Is Self Development Even A Thing?

In my opinion, self-development or personal development is just about the most important thing you can invest your time in. After all the time you spend developing yourself will benefit you exponentially. A lot of people flinch when they hear the term, it sounds too much like hard work, but if you don’t take responsibility and actively work on yourself who will?  This is an inside job.

Confession: I just finished reading a 700-page book on self-development. And I loved it. Actually, I loved it so much that I’ve been reading it for the past three weeks. But I’m not a special snowflake. In fact, I’m kind of the opposite. And I’m not the only one. Personal development is a thing, and it’s something more and more people are turning to in order to improve their lives, become healthier, earn more money, etc Think about it the time you spend bettering yourself will not only better equip you to deal with the world but you will also be able to be of greater service to yourself, your family, and your community

What is self-development?

You can call it anything you want. Essentially for me, it’s the process of taking a deep look at yourself and the various areas of your life. And then seeing how you can improve on some or all of those areas, And then taking massive action to achieve those outcomes

For instance, if during my contemplation of myself I find there are traits in myself that I find are not working. I work out an action plan of what I need to do to improve. I generally look at what improvements will give me the most bang for my buck. And that includes planning my time, my resources, and my schedule.

You might do the same. For most of us, it involves some kind of planning and thinking about the future. self-development is not just about work, money, success, health, or personal growth it is my belief that self-improvement includes all of those aspects. And needs to be looked at holistically. It’s a bit like going to the gym and focussing only on your arms, sure after a while your arms may look great but the rest of your body is still the same old one you walked in with. So when you first dive into personal development give some thought to the areas of your life you would like to work and then formulate a plan that will address each of those areas

So what Is Self-Development Really About?

I have spent a lifetime studying what makes us who we are, why some people live hugely successful lives and others don’t. From my interactions with hundreds if not thousands of people, I have come across some common threads that differentiate those that are living their dream lives and those that are not. I mean who doesn’t want to become the best version of themselves and achieve things like, health, wealth, and happiness?  Certainly not me, when I look at my life and notice that things aren’t working for me I immediately look at how I can improve myself in order to overcome those obstacles.

One of the most important threads is the drive for self-development or Constant And Never Ending Improvement or CANI

personal development then is really about taking small steps to become the best version of yourself that you are able to.

Persistence and consistency are key here if you just work on one thing at a time before moving onto the next thing the results will amaze you.

I may sound like a stuck record here but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to stick with it and make small incremental changes

What does personal development mean?

While not everyone who tries to “lead a better life” agrees on a definition, most personal development gurus I have talked to agree on one thing: personal development is the most important thing you can invest your time in.

According to author Stephen Covey,

“Self-development means you’re developing into your best self.”

And if that isn’t a good enough reason to do something that will make you better at being a human, I don’t know what is. We are moving into a time where we are experiencing a global shift in consciousness. More and more people are starting to work on themselves and the concept of what it means to be a human being as opposed to a human doing.

Personal development might not be as sexy as being the best of the best (and maybe that’s why it’s less well-known) — but it’s more important.

7 benefits of self-improvement

So in case, you’re not aware, here are seven reasons why this practice is important.

1. You decide what you want to achieve.
2. You can pursue your dreams.
3. You’ll never stop learning.
4. You will be more efficient at work.
5. You’ll live longer.
6. You will be happier
7. You will be healthier

I’ve seen the same arguments made against self-development on more than one occasion.

Some people don’t see the point of being a better human. Second, some people claim it’s a waste of time. I have even heard people whose life has come tumbling down around them claim they dont need any self-improvement. These people will blame anyone they can but refuse to look inside, to look at what they are doing and how their behaviors affect themselves and the world around them

As for me, I’ll go to my grave as a fan of self-development. But I’ll also go to my grave a fan of improving myself. I want to be the best version of myself, and I believe I have more than enough opportunity to do so.

Self-development strategies

Every person needs some form of self-development, whether it’s breaking out of your comfort zone, bettering your relationships, growing your knowledge base, or anything else that might help improve your life as a whole. But how do you know which strategies to invest your time in?

Two of the top self-development strategies are meditation and running. You might not think that two of the most popular hobbies in the world are related to self-development, but they are. The good news is that you don’t have to be a runner to get the benefits. For me, meditation is a great tool for self-development and something even regular people like you and me can use.

I use this on a regular and the guys are even offering a free trial at the moment. Click here for more

Conclusion

I hope this article was eye-opening for you. I’m, thinking of putting together a training program with some of the most important self-development lessons I have learned over the years. I’m thinking of calling it The master mindset designer. If it sounds like something you would be interested in please let me know in the comments below.

Until next time, Keep on keeping on,

D