Personal development is just that: personal. Since each individual is unique, so is their path of personal development. Therefore the decision about it can only be made by the individual. But techniques for pursuing it and advice based on experience from others can help you avoid many mistakes, while maximizing your progress. Here are some tips to help you on your way.
By the time you are an adult, you have a good idea of your own strengths, interests and natural abilities. You have also had some opportunities, while still a student, to develop your unique gifts. But a true talent is developed over a lifetime. A painter, for instance, passes through many phases until reaching maturity in their art. Cezanne did rather dark, unremarkable paintings in his youth. In his old age, he did paintings filled with light and astonishing beauty. Painting paralleled and interacted with his process of maturation as a person.
While you may want to fling your energies spontaneously into your talent, this initial energy tends to diminish. It is worthwhile to study what others have done in the skill or talent you wish to pursue. This will help you chart your own course and set up markers to check your progress over the years.
When you are young, you have an opportunity to set life goals and make a plan to achieve them. Try to create a clear image of what you want to achieve. Also write down the stages by which you want to accomplish it. For instance, if you play the violin, you might first seek to become a member of a chamber group that plays locally for weddings and other occasions. You will do many free concerts to build up your reputation. As your skills mature, you may try out for a professional position in an orchestra. Achieving that, you may set as your goal trying out for the position of first chair violin and succeeding. And so it goes. If you are able to combine a passion for music–or any other art–with earning a living, you are fortunate indeed. But whatever the goal, it needs to be clearly formulated if you are to achieve it. Few people stumble into success.
In setting your goals, you should aim high. But you also need to be honest. You do not want to pursue an impossible fantasy. If you decide to be a world champion chess player but have never won a match, you need to think twice. Attitude is important, but it cannot replace genuine talent.
Be realistic. Many young people who have played a sport in high school dream of being a professional. But there are few slots available compared to the number of people who desire them. Unless your talent is very outstanding, playing a sport professionally is highly unlikely. It depends on extraordinary physical ability even more than attitude.
These tips are given to help you approach your goals with a maximum possibility of success. If the goal is a high one, it will take hard work, patience and perhaps many years to achieve. If you can combine your true talent with a realistic approach to its development, your chances of success are good.