Trust me, as long as you’re breathing, there will always be something new to learn.
The world is a vast, expansive place with limitless information and resources–all you have to do is look a just little harder.
So if you feel you’ve stopped growing, then something might be off.
The good news is, you already have an advantage: the fact that you acknowledge there’s an issue is already a monumental step in the right direction.
Now let’s take things a bit further.
To things start off, I’ll walk you through the things you can do when you feel you’ve hit that growth plateau.
The time to re-evaluate and take action is now.
Let’s get to it!
1) Travel
Does life for you occasionally feel a little stale”
Suddenly, your days might become a bit too mundane and predictable for comfort–qualities that subconsciously affect your disposition.
Maybe you’re struggling to find meaning and have the odd bout of existentialist angst.
Personally, my antidote for these episodes of prolonged melancholy is to actively step out of my comfort zone and seek fresh experiences.
Travel, for example, is something I find to be incredibly stimulating and satisfying–it’s an instant mood lifter.
Experiencing strange and unfamiliar lands, meeting locals, and trying exotic cuisines–these are all irreplaceable experiences.
Travel also puts things into perspective: the world is still a magically vibrant place when you want it to be.
So if you think you’ve figured it all out, hop on a plane or train or a boat, and go somewhere you’ve never been.
There’s nothing like a change of setting to simultaneously reignite your fascination with both the world and your journey through life.
Take it from the late great Anthony Bourdain: “It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn.”
2) Seek feedback from friends
Sometimes, when you get too into your own head, your perspective on the order of things kind of gets skewed.
If you keep it up, your thoughts tend to spiral until you’re almost completely out of touch.
Hence, getting out there and discussing your situation with friends, families, and colleagues can help realign things and nudge you back in the right direction.
By hearing feedback from an external and objective party, you’ll invariably gain some clarity.
So I suggest reaching out to a supportive friend or relative, perhaps that’s all you need to
snap you back to reality.
3) Challenge your beliefs
As touched on earlier, the world is an ever-changing place.
Out of habit, we cling to obsolete ways of thinking, even when they are at odds with current circumstances.
This disparity can make us feel lost, detached, and confused.
This is particularly true of certain belief systems and religions, whose big answers are rooted in ancient texts and traditions–things that don’t always transition smoothly to today’s world.
So if you feel that growth for you has stopped, maybe you’re adhering to an incompatible way of thinking.
At this point, it may be worthwhile to take steps to challenge your established beliefs, a process that will surely open the door for new ways of thinking–and who knows, you might even find fresh meaning… and fresh growth.
4) Learn something new
As you may have noticed, we live in a highly digital, interconnected world.
Occasionally though, we take these gifts for granted.
If you feel growth has stopped, I hate to say it, but that could be largely on you.
Make use of the limitless resources you have at your disposal: take online courses, attend workshops, and read books.
With access to all of these things (and exponentially more) through the internet, the ball is firmly in your court.
You have to decide where it’ll bounce next.
5) Look at every day as an adventure
I love food.
I remember being in New York City last year, overwhelmed with a spectacular, seemingly endless array of eating choices.
While walking the streets, I told myself something along the lines of: “Boy, I’d have to live here for the rest of my life to try everything, there’s just too much!”
In a way, this is the kind of mentality you should have about life: that there’s an infinite supply of knowledge out there, and that every day should be a personal quest for acquiring more of it.
This brings me to my next point…
6) Adopt a growth mindset
The monotony of life has a way of bringing us down. Don’t worry, it’s not your fault.
When you get out of that funk, you’ll realize that this is all a matter of perspective.
You can view challenges and failures as dead ends, as permanent setbacks, effectively waving the white flag at life; or you can see them as opportunities for continued growth.
The choice is yours.
If you adopt a growth mindset, you tend to view life as a blank canvas, one where every day, you regularly can add an extra layer of color.
Mistakes are embraced, not pushed to the side.
So keep mindfully focusing on growth; I promise you, it’ll pay off.
7) Set clear goals
Here’s the thing: when you don’t have goals, you tend to sort of coast through day-to-day life.
At some point, you’ll be bound to feel disenchanted and lost, and yes, you might even adopt the notion that personal growth is finite.
I’m here to tell you that this mindset needs to go.
By having goals for yourself, both long and shorter-term, you will have a renewed sense of purpose–also a highly conceivable reason to get out of bed each morning.
And when you inevitably accomplish your goals, pat yourself on the back and celebrate but keep going.
You might just make a few discoveries about yourself along the way as well.
For the sake of continuity, I’ll offer yet another nugget of wisdom from Bourdain: “The journey is part of the experience — an expression of the seriousness of one’s intent. One doesn’t take the A train to Mecca.”
8) Consider volunteering
Growing up, I used to frequently complain to my dad about how bored I was with life, and about how my growth as a person had stagnated.
And while my dad initially expressed empathy, my redundant negativity and venting must have eventually gotten annoying.
He suggested I try volunteering–by getting out of my comfort zone and start thinking of people other than myself, he said I would gain greater perspective.
So I somewhat begrudgingly spent that summer volunteering at a program to build houses for the underprivileged.
Fast forward two months, and lo and behold, the old man was right–I was no longer overwhelmed with anxieties about a lack of growth.
Instead, I emerged enriched and thankful for the experience, keen to do it again.
9) Limit social media use
The secret’s out: social media can have an adverse effect on your mental health.
And guess what? It can also make you feel like you’ve stopped growing as a person.
Reflect on how mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or TikTok is affecting your daily life.
Personally, after a session of scrolling, I feel a little numb to things.
With the endless amount of vapid, meaningless stimuli on there, not to mention all the fake news and showing off, one is bound to feel a bit exhausted.
Sure, you might stumble upon the odd motivational page, but at the end of the day, social media is nothing more than an exceptionally addictive distraction–one that doesn’t align with your growth as an individual.
If this sounds like you, it’s time to take serious steps toward moderating your usage and start focusing on the things that actually matter.
Final thoughts
Sometimes, the tediousness of life has a way of wearing us down and making us feel jaded.
While this is not an unusual feeling, it can also be concerning if it goes on too long.
What’s essential is recognizing that feeling and taking actionable steps toward positive change–which, just by reading this, you’re already doing now.
Remember, one of the fundamental rules of life is that while growth can slow down, it never really stops.
So, if you feel like you’ve hit a bump on the road, regroup and keep moving forward. You have it in you.