In pursuit of personal development

Setting personal goals to realize our full potential and continuously evaluating progress towards those goals is a lifelong process. Our choices determine our decisions to identify areas of personal improvement to then work on ourselves to get closer to our goals.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs leading to self-actualisation suggests that every individual is likely to be in a particular stage of maturity concerning their needs. He indicated that the needs necessary for survival include basic needs such as physiological need, safety, love, belonging, esteem and growth needs leading to self-actualisation. However, these need not necessarily progress linearly from one lower to higher in the hierarchy. In fact, the desire to grow could be felt strongly even as the lower level of needs is being met. While the extent of a specific need could vary between people, personal growth, finding meaning in life, and conquest to self-actualization is inherent in every individual. Investing in personal development to realize one's true potential is a lifelong process requiring introspection, planning, and constantly working to execute plans.

Realising the potential in one's career requires continuous investment in building a deeper understanding of one's domains, including the characteristics and challenges of the industry and the nature of one's job. To see progress, one must understand the business context and how that context is changing over time because of changes in process, technologies, industry-specific changes, competitive, economic, and geopolitical reasons.

The massive level of change occurring across these factors requires one to continuously stay informed to be relevant. Additionally, one must constantly invest time and effort to build and mature behavioural competencies, including listening, change resilience, contextual thinking, clear communication, and resourcefulness. Investing in learning and education and building networks with people in our area of interest is imperative for personal development. Getting a diverse view of perspectives and staying open-minded without being judgemental significantly accelerates development.

For personal development, here are five cost-effective ways accessible to everyone:

Consistent reading

As a quote goes, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free". Investing daily time in reading about the topics one has identified for improvement is a potent weapon to sharpen our minds and accelerate the process of learning. Reading not only imparts us significant knowledge but also provides a variety of perspectives from the rich experiences of others – several of which we could take forward to apply in our own lives.

Develop a growth mindset

Most of us live in fear of failure or the fear of even trying. We typically avoid challenges. We fear moving out of our comfort zone into any unknowns. We are thereby denying ourselves new experiences, which eventually come in the way of personal development. Working on ourselves to see challenges as opportunities for learning and growth significantly supports our growth.

Reflection

Finding daily time for reflection at the end of each day significantly improves awareness of one's progress towards goals. In turn, this helps to keep a continuous sight of one's goals coupled with an honest assessment of one's strengths areas of improvement and check what makes one happy. Journaling is a great way to reflect as it helps to stay focused rather than giving in to the constant chatter and noise in one's mind. Being honest with oneself is paramount during such reflection.

Finding mentors

Mentoring could be a great way to gain knowledge and confidence of how to manage situations, help in problem-solving and emerge wiser. A richly experienced mentor who has dealt with numerous life challenges has emerged successfully and is willing to share their knowledge would be a great way to learn from others' experiences and build strength. Eventually, this helps one to get autonomous and independent over time.

Choices and actions

As Darren Hardy says, "You make your choices, and then the choices make you". "Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE." Being always conscious and aware of the choices one makes; one's actions and behavior is crucial for personal development. Choices of how one is utilizing our waking hours, where we invest our time, how much focus we have on aspects of health and well-being, and the number of hours invested in learning is what will eventually pay back in the form of the right actions towards personal development. Practice and consistency are vital to realising results.

None of us is born with a fixed set of skills and abilities. These have been built by hard work and persistence over time for successful people. Learning about ourselves and getting better each day realizing our true potential requires consistent and severe practice. But foremost, it requires a strong intent on one's part.

(The author is Founder, Director – Avaali Solutions

Pvt Ltd)