As I introspect about my life today, I feel muddled, it feels hard enough to articulate everything that I've been through andeverything that made me into who I am today, which I am genuinely grateful for. For me, personal development isn't something that happens overnight, it is a ponderous, gradual process which we all in some sense have gone through, for a better and brighter future and most importantly for a better version of us. Life for me has been contrapositive in nature, for every fulfilment that takes place, some obstacle follows but that's something that makes life worth living as moving on from that obstacle leads to a greater good. Today, when I look back at my life it is a culmination of peaks and valleys, and as much as I appreciate the mellow times, I truly feel the same about the gloomy ones because that is what I feel has succoured me to be who I am today. Unable to attain something, you’ve always desired for, losing someone you thought you would never lose, missed opportunities, wrong timings and everything in between at some point felt and still feels like a colossal deprivation and as taxing as it was, it was at the same time necessary for my personal growth. When facing an obstacle, we are by and large bequeathed with two courses of action: One can either repress and pretend like it neverhappened or can face it and learn from it, easier said than done it sometimes becomes essential to let go of things that are out of our control which holds its importance of its own but more times than often it’s necessary to face them no matter how much it hurts us, no matter how much pain one has to endure to move past it and I truly believe that the challenges that are presented to us are a way of stregnthening us on multiple levels, overcoming an obstacle leaves us being ardent and also helps us realise who we are as an individual. One thing I have commonly heard from our mentors, our elders is that how they’ve led a life in simpler times which I find absolutely true, surviving in today’s multi-faceted, globalized world in itself is a challenge for all of us,the fast paced lifestyle, the feeling of running out of time, the fear of notbeing good enough it’s all very much true and felt by each one of us and in some sense the fear is valid too and one of the biggest reasons that I feel behind it is that we have lost touch with ourselves, almost as if we’ve never truly tried to understand who we really are as an individual. For one to grow and develop as an individual it becomes necessary to look within, to truly understand what the obstacle was trying to illuminate us with and for that to happenits crucial to be in touch with oneself. Your personal growth and development depend on change. Without change, you can be certain that you will continue to act and think in the same manner that you have always done. That's wonderful news for some people since it means that they are content and fulfilled in their life. But many people feel stuck on their current route because it is meaningless and unsatisfying. They wish to change but are unable to do so for some reason. Change doesn't seem like it should be that tough on the surface. Simply alter the aspect of yourself that you don't like. But in practise, significant change may be hard, gradual, and accompanied by obstacles and disappointments. To embrace these changes and overcome these obstacles oneneeds to be self-aware and should have the ability to look into things from different perspective, as sometimes the hardest of times can also be a blessing in disguise. According to renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow,everyone has an innate need for personal growth, which materialises through aprocess known as self-actualization. There is a hierarchy of requirements that must be addressed for people to be able to develop to their full potential. A greater degree of need cannot arise until a lower one is met. But as things change throughout life, so will the degree to which a person's current needsare driving their behaviour. According to Maslow, everyone has the urge to perceive oneself as capable and independent, and everyone has boundless potential for development. The goal for everyone to "become everything that they are capable of being" is known as self-actualization. According to Maslow, the road to self-actualization is being in touch with your emotions, living life completely, and paying close attention at all times. In order to become a better, self-actualized version of oneself one needs to be courageous to consciously overcome the obstacles life presents us with. At the end of it all, everything one has been through will be truly worth it. Strive to be mindful, grateful and conscious of everything life presents us with. Honour and embrace the journey you’re going through and to conclude it all the only thing I would like to say is that, you've got this, we’ve got this!