work ethic, and motivation) by default you’ll just grow. You’ll be stretched, your learn new skills, you’ll get offended and have to deal with it, you’ll be encouraged, you’ll be challenged, you’ll be rebuked, you’ll be able to observe, listen, question, and absorb all sorts of things. You’ll grow.

Primarily for me involvement has led to growth in community.

What could you get involved in?

Sports team
Community project or organisation
Leadership
Band
Committee
Social club
Mentoring
Voluntary service
Think-tank
Study
Charity work etc

Of course you have to get involved at a level that will stretch you, once involved though, keep a right attitude and you’ll grow.