Fulfilling one’s potential resides at the very top of the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Yet, people often get stuck in who they are and what they do. You get a degree, a job, you learn a few things, and you think that’s it. However, it doesn’t have to be. Progress is constant and setting personal development goals can help you become a better version of yourself.
Secret formula = develop a growth mindset + have some guidance
While you have to take care of the first part on your own, this article will explain:
- What is personal development?
- What are the categories of personal development?
- What are personal goals examples?
- How to set personal development goals for work?
What is personal development?
Personal development plan includes setting goals and engaging in activities that support your personal and professional improvement. Besides the two, the strategy you employ on your path is another big part of the growth process.
If your goal is to advance in communication skills, you should engage in situations that demand of you to speak. This could mean meeting new people, presenting stuff at work, or signing up for some group activities. In any case, developing a plan and tracking your results shall ensure steady and continuous progress.
If it sounds like too much work, that’s because it is. However, you must understand that a prerequisite for personal growth is defying the status-quo.
What are the categories of personal development?
Before you start the game of hitting your personal development goals, you should get to know the arenas you’ll be fighting in. These are the four main categories of personal development.
1. Mental
While strength is important, a calm and bright mind will get you further in life. If you are mentally stable, you’ll overcome difficult times with more ease. If you are a strategic thinker, you’ll be able to do it one step ahead and make decisions more rationally.
2. Emotional
Emotions and thoughts are way different from each other. While a thought comes and goes, and you can change your mind relatively quickly, emotions are much harder to control. Many people hold them in or brush them off, which is not the right way to address your feelings.
Emotional stability is important as it enables you to perceive problems more realistically and develops your judgement and evaluation ability. These gained qualities will allow you to accomplish your personal work goals with ease.
3. Social
This category includes activities that can improve your communication skills and your overall social intelligence. Just because we have a mouth, many people think they know all there is about communicating. However, how often do you only think about your next statement while listening to another person talk? Do you know how to kill an argument before it grows to a conflict? Can you sympathize with others?
These are only a few aspects within the social category of personal development that an average person can work on. Activities that can help include asking questions and actively listening, sharing your knowledge, doing things for others, public speaking, etc.
4. Physical
Healthy body = health mind.
Yet, it’s about much more than exercising. It also takes creating habits and building a positive attitude. Activities within this personal development category include sleeping well, getting up early, preparing healthy meals, working out, getting rid of bad habits, etc.
What are personal goals examples?
What personal development goals you’ll set for yourself depends on your existing skills and the things you want to achieve. Below we discuss only some that you can consider putting on your list.
Live authentically
This implies embracing your character and allowing yourself to shine. It involves not being bothered by what other people think. Life is short and you don’t really have the time for things you don’t want to do. If you like wearing red, wear it to work and make it your trademark. Living authentically will positively influence your self-esteem.
Learn new things
If one stops learning, he slowly dies. The world is so colorful that everyone should strive to learn something new every now and then. You can learn from books, off the internet, watching History channel, and trying out online learning. The latter means attending lectures and doing projects over online video platforms. It’s a modern approach to studying and one of the best goals for work you can dedicate your time to.
As an acclaimed and highly valued online learning platform we suggest ELVTR. They have courses in a variety of fields and their educators come from companies like Google, LinkedIn, IBM, Mastercard, Netflix, Nike, and Dropbox. With them you will enjoy community discussions, hands-on projects, and individual feedback.
Work on your time management
Meeting deadlines is one of the highly valued personal development goals. It means that you are organized and responsible. To improve your time management you should start your mornings by making a to-do list and sparing enough time for each task. Pretty soon you will fall in love with the feeling of crossing the last piece from your list. Such behavior will increase your productivity and efficiency.
Read plenty
For starters, reading widens your vocabulary and imagination. It also gives you new things to think and talk about, improves your memory, focus, and writing skills. All of these improvements will help you immensely at work regardless of your occupation.
Listen actively
When you are listening actively, don’t just think about your response. Acknowledge the information from your co-speaker, evaluate it, compare it to your own position, and only then provide a meaningful response. It’s a powerful communication skill and a secret ingredient for gaining respect by your colleagues – everyone wants to be listened to.
Make new connections
Each individual is different and rich in his/her own way. You can learn from people and teach them things in return. That’s why you should always be up to expanding your contact list and networking with colleagues. This way you can help each other on your personal development road. You never know, it can open doors you never knew existed.
Practice gratitude
Instead of being stuck in the “I want” state of mind, try shifting to more of an “I am grateful” attitude. It eliminates the frustrations of not having what you want and allows you to appreciate your current position more. It doesn’t mean you should give up on pursuing your goals. However, balancing your expectations and enjoying current status will result with your own peace of mind.
Do things that scare you
Comfort zone is the enemy number one of anyone’s personal development. Talking to strangers, trying new things, traveling, volunteering for work assignments, can all build up your courage and assertiveness.
How to set personal development goals for work?
1. Envision the best version of yourself
Every good strategy starts with self-assessment. To create the best possible conditions for your personal growth you need to evaluate yourself honestly and critically. To achieve this, you can try out a good old SWOT analysis. Write down your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Once you do this, you’ll be able to see yourself more objectively.
2. Create a roadmap
After completing the vision part, it will be easier to recognize the areas you need to improve in. Not only that but determining the right personal development goals will also become simpler. It is key, however, to keep your goals clear and manageable. You want to engage yourself in certain activities just enough for them to slowly become a routine. Also, if you don’t overload your roadmap, you’ll be able to learn more effectively from your experiences.
3. Grade your progress
The best way to do this is by keeping a journal. You can open a notes document on your phone, write down your goals, and keep track of your activities. It will allow you to look back on your performance and watch how you become better through time.
4. Review and repeat
Keeping track of your activities will create the conditions for reviewing your progress. You can do this monthly or quarterly. If you keep things documented it will be easier to analyze your achievements. It’s a critical part of the overall personal development learning process. Depending on your findings, you can adjust your plan or keep moving forward.
