At the end of the day, what we talk most about here at Confessions can be condensed down to two words: self-discovery. I don’t mean self-discovery for the benefit of being more in control, perfect, or virtuous; I mean self-discovery as it relates to personal serenity and the ability to soak in all the connection life has to offer.

The biggest source of joy in my life is my family. I’m not kidding, I love my husband and kids more than chips and salsa, people. But here’s the thing Team (and I talk about this in my first ever podcast), if I hadn’t taken the time to look at myself all those years ago, those five love-rockets would absolutely not like to be around me! With all of my sarcasm, judgment, and criticism, who could blame them? I had a lot of cleaning to do on my side of the street, but all of that sweeping has monumentally improved my connection with my family. Today, I’d like to talk about the backbone of those changes. 

Here are the 10 foundational pillars that have guided my personal growth and development:

1. Self-Awareness: Being open to truly seeing my motivations has allowed me to focus on my side of the street rather than on trying to fix, change, or improve other people’s streets.
2. Goal Setting: Having a clear vision for myself keeps me out of trouble. When I’m getting distracted by other people’s behavior, I can put my focus back on my own direction and purpose. 
3. Learning and Growth Mindset: While I don’t always go with a smile on my face, I have learned to embrace change and challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. 
4. Resilience: With practice–and a good night’s rest–building resilience to navigate setbacks without losing momentum is a side effect of being committed to this work. 
5. Self-Care: Prioritizing my physical, mental, and emotional well-being has been the keystone of my self-improvement journey. I couldn’t have progressed as much as I have without a willingness to at least try to continually support my overall health.
6. Time Management: You guys know one of my favorite Mags quotes: Planning is hard, but it makes life easy; Not planning is easy, but it makes life hard. 
7. Communication Skills: Communicating thoughtfully with others has completely healed my relationships. This includes using listening skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, and clear, confident self-expression…even when that’s scary. 
8. Empathy: Developing and focusing on my empathy has likely had the biggest impact on my relationships with myself and others. Compassion, compassion, compassion.
9. Accountability: I have to hold myself accountable for my actions and decisions. I still sometimes don’t get it right, but there’s always room for adjustments and apologies along the way.
10. Gratitude and Positivity: When my head slips into that negative place, it’s an indicator to me to focus on gratitude. When I take time to soak in my abundance, I’m one step closer to attaining a positive outlook. 

Team, those 10 pillars have served as the framework for my personal development over the past fifteen years. Each pillar has contributed to my journey of becoming a version of myself that both other people can love, and I can love. Change didn’t happen overnight, but I did wake up every morning with a willingness to do what I had to do to soften my edges. And it’s clear to me now that soft edges are a lot easier to get close to.

So hey, guess what? I have a little GIFT for everyone. If you’re already an email subscriber, check back to your email with the date of this week’s post to download your FREE 40 Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery. And if you’re new to Confessions and you’d like to join our Team, please SUBSCRIBE (at magsdepetris.com) and I’ll send you over your very own FREE Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery ASAP! Thanks for listening and enjoy your self discovery!