How to Get Started with Personal Development
I would bet that at some point in your life, you began a process of personal development. Perhaps this was in order to secure an education, skills or opportunity that you were interested in. Perhaps you tried to take control of your health, schedule, or habits. Whether or not you were successful, I could guess that you started the endeavor and then either completed the task in the form of short term gratification, or slowly phased it out of your life, perhaps unknowingly! Personal development as a concept is incredibly multifaceted. There are so many options we can take to start the process of bettering ourselves in one or many aspects of our lives, but before that process even begins and in order to make the process successful, we need to start by understanding what personal development is all about.
“Strive for Progress, Not Perfection.”
What is Personal Development?
Personal development is a lifelong process people undertake to understand, improve and execute on their capacity and potential. For each person, this will mean developing different skills, setting unique goals and integrating specific techniques into their life routinely. While personal development as a pursuit never truly ends during your life, your approach towards it and your milestones may be fulfilled or ended giving you the impression of achievement.
What are the roadblocks to Personal Development?
The knowledge that personal development is a lifelong process is the biggest misunderstanding or roadblock that ultimately keeps people from fulfilling their potential. Most of us want things have a clear start and end or we feel overwhelmed, but truly our natures are geared towards ongoing progress through habit and routine, so understanding that your personal development needs to be integrated as a habit or routine increases your chances of success.
What do we need to do before we begin Personal Development?
Depending on the metaphorical level you are coming in at, we all have different needs to get started, but the one thing we all must do before we begin is to acknowledge that we want to improve and which area of our life we want to be better. This could mean enhancing an area that is already doing well or filling in an area that is empty or lacking.
What is the first step we should take towards Personal Development?
Although all our needs and goals will be different, the first thing that I find helpful to do is to do a self-audit. Think about where are are currently in life over multiple factors and how our current skills, knowledge, and habits keep us stuck in this place. Getting a big picture understanding is a great way to take the first step down the road to personal development because it can give us clarity into the direction we want to take and guide our choices in terms of how we want to spend our time developing.
I hope this post has given you an solid foundation to understanding personal development so you can get started on your journal for self improvement in the future. I’d love to create a series around this topic, so please feel free to send me your questions and issues with personal development and I would love to create some resources for you on the blog to help you find success!
xoxo,
