Personal growth for me only happens when I extend myself beyond my boundaries of comfort - in that space of insecurity, hopelessness, suffering, and pain, and conversely - pride, ecstacy, greatness and the sublime. It only happens when you take risks, go beyond who you think you are and act against the sounding board of the world to discover your true self, what you are made of, and your limits today. It is sometimes hard to see yourself as you really are, and the world for what it truly is as the truth is always filtered through your ego.

Personal growth is well....personal. Everyone has their own goals or non-goals and thresholds of challenge to expand that comfort boundary. Thinking about it too much , as SpoiledPrincess has said, is counter productive in this growth. You just gotta do it - which is hard because you need a great deal of faith that you will be the better for it.

I try not to intellectualize such things as this but concentrate on what makes me excited about life and pursue those things. Passion. Those are my vehicles. It can be as simple as cooking the very best meal for friends, boxing at lunch or sketching. The vehicles are the things you do everyday and who you are everyday. It is not magic nor mysterious. Growth is also not something that you consciously set out to achieve but it is a by-product of living deliberately.