Post Traumatic Growth: 12 Tips To Growth and Mastery

I'm a believer in growth in all areas of your life. But if we do manage to avoid the creative growth traps, we all experience stress and life events that can take us off our game.

Post-traumatic growth (PTG), defined as positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity and other challenges in order to rise to a higher level of functioning.

We all go through hard times and have traumatic events happen in our lives. I've been obsessed with a driving question. What is it that causes someone to become successful and achieve their greatness vs. the majority of those who don't unlock their full potential?

What is it that causes someone to grow and achieve their greatness vs. what makes others descend and never fulfill their potential? Whats the difference between a life of lack and hardship and lots of suffering vs. One that is satisfying, fulfilling, has depth and purpose, the sense of one-ness and harmony with life, where all the needs are met and their is a base of exploration and curiosity.

Those who transform with post traumatic growth elevate to a higher level of functioning and are better for it because of the capabilities developed.

The first thing to know is that your past doesn’t equal your future.

Rest assured that you don’t have to rely upon previous results for reasoning or prediction of future results. The past doesn’t equal the future. It leads to it. Through contrast we determine what we don’t want, which leads us to what we do want. We are constantly either advancing towards our desires or giving into worries or fear.

The past doesn’t define or confine you, when you get connected to your purpose and answer your calling-you begin to see your destiny.

Here are 12 tips for post traumatic growth and mastery in your life.

1) Build an unstoppable self concept.

Listen to me. The second thing that you need to do is build an unstoppable concept of yourself that will help you win in all areas of your life. This is so important to your overall resilience, your performance and achievement potential, and is your guide in the process of fulfillment.

When your identity aligns with your true self you have the starting point for locking into place an unstoppable self concept that will fortify and strengthen you in all conditions. There are few things that will have as profound a difference in your life as an unstoppable self concept. Mastering your identity will improve your experience in every area of your life.

2) Develop the life you love centered around all the things you love and enjoy most.

For me personally I get to coach, consult, teach, write, speak, learn, meditate, and think from the heart of my life as well as cultivate flow in several areas of my life, as well as play golf and hockey and make music when I feel like it. It’s pretty much optimal. I get to add in doing live events and a ted talk and a lot of very interesting projects. It all centers around my purpose and those activities and people that mean the most.

3) Form a game plan for your life and get into gear

Here’s where it begins. You have to start constructing your life plan. You have to begin with what you have and use all that you have as effectively as you can. Your life plan should flesh out the blueprints from your dreams and purpose, your vision and desires, your mission, your goals, your projects and tasks as well as include the plan for how you will achieve success in each area of your life.

With the working blueprints you have the clarity and focus to begin work on the most important projects. You can start to build momentum.

4) Build a trusted system

This is of utmost importance to your growth. A system for managing everything from projects and tasks to lists and reference information. I would recommend using a digital management system like Omnifocus which  is the brain for my life management system that I’ve used since 2009.

With this system I’m able to log and track all my inputs and outputs and archive or reference the notes and reminders intelligently. I’m able to process my task list and look at projects at a glance as well as see from different perspectives of my work from different contexts. I create questions and things I want to bring up in different conversations when I see certain people.

5) Seek self actualization

“Self-actualization, in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, is the highest level of psychological development where the "actualization" of full personal potential is achieved, which occurs usually after basic bodily and ego needs have been fulfilled. “

Self actualization is about developing your potential and is the process on the journey to being your best self and living your best life.

It’s about turning talents into strengths and then strengths into superpowers that make your weaknesses irrelevant.

Self actualization is about the highest level of fulfillment that you achieve as your unique contribution to humanity through being your best self.

Desire to be your best self and you will gradually become that.

Becoming all you can become. I got started on my journey with self development as a broke homeless 19 year old kid. The Army’s message was clear and spoke directly to me. Be all you can be. Self actualization is not tied to money or fame, it’s about the success of a person in achieving happiness and fulfillment in their lives.

6) Growth vs. Fixed mindset

The problem that most people have is that they have what’s known as a fixed mindset. Where people interpret life, your self and your innate potentials as fixed and limited. This is such a pervasive mindset because it doesn’t account for what could happen if the mindset was different.

The growth mindset says that

“In a fixed mindset students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. ... In a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence.”

James Clear

The growth mindset is the mindset of an achiever or a champion. It’s the most optimistic about human potential and development in learning and intelligence.

7) Be proactive not reactive

You’re either proactively creating the reality that you want or you’re reacting to what happens to you. You are thinking many thoughts throughout the day, go ahead and proactively think the better thought vs. Reacting to the negative one and you’re well on your way to mindfully building the life you want. What you don’t want tells you what you do want and then you take action toward it. When you’re proactive you see options and opportunity, when you’re reactive you see problems and react to them. Being proactive is how you can shape your destiny and become a champion in the world. It’s how you can create what you want instead of avoiding what you don’t want.

8) Be a Master, not a Dabbler - pursue mastery

This is the affliction that so many fall into. The dabbler just dabbling with things on the surface but has no depth or real commitment to his craft or his life. He has no structure to make failing harder than succeeding.

 The master embraces the process of growth and thus constantly improves. Because of his commitment to his craft and his destiny the master becomes the person he is destined to become.

Through the process of putting in the reps and doing the work daily, he progresses and advances in a multitude of ways each day.

The dabbler reacts to everything around him, the master proactively creates the life he loves.

You have to master your meanings and your performance in those critical areas of your life. The Master gets good at the fundamentals.

9) Find Your Purpose

When you understand the purpose for your life everything becomes better. Your mind goes to work for you in unseen ways to serve you. Your purpose is the source of your power. When you’re powered by purpose you’re driven by your own internal drives and desires, and that is the key to good living.

I guess this is just going to take as long as it is going to take. I’ll build out one line at a time until everything starts to flow together and is communicated like a perfectly orchestrated symphony of ideas and meanings that hit their mark every time with every person I ever interact with from here on out.

10) Develop your vision

You have to develop what you want your life to look like and then give it a chance to unfold. Without a vision people parish. With a vision you get to delight in the process of creating that vision. You trade your life for your goals and your vision, so make it count. Get as descriptive as you can with it. Get into a place of alignment and then ask your intuition for answers about what you really want in life. The use of these powers you have are your birthright and the secret treasure storehouse of answers and insight available to you.

Your vision should cover your health and fitness, your emotional, intellectual, spiritual, career mission, financial and social life. Dream as big as you can. Make it unrealistic.

11) Reframe Your Beliefs

Your beliefs are thoughts you think repeatedly about what something is or should be. They are the reason you succeed or fail. With the power of belief you can accomplish anything. Here’s where you can make the most immediate impact on your life. Your beliefs are your programs in your matrix. Unfortunately, we often form beliefs that don’t serve us. To evolve your mind and your life you need to reframe the beliefs that hold you back from your greatness.

12) Turn your Strengths into Superpowers

You have strengths that if you were to develop you could turn into superpowers that change the world. We have to first identity those strengths and then we need to proactively develop those strengths.

If you are ready to talk to anyone about your vision or your limiting beliefs that hold you back from the career you desire, or if you want to discuss your goals for 2021 with the Music Business Architect book a Music Business Breakthrough Session as our gift to you for what you do for the world.

Stay Fresh,

Jamie Leger The Music Business Architect for Independent Artists & Creators

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Founder & CEO of The Music Business Liberation Academy Author of The Music Business Manifesto Creator of the Music Business Blueprint