Personal development has some life changing benefits. I have observed some significant changes over the past few months by being intentional with personal growth and I want to share that experience with you because if it has helped me, it will definitely be beneficial for you as well.
What is Personal Development?
From my perspective, personal development is all about improving yourself and growing as a person. It’s not specific to your career, or life at home, but personal growth will affect all aspects of your life.
Personal development is about discovering yourself. It’s about learning what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses. You learn what motivates you and what keeps you going. And you discover what situations make you uncomfortable, the reasons why, and ways to address them.
Why Should I Do It?
I belive that everyone should invest time into personal development. Why? Because you will learn what your strengths are and how to capitalize on them. You will learn how to address your weaknesses or find a way to ensure that they don’t stand on your way to achieving your goals and going after your dreams. By learning more about what motivates you will be able to implements habits that will help you achieve your goals.
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Does Personal Development Really Work?
Yes, it absolutely does! I have been doing personal development throughout my adult life. However, it was always sporadic and never intentional. It was one book here and another TED talk there.
However, last year, I started being very intentional with it. And let me tell you – it has changed my life drastically. I know make sure I dedicate specific times to personal development. It is something I do every single day. How? Through books, blogs, articles, podcasts, webinars, TED Talks, and YouTube videos.
Benefits of Personal Development – from Personal Experience
Let me share with you exactly how you can improve your life based on the benefits that I have seen myself over the past few months by being intentional about personal growth.
Get to Know Yourself Better
I discovered what I’m good at and what I’m not so good at. I was able to go back to some of the events from my childhood and discovered how they affect how I do things. That was something I have never realized before. Those would the things I did subconsciously without really giving it a second thought.
And that knowledge helps me make better decisions right now. Before I take an action or respond to something, I stop and think: is this really how I want to address this situation or am I looking at it with my bias? So it really helped me open my mind to other possibilities and ways of doing things.
Become Confident in Following Your Dreams
I have wanted to start a blog for a few years. I even wrote a few blog posts but they were never published. And what was stopping me were thoughts like: you are not a blogger, or who would even read your blogs?
But after reading some personal development books and listening to interviews with people who went through a similar journey, it gave a huge boost of confidence. I started believing that yes, I should follow my dreams. Because if I don’t, I only have myself to blame. It helped me really change my mindset to thinking: what is the risk here? what is the worst thing that can really happen if I decide to follow my dream?
That mindset change is the reason why this blog came into existence. And why a few months ago I also started a YouTube channel, which is something that has never even entered my mind! I never thought that I would feel confident on creating a video and putting it out there for other to see! And this is why I find personal growth so amazing!
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Connect with Other Like-Minded People
I have been able to connect with so many people who are on a similar journey of personal development. You become a member of a community that is intentional with dedicating time to personal growth. A community with people who are going after their dreams and after becoming the best version of themselves.
Connecting with people on the same journey allows you to have a platform to discuss different aspects of personal growth. This is where you get a lot of suggestions about the content that you should read or watch to help you on my journey.
Discover the World of Possibilities
I always had a lot of dreams but it seemed like they always had one path. I could always envision a specific end result. But personal development journey helped me to discover that my dream can have many different endings. Your dreams can pivot depending on what direction you want to take.
This mindset shift will allow you to be much more open to taking risks. You will be able to try new things because you will no longer be limited by the single end result option. If it does not work out, you will just simply try something else and pivot your dream into slightly different direction. There are so many different possibilities out there that the fear of failure in one becomes irrelevant.
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Become a Better Version of Yourself
Being intentional with the time you spend on personal development will make you a better version on yourself. I know that my experience over the past few months has made me a better wife, mom, friend, and co-worker.
Because I got to know myself, change my mindset, and implement some habits, I was able to prioritize what’s important for me in my life and go after my goals and dreams. And that made me happier, which in turn made everyone I interact with happier as well.
Your Turn
Are you intentional with personal development? Do you dedicate specific time to work on personal growth?
I definitely agree that it really helps to have a group of like minded individuals to support your personal growth journey.
I learn so much from listening to the experiences of other people:)
This is great! I like what you said about learning not to view situations through your bias. It’s a journey I’ve started this year as well, tentatively at first, but it’s great to hear others doing so well, it spurs you on!
It totally does. It has been a self-discovery journey for me this past year
I love the idea of personal development but tend to get distracted before I put anything in to practice!
It’s hard to get started, but once I did I got hooked 😂
Love this, and I definitely agree with following your dreams when you can !
Thank you! I finally started working on mine last year 🙂
I love this! I am a massive advocate of self development and take every opportunity to work on myself. Great article 🙂
Thank you Shirley. It was truly life changing for me!
Personal Development has been really life changing for me too, though I also struggle to stay regular. I miss one day and it messes up my routine! It’s a shame the “self help” stigma keeps some people from practicing it at all.
I totally agree. This is probably why I did not think I needed it in my life. I’m so glad I came to my senses! There is always something for me learn and improve upon.
Good points. Most people do not invest in their own development and then wonder why life doesn’t turn out like the expected. Show me a successful person and I’ll show you someone who has invested in themselves consistently over the long haul.
Honestly I’m so glad I found this article! I took a self awareness class a few years ago and it really changed my aspect of life. Then here came my brain creeping up on me when I was pregnant, making shut off to everything and everyone. I finally decided enough is enough and would love to feel positivity again.
Is there any books you recommend? Where do I find like minded individuals?