For many people, personal growth is one of those things that seems fairly easy to say and even think about. But, it is much more difficult to actually make happen. Why is that? Ironically the place we should be able to really go for some of our best personal growth is within our families. Yet, it seems it is one of the most challenging and difficult. From my perspective, there are two main reasons this may be the case. First, it is often easier to help others grow, than focusing on oneself, especially when it comes to our families. Second, when it comes to taking action to work on our personal growth, we fear failing ourselves and our families who we may have gotten involved.

Having spent a good portion of my life working in management and leadership, I have made it a strong focus to ensure I help others develop their strengths. I firmly believe that personal growth is one of the most important things on which we must focus. This desire to help others is one of my core values. As a result, I find it easy to go out of my way to help others. This is especially true within my own family. Not that it is a bad thing at all. The truth is if I, as the father, patriarch and an important role model for my sons, don't take time to develop myself and include them in the process, I cannot expect that of them.

Here are three ways to help you and your family work together to ensure there is focus on individual personal growth. When we include our family members, we can see just how important it is to have a team behind you for support and motivation.

Know yourself

Wow, that sounds rather easy. Yet, it is a lot harder than it sounds. To know yourself means you have taken the time to know your strengths and weaknesses. It means you have been honest with yourself in identifying where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. It means you know your personal values. One of the great ways to do this is to have members of your family make a list of things they see in you. Have them list things like moments when you are at your best, when you at your worst, what do they see as your talents, and where do they see opportunities for improvement? Remember, this is your family. You should trust them and ensure they feel they can respond honestly so that you get the clearest picture of yourself. I will warn you this is not easy. Nevertheless, it is the only real way to be able to move forward.

Be committed

As with anything we want to accomplish, if we are not fully committed we will either not achieve complete success or, even more frustrating, we may never get started. When we are committed, we are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. This is especially true when it comes to our personal growth. When we include our family members, we will feel a little extra motivation to stay committed to our personal growth. Having the support of your family not only increases your confidence, but your family's, as well. Part of the family's support is that they will help follow-up on your commitments. In doing so, they will help ensure you are staying accountable to yourself and your personal growth. You deserve to take time for yourself. The truth is, when you better yourself you will make yourself more valuable and will be able to help others. What an awesome benefit from being committed to our personal growth.

Document progress

There is a famous statement that says, "A goal not written down is simply a dream." When it comes to your personal growth, you need to be able to see your progress. The best and most consistent way to ensure this happens is by documenting your plan, the actions you are taking, and the results of those actions. As you do this, be honest and don't limit your words. Writing and documenting is one of the most powerful ways to ensure success. When we are willing to document our progress, we are showing our level of commitment. When your family sees your willingness to document what you are doing, they will be more committed to your personal growth, as well. It also gives them something tangible to use when following up with you. One of the other benefits of documenting is that you may reference what you learned years later, or you may use what you learned to help someone else. There are truly so many benefits of keeping track of your personal growth.

At the end of the day, we are all responsible for our own personal growth. When we include our family, there are many great benefits and blessings that take place. I have seen how close our family has become as we work with one another on personal growth. There is a new level of respect when members of the family work together in an effort to increase one's personal growth. One of the greatest things that has happened in our home is seeing our three sons working together at different times to support each other. They still act like regular teenaged boys. They seem to be professionals at pushing each other's buttons. But, they are also the first to show their love and support as goals are met, and accomplishments achieved. This has helped me personally grow as a father, husband and person.