We made it – we finally live in an era where self-development is “in.” It’s no longer a mockable pass-time being snuck into houses in the form of cheesy self-help books. Engaging in self-development, or personal development, has become a hallmark of self-awareness and a growth mindset – two things that we value highly in this day and age.
What is Self-Development?
Self-development, or personal development, is the practice of intentionally reflecting on your personality traits, habits, and beliefs and making changes accordingly that will enhance your quality of life.
How is Personal Development Linked to Psychology?
In psychology, the term “positive psychology” is very closely related to what most people think of as “personal development” or “self-development.”
Positive psychology refers to the scientific study of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with a focus on our strengths, rather than our weaknesses. You’ll notice that this is very similar to the definition provided for self-development above – “the practice of reflecting on your personality traits, habits, and beliefs and making changes accordingly that will enhance your quality of life.” This overlap between the two terms shows us that self-development can be thought of as a “positive-psychology intervention.”
In other words, self-development is acting on what you learn about yourself through positive psychology. And positive psychology intervention, or self-development, is proven to have a positive effect on well-being.
What is the Importance of Self-Development?
Self-development can have a huge impact on your well-being. By reflecting on your personality, thoughts, beliefs, and habits, you can gain drastic insight into why your life looks and feels the way it does. Most people never take the time to consider how they’re actively creating their lives with their unconscious ways of living.
By practicing self-development, you can gain insights and make choices that improve your mental, physical, and spiritual/emotional well-being. Some of the benefits you can expect from practicing personal development are improved confidence, more fulfillment, more outward success, improved mental health and better relationships.
Self-Development and Well-Being
Read more about the effects of self-development on well-being:
Confidence – The Truth Behind Confidence (And How to Become More Confident)
Fulfillment – What It Means To Be Fulfilled And How To Find Fulfillment In 2023
Mental Health – 10 Ways Self-Development Has Improved My Mental Health
Surprising Benefits Of Self-Development Practices
A few specific parts of my personal development journey so far that had surprising benefits on my well-being. Some of these practices include giving up alcohol, going all out for the holidays, practicing gratitude, and living in the present moment.
Read more about the surprising benefits of specific self-development practices:
Giving up alcohol – 10 Unexpected Benefits of Cutting Out Alcohol That Surprised Me
Going all out for the holidays – How to Use Holidays for Self-Development (10 Surprising Benefits of Going All Out)
Practicing gratitude – How to Use Gratitude to Make You Happier and Healthier (in 15 seconds or less)
Living in the present moment – How Living In the Moment Affects Your Mental Health and How to Be More Present
How To Practice Self-Improvement (Self-Development)
The process of self-development is simple. It’s not easy and it takes a lot of hard work and commitment, but it is simple. Here are the five simple steps involved in personal development. You can complete this list over and over again for the rest of your life. Your personal development plan should including coming back to steps as needed. There is no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to personal growth.
1. Develop Your Personal Why Statement
If you want to be successful in your personal development, you need to understand why the end goal is important to you. What do you want to achieve and who do you want to be? Deep reflection on these questions will lead you to your “personal why” which will give you the energy you need to accomplish significant self-improvement.
This article will help you develop a strong personal why statement: What’s Your “Why”? How to Craft a Strong Personal Why Statement (with examples)
2. Practice Self-Reflection
As we mentioned earlier, one of the most important aspects of self-development is self-reflection. In fact, positive psychology, the psychological link to self-development, is essentially practicing self-reflection about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. What you discover during this process will become your jumping-off point for setting goals and making changes in your life that lead you to become the person you want to be.
3. Set Goals
Once you’ve developed your personal why statement and done some self-reflection to determine your strengths and weaknesses, it’s time to set goals for yourself. Personal development is the result of looking at where you are, deciding where you want to be, and taking steps to get there. It’s important that when you set your goals, you also make a plan for getting there. Goals without a plan are just dreams.
This article will help you to get better at setting and accomplishing goals: How To Set And Accomplish Big, Powerful Goals
4. Create Good Habits
The only way to effectively accomplish big, scary goals is to create good habits. At our core, humans are creatures of habit. If you want to be successful in your self-development journey and experience a lot of personal growth, you need to set your days up with habits that will propel you toward your goals. Use the insight you gained from your self-reflection to think about what habits aren’t serving you and restructure your days to move you in the direction of your goals.
5. Work On Your Mindset
One of the most important things you can do for your self-development is to work on your mindset. Every one of us has subconscious thoughts and beliefs that don’t serve us well. The more we reflect inward and notice our mindset, the more potential we have to change the way we interact with the world and fulfill our potential. Some ways you may consider working on your mindset during your self-development journey are to learn about the growth mindset, stop negative self-talk, develop self-discipline, practice being present, and learn to de-stress quickly so you don’t get overwhelmed.
These articles will help you change your mindset in helpful ways for your personal development:
Growth Mindset – 5 Fixed Mindset Pitfalls Even Growth Mindset People Fall Into
Negative Self-Talk – Rewire Your Brain and Change Your Negative Self-Talk (4 Simple Steps)
Self-Discipline – How to Be More Disciplined (6 Steps) and How to Stop Being Lazy (3 Practical Steps)
Being Present – How Living In the Moment Affects Your Mental Health and How to Be More Present
De-Stress Quickly – 15 Ways To De-Stress Fast & Get Back To Crushing Your Goals
Overcome Fear of Failure – 9 Simple Steps To Overcome Your Fear Of Failure (Atychiphobia)
Overcome Perfectionism – 21 Powerful Ways To Overcome Your Perfectionism
How To Get Started With Your Personal Development Journey Today
The best thing you can do to get started with your personal development journey today is to start with the little things. It can feel overwhelming when you decide you want to level up your life in a big, dramatic way. You definitely have what it takes to accomplish even your scariest goals and to experience drastic self-improvement. But in the meantime, start with a few tiny changes to set you on the right path towards self-development.
This article will help you get started with your personal development today: 10 Tiny Things You Can Do To Kickstart Your Personal Growth Today