Print This Page

Nurturing Personal Development and Self Improvement

Personal development or self improvement is the process of changing oneself for the better. Few of us are probably satisfied with who and what we are right now. Almost all of us are aware that we have room for self improvement. Nevertheless, few of us know how or where to start our journey of personal development.

Personal development and self improvement begin with personal goal setting. Personal goal setting gives us a target or a goal to seek. When we were kids, people always asked us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Our answers then gave us direction.

Those who wanted to become singers practiced their singing. Those who wanted to become ballerinas practiced ballet. If you’re living a life you did not envision as a child, now is the time to reevaluate and ask.

Now that you’re all grown up, who and what are you, and who and what do you want to become? Answering this question is a necessary prerequisite of personal development and self improvement.

Self Improvement: Getting from A to B

Self improvement gets you from point A to point B  --from what you Are to what you want to Become. Self improvement toward personal development requires that you know what and who you are now.

First find out what you need to change and to improve. Only then can you genuinely change and improve.

The path to self improvement begins with self assessment and self analysis. What are your weaknesses? If you lack time management skills, one of your goals should be to develop this trait.

If you lack social skills, perhaps you should work towards acquiring social graces and practicing the art of small talk.

Self assessment and analysis gives you a starting point for your goal setting activities. Only after identifying your weaknesses will you be able to embark on a self improvement plan. Only then will you be able to move from what you are now to what you want to become.

How to Set Goals

What your mind can conceive, your body can achieve. It follows that thinking about your goals is the first step towards achieving them. Identify your personal development goals. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to quit smoking?

What is it that you want to accomplish? When identifying your personal goals, apply the principles of SMART goal setting. SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

It is not enough to think about your personal development goals, however. You need to write them down as well. Better yet, use goal setting software to help you keep track of your goals.

The 2007 Dominican Study of Goals by Dr. Gail Matthews proved that writing down goals increases the likelihood of goal accomplishment. In this study, people who had written goals were more successful in achieving their goals than those who had unwritten goals. If that's true, then it's a simple and smart way of getting started.

Public commitment and accountability are two other necessary elements of successful goal setting. If you want to accomplish something, make your commitment public.

• Send a copy of your goals and action plan to a friend or a mentor. 
• Next, make yourself accountable to that person who has a copy of your goals and action plan. Ask your friend or mentor to press you for regular progress reports. 

According to Dr. Matthews’ 2007 study, those who sent a copy of their goals and plans to a friend were more successful in accomplishing their goals. Those who were required to send their friend regular progress reports were even more successful.

Conclusion on Personal Development and Self Improvement

The path to personal development is never easy. Self improvement is a painful process of shedding old habits and painstakingly developing new habits. It is acquiring new skills and getting used to different ways of doing things.

Nevertheless, it is doable. All it takes is time, commitment and discipline on your part. Just stick to your personal development plan and, in time, you’ll be much improved, more successful, and well admired.

See the complete index on how to Build a Burning Desire.

Other wiki resources: personal development; goal setting; getting things done; cause and effect; creative visualization