Are you happy with your life? Are you feeling lost, lacking motivation or have no direction? It can be hard to know where to begin when putting together a personal development plan. Should you focus on your strengths, should you try to eliminate weaknesses or perhaps you should learn new skills?
We should start by firstly defining what is personal development. Personal development is a lifetime journey of learning, accumulating knowledge, gaining wisdom and becoming an all-round better person. It’s about making small, simple changes in your life every day that can make a dramatic improvement over a longer period of time.
Sounds complicated but don’t worry, you have the power to make your life better. All you need is a little help to get you started. Here’s a list of 12 personal development tips that you can start implementing today to build a better you and a better life.
12 Personal Development Tips
1/ Create a life vision.
A life vision is a clear picture of what you want to achieve in life. If you don’t have a vision for your life you’ll likely spend your days, weeks and years living the same routine. This vision is an important step to help you identify your personal development needs. Self-improvement is achieved by working towards goals, ambitions and dreams. A life vision can be a powerful driving force, forcing you to improve yourself as you learn new skills to reach your ultimate destination.
2/ Step out of your comfort zone.
The majority of people spend their lives trapped inside their comfort zone as they feel safe and secure. Of course, it’s important to be relaxed and as stress-free as possible, but most people get too comfortable, stop challenging themselves and as a result, limit their personal growth.
The best way to begin your journey of self- improvement is to step out of your comfort zone at least once a day. Start by taking small steps. You are going to feel uncomfortable and a little scared, but expanding your comfort zone is essential for personal growth. Learn more by reading my recent article that details ways to step out of your comfort zone.
3/ Learn a new language.
Learning a new language and about a new culture is not only a mind-opening experience, physiological studies have discovered that speaking two or more languages has several cognitive advantages. These include building multitasking skills, improved memory, boosts creativity, better decision-making skills and building self-confidence.
4/ Avoid negative people.
Jim Rohn famously said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.” Associating with negative people both personally and professionally will have a detrimental effect on your personal growth.
Why? Negative people can affect your thinking, so instead of thinking positively, you begin thinking negatively. They can damage your credibility as you will be judged by the people you associate with. They are great at giving negative feedback and discouraging you. Negative people will reinforce your negative thoughts. They drain the emotional energy of people around them. The only way to move forward in life is to associate with positive people that are also moving forward. As Robert Tew said – “Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out!”
5/ Learn chess.
Playing chess exercises vital areas of the brain that develops memory, problem-solving, creativity, strategic planning, logical thinking, independence, concentration, abstract reasoning, pattern recognition and critical thinking. Chess has long been regarded as a game that has beneficial effects on personal development and is an important tool in your quest for self-improvement.
6/ Get up early.
Several studies have correlated waking up early with success in life. Getting up early gives you a real boost for the day ahead. Studies have shown that an early riser is more productive, more energetic and makes better decisions. Benefits of rising early include allowing us time to prepare and consume a nutritious breakfast and we don’t experience the stress associated with being late and rushing to work. Also, scientific studies have proven that people who wake and rise early are less prone to depression and have fewer psychological illnesses.
7/ Let go of the past.
Holding on to unhappy events or grievances from the past can prevent you from moving on with your life and becoming a better person. Forgive yourself and others for past events and move forward to your dreams and ambitions.
8/ Exercise.
When was the last time you worked out? Hopefully, you’ll say ‘yesterday’ or even better ‘this morning’! We all know the huge benefits exercise brings to the body and mind and few things are better for your energy levels, brain and mood than regular exercise. If you aren’t happy with your exercise routine, create a plan that’ll enable you to reach your fitness goals. Figure out a sport you enjoy partaking in, maybe jogging, cycling, lifting weights, spin class or a martial art and do it several times a week. Probably one of the most important personal development tips to commit to is to exercise regularly, preferably every day.
9/ Spend less time on stuff that doesn’t matter.
How much time do you spend surfing the internet, watching TV or YouTube or playing computer games? Try to spend less time doing stuff that doesn’t matter and spend that time on putting into practice these personal development tips!
10/ Stop procrastinating.
Procrastination is great at stopping people achieving their dreams, goals, ambitions and any chance of self-improvement. It is a major problem that can detrimentally affect both personal lives and careers. If you suffer from procrastination, don’t worry, by just making a few simple changes to your lifestyle you can take back control of your life and achieve self-improvement goals you never thought possible. Discover the changes needed by reading my article on how to stop procrastinating.
11/ Read a book in a new genre.
Do you tend to read romance, crime or mystery novels? Next time you are looking for a new book, try picking a genre or subject that might educate, inform or enlighten you.
12/ Read personal development articles.
Try to read at least 1 personal development article or a couple of chapters of a self-help book a day. It will provide new ideas, insight, and motivation in your quest to build a better you and a better life.
If you’ve enjoyed this personal development tips article, please share on Facebook. Thanks for reading!
