DirectorsMessage061011

Change can be scary as we feel new things, entertain different thoughts, and perhaps leave old ways behind. Here are 11 obstacles that can hinder professional and, hence, self-growth.

1. Denial. It’s difficult to grow when you don’t see the need. Listen to the quiet voice inside and to what your loved ones are saying. Get the support you need to see the truth.

2. Seeing yourself as a victim. If you always perceive yourself as one-down, you can’t become the empowered person you are meant to be.

3. Substance abuse. Whether you’re self-medicating or seeking escape, the problems just don’t go away without the willingness to face them.

4. Self-loathing. Nothing banishes self-hatred faster than self-care

5. Blame. If we always point the finger at another, we never see our own role.

6. Defensiveness. This is a racket we swing against, that suggests we might be at fault. Let go of the ego and see “faults” as opportunities to grow.

7. Fear. Acknowledge the frightened parts of yourself, praise your courage, and move out of your comfort zone.

8. Anger. Rage is a call for attention to our triggers, but sometimes we get stuck there. Accepting and understanding the meaning can help free you.

9. Busyness. Constantly moving allows no time for the reflection that lays the foundation for self-growth.

10. Unwillingness to admit you’re wrong. As with defensiveness, if we stop judging “error” as wrong, expanding opportunities awaits.

11. Lack of networking and educational experience. If you do not attend the RDH Under One Roof conference, then you are definitely missing an opportunity for growth at one of this year’s premier educational events.

12. Bonus. One of my favorite quotes is, "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

Be well,
Kristine Hodsdon, RDH, BS
Director, RDH eVillage