A Guide to Becoming a Better You: Personal Development Advice Anyone Can Follow
You have probably heard the term “personal development” before, but you may not know exactly what it means or everything it entails. Basically, personal development deals with change and improvement; it is working to help yourself learn a new skill or alter something about yourself that you may not like. If you want to take charge of your personal situation and change your life for the better, these personal development tips can help you achieve your goals.
The most important step in the personal development process is often the first one. Sit down and think through what you would like to do and make a plan. Putting something in writing makes it more “real,” you are more likely to follow a written plan versus one that is simply in your mind. Don’t try to get too complicated with your plan, either. Simplicity is best, particularly in the beginning. You are more likely to continue working toward your goals if you don’t feel overwhelmed by everything that you need to accomplish. Therefore, pick one or two goals and come up with a series of steps that will help you accomplish each one. After you achieve your goals, you can set up a second plan, and then a third, and so on.
As you are thinking through what you would like to do and where you would like to go, make sure you focus on how far you have come. Even if you weren’t specifically working on personal development in the past, you have likely made strides toward becoming a better person simply through the course of everyday life. Think about what you have done well in the past. Remember how it feels to make progress. This can be very effective in helping motivate you in the future; the feeling of being triumphant is a bit addictive. You can even add these successes into your plan to refer to when you are feeling down.
Once you have your short and long term goals written down, figure out when you would like to accomplish each of them. Put a target date beside your objectives. It is easy to say that you will work on something “tomorrow” or “next week,” and before you know it, several months have passed. Putting target dates on your plan will help you remain focused and committed to what you are doing. In addition, you can check off each step as you achieve it, which will give you further motivation moving forward. Remember, however, that sometimes life does get in the way. Don’t get down or beat yourself up if you have to make a few changes to your plan over time. Being flexible is a good quality to have.
A personal development plan is crucial to helping you succeed with your goals. By implementing some of the ideas above, you are much more likely to get where you want to be in a reasonable period of time. Remember that personal development isn’t easy; you will run into obstacles along the way. However if you remain focus and enlist the support of friends and family members, you will be able to persevere.