Introduction: What is Personal Development and How Can it Help You Reach Your Goals?
Every New Year’s Eve, you commit to another version of “new year, new me.” But how does it look a few months later? Has it ever happened to you that you ended up resolving to make the same changes again the next year? Two years, three years, four years in a row? Inevitably, we’ll ask ourselves: How many times do I have to try this to succeed?
Personal Development can help you be happier and healthier. It is about giving yourself more options and more control over your life. The more you have working in your favor in your life, the more you can achieve. Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who was interested in what makes people happy.
5 Steps to Setting Up an Effective Personal Development Plan
1. Set goals
The first step is to set goals. Think about what you want to achieve, whether in a few weeks, a year or in your lifetime. Deciding what you want is not only the first step in planning, but also the hardest step.
Once you have identified what you want to do, this goal will provide clear direction and structure to your final plan. At this stage, your goals will feel big.
You may be wondering how to reach them. Don’t worry—the next step is to prioritize those goals and break them down into smaller, actionable steps that will support you in achieving them.
2. Prioritise your goals
Specific. Avoid large, ambiguous steps. These will not support you in achieving your goals. Instead, make sure your goals are specific and clearly highlight the skills, knowledge or experience you want to develop.
3. Set Yourself Deadlines
Setting goals and setting deadlines will increase your motivation to achieve them. For example, if your goal is to buy a home, knowing when it will happen will help you calculate exactly how much you need to save each year to get a security deposit. The same applies to the development of your skills, knowledge and experience. As mentioned above, it is important to set realistic and time-bound goals to achieve them.
4. Recognise Threats and Opportunities
When considering your goals, you should identify your strengths, consider weaknesses you might develop, consider available options that can help you achieve your goals, and any threats that might hinder your progress.
5. Develop Yourself
Once you have an idea of what could help or hinder you, this is when you can capitalise on those opportunities you recognised. Make an action plan about how you’ll make that progress.
Whatever it is that hinders you, there’s a way to stop it. Your plan is the first step to making sure you stay on track.
Personal Development, Growth, and Resilience
After you’ve achieved some progress, whether it’s big or small, take time to reflect on how far you’ve come.
Recognising what has gone well is an effective way to bolster your motivation and remain dedicated.
Constantly reflect on your own progress. You can gain important insights from your reflections, which can help you grow. Remember, you should update your plan as needed. Don’t overload all at once, but once you’ve taken your small steps, reflect and update your plan to focus on your next step.
The 33 Best Self-Help Books of All Time to Read at Any Age
“Self-help books are all about change. A change of habits, character traits, or your physical appearance – you name it. The thing is, you have to make the change yourself.”
Personal development is a choice – See the list on self help books here!
