If you search for “Personal Growth and Development” on the Internet, you will discover plenty of results offering courses aiming to help you improve many aspects of your life. Some offer short, free courses while others offer high ticket events for eye-watering fees.
I started working in the Personal Development industry over 30-years ago and have since added post-graduate qualifications and considerable experience to my CV. No surprises at the time-span; Personal Development is a lifelong journey and goes way beyond completing courses.
Working towards continuous self-development has been one of the best journeys I have taken. It has enhanced my quality of life, I have achieved more than I would have without Personal Development, and despite the challenges, I have enjoyed becoming a better version of myself even though there has been some hard-hitting challenges along the way.
Perfect? Absolutely not!
Here are some of my Personal Development goals but know that while it can be argued that these all had a start point in my experience, I don’t consider any to reach a point where I can tick them off my To Do list. As I said, it’s a lifelong journey. Yet, it’s never too late to start.
There is no first or last on my list. Each carries importance though they do rise or fall on the list as I work on them. Know too that this isn’t an exhaustive list but it does get the ball rolling. Or, is it a juggling process?
Become Mindful
Becoming more mindful helps you to acknowledge the abundance and benefits that are already part of your life. Thinking about the past no longer serves you and, worrying about what the future holds is equally bad. Living in the present, enjoying the moments and celebrating every win, however small, is the goal.
“It’s called the present because it’s a gift”. I think Dr Wayne Dyer said that.
Being Proactive
Don’t let the herd dictate your life.
Habits of pro-activeness include people who:
- Are the creators of their lives.
- Not being victims of negative external influences.
- They don’t allow others (the herd) to determine their fate.
- They accept responsibility for all their results; positive or negative..
Resilience
Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity and challenges. Bouncing back from problems and challenges can help you to emerge as a stronger person.
Confidence
Studies show that IQ is not the key component for success. The following three factors rank above intelligence in determining success according to some studies:
- Self-confidence
- Goal setting
- Persistence”
An individual’s self-esteem, or self-confidence, is what s/he thinks about self. Advancing self-confidence develops robust associations between confidence and success.
Positive Relationships
Explore ways to create good contact with others. However, you need to be honest and your objective shouldn’t be to manipulate people. Learn ways to relate and get along with them and celebrate the differences.
A Positive Relationship with Yourself
A good relationship with yourself is essential to having good relationships with others. Learn to appreciate and accept your skills, experience, philosophies, aspirations and limitations. This healthy focus and more grounded you, is inspiring to other people too.
Empathy
It enables objective understandings of differing perspectives which provide a treasure of insight and challenges your own perspectives.
Challenging Limitations
Limiting beliefs hinder progress by keeping you caught in your comfort zone. They stop you from trying new things, taking risks for the fear of failure or getting hurt in the process. Limiting beliefs can be about anything from money, relationships, success . . . Do you know what’s on your list?
Identifying your limiting beliefs, conquering and reinstating them with positive beliefs can enable you to achieve your dreams and goals in life. Considerable research shows that many of our limiting beliefs are passed onto to us during early childhood and are reinforced as we grow and experience our worlds.
Body Language
Your body language is non-verbal communication which includes the gestures and movements you put out there. Research has shown that positive body language can help you connect effectively with others and transmit your message more effectively. It conveys your assertiveness, confidence, and perseverance. In fact, certain body postures can also help to improve your performance.
Increasing Your Resolve
Having strong resolve enhances your finances, health, relationships, professional success, and many areas of your life. Irrespective of the goals you have set. You will need willpower to attain them.
Active Listening
Listen Actively and learn to pay attention and demonstrate to others that you truly value their thoughts and opinions. Choose active listening, open-ended questions, with supportive body language, and remove distractions that impede your ability to listen.
Better Decisions
Develop the skills to make better decisions in life. The choices or the decisions you make determine the life you will build. Your decisions shape your life; the better decisions you make, the more positive life is likely to be.
Fear is a Friend
How often have you been exposed to fear and felt afraid?It’s one of those things that we need to be exposed to before we can effectively banish it. Getting comfortable with ambiguity or the uncertainly of a situation can help us to start working through it rationally.
Manage Stress
Too much stress can lead to distress. There are enough stress related statistics out there to show that’s true. Does ‘burn-out’ ring any bells?Learning how to manage stress is crucial and, there are plenty of stress management techniques available. All you need to develop is the willingness to challenge stress rather than ignore it and hope it will fade through natural courses.
The Art of Conflict Resolution
Conflict is a part of life. The key is to develop the skill of conflict resolution. If you possess the ability to resolve conflicts rationally and settle disputes kindly, it will certainly contribute to a more successful and happier you.
Reading (or, listen to audio books)
Applied knowledge is powerful and a wonderful way to acquire this treasure is to read as much as you can. Research has proved that acquiring new knowledge satisfies an individual’s thirst for competence, which contributes to happiness. Developing the habit of reading books will help you to develop new skills and improve what you already have.
Pay It Forward
Sharing your time, feedback, knowledge and skills can help other people so long as you don’t expect them to accept everything you say. Knowledge and skills sharing not only benefits other people, the process reinforces and builds on what you know too.
Ending Procrastination
Understanding that procrastination isn’t a character trait, but a habit is a starting point here. Habits are possible to change in the same way you learnt them.
Start Early
Developing the habit of getting up early has positive benefits. Some of these include enjoying the sun rise, early morning exercise for your fitness (I meditate and ride my mountain bike every day), being able to work on a project just because it’s important to you before the day officially gets started, and so on. In addition, studies show that early rises are happier, healthier, and more productive than their later rising counterparts.
Interestingly, I discovered some research that showed marked differences between two US states where one typically starts work earlier than the other.
Working on a Growth Mindset
It is said that our attitude defines who we are as a person. Working on our attitude and striving to make it helpful for growth is the way to go. A positive mental attitude can help to achieve what we want from this life.
Quite a list, huh?
Don’t allow it to be overwhelming, that’s certainly not the intention here. Remember that you already have some of the skills mentioned here. If you would like some support along your journey, reach out, ask questions. Just Do It and as the proverb goes,
“Reach for the moon and if you miss you will end up among the stars”
Comments and Questions
You will always receive a prompt response. Please don’t hesitate to share your opinions and questions. Your experience may help other people too.