After experiencing what many might say was an existential crisis, three years ago,  I have been continually pursuing a path of personal development and self growth.

Looking back, I can see that self growth does not happen all at once, it takes time, effort, and a lot of energy.  Patience and perseverance are also two key ingredients.

I have observed that a large chunk of the three years, I have spent in isolation.  As an introvert, when I have a problem, I tend to seclude myself from others, and research a topic for hours, days, and sometimes years to fully comprehend what it is that I am curious about.

Don’t get me wrong, researching, reading,  and analyzing data, is what I like to do, but I have come to the conclusion that over the past few years, the biggest spurts of growth that I have had in the field of personal development came in the form of taking direct action.

This could be going out on dates,  or taking courses online, getting up the nerve to talk to a therapist.  I even setup an informational interview with a coworker, and by doing so I formed a friendship with the most amazing person.

Now, I can see why taking action is not the go-to means for people (introverts especially) who want to make a change in their lives.  Taking action is scary.  Why would you want to wander outside your comfort zone, to meet total strangers, when you could sit on your comfy couch and read a book about how to talk with strangers, instead?

Here is the thing that struck me about taking action.  A sure sign that you have taken action is that you have failed!  That’s right!  Failure is a sure sign that you have taken action.  Without Failure, there can be no chance of success.

So there you have it,  go out there, take action, and expect to fail a few times in the process.  But, just by the fact that you failed, means that the chance of success is that much closer within your grasp!