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Personal growth is one of the most significant things we can strive for in our lives, yet it’s also an ongoing process. Growth isn’t always easy to measure; it doesn’t come with a finish line or a clear “right path.” Instead, it often shows up in the small changes we make to our daily routines, the healthier relationships we build, or the better decisions we start making on a regular basis. Whether you’re letting go of past hurts, setting healthy boundaries, or creating new habits, the journey of personal growth takes time and conscious effort.
At the end of the day, it’s about becoming a better version of yourself on your own terms. Personal growth isn’t about perfection but about making the kind of changes that align with your authentic self. Let’s explore some signs of personal growth and what it truly means to evolve into a better person through new experiences and challenges.
What Does It Mean to Grow as a Person?
Growing as a person means becoming more aware of who you are, what you value, and how you want to live your life. It’s an ongoing process of emotional growth, personal development, and gaining a better sense of your purpose. Personal growth requires us to ask the right questions: Am I heading in the right direction? Am I making decisions that reflect the best version of myself?
Real growth involves navigating tough times, learning from past events, and taking steps to become more emotionally regulated. It’s about letting go of bad habits and unproductive behaviors while embracing new interests, healthier relationships, and fresh perspectives. When you set boundaries with toxic people, spend less time chasing external validation, and invest in new skills or hobbies—whether it’s learning a new language or taking online courses—you’re walking your own journey of personal growth.
Ultimately, growth means balancing emotional, mental, and physical health, creating deeper connections within your social circle, and finding joy in little things. It’s not an easy journey, but the best part is that every step forward builds a stronger, more confident, and more authentic version of you.
Signs you Have Grown as a Person
1. You become more self-aware and notice patterns/
Our life is shaped by patterns. Some of those patterns are good: Every time you come home from the gym, you are full of motivation and get a ton of work done. After every journaling session your head feels clear and you get some good planning done. Every time you go out to meet your friends, you come back inspired and full of ideas.
Some of them are bad: You meet someone interesting but as soon as they confess a romantic interest in you, you balk and run the other way. Every time you walk into your kitchen you get yourself a snack. Every time you need to switch between tasks while studying you allow yourself to procrastinate.
Growing as a person means becoming increasingly aware of the patterns that govern our life. You start asking yourself, why certain things have made you so angry, so quickly. Why your relationships don’t seem to last. You start looking for patterns. Once you have that awareness, you can take deliberate actions to remove the things that trigger a bad pattern and increase the triggers for good patterns.
Have you already noticed some of your patterns? Which ones do you like and which ones do you always regret in hindsight?
2. Some of your patterns dissapear/you don’t have anymore
Growing as a person also means that some of your patterns disappear. This can happen without your conscious awareness or after making an effort to do so. Either way, one day you get into a situation that you know would have stressed you out endlessly just a year ago and yet it doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore.You realise that you suddenly feel comfortable dealing with previously uncomfortable. Of course, that shift didn’t actually happen all of a sudden but rather gradually over some time. It shows that your comfort zone has expanded.
If it has been a while that you’ve noticed such an expansion of your comfort zone, then it is time for you to take matters into your own hands. Make a list of things you’ve been wanting to do for a while. Perhaps, it’s joining a yoga class or colouring your hair. Maybe you want to travel alone or start wearing skirts and dresses more often. If you’ve had this goal for a while now and still haven’t done anything about it, then chances are it lies outside your comfort zone and the idea of being uncomfortable has been holding you back. Pick the smallest of these goals and commit to doing it within the next month. Once you have dared to step outside your comfort zone, make sure to follow up with the rest of your goals. Use the momentum you have gained to expand your comfort zone even more.
3. Your goals change
Our goals tell us a lot about the person we are and even more about the kind of person we want to be. Growing as a person means shedding your old skin and leaving some of your past goals behind. This can be because you have already achieved them and are ready for the next step. It can also be because your sense of self has shifted and you don’t desire to be that kind of person anymore. For example, you don’t want to lose weight anymore but rather gain muscles. You don’t aim for the most flawless makeup but rather want to leave the house bare faced and feel comfortable. Your ideal man doesn’t work in finance and has blue eyes, instead you look for someone who is always working on themself and is driven both in his personal and his professional life.
Children are arguably the people that grow at the most rapid pace. Consider how often their dreams and wants change. One year they want to be a princess when they grow up, the next year they want to be an astronaut. First they hate the color pink, now they adore it above all else. In contrast to children, how many adults have the same New Year’s resolutions every single year, until they simply stop caring. They have become stagnant.
Which of your goals have changed recently? Maybe dig out those New Year’s resolutions lists and compare them. If a lot has changed, then congratulations, you must have done a lot of growing as a person, in the last year.
4. You use fewer excuses
You don’t make excuses anymore for why you can’t find the time to work out, or cook, or meet with your friends. You have become self aware enough that your excuses simply aren’t convincing you anymore.
5. You spend your money differently
Our finances, especially our expenses, tell surprisingly much about who we are as a person. Are we disciplined, or do we make a lot of random purchases? Do we prioritise our health by putting money into groceries and the gym or are we spending a lot on takeout and in bars? Do you invest into yourself through coaches and courses or do you invest into being distracted through Netflix, HBO & Co.? Do you save and/or invest any money at all? And if so, how much of your income is that? Do you donate?
6. You spend your time differently
Are you more active than before? Do you spend more time with friends and family? Are you going to bed earlier and sleeping longer?
A big indicator on persona, growth is where we spend how much of our time. Take a look at your screen time. How much time do you spend on various devices and what apps occupy the most of that time? You might want to take a screenshot and compare it with your future statistics.
7. Your opinions have changed
As we learn and experience more our few of the world changes. Two people can have the exact some experience but their emotional and mental state can have them view that moment entirely different. That’s why you might have laughed about the idea of climate change, but now you make an effort to lower your personal carbon footprint. Perhaps, you used to be a staunch vaccination supporter, but the experiences during COVID have made you more cautious. Maybe you were a passionate feminist, but these days you know that there is a fine line between feminism and sexism against men. Perhaps you were the kind of tourist that never leaves the hotel and now you think a vacation is best spend immersing yourself in the foreign culture.
No matter in which direction your opinions have changed, any change is a clear sign that you have grown as a person. Whether that change is for the better or worse is something you have to decide for yourself. Trying to pinpoint what made you change your mind in the first place, can be a very enlightening exercise. Even better, if you see yourself as an open minded person, I truly recommend actively searching for arguments against your position. Treat it as if you are preparing for a debate and you need to know your opponents arguments. The biggest opportunities for growth lie in the moments, when you come across an argument that makes you somewhat uncomfortable, because it makes sense but it also goes against what you believe.
Growth isn’t about reaching some final destination; it’s about appreciating the life journey and the progress you’ve made along the way. Small shifts in how you think, act, and view the world can lead to big changes over time. Whether it’s embracing new lifestyles, dealing with difficult conversations with a thicker skin, or reducing stress levels, every sign of personal growth is a victory worth celebrating.
The only way to keep evolving is to maintain a growth mindset. Surround yourself with positive people, dive into new experiences, and keep asking yourself the right questions. Your personal development is yours to shape, and every conscious decision to become a better version of yourself is a sure sign you’re on the right track.
Remember, real growth isn’t about perfection; it’s about showing up for your own growth on a deeper level—day after day, moment by moment. Keep doing the good work, and trust that the next day will bring new perspectives, new skills, and new opportunities to grow into the person you’ve always wanted to be.
