Personal development means molding yourself.

I’m sure most of you know what personal development means. Even if you think about the definition of these two words it’s pretty obvious, but it includes so much about who you are and most importantly “who you can be”. As for me, seeing the potential for personal development is much more critical than simply knowing it’s possible. It is something that we strive for throughout our lives, some consciously, some subconsciously, and in the end, it’s all about becoming a better version of yourself. 

5 areas of Personal Development.

Personal development can be broken down into the following categories: mental, social, spiritual, emotional and physical. To clarify, mental development is exercising your brain, giving it work. For example, creative writing or brainstorming ideas, learning new information or a language.

Social connections

Social connections are an integral part of personal development. Even though we focus on our individuality, we cannot completely learn that without the presence of other selves. It is extremely hard to become aware of who you are and how you are by simply looking in the mirror. Self-reflection is an amazing tool that can help you understand a lot of things. You need to be able to analyze other people’s behavioral patterns, their decision-making process. These will help you reflect on yourself.

For instance, I wasn’t aware of how my explosive character affected people around me. Not until I met someone who behaved in the exact same way and made me feel uncomfortable. As I observed the person’s behavior more, I became aware that I was making someone else as annoyed without knowing about it. Eventually, I noticed the same pattern that I had in similar situations. After that I told myself I would learn to control my emotions. I began to take baby steps to acknowledge and accept them. This helped me tremendously to avoid getting sucked into that bubble that I couldn’t see anything outside of. Now I feel in control!

You don’t need to do everything yourself.

I used to believe that working alone can make you much more productive and you can become a superhuman if you tell everyone to get out of the way and let you do everything so you get it done and boom – happy self, high self-confidence, everything perfect. Well, not really. When I worked alone, I was a more hating, more tired, more emotional, more depressed individual but I felt confident. Was it worth it? Absolutely not! I did learn a ton of information etc., but the inability to help others in a way that they needed and receive help from others was detrimental to my mental and physical health, and overall it affected my personal development. Now that I see how blocked my vision was, I can make corrections, I can apologize, I can redirect my mind to become who I’ve always wanted to be. 

Spirituality taught me discipline and gave me hope.

When we talk about spirituality, it’s not being religious in a non-traditional way as some people may view it. It’s not about finding god, it’s about finding yourself, understanding yourself, becoming aware of who you are and who are others, what the world is around you. It is something that can only be achieved through hard work, discipline and desire. I have never met anyone who became aware of themselves without going through rough times or learning a tough lesson. If there is anyone who became aware of themselves without experiencing the unfairness of the situation, you are the lucky one!  

Personal development improves your emotional life.

Emotional personal development often goes hand-in-hand with emotional intelligence. It is the ability to understand feelings; and beyond feelings, it’s understanding how those feelings shape our thoughts and actions. For example, today my mind was extremely concerned about things at work, my personal life. To the point that it affected my productivity. I kept focusing on things that I couldn’t control. All I was doing was overthinking and overthinking. In the end, I got a headache and did nothing good to make myself feel better.

Often I would pause my brain as I noticed that my emotions were trying to control me. I started having a self-talk inside my head. It would get me out of that negative perception I created mainly due to anxiety and judgment of others.

There’s a difference between analyzing and judging. When you analyze, you try to understand your object in detail. When you judge, you form an opinion about someone or something.

They keep saying I should exercise… fine!

If you take care of your body, it will take care of your mind and your overall health. That means nutrition, sleep, exercise, and movement. If you take a 30-min walk every day or a few times a week, it will help calming your mind. Besides, what can be better than breathing fresh air?

Summary

The point in personal development is increased self-awareness and self-esteem. It’s noticing your feelings, emotions, habits and reactions. It is challenging but worth it. Not only do you gain self-control, you also gain wisdom. Wisdom, as you know, doesn’t fall off a tree like an apple. The more you work on yourself, the better chances you have of becoming more resilient. It means you’ll be able to bounce back after rough patches.

I hope you find this useful. Stay tuned for more!