In recent years, perhaps thanks to changing perspectives and mass media, self-love has become more prevalent. Everyone is taking their personal wellness more seriously, and buzzwords like mental health and work-life balance are all the rage these days. That being said, while most expressions of self-love are centred around feel-good activities like going for spin classes and having avocado toast for brunch, it doesn’t necessarily mean it's limited to just that.

Below the surface lies complex layers that can include notions that are both challenging and uncomfortable, yet essential for your development and overall well being. From confronting your fears to embracing vulnerability, there are numerous difficult things that you can do in order to grow, thrive, and live a fulfilling life.

By applying this approach to a professional setting and exploring some challenging yet transformative endeavours, you’ll be able to reap the benefits that your personal life has enjoyed and cultivate a more holistic version of self-love.

Embracing change

The only constant in life is change, yet it’s also one of the scariest things to accept. As humans, we’re innately motivated to seek out routine, which provides us with a sense of stability and predictability, and reduces stress levels. However, while it might feel comfortable, there are potential drawbacks of remaining in a routine for too long.

For one, an extended routine encourages complacency and it fosters a weaker mindset, unable to accept and handle hardship. After all, when you become so comfortable with doing things a certain way, this can instil false confidence and an overestimation of your abilities and an inability to think beyond what you already know.

This close-minded approach will eventually backfire when you inevitably have to deal with new prospects, resulting in a struggle to adapt and deal with potential hardship and failure.

Instead, welcoming change is not only a reflection of a positive attitude towards growth, but it also showcases traits like resilience and adaptability, both of which are celebrated professionally and personally.

For instance, being part of a new initiative at work that is out of your current expertise can be intimidating, and it can be considered a monumental task for many. However, rather than shying away from the challenge, see this as an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and learn new things.

By getting involved in new ventures, you’ll not only pick up new skills that could prove valuable at work, you’ll also be able to stay on top of industry trends, build influence and form new connections with others. In turn, this can greatly expand your professional opportunities.

So, don’t be afraid to choose differently. Put yourself in environments that challenge and broaden your perspective, surround yourself with people who motivate you to push your boundaries and engage in continuous learning. Remember, the path you take in life is entirely dependent on the choices you make, so why not make the best ones for yourself?

Accepting failure

Part of embracing change is accepting that sometimes, your efforts might end in failure. But while it’s an inevitable part of life, failure is considered a crucial part of growth when dealt with gracefully.

Even so, they can still hurt, some more than others. For example, if you fail at something that’s insignificant to you, or considered low-stakes, the pain of failure wouldn’t sting as much as compared to more significant or major blunders, where the hurt could be enough for you to want to give up entirely.

In other cases, you may find yourself failing repeatedly at a specific task, which can gradually wear your motivation down as you start doubting yourself.

An intense and unpleasant failure is difficult to shake off, and while it may hurt, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s necessary to spur innovation and maturation. Every setback comes with its own lessons to be learned, and it's up to you to get the most of it in order to move forward.

In fact, according to a group of psychologists and neuroscientists, the ideal rate of failure is at 15.87%, setting a standard you can benchmark off and reminding you that failure is not just acceptable but a necessity.

So go forth without fear of failure and make as many mistakes as you need. As long as you aren’t breaking the law or endangering yourself and anyone else, you have plenty of opportunities to learn from your mistakes, and adapt accordingly.

Letting go of expectations

It's a universal thing to hold some level of expectation for anything in life, whether from your family, work or even yourself. But while they can serve as a driving force, there can be times when those expectations can negatively impact your life, especially when they clash.

For example, your career path could deviate from your parents’ expectations, or that you’re burning yourself out in an attempt to reach a goal you set for yourself. Suddenly, these well-meaning aspirations can become suffocating and hurt you both mentally and physically.

At times like this, remember that while the notion of hard work is still relatively critical to success, everyone’s path is different. What works for someone may not for you; thus their expectations may not necessarily be a good measure of judgement for you

As such, there’s nothing wrong with adjusting or even getting rid of expectations that aren’t serving you. If you’re really interested in pursuing photography as a full-time job as opposed to medicine like your parents wanted for you, go for it. You might just find that your interest in this role makes it much easier for you to accomplish great things and feel more satisfied in life, rather than dragging your feet at a position that you’re not really into.

You’re essentially letting go of being too attached to certain people, what happens, or how things turn out,and this means trying your best every day, not expecting everything to be perfect. Focus on what's important for today and forget about what isn't.

Spend your time wisely and meaningfully

Procrastination isn’t a new concept , but it’s definitely become more prevalent among younger generations. Be it getting distracted by the latest viral videos on TikTok or doing a deep dive into a subreddit thread, it's not uncommon to end up setting your work aside for a bout of mindless scrolling or midday naps.

This is particularly true when dealing with things we deem trivial or low-effort, which end up being on the backburner in favour of more important things to do. Alternatively, it's brushed aside with the excuse of ‘waiting for the right time’, only to forget about it later on.

Instead, it’s best to adopt the mindset that there’s no such thing as the perfect time to start, and now’s just as good as any to do what you want. For example, if you work in the tech industry as a computer programmer, whose main job is to create software and application code, it might be beneficial for you to expand your repertoire and pick up other skills like mobile app development.

Alternatively, you could take an even bigger leap and switch tracks in order to capitalise on growing trends. So in this case, you might choose to switch from a general software engineering role, and learn some new AI skills so that you can transition to a more specific and niche role.

Plus, this benefits your professional life, too. Some of your acquired skills can be utilised in the workplace, enhancing your capabilities and bettering your chance at career progression. If you’re unsure about where to start, take a quick look at the happenings in your life. There’s probably a ton of things already going on that’s worth checking out. It’s just up to you to take that first step forward.

Do it for your personal growth

Most would rather shy away from challenge and opt to take the path of least resistance by chasing the easiest and quickest thrills we can.

Yet, in spite of all that, the truth is that embracing difficulty not only strengthens our resilience and self-confidence, but also cultivates a more comprehensive perspective on life. After all, you can’t run forever; sooner or later there will be challenges that you can’t simply sidestep, leaving without the grit necessary to conquer such endeavours.

On the other hand, if you’re constantly pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, you’re not only strengthening yourself for future adversary, you’re also developing a deeper understanding of yourself and your potential.

After all, a diamond is just a piece of coal under pressure, and if you’re willing to embrace the pressure of doing difficult things for yourself, you’ll be able to enrich your personal and professional life to the fullest.