Why is personal development important?
There are many ideas enclose personal development, one of which is Abraham Maslow’s self-actualization process.
Maslow (1970) suggests that all individuals have an inner need for personal development which occurs through a process called self-actualization.
The degree to which people are able to develop depends on certain needs being met, and these needs form a hierarchy. Only when one level of need is met can a higher one be developed. As change occurs throughout life, the level of need that motivates one’s behavior at any given time will also change.
At the end of the hierarchy are the basic fundamental physiological needs for food, drink, sex and sleep, i.e. the basics for survival.
The second is the need for security, security in the physical and economic sense.
Third, progress can be made in meeting the need for love and belonging.
The fourth level refers to the fulfillment of the need for self-esteem and self-confidence. Closely related to “self-empowerment”.
The fifth level is about the need to understand. This level contains more theoretical ideas such as curiosity and the search for meaning or purpose and a deeper understanding.
The sixth concerns the aesthetic needs of beauty, symmetry and order.
In the last, at the first start of Maslow’s hierarchy is the need for self-actualization.
Self-actualization refers to the desire that everyone has: ‘to become all that they are capable of becoming’. In other words, it refers to self-fulfillment and the need to reach one’s full potential as a unique human being.
Managing your personal development
1. Developing a Personal Vision
Personal development can just be for fun. However, most of the time we think it easier to motivate ourselves to learn and improve if we have a goal to do so. Developing your personal vision — a clear idea of where you want to be in a few months or years, and why — is an essential part of developing that goal.
Here we are sharing some self-development strategies that can help you be well-equipped to excel in all areas of your life.
“Move out of your comfort zone.
You can only grow if you are willing to be uncomfortable and uncomfortable when you try something new. ” — Brian Tracy
When you take responsibility for your life, unexpected events unfold and cause you to awaken your inherent wisdom. At this level, you must be willing to step out of your comfort zone and fulfill life with passion and commitment.
In life you may feel neglected — emotionally unoriented and lacking direction. Don’t despair as you may just be experiencing an inner shift. For the growth of your career, it is very essential to get out of your comfort zone.
Every now and then, you have to challenge yourself and become a better version of yourself. If there are areas of your job that you don’t like or are not good at, these are the weaknesses that a personal development plan can help you improve further. Confronting these areas and improving them can help push you out of your comfort zone. By doing this you have to experience growth and improve your skills.
Setting goals
To achieve a goal, you need a plan which can be a part of different goal-oriented action items. Brilliant ideas fail, due to poor goal setting and planning. No one knows you better about yourself.
As you set your goal, consider the top 5 important principles — commitment, clarity, challenge, task complexity and feedback. Therefore you will need to set goals for yourself and create an action plan to achieve them.
Interesting placement of interests and their reflection improves the overall success ratio. A Positive approach to goal setting can help you to success. Nurturing your strengths
It is often considered that in order to succeed, you must overcome weaknesses. As a result, many people have devoted their energy to following this recommendation. Either way, it’s about not focusing on your weaknesses.
Each of you possesses different strengths and unique abilities that need nurturing. And by taking care of your strengths, the results can be more rewarding.
A way to identify your strengths is:
Step 1: Think about a specific moment when you achieved a success
Step 2: As you reflect on this moment, list specific adjectives to describe the talents and/or character traits you applied.
Step 3: Review your list and choose five personal strengths.
Developing weaknesses
Everyone has their weaknesses, even the greatest CEOs in the world, and admitting those weaknesses and correcting them is the real key to success.
The simple way to identify your weaknesses is –
Think about your career goal
The first thing you need to do is think about what skills you need for the career you are aspiring for.
Be honest with yourself
Once you know your career path and what kind of skills you need, take a good look at yourself and analyze where you are lacking. Be honest about yourself. You know yourself better than others. Think about and evaluate the feedback you received and how you work to improve it.
Get guidance from someone you trust
Find a mentor for yourself who can be your critic. Learn from your experiences and go for advice to people you really trust (your therapist) who will be honest with you, not someone who will just thank you. It is also important to know when you need guidance and where to look for it.
Rate your results
Evaluating your results gives you the opportunity to take an honest look at areas that need improvement. Through this process, you will enhance your awareness and experience fulfillment.
After you’ve achieved a certain goal, acquired another skill, or developed a certain area of your life, you naturally feel good about yourself. The more you continue to develop in areas of your life, the more you can increase your self-confidence.
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