There's a general assumption that as we get older, we grow in our maturity and wisdom.  After all, with all that life experience under your belt, how could you not become wiser and more mature?  But age alone is not synonymous with growth, maturity, and wisdom. 

Just as you've probably met someone who seemed incredibly mature for their age, you've likely also met someone whose age clearly hadn't conferred the level of maturity and wisdom you would have expected.
 
Life experience on its own is no guarantee of maturity and wisdom; it's what you do throughout your life that matters.  Maturity and wisdom go hand in hand with growth.  When you allow yourself to become more receptive to growth in your life, you lay the groundwork for maturity and wisdom to follow.  Therefore, it makes sense to guard against self-imposed limits that stifle your growth.  

Here are some common self-imposed limits to watch out for.

“At a certain level of self-awareness, we perceive something supernatural in us.”   
Leo Tolstoy, Writer.
 
The term self awareness comes up a lot these days, but it's not  new concept. 

For millennia, the value of self-awareness has been recognized around the world, evidenced through art, literature, religion, and a variety of ritual practices passed down from one generation to another.  But what is self-awareness exactly, and why is it so important?

Do you view yourself as being a bit of a misfit?  If you do, there have likely been countless times when you felt isolated, alone, and disconnected from other people. You may have found yourself thinking life would be so much easier and simpler if you could just be like the folks around you.  
 
Not fitting in with everyone else can be challenging at times, but there's another side to it.  Misfits often possess unique and valuable traits.
 
Here are five great qualities to be found among the misfits of our world.

You're constantly making choices as you live your life each day.  You choose what to focus on and how to spend your time.  You choose who to spend time with and which relationships to invest in.  You choose your response to all the situations and circumstances that come your way. 

Over time, the choices you engage in repeatedly become habits.  A habit is defined as:  "a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior; an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary."

The habits you cultivate matter; they influence the trajectory of your life.

With so much emphasis on performance, achievement, results, and outward appearances, it's easy to become distracted by and overly concerned with the superficial.  On the outside, things look good and you present the perfect picture of success. 
 
Meanwhile on the inside, you feel drained, confused, and unfocused.  You also feel increasingly disturbed as you find yourself becoming spiritually disconnected over time.
 
There are no shortcuts to maintaining good spiritual health; it needs to be nurtured on an ongoing basis.  Here are seven ways to regain your spiritual strength and focus.

Your feelings are part of an amazing and powerful communication system designed to guide and protect you.  While you don't want to be trapped, controlled, or incapacitated by your feelings, you do want to be aware of them and cognizant of what you're experiencing at any given time.

That awareness enables you to assess what's going on in your life so you can choose how best to respond. 
 
As you strive to become more attuned to your feelings, here are seven feelings you should never ignore.

“You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone.

“This is why art is important.  Art would not be important if life were not important, and life is important.”  James Baldwin, Author

Periods of struggle can leave you feeling trapped and alone, desperately trying to hold yourself together as you push through the darkness.

There are times when it makes sense to seek out input and guidance from a skilled health expert.  The specialized knowledge and support a trained practitioner provides may be just what you need to get focused, develop a plan, and stay motivated as you work towards your health goals.

But what about your own intuition and self-knowledge about your body?  Do you view yourself as the ultimate expert on your body and your personal wellness? 

Perhaps you're still trying to figure out what omega-3s, antioxidants, and free radicals are all about.  Maybe you're unsure about the exact steps you need to take to achieve and maintain the best health possible.  Even if you're not an expert on all things health-related, one important fact holds true:  you have an intimate awareness of your body that no-one else has. 

Ready to set some New Year’s resolutions?

Before diving into the specifics for all the goals you want to achieve, step back and take a high-level look at the year ahead.  What kind of year are you anticipating? 

Taking a big picture view of the year ahead provides valuable context to help you prioritize as you develop your goals. 

You drag your feet.  You procrastinate.  Perhaps you have a big job to complete and you feel overwhelmed, unsure of how to get started.  Perhaps you have an unpleasant task before you and you would simply rather not deal with it. 

Then there are those times when the task you're facing is neither all that big, nor particularly difficult or unpleasant.  Nevertheless, you still find yourself putting it off day after day.