ExecutiveDevelopmentBlog

Think for a moment about what your life would be like if you were completely satisfied with yourself: you were always at your ideal weight; you were in your dream job; you were able to speak freely and comfortably before large crowds; and, you experienced a sense of contentment and inner peace every day. A quick look around (including in the mirror) probably drives home the point that taking yourself from where you are today to where you would like to be on any significant dimension—appearance, skills, attitudes, accomplishments, etc—is quite difficult. It must be, or we would have already done it.

Before launching into any activity with the intention of improving yourself it is useful to understand a few basic principles of self-development.  Stepping back to reflect on your personal needs and the process of developing yourself can be very helpful in highlighting ways for you to jumpstart your learning and make real lasting changes in your life.  The following five principles of self-development may be helpful to keep in mind as you begin creating a development plan for yourself. 

ONE:  Self-Awareness is the first step toward Self Improvement.  Personal development is difficult because most people resist self-awareness.  They reach a point where they are pretty comfortable with themselves, and they become resistant to change.  A common attitude I have encountered when helping others through personal change is, “It’s worked for me in the past, so why fix it if it isn’t broken?”  In order to grow beyond who you are today you must first acknowledge that there is room for improvement. 

If you don’t have a lot of self-confidence to begin with, focusing on areas for improvement can be pretty threatening.  If you have a high level of self-confidence, it is easy to dismiss significant critical feedback. It is one of the major reasons why people don’t change easily.  It’s very hard to admit that you need to work on a significant personal change goal.  In fact, not only will most people ignore their development needs, many will deny them vehemently when they are pointed out.  Recognizing that there is a need for change then is the fundamental pre-requisite for making any important change in your life. 

So, before beginning a journey of self-development, you need to recognize that you may not like or agree with everything that you encounter along the way.  You may find that you are not as good at some things as you thought.  If, after understanding your development needs, you decide not to attempt some personal change, then it is at least a conscious choice.