by Inspired Robin

Created on: January 26, 2010   Last Updated: January 28, 2010

Why Are You Even Looking at Personal Development?

Do you think this is a legitimate question? Well, if you cannot answer this simple question then it would be advisable to either take a moment to find a reason or you may just want to watch some more television.  If you do have a reason then that is the first step towards making the most of personal development.  Also, vitally important are setting up the right expectations and taking the heavy, albeit liberating, burden entirely unto yourself to actually implement life changes.  These simple steps will have you on the fast track to getting the most from any personal development regimen.

First, why?

First and foremost, answer this right now, what about yourself do you want to change with a personal development program? Identify why you embarked upon, or are considering, a personal development or improvement journey in the first place.  It is critical to establish what you want to change or else we will just be looking busy as opposed to being productive.  For some people it may be to get a promotion at work.  For someone else it may be an attempt at fixing a failing relationship, or some may want to change due to a lack of meaningful human connection.  And even if your reason for studying personal development is just to see how good you can get, then it is as valid as any.

The second part of finding out what you wish to gain from personal development is digging slightly deeper and exploring why you want this.  Put shortly, if you do not have a good reason for wanting something – anything for that matter – then you are likely to give it up just around when the going gets tough. 

Setting up expectations

The next step to make the most of personal development is to ask yourself, “What do I expect from this?” In other words, why are you even trying? Consider the following example.  A person wanted to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, but feels defeated when they only lose 14.  Now, even with a morbidly obese individual, losing over 2 pounds per week is a great success.  The caveat we encounter here is that it is only a success to the individual if they had reasonable expectations. 

When undertaking personal development, we need to understand that we all have years of engrained habits, traits, and personal quirks that are going to take time to consciously overcome.  Use this truth to set realistic expectations and allow yourself

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>