8 ways to improve your personal development skills
First of all, let’s define what self-development is. To keep it simple, it is a continuous process of learning new things and building new skills that make us more successful and help us achieve our goals. Self-development is a way to boost our skills, define life goals, and maximize positive qualities. Building a solid skillset through personal and professional development will help us fulfill our potential.
To be sucessful, focus on your personal development
Truth be told, it is a lifelong process, but there are some things you can do even this month to feel the difference. In this article, we gathered the most important yet simple ways to become a better version of ourselves and train our skills in 30 days.
1. Make a plan of your self-development journey
First of all, you need a starting point to define where you are standing now and where you’d like to go. For example, you feel like you lack learning skills or haven’t read much of your professional literature lately, so this time next month, you’d like to be more aware of what’s new in your field and know more of the latest information and facts.
Also, it’s easier to improve yourself if you have a purpose for doing so. Why do you want to become better at something? There could be anything: promotion, new job position, change field, etc.
Once you are clear about skills to develop, you can start planning how to do that. In this way, you’ll have a рicture of what needs to be done and make a plan. Let’s say your goal for the next month is: to read two professional books, take a course to boost your skills, exercise 3 times a week, and so on. From this, you can work on your time management and schedule activities you should do every day to catch up with your goal.
Yes, it seems like there are many “plan” words here, but there is a reason. Having a plan is really important because it works as motivation when you feel on the edge of giving up or when you are unsure what to do.
2. Think positive.
You can achieve anything if you trust in your power. Without believing in your abilities, there is no use even trying because success starts in your mind. That is called a “growth mindset,” a strong belief in yourself, an inner persuasion that you can do this. This mindset is crucial when it comes to implementing your plan in life. Trust that it all will be paid for can push you to keep up even when exhausted. You could enjoy challenges because you value learning and growth when you know why you are doing this.
A growth mindset also helps to develop resilience which is a skill that allows you to bounce back quickly after failure. Everyone knows that we can’t achieve anything if we don’t keep trying again and again.
3. Read professional literature.
You might think that you know everything in your job, you have a huge experience and 15 years of practice, etc. But we live in a world that never stops, where information appears every day from various sources, where machine learning and artificial intelligence change industries and people’s roles there.
Accordingly, to be a pro, you should go hand in hand with modernity. One of the easiest ways to improve professional development is self-learning. Look at the top-rated book list of the last two years, pick up your professional books, whether it’s management, communication, marketing, and read them this month. Also, it might be helpful to take some notes on paper. Studies show that with handwriting, we help our brain memorize things better. Plus, you will have professional material to review whenever you need it.
4. Follow professional blogs.
Undoubtedly, every industry has top-notch specialists and influencers you would like to level up with. Follow their pro accounts, blogs, etc. There you can find something new every day and gain knowledge, learn from their real life, on their success stories and mistakes in a virtual (read harmless) way. It is your source of ideas, insights, and inspiration from people you trust and admire.
You can get even more if you stay active. Write comments, express your points of view, ask questions and join discussions. You get a community of your colleagues to help you grow while just using your smartphone. And, last but not least, in these blogs, you can enlarge your network and make some valuable acquaintances. Do not underestimate the power of social media and use them for your personal-professional development.
5. Learn something new. It’s cruical for self development.
To be a good specialist, reading your professional literature is essential. But it’s also important to source you with knowledge of different kinds because industries do not exist in a vacuum. There are always interconnections and links between various fields. Great ideas might come from unexpected sources. Learning from diverse sources is another easy tip on how to develop skills and knowledge you need for your success story.
That’s why thinking out of the box is a valuable quality for a successful person. Take Michelin, a producer of car tires and their restaurant guide.
You can start with general knowledge: read more about history, society, culture, human psychology − subjects that give you a solid background and help to enlarge your mental horizons.
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6. Ask for feedback to boost your personal development skills.
Sometimes it might be pretty hard to make an honest self-evaluation and define how to self-develop. That’s where feedback comes in handy. Evaluation from someone whose opinion you trust can provide you with a more objective view of yourself, highlighting your strong and weak sides. It can be a valuation of your work, managing, communication skills, or emotional intelligence. Also, feedback helps you see how your behavior might impact your colleagues. Based on this information, you can define how to improve yourself professionally and establish goals. You can use it to encourage your learning, boost your motivation, and improve performance.
By receiving feedback, you help create a healthier and more open atmosphere in your workplace. There are many tips on receiving feedback, which shortly come to the following fives.
Listen and focus on what is being said.
Do not defend or argue it’s not time for debates.
Ask for clarification if you don’t understand something.
Ask for advice on how you can do things differently.
Thank a person for the feedback: it can really make a difference in your professional life.
7. Exercise regulary. Strong mind needs a strong body.
There are some fundamentals from all self-development skills, without which all others just don’t make sense. These crucial skills to improve are concerned with the body and mental health. Simply speaking, we need strong bodies to endure all daily activities.
Studies have proved a connection between a workout and overall brain function. Thanks to exercise, we provide our brain with enough oxygen and stimulate the growth of new brain cells. Plus, exercise releases endorphins, also known as nature’s mood elevator, which is crucial to stay buoyant and more resistant to stress. So, by this time next month, you can easily implement some activities: morning gymnastics, a good workout three or four times a week, walking, and stretching.
8. Rest and relax. There are important stages of personal development.
On our path of self-development, we cope with high levels of stress and some crises. They can stop us from effectively pursuing and achieving our self-development goals. That’s why by learning how to keep balance, our minds will be more equipped to handle daily challenges. Research shows that daily meditation, yoga practice, and good night sleep are efficient remedies for maintaining our healthy being and reducing stress levels.
Overall, self-development is an essential habit for being an accomplished and successful person. The process of personality development does require a lot of time and effort, so it might look scary even to start. The thing you need to remember is that every outstanding achievement begins with a small step toward your goal. Every day you can do a little to become more innovative, more professional, and learn something new. Read a good article, communicate with people you admire, ask for feedback from someone you value. And in a month, you can become a better version of yourself. Just try it.
