How familiar are you with the concept of personal development?
Is it something you engage in regularly?
Are you confused as to what I'm talking about?
Whether you are the former, the latter, or somewhere in between, this post will either help you level up your personal growth, or help you begin your personal development journey.
First, let's define personal development. There are many aspects to this subject.
The Business Dictionary defines it as, “The process of improving oneself through such activities as enhancing employment skills, increasing consciousness and building wealth.”
In my opinion, personal development is anything that helps you achieve your best self.
They are several branches that falls under the term "personal development", but there are five basic categories.
These are: mental, social, spiritual, physical, and emotional personal development. Let's take a closer look at each category today.
1. Mental
The first of the five areas of personal development is all about growing your mind. You can partake in many mental personal development activities such as learning new things, taking a class, reading a book, or watching an informative YouTube video. It is possible to grow in your career, increase your productivity and much more with just a few minutes of daily or weekly dedication.
I enjoy reading books about my industry, listening to podcasts, and taking courses in this category of personal development.
Have you already given thought to investing in your mental well-being? If so, what are some of your favorite activities?
2. Social
Getting better at communicating is the subject of this category. In my opinion, this category is the most overlooked. However, it is an important practice to engage in social personal growth.
Social development can be facilitated through learning a new language, improving your public speaking skills, and practicing active listening.
When was the last time you engaged in any of these activities? I challenge you to do at least one of these this week if it has been a while.
3. Spiritual
For each person, spiritual growth can be relative. In my opinion, this includes anything that helps you feel peace and connect with your true self.
Activities that fall under this category range from prayer, reading the bible, taking time to meditate and walking in nature.
My spiritual personal development time is often spent in reading The Bhagavad Gita or conversing with other devotees. Having a discussion about Shri RadheKrishn always fills my cup to the brim.
What spiritual activities are you passionate about?
4. Emotional
Developing one's emotional well-being can be emotionally draining. This can make it easy to ignore it. I have done my fair share of this. I realized that it was not a healthy habit. As it turns out, repressing your emotions only makes them worse when they do finally come out.
Journaling, tracking your mood, telling a friend, or even consulting a counselor are possible things to enhance your emotional life.
Can you recall any activities that you have done before? Did they help in any way?
5. Physical
We've reached our last category out of five!
Now I hope you have figured out that personal development is about your whole self. Our goal here isn't to focus on one aspect of your life. You need to keep that in mind when choosing your personal development activities.
Exercise is only one part of physical personal development.
Additionally, you should look at eating habits and sleeping habits to gain a complete understanding of this category. Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night, meal prep, and make sure you see your doctor regularly.
You will be in better shape physically if you establish healthier habits around exercise, nutrition, and sleep.
Having now learned what personal development is and what it involves, you may want to know how you can incorporate it into your daily life, right?
If you have no clue what to do for personal development and your day is already packed, try this.
Each of these either takes minimal time or can be done while doing something you already planned.
Mental: Listen to podcasts when you're driving to work.
Social: Rather than going solo on your lunch break, why not invite a colleague or a friend? Try actively listening during lunch.
Spiritual: Spend a few minutes in prayer or meditation before you begin your day.
Emotional: Journaling is a great way to end your day. Journal prompts can help you reflect on your day. Start with anything that comes to your mind.
Physical : It is a misconception that working out requires hours of time in order to be effective. Long workouts can be beneficial sometimes. It is however difficult, when you have a busy day. You shouldn't completely skip your workout because of this. Find an exercise routine that takes only a few minutes, or incorporate exercise into your daily life.
Regardless of how busy your life is, stick around to learn how to add personal development to it.
I hope you found this article useful.
Wishing you a happy, healthy!