From the moment our mothers were delivered of us, the emphasis has been laid on growth and development. At such instances, that responsibility falls on the parents. You then become a youth, and the responsibility of growth begins to shift to your jurisdiction. Everyone needs to develop in one way or the other; this write-up is for each of us. Self-development is defined as “the act of taking steps to better yourself, such as by learning new skills or overcoming bad habits.”
Firstly, the art of self-discipline
Self-development, for sure, is an “act”, it takes a lot of practice and hard work to develop oneself. The concept of self-development sounds pleasing to the ear, but in reality, how to go about it is still a mystery for some of our wanting youthful minds. Owing to our diversity in personalities, different ideologies pertain to how we can go about achieving self-development. But there is common ground in all these ideologies, and this literature enriches us with some foundational basis on how we can go about the act of self-development.
I chose to begin with self-discipline because as Brain Tracy will say “.. when you master the power of self-discipline, you will become unstoppable…”. Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not (Brain Tracy). To better yourself, requires that you put in the required effort; it is not an easy process and requires a lot of determination and commitment to achieve this Act successfully. Discipline takes practice and consistency; Set personal goals, write them down, set deadlines and take effective steps to achieve these goals.
Define your growth parameters
what precise aspects do you want to grow in; financial growth, health, fitness, leadership, communication e.t.c. Be precise with what you want, and begin to achieve these set goals one after another. Define what is required to achieve these set goals, and be the manager of these parameters. For self-development to occur, you ought to take effective management of your every activity and your total being; what time do I get up, what do I eat, who do I associate with e.t.c
Another aspect of the self-development journey is collaboration.
To grow, you have to associate yourself with people who want to grow, with successful people in your field, learn from them, and build networks with other like-minded individuals. The saying “man is not an island” is applicable to every growth level, you have what someone needs and you need what someone has. Be inquisitive, talk to people who have succeeded in your field, engage yourself in change-making projects.
Focus on what matters
Inasmuch as you have to engage yourself in different projects, you have to decipher and select what really matters to your personal growth. Like I said earlier, take control of yourself. Make use of your youthfulness.
The journey of self-development is an unending one and encompasses limitless concepts and requirements. To walk these paths, it begins with you and your ability to make use of your environment. Improve your existing skills, learn from failure, be careful of the little things, because they matter, and most importantly have a winning mindset. Having these few concepts as your foundation for development will get you apt for self-development.
Content Credits: Jam Etienne Yuh