Why personal growth

There is a difference between being alive and living. We can suck oxygen all we want and fill our bellies with food; we can consume and be productive without actually living. Living integrates many different concepts but at the core it comes down to enjoyment, fulfillment and awareness. To live we must make choice for ourselves and find the joy in the moments we can while not turning away from sadness and fear just to be safe.

Living is not safe, and it should not be, growth, accomplishment and wonder all have elements of risk and are necessary for us to be alive. When we shelter our selves' whether it is emotionally, physically or both we diminish our lives. We do not have the opportunities to succeed, to shine, to find joy. The purpose of personal growth is simply to shift from being alive to living, but not living in a reckless self-destructive way but one that decreases suffering, both personal and social, and allows us to be happy.