What is personal development? In a nutshell, it’s the process of improving yourself. It’s about setting yourself targets or goals that you hope to achieve, you may also want to give yourself a timeframe in which to achieve these. Self-improvement and progress of this kind is extremely important to our happiness, but it’s something that we often forget to prioritise.
It is vital that you give yourself dedicated time to set and reach your goals, whether these are plans for your career, education or personal life. If your circumstances have recently changed or you’re looking for new motivation, the guide below will look at five reasons why you should focus on your personal development and the benefits this will have on your overall happiness and wellbeing.
1. To develop your skills and strengths
Firstly, by focussing on your personal development you’ll be able to develop your skills as well as work on your strengths and weaknesses. There are several ways you can do this, for example challenging yourself at work by taking on new responsibilities, expanding your network or boosting your skills by choosing from a wide variety of online courses.
To help you put a personal development plan in place it’s a good idea to make list of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as taking note of any skills you’d like to strengthen or new skills you’d like to learn. This will help you to identify the steps you need to take and the goals you should be setting for yourself. And remember, this doesn’t just have to be about hard skills for your career, it could also be about strengthening your soft skills such as communicating more effectively in your personal life.
2. To improve your career prospects
Your personal development can also be closely linked with your professional growth. Showing that you prioritise your learning, strengthening of your skills and taking on new challenges, you’ll show employers that you’re passionate and motivated. Most employers are looking for staff who are willing to learn, so focussing on your personal and professional development is a great way to demonstrate that you’re dedicated and that you’re hoping to progress your career.
3. To force you out of your comfort zone
They say life begins at the end of your comfort zone and working on your personal development can really help you to try new things. While we may have comfort zones for a reason, in the end these can hold us back and stop us from embracing new opportunities. For this reason, it’s a good idea to set yourself goals outside your comfort zone. It may take more time to achieve them, but you’ll be so proud of yourself when you do. You might find yourself doing things you never thought you could. This is a great way to experience growth and move forward in your life and career.
4. To become the best version of yourself
The truth is we’re the only ones responsible for our own personal development. No one can force us to learn or try new things. This makes it so important to put real focus on self-improvement, otherwise you could find yourself stuck in a rut, and the only person who can get you out of it is you.
If you keep striving to learn, strengthen your skills, meet new people and try new things you’ll find that you’re not only happier but that you become a better version of yourself. We hear so much nowadays about ‘living our best lives’ and the only way you can do this is by continually challenging yourself, analysing your beliefs and finding new ways to motivate yourself. This is how to be the best version of yourself that you possibly can be.
5. To boost your confidence
Each time you reach one of your goals, no matter how big or small, you’ll get a great sense of achievement. In turn, you’ll prove to yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to and this will really help to boost your confidence. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, doubting ourselves and our abilities.
To conclude, setting goals, developing our knowledge and rising to new challenges can work wonders for making us feel more confident. It’s important that you constantly work on the areas of your life that you’re least confident about – developing these areas will help you to make the most of your life.
Nick Cooper
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