For a lot of people, being the best version of yourself is just a phrase uttered by a motivational speaker. This is because they fail to grasp all the ramifications of this concept, as well as because it’s hard for them to understand how self-development can help them improve their life. Sure, learning more will make your CV more impressive, thus potentially increasing your income, however, this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Personal development is interesting, empowering and generally a great way to spend your time, effort and resources. With that in mind, here are the five most important reasons why you should never ignore personal development.
Self-confidence
The only way to improve is to constantly push your boundaries. This is why self-development makes you more confident. Learning is similar to any physical exercise. The more you do it, the better you become at it and the stronger you get. The thing is that learning is something that we have to do on a daily basis. By developing a habit of self-improving you will become confident that you can expand your knowledge at your own behest. This will also make you less timid of mandated self-improvement. For instance, if you see a new requirement for a job that you want to apply for, you’ll be more confident about getting it.
A smart investment
Personal development is one of the smartest investment choices you could possibly make. That’s right, it’s an investment and one with an outstanding ROI at that. You see, when it comes to spending money, paying for an accredited personal development course or buying a book are some of the ways to make the biggest difference possible. This means that by investing in personal development and seeing the benefits of these investments, you’re also finding a responsible way to spend your money. Keep in mind that self-improvement can be quite addictive when done right.
Self-discipline
Legendary boxing coach Cus D’Amato used to say that discipline is doing what you hate as if you loved it. While this may not sound like the best principle in life, it’s how the champions are made. It’s how he made Mike Tyson into one of the world’s greatest boxers of all time. Self-growth is not always easy. In fact, it usually requires you to admit that you’re flawed, inefficient or weak in some area and then forcing yourself to deconstruct your habits (leave your comfort zone) in order to grow. It can be a painful process but it always leaves you a lot stronger.
New options
Change doesn’t have to be scary. By learning more, you’re opening up a new path and creating new options. What does this mean? If you learn a new skill, you potentially have a new career path or a new hobby. At the very least, you have one more thing to brag about. Keep in mind that taking the first step on any learning path is usually a process of initiation into a much larger world. By learning a new language, for instance, you’re gaining access to a cultural heritage of millions of people that would otherwise be completely unavailable. By learning about something new, you’re expanding your field of interest. Learning always results in more options.
Meeting new people
Courses and seminars are the best places to find open-minded people with similar interests. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Even if you’re not going to seminars in person (due to COVID-19-related restrictions), there are many interesting people online discussing these topics. Networking is one of the most important aspects of modern life. So, why not exercise it in a natural, organic and friendly environment. Some of the people you meet this way could potentially become life-long companions.
In conclusion
Personal development is an incredibly important thing, regardless of your career choice. At the very least, microlearning is ever-present and is probably something that you’re already practising. So, why not formalize this, streamline it and make it into something far more productive. In order to do this, you need to have proper motivation and a lot of motivating factors can be reached through compelling arguments. The above-listed five arguments are definitely a great starting point.
