5-Step Guide to Personal Development [Infographic]
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
While it is always a great time to invest in your development and prioritize your well-being, it is especially so given the current COVID-19 outbreak. The post-virus world will not be the same, experts predict. Many people lost their jobs already while many more professions will become redundant. With some extra time on your hand, this might be a great time to evaluate yourself, learn new skills, and get better equipped to thrive in the new reality.
Personal development is a deliberate effort to self-actualization. It is a process to get to know yourself and growing yourself. You know there is more to life and it is possible to live a better, happier, and more fulfilled life. If you are totally new to this field, then check out my post on What is Personal Development and Why Is It Important? That helps you to set the groundwork before you start planning your growth journey.
Here, I want to share the 5-step strategy that I use when I commit to my personal development. It helps me to determine where I am right now, where I want to go next, and how I get there.
The do’s and don’ts of personal development
A lot of the time our results are determined by how we approach things. Our thoughts and beliefs about the process might influence the outcome. Thus, it is important to approach personal development with the right mindset and attitude, so you can enjoy and benefit from the journey. Below are some points to keep in mind when starting your growth path.
Accept and love yourself the way you are right now. There is nothing wrong with you. So, don’t use personal development to try to fix yourself. Address your self-limiting beliefs, if any, and then come to personal development from a place of self-love and self-care. Do it because you love yourself and you wish the best for yourself.
Some people get caught up in self-improvement that they miss life while doing it. Don’t forget to live in the present moment. Remember, personal development is not a specific outcome you are chasing, it is the process you choose to live every day. Learn to live and love the process and stay present so you don’t miss out on life.
Personal development can be addictive, just like how people get addicted to money, fame, or success. Don’t overdo it. Everything is good in moderation. Resist the urge to get absorbed in yourself and to chase perfection.
The path to growth does not have to be hard or complicated. You don’t have to force yourself to do it or have a grandiose plan to follow. Make it simple and exciting so you can commit to it. Take one small step at a time, so over time, they can provide a compound effect and momentum to do more.
As the name suggests, it is ‘personal’ development. So, design it the way you want and the way that works best for you. We are all different. Don’t try to imitate other people, or compare yourself to them and try to be better. Be the best ‘you’ can be. There is no competition to being you because there is only one ‘you’ on this planet. So, choose what ‘you’ want to be and get better at it over time.
Don’t forget to apply what you learn and integrate what you do with what you be. A lot of people get hooked on consuming knowledge and learning new skills, but they rarely apply what they learn in real life. Or what they learn does not translate into who they are. If you learn to be a good listener, don’t just use this skill when you want or need it, instead become a good listener no matter who you are listening to.
Have a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed one. As Carol Dweck describes, people with a fixed mindset believe that their talents and innate abilities are fixed and they can’t change or do anything about them. Meanwhile, people with a growth mindset believe that they can develop new skills and abilities through consistent learning and effort. So, I encourage you to have a growth mindset and think of yourself and your abilities as something you can improve over time through consistent effort.
How to create a personal development plan?
Now that we are clear with what we mean by personal development and how to approach it, let’s look at how you can actually plan and practice it.
You might decide to work on yourself as you go, where you pick up a new skill or start a new habit when you see a need for it. Alternatively, you might want to take a comprehensive look at your life and design a plan that addresses all major areas of your life. It helps you to paint a bigger picture of the life that you want to achieve in the future. The best is when you combine both of these approaches because then you can plan your long-term vision, of who you want to be, but also add to it or revise it on the go. Life is dynamic and at times, unpredictable. So, there is no need to rigidly follow any plan. It should be agile just like you are.
When pursuing my long-term personal development, I like to follow the below 5 steps, which can be applied to any area of your life – finances, relationships, career, health goals, or others.
- Reflect – on your past and present to identify your current state.
Before setting any goals or taking any action, it is essential to understand where you stand at the moment and what are you working with. You need to take the time to get to know yourself inside out, your beliefs, feelings, abilities, physical and mental state, past experiences, relationships and etc. Use self-reflection to increase self-awareness and to locate yourself, as it will be easier from there, to get where you want to be in life.
- Visualize – your future destination.
Once you know who you are and where you are at the moment, then decide who you want to become and where you want to be in life. Your life vision can serve as your guiding principle in life, directing you toward the life you desire. It provides a bigger picture and meaning to your life.
- Plan – your roadmap towards your vision.
Once you locate where you are and decide where you want to go, then you need a roadmap to get there. Here, goal setting is essential as it helps you plan the actionable steps you can take consistently to get closer to your vision. Your vision might be too big and too ambitious to achieve in one go, so goals help to break it down into digestible and realistic actions.
- Commit – to achieving your goals and vision through consistent action.
Having a vision and goals aren’t enough if you don’t take consistent action towards achieving them. Commitment comes through your belief system, your habits, daily routines, and the strategies you follow. This is what you do on a daily basis. Your daily actions are small pieces of a puzzle, when put together they provide the bigger picture of your life.
- Review and revise – your vision and goals to ensure progress and relevance.
True learning comes when you regularly review your actions, determine your shortcomings, and do things differently the next time. Reviewing and revising your goals is critical because it helps you to track your progress, determine if your strategies deliver the results you wanted and if your goals are still relevant to you. By making informed decisions and adjustments to your approach, you can make sure you are on the right track to achieving your life vision.
Once you are ready to embark on your personal development journey, follow this 5-step guide to self-actualization. There are separate blog posts that describe each step in greater detail. As the next step, start with self-reflection to get to know yourself and what you are working with. These steps are not fixed in stone. You can pick and choose whatever makes sense to you and modify them to suit your needs. The key here is to keep it simple and actionable; something you can stick to and commit to on a daily basis.
Let me know, in the comment section below, what you think of this guide, and share your experience if you decide to follow it. And feel free to share any of your tips related to personal development.
