9 Best Articles on Personal Growth
The most useful articles on personal growth from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Personal Growth Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved on personal growth by Refind users.
Videos
Watch a video to get a quick overview.
Dan Harris: The benefits of not being a jerk to yourself
After more than two decades as an anchor for ABC News, an on-air panic attack sent Dan Harris's life in a new direction: he became a dedicated meditator and, to some, even a guru. But then an…
How to ...?
How to Be Great? Just be Good, Repeatably
A thought piece on what it takes to truly be great and what that even means in the first place.
«makes the rest of us believe that correlation (of those outliers) is causation; in other words, success of those individuals is due to their offbeat ways»
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles on personal growth—all under 10 minutes.
Expectations and Reality
In 2004 the New York Times interviewed Stephen Hawking, the late scientist whose motor-neuron disease left him paralyzed and unable to talk since age 21. Apparently in a good mood, the Times asked…
«there’s almost a complete ignorance of expectations, especially managing them with as much effort as we put into changing our circumstances.»
A simple trick to uncover personal leverage
Most of the things you do don’t matter. Yup, that tweet you’re reading. No impact. The presentation you just edited. No one’s going to read the slide. And that feature you just shipped. Crickets. As…
«If 80% of your activities are barely making a dent with your happiness, what does that mean? And what about that 20% that makes you light up.»
Harder Than It Looks, Not As Fun as It Seems
There’s a saying – I don’t know whose – that an expert is always from out of town. It’s similar to the Bible quote that no man is a prophet in his own country. That one has deeper meaning, but they…
«“All businesses are loosely functioning disasters” Brent Beshore says. But it’s like an iceberg, only a fraction is visible.»
Why Things Are Never as Bad as They Seem
Things are rarely as bad—or as good—as you think they are. The goal is not to get too attached to lopsided thinking in one direction or the other.
«good things, while good, rarely affect permanent change in one’s self or in the world, and similarly, bad things, while bad, rarely doom us to a life of misery or failure.»
On morning routines, habit cues & remembering
“Lose an hour in the morning chase it all day.” - Yiddish saying For most of my life I didn’t have a morning routine. It wasn’t really until my early-20s that I even made my bed every day. It wasn’t…
«Similarly, when starting a new job the things you do the first few days often turns into the routines that become embedded over time.»
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles on personal growth.
Generalise, don't specialise: why focusing too narrowly is bad for us
As children, we were told that practice makes perfect, but sportswriter David Epstein turns on its head the popular idea that specializing early on in one field leads to greater success. Epstein delved into studies on the development of elite professionals, observing that dabbling isn’t the hindrance many believe it to be. In this fascinating article, he outlines a convincing case that – in an increasingly complex and interconnected world – the world needs more “people with range.”
The essential guide to crafting a successful Growth Loop.
Based on personal experience, I want to share what I have found to be the top requirements for success when creating a growth loop.
Publications
We monitor hundreds of publications, blogs, newsletters, and news sources in Personal Growth, including:
Mark Manson
3x #1 NYTimes bestselling author. Best known for F-Bombs and uncomfortable truths. Giving life advice that doesn't suck since 2008.
Greater Good
Your source for the Science of a Meaningful Life | Based @UCBerkeley | Home of the #happinesspod | Click link for more
TED Talks
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas. 🔴 Get TED ideas delivered straight to your inbox — sign up for a TED newsletter today: http://t.ted.com/mnZ3Z9A
Entrepreneur
Inspiring, informing and celebrating entrepreneurs.
The Guardian
The need for independent journalism has never been greater. Become a Guardian supporter: https://support.theguardian.com
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